Noctutec OCAL Version 3.0 MAX - Electronic Collimator with improved Performance

OCAL Version 3.0 Max Collimator

The market continues to develop in the direction of short focal lengths and highly sensitive cameras with extremely small pixels. This increases the demands on telescope adjustment.
Every Ocal collimator from version 3.0 has an internal motor that moves the CMOS chip linearly. The focus can thus be ideally adjusted to the individual areas of the alignment via the software. You can therefore focus on any area of the telescope without touching the setup or the image train. Colored centering circles can be selected and adjusted using the enclosed software. The software also controls the line width of the circles as well as the contrast and exposure of the live image. Last but not least, a fade cross can be switched on and rotated using the software. In this way, all areas important for the adjustment can be focused and aligned concentrically with great precision. The alignment of the crosshairs can be used to assess the exact alignment of the secondary spider.

The OCAL collimator version 3.0 MAX is a further development of the popular OCAL V3.0 and OCAL PRO collimators. The accuracy of the devices has been further improved, hence the MAX in the name. Please use this collimator especially for all devices with focal ratios faster than f/4.5 and for all devices with focal ratios slower than f/7. We also recommend the MAX version whenever a corrective lens is in the optical path.

By decoupling the camera module, the precision of the collimator has been significantly increased. In the previous models (OCAL, OCAL PRO, OCAL V3.0), the camera module was firmly connected to the circuit board. Manufacturing tolerances on the circuit boards and in the mounting process were the limiting factor in terms of overall accuracy.

The new industrial-grade camera module is decoupled from the circuit board. A new manufacturing method now makes it possible to install the camera module with high precision in the housing of the OCAL Version 3.0 MAX. The deviation is a very small 0.05 mm!

Key features

Each collimator has a very high pixel accuracy.

The connection is made via a T2 thread (M42x0.75) to minimize mounting errors. Collimation errors, which are often caused by different human visual axes, can be completely eliminated with OCAL technology.

Included are also an adapter from T2 to M48 and a 1.25" adapter for easier installation.

The product solves the problem of collimation even with large telescopes, thanks to the collimation aid the result is immediately displayed on the screen.

Quick and easy: collimate your instrument in just 4 steps!

The device can check whether the center mark on the primary mirror is correctly positioned or not.

You can also use the screenshot function to save the collimation result.

Thanks to the cell phone version of the software, it is now possible to use an Android device with OTG adapter to collimate a telescope directly from a smartphone!

Special features of version 3.0 Max

The 3.0 MAX version of the OCAL collimator uses a larger front lens and a CMOS sensor. The sensor is considerably more sensitive to light. This enables adjustment even in dark surroundings. If the image is too bright, you can adjust it via gain and exposure time.

Increased accuracy compared to all previous models.

In contrast to the previous version , the OCAL Version 3.0 MAX has a decoupled camera module in industrial quality. This camera module is no longer connected to the circuit board. The manufacturing technology used allows this module to be installed in the OCAL MAX housing with maximum precision. The deviation during assembly is only 0.05 mm!

The optics of the OCAL Version 3.0 MAX ensure that critical areas can be focused more easily.

The area in the center around the lens of the OCAL is easier to distinguish from the background. This enables perfect adjustment even under difficult conditions, for example when a center mark obscures the lens.

The image quality has been significantly improved. Especially with a corrector connected, the image is much better than with the previous models.

Suitable for Windows and Android.

There is a manual, the PDF can be downloaded here.

Tutorial Videos:
Newtonian collimation:


RC collimation

Question:
What to do if no image is visible?

Answer from Teleskop-Service:
If you see a white or grey screen in Windows after switching on, you must allow Windows to access the camera.

Safety informations: PDF Download