ZWO AM5N Harmonic Equatorial Mount Gen.2 - GoTo travel mount - Mount head

ZWO AM5 Equatorial Mount with Harmonic Drive Gears

ZWO offers with the "Harmonic Equatorial Mount AM5" a transportable mount for astrophotography. The mount weighs less than 5 kg and carries telescopes up to 15 kg without counterweight. With counterweight and the counterweight rod (optional) the mount can even carry telescopes up to 20 kg. Several years of development and various patents have gone into this exciting mount.

Many functions and easy operation

The AM5 can be operated equatorially and azimuthally. For astrophotography, the equatorial mode is used. The mount must be aligned as accurately as possible with the celestial pole. For visual observing or lunar and planetary photography, the altazimuth mode is sufficient. The mount is then ready for use in a few minutes. The status indicator always shows in which mode the mount is: Red represents equatorial mode and green represents altazimuth mode.

No more counterweights needed

Normally, German equatorial mounts need counterweights to balance the telescope weight. This is the only way to ensure proper operation. The AM5 uses robotics technology, it does not require counterweights up to a telescope weight of 15 kg. This makes the AM5 lighter, more compact and easier to operate. Only for heavier telescopes we recommend counterweights to keep mount and tripod in balance.

Smooth tracking is guaranteed

ZWO checks and measures every AM5 mount before delivery and guarantees a periodic error ("PE") of less than +/-20 arc seconds. The periodic error occurs very slowly, so that the autoguider has enough time to correct it. Of course, the mount has an ST-4 autoguiding interface. Via ASIAir or other software the PE can also be reduced electronically.

Useable anywhere on Earth

As you would expect from a true travel mount, the AM5 can be used anywhere on Earth, from the equator to the poles. The mount has room in any flight baggage.

Polar alignment of the mount for astrophotography

In equatorial mode, the mount must be aligned exactly with the celestial north or south pole. Small errors are of course corrected by autoguiding. Aligning the mount is done quickly and easily with ASIAir or other suitable software.
However, Teleskop-Service and ZWO are working on an optional solution with a polar finder that is mounted parallel to the mount.

No more control cables thanks to WiFi

All functions of the mount can be controlled via smartphone. Of course, the AM5 works especially well with ASIAir from ZWO. With ASIAIR, everything from the camera to autoguiding to the mount can be controlled via app using a smartphone or tablet. The mount can also be operated with the handbox without a smartphone. The handbox also works wirelessly, of course. New: The app now also supports Bluetooth.

Supports cable management to prevent cable entanglement

The saddle plate now integrates DC output and Type-C port to effectively prevent cable entanglement. The cable protection process ensures the safety of equipment operation: The unique design process ensures that the internal cables will not be twisted and worn when the DEC rotates, escorting the operation of the equipment.

Important notes:

There is an ASIAIR finder shoe attached on the AM5´s side panel, meant for attaching a polar finder. The finder shoe is not suitable for mounting an ASIAIR at this point, since both cables and the antenna of the ASIAIR can be crushed.

If you therefore want to attach the finder shoe to a different location, such as on the side of the Losmandy & Vixen style dovetail saddle plate, then make sure not to screw the two rest hex screws FULLY into the side panel. Keep the length of the inner part between 3~5 mm. Alternatively, you can use M4x3.5mm or M4x4mm screws there, which are available from ZWO, but also at hardware stores.

If you completely screw the M4x8mm screws in, considering the compact structure of AM5, the cables inside the mount might get pressed and damaged which may lead the mount not to work!

Newer mounts have M4x3.5mm screws screwed into the saddle plate, these go into the side panel when the finder shoe is attached to the saddle plate along with the M4x8mm screws (it will not hold with the short screws).

{Use with tripods from other manufacturers}]The manufacturer does not give a recommendation for third-party tripods, but according to customer experience, you can remove the possibly existing three side bolts, then a connection via the central thread and a suitable screw (UNC 3/8-16 photo thread) in the third-party tripod is possible.

Question:
What to do if the mount stops when starting up (usually at low temperatures)?

Answer from Teleskop-Service:
The first thing to ensure is that the power supply is sufficient. The “Heavy Load Mode” is particularly recommended for heavier accessories. This halves the maximum adjustment speed. The change can be found under the advanced settings, under Max Move Rate. Here you go to Half Speed.


Question:
I have a question about this mount. Is there any quick help available?

Answer from Teleskop-Service:
Probably yes, the manufacturer has made an FAQ as a PDF, it can be downloaded here.


Question:
I´ve recently read that ZWO AM5 mount will not respond to two softwares usage at the same time. Is that the case? I really can´t use two or more controlling softwares at the same time with AM5? If so, is there an update for that matter for the near future?

Answer from Teleskop-Service:
ZWO fixed this issue before. Make sure the firmware of the AM5 is the lastest version.


Question:
Where can I find the firmware and how can I update it?

Answer from Teleskop-Service:
The answer can be found at the Official User Forum for ZWO Products.


Answer from Teleskop-Service:
What are good initial values for guiding?]
[!With the AM5, compared to mounts with worm drive, slightly different settings are useful. ZWO suggests as initial values:

Max. R.A. duration: 2000 ms
Aggression: 35 - 40%
Guiding exposure: 0.5 - 1 s, fast and low aggression is best
Dec guide mode: Auto

User manual:

The manufacturer has made a product manual for the AM5 mount, you can download the PDF here.

Video:

ZWO has created a (English) video about the creation of the mount:

Safety informations: PDF Download