Amount Paid: 589.00
Where purchased: High Point Scientific
Where purchased: High Point Scientific
In some ways, this was a great addition to the rig. But in others, it was a bane. It added weight to the optical train as well as requiring learning new basic balance point.
As for the rotator. It's a very solid unit. It adds about 1.5 pounds to the weight of your rig (and to the optical train). This is lighter than many other, and since all optical trains have a weight limit, this is an important factor into deciding which you want to go with.
The body is CNC machined, and the standard blue that Pegasus equipment is known for.
The unit is about 2 1/4" (57.5mm) in depth from the motor to the flat side of the rotator. The rotator is about 7 1/8" (181mm) in length. The area that you attach your optical train is 19mm in depth (this is the important one for figuring your back focus and how many spacers needed, if any). This segment has M54 female threads on either side, so you will need adapters on both sides in most cases. The Falcon came with a M54 to male M48 adapter, which allowed me to hook it up directly to my William Optics 6AIII flattener/reducer.
I ended up buying extra spacers just to have some on hand in case I changed my optical train up and needed smaller diameter than M54 threaded on either side.
I was lucky and the rotator motor did not interfere with anything on my optical train, but some have had issues and need spacers put in front of the rotator instead of behind it like many would do.
My configuration goes flattener->Falcon->EFW->Camera and I'm fairly close to the 55mm backspace. I can somewhat adjust with the flattener for any tweaking I need.
The rotator is rated to handle up to 13.2 pounds (6kg). I have not noticed any flex in my train, but I have read where others using APS-C cameras and larger format have noticed some flex with their setups. For my current rig, it works fine, but if I had a larger camera (I have a 533MM Pro) and larger filter wheel (currently 31mm) and used an OAG (I have a guide scope) I would probably look for a heavier duty solution.
As for the rotator. It's a very solid unit. It adds about 1.5 pounds to the weight of your rig (and to the optical train). This is lighter than many other, and since all optical trains have a weight limit, this is an important factor into deciding which you want to go with.
The body is CNC machined, and the standard blue that Pegasus equipment is known for.
The unit is about 2 1/4" (57.5mm) in depth from the motor to the flat side of the rotator. The rotator is about 7 1/8" (181mm) in length. The area that you attach your optical train is 19mm in depth (this is the important one for figuring your back focus and how many spacers needed, if any). This segment has M54 female threads on either side, so you will need adapters on both sides in most cases. The Falcon came with a M54 to male M48 adapter, which allowed me to hook it up directly to my William Optics 6AIII flattener/reducer.
I ended up buying extra spacers just to have some on hand in case I changed my optical train up and needed smaller diameter than M54 threaded on either side.
I was lucky and the rotator motor did not interfere with anything on my optical train, but some have had issues and need spacers put in front of the rotator instead of behind it like many would do.
My configuration goes flattener->Falcon->EFW->Camera and I'm fairly close to the 55mm backspace. I can somewhat adjust with the flattener for any tweaking I need.
The rotator is rated to handle up to 13.2 pounds (6kg). I have not noticed any flex in my train, but I have read where others using APS-C cameras and larger format have noticed some flex with their setups. For my current rig, it works fine, but if I had a larger camera (I have a 533MM Pro) and larger filter wheel (currently 31mm) and used an OAG (I have a guide scope) I would probably look for a heavier duty solution.
