I Put My C14 on the AM7 (Don't Try This) - Apertura Carbon Tripod Test
Mounting the ZWO AM7 on the wrong tripod is a great way to learn physics fast. In this video I compare the lightweight ZWO TC40 vs the Apertura Heavy Duty Carbon Tripod (High Point...
Last Night while using the Apertura Carbon tripod, I screwed all3 of the feet all the way up tightly first. Then placed the spiked feet in antivibration pads with a center hole ... Rock Solid ...
I put my C14 on my AM 7 and it worked great.
that's great to hear! for deep sky?
I have now used the "Space Koala" setup. Aperture carbon tripod, AM7. I added the 200mm ZWO pier......Scope used was a AP110 GTX. The AM7 gave round stars at 30 unguided subs. Guiding in PhD2 was less than 1" with just a quick Telerad polar alignment and no tripod leveling on a slightly uneven surface. ONLY downside to the AM7 is the SKY ATLAS app does not run on Windows. Not a Biggie. Also the ASI Mount control for WIn11 has very limited functions. The hand controller came in handy. Bluetooth worked great ... LOVE the tripod too, BUT why the PUCK/Bowl i only 85mm not 100 like the ZWO is? Easy enough to change the puck on the bottom of the 200 mm Pier thou . Also the feet do not work well on some surface's. Love how light and strong the tripod is and the spreader has no "time wasting" knobs, setup is super fast. The bubble level is a good addition. So I added compressor style 3" x 3" x1"anti vibration pad with a smooth top and small center hole for the spiked feet to rest in. My ROWAN ASTRO counterweights attached fine to the 25mm AM7 counterweight haft and look great (if you like shiny thing) ....
So you screwed up and didn’t use a proper counter weight? Then you make the ZWO mount look bad, then you give plug to some company about a new tripod ? Have some integrity for Gods sake ! You folks agreeing with this nonsense- Just because she is blond does not mean you have to kiss up to her.
Most harmonic drive mounts are overrated in terms of *stable* capacity. Yes, they can pull the weight, but nowhere near I would even think of using a C14 on this mount for planetary or other types of high resolution imaging. Maybe if bolted to a rock in the beautiful landscape over there ;) Out of curiosity, how long does it take vibrations to die away when focusing manually on a C14? Stable for me is vibrations die out within 2 seconds max, giving a gentle knock against the OTA. Anything higher and a light breeze will make high resolution photography very hard.
I don’t focus manually. Even when doing visual, I connect my hand controller to the focus motor. It’s really painful to turn the knob manually at high magnifications as it vibrates a lot
@the_space_koala yes, I thought it would be a vibrator when focusing :). There is no substitute for mass in a mount with these kind of OTA's.
13:50 is the larger, black riffled disc attached to the spike or is it an own piece? if it moves by its own, I bet it is meant to be at the upper range of the threaded shaft to counter the top screw and stabilize the spike in its leg bracket.
Yes I think you’re supposed to use that to fix the height once you’ve adjusted the feet
@the_space_koala Ah ha ... I see said the blind man ...
You shot pretty AND SMART in the foot. :)
Can you make a video on using long focal length scopes with harmonic mounts? There is a lot of debate on their performance and I see you use them together a lot.
Someone correct me if im wrong but with good polar alignment you dont need perfectly leveled tripod?
Great Review! Thank you. I own a CPC 11“ EDGE HD Deluxe with an AZ Mount on the original Heavy Duty Tripod. I am planing to defork that and ordered an AM7 (with delivery delay). I guess I will stay with that tripod…Hope that I can mount the AM7 on it, still not sure about the adapters I need for that …? (Tripod Adapter and Peer extension?) but I am glad I found your video. I do not really trust these light tripods… with mine I never have problems, although the weight is not really something you just pack into your hiking rucksack…but I would always prefer the stability
You’d definitely need an adapter to mount the am7. You will likely not need a pier extension if you’re only using the C11, it’s not too long
Oh thank you „Space Koala“ (what a great nickname) , its very kind of you to answer this. Meanwhile - and especially after seeing your great SCT nearly crashing - i think i’m going to start my photograph journey with a smaller setup, ordering the AM3, the TC40 Tripod and using the Sharpstar Z4 that arrived recently. I am new in photography, but I own this 11“ which i used for visual experiences so far, i guess its much easier to beginn with this astrograph… in any case lighter
Hoop schwiiiiz
Who would in their right mind to put a C14 on a carbon fiber tripod? It is against physics and the center gravity is so high that tipping over is a real likelihood. Call me old fashion a steel tripod or tri-pier with legs diameter 2" or more is the safest way to anchor the entire rig. I can understand people want light weight for travel however if you are traveling with a C14 you are not light weight so why risk your C14 on a carbon tripod. I go anywhere and everywhere with my IOptron Tri-Pier at 26 lbs and it carries my 10" f/12 CC and Astro-Physics 155mm f/6 CS just fine.
carbon tripods are not all created equal. My high-end tripods support all of my rig without any issue
Whew, what a relief nothing disastrous happened! And that torque/force calculator you found is brilliant. I’m also wondering if dense rubber tiles might be a good solution for those spiky feet . . . they could possibly add grip and dampen vibration? Can’t wait to see what the 11” delivers! Hopefully you got some clear skies
yes I think rubber tiles would work, I just thought I would make covers so that they don't become yet another thing I have to move everytime!
@t@the_space_koalahaha, good point. I’ll be curious how the covers work and turn out
That tripod balance bounce was right on the cusp of major fiscal loss! Good share =GunZenBomZ=
At 6:21, the black ring should be screwed fully up, it removes the play in the screw.
you are right, thanks for pointing that out
Like how you scienced out the problem. :)
very nice video thank you, quick question, do you recommend this tripod over the iOptron Triepier? i use a C11 with CEM70G mount, and i need a travel tripod that can hold the C11 and CEM70G + AP gear. thanks so much for your comments
IMO tri-piers of any sort are always slightly more stable than tripods. If portability is not an issue go for that one!
Luca, what the heck is aircraft grade counter weight tape ? Glad you didn’t damage your scope ! Just an FYY , I have an Apertura harmonic drive pier for my ZWO ff107 on an AM5 . Really like it .
my cw tape souces are classified! awesome to hear the pier is working out for you
@the_space_koala😂😂😂
FINALLY! Someone made a review using the AM7 with a heavy scope... thank you. Glad the 14 survived. Apertura makes a counterwieght for the am7 from what Astrobackyards am7 review claims. Very happy you used the HD11 too. That's my next scope and now I know I wont need to spend 4.5k on a mount t hat can support it. You get a 👍 good video
it carries the c11 like a breeze!
I think most of us would agree that the TC40 was never designed for heavy loads. Nobody really expects ZWO to produce a heavy-duty tripod when there are already excellent options available such as Berlebach or the tripod you presented here. However, ZWO would probably be well advised to clearly communicate that the AM7 should not be used with the TC40. Many users will naturally assume that a ZWO mount and a ZWO tripod are compatible, especially when they are marketed together. What concerns me more in your video is the following: you add a payload to the AM7 that is not unreasonable for a mount of this class, the mount slips and almost destroys your telescope, and the rest of the discussion focuses almost entirely on the tripod. That seems to miss an important part of the story. ZWO has already revised the payload rating of the AM7 to a number significantly lower than many people originally expected. If the mount then starts malfunctioning the moment the payload slightly exceeds that specification, it raises a legitimate question about how robust the margin really is. The incident also says something about the mount itself and whether it truly deserves the overwhelmingly positive reviews it has received so far.
I agree that the AM7 shouldn't even be offered with the TC40 as a package, it's super misleading! as for the EdgeHD14 the story is definitely not over here because I want to see if with the proper setup it is actually able to support it - as on paper it should! What manufacturers *really* need to stop doing is declare weight limits in kilograms in general. Just declare the torque power and if you want to be fancy, include a calculator so that people can see for themselves. This is one thing Warpastron is very transparent about.