Category: Focusers

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New SESTO SENSO 2 Robotic Focusing Motor

SESTO SENSO 2 Animation

SESTO SENSO 2 – The highly accurate, advanced, vibration free, robotic focusing motor for your telescope! Connect it to the USB port of your EAGLE or Windows® computer to electronically control focus while still allowing you to manually move your focuser by hand if needed. If you don’t want to focus using a computer, you can connect wirelessly from any smartphone or tablet using the integrated Virtual HandPad via the built-in Wifi network in the SESTO SENSO 2! Thanks to the Self Centering Clamp technology (SCC), SESTO SENSO 2 can be installed on most focusers without the need of external brackets. The supplied FOCUS Manager software and ASCOM driver allow easy configuration of the many advanced features of SESTO SENSO 2. Thanks to the precisely controlled motor with integrated electronics, SESTO SENSO 2 achieves incredible precision of just 0.7 microns. 

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First Primalucelab ESATTO 2″ Microfocuser Sold in Australia

We recently received a shipment of ESATTO 2″ and ESATTO 3″ focusers from Primalucelab. These had been pre-ordered by customers who wanted to get in early and receive an ESATTO from Primalucelab’s first production run. 

I asked one of our customers to send some images of his telescope with the ESATTO 2″ installed. Along with the images he provided some excellent  feedback which he has allowed me to publish here. He preferred to be anonymous so we will refer to our customer as DS from South East Queensland. 

DS owns a Takahashi Mewlon 210

There are a number of Adapter options for connecting the ESATTO 2″ to Takahashi telescopes.

Thanks to its low profile, the ESATTO 2″ is the perfect motorized focuser for Takahashi telescopes with M72 thread. By adding the PL3600244 M72 adapter, you can thread the ESATTO 2″ focuser directly onto the back of these telescopes.

But the Mewlon 210 telescope uses a M71 thread!

Primalucelab suggest adding the Baader BAA2558231 M71/M72 adapter to connect to the Takahashi Mewlon telescopes.

Mewlon 210 + BAA2558231 M71/M72 + PL3600244 M72 + ESATTO 2"

Takahashi Mewlon 210

DS decided to use his existing SC thread adapter

DS already had a SC thread adapter attached to his Mewlon 210 so he decided to leave this in place and directly connect the ESSATO 2″ focuser using the PL3600209 SC Adapter. His existing camera and filter wheel was attached to a Mewlon x0.8 Reducer / Flattener that provided a 2″ nose piece on the telescope focuser side. To accomodate this DS also purchased the PL8410001 2″ Visual Back.

Mewlon 210 + Tak SC thread Adpater + PL3600209 SC Adapter + ESATTO 2" + PL8410001 Visual Back

ESATTO 2 Imaging Train


Our Customers Comments and Feedback

Initially DS sent an email to thank Sidereal Trading for delivering his new focuser. He was obviously very happy with the design and build quality.

Thank you for the ESATTO 2” Robotic Focuser and adapters, received today.

I am conflicted; I’m not sure if I should fit the ESATTO to my telescope, or frame it as a work of art in an Art Gallery.

As usual, the arrival on new astro gear coincides with the arrival of local cloud an storm conditions, so I will not be able to test it in the field for a couple of days.

Cheers DS

As promised, please find attached a couple of photos of the ESATTO motorised focuser attached to my Takahashi Mewlon 210 and a couple of annotated images showing the components of my imaging train that I have used to obtain a 56mm distance between the Metal Back of the Tak x0.8 Reducer/Flattener and the CMOS Chip in the ZWO ASI1600MM.

I also managed to locate a drawing, source unknown, but it looks like a Tak internal drawing that indicates the Optimum Focus is set at 105mm from the rear of the mirror assembly, but this can be allowed to extend an ADDITIONAL 118mm giving a maximum of 223mm. My optical train comes in around 170mm so I am somewhere between these two points.

Cheers DS

First Impressions

When I first operated the ESATTO, I freaked out as the motor noise was very similar to my Tak EM200 Mount when slewing, and I temporarily thought my mount had made an uncommanded slew, until I reconciled the disconnect between my auditory and visual input sensors (ears and eyes).

As it operates, the ESATTO sound like a Maserati purring along, no doubt a testimony to Filippo’s heritage.

The ESATTO is performing extremely well and the Windows 10 Application was very intuitive to operate

I managed to record Nereid, a mag 18.7 satellite of Neptune last night (Bortle 6 skies) with this set up, but my spacing was only 51mm so I have now inserted a 5mm Extension Tube to give me 56mm and will try this next time I get a clear night. I found mag 19.9 stars in the image which is quite impressive from the light polluted suburbs of Brisbane. I have attached a cropped copy of the Nereid image, which does show some comatic stars at the edge and I am hoping this is due to the incorrect 51mm distance.

I continue to be impressed with the ESATTO which I “manually” focus using The Sky X Pro HFD Graphing Method by stepping the ESATTO in/out using the Win 10 App.

Just bear in mind that all the various measurements I have made and the sources from where I obtained various details are not Tak approved or controlled, so I cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Cheers DS

Nereid Plate Solved
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Australian dealership for Rainbow Astro

Rainbow Astro Mounts

Sidereal Trading is excited to announce that we are now the Australian dealer for Rainbow Astro. Rainbow Astro is a division of Rainbow Robotics, a professional mechatronics technology company that designs robotic telescope systems. Rainbow Astro have developed a range of high-end telescope mounts featuring innovative technologies that will impress the most discerning astrophotographers.

In addition to advanced robotic telescope mounts, Rainbow Astro make a range of accessories for RC telescopes. Sidereal Trading has receive our first shipment of RSF Secondary Mirror focus kits for 8″ and 10″ RC Telescopes. The RSF Focuser replaces the secondary mirror holder with a Stepper Motor Moving Focuser. This allows the original focuser to be complete removed and replaced with an optional Fixed Focus Adapter that provides threaded couplings to mount the camera to the telescope. The Fixed Focus Adapter eliminates any possibility of camera tilt being introduce by a poorly constructed focuser.

RSF Series Secondary Mirror Focuser
RSF Series Secondary Mirror Focuser
RC8 Fixed Focus Camera Adapter
RC8 Fixed Focus Camera Adapter

The RSF Secondary Mirror Focuser Kit incudes Hand Controller and an ASCOM driver allowing remote focus via a USB cable connected to a PC.

You can purchase the DIY kit to upgrade your telescope or buy a Sidereal Trading upgraded GSO RC telescope with the focuser preinstalled. 

The RSF-8 and RSF-10 Secondary Mirror Focuser Kits