ZWO AM5N Harmonic Equatorial Mount - GoTo travel mount without tripod

The ZWO AM5n is an updated version of the highly successful AM5 Harmonic Drive mount with the following enhancements:

• Higher 15 kg (33 lbs) payload capacity without a counterweight or 20 kg (44 lbs) with a counterweight.
• Periodic error reduced from ±20 to ±10 arcseconds.
• Bluetooth control via the APP for improved connectivity.
• Cable management design prevents cable entanglement.
• The saddle features an integrated DC output and USB Type-C port.
• The new design ensures the internal cable is not twisted and worn when the DEC axis rotates.
• The new base design eliminates azimuth locking knobs.
• APP High Load Mode counters the impact of low temperatures on performance, enhancing the mounting's load capacity.

Harmonic Drive mounts with Strain Wave gears offer several advantages over conventional German Equatorial Mounts. 

Strain Wave gears enable the AM5n to combine precise tracking with high payload capacity in a compact, highly portable mount that fits most carry-on airline bags! The AM5n's strain wave motors also have zero backlash and less than ±10 arcseconds periodic error. So, when autoguiding, the accuracy is an impressive 0.5 to 0.8 arcseconds.

ZWO AM5 with Harmonic Drive

AM5 is a larger travel mount for astrophotography. Although the mount itself weighs less than 5kg, it carries telescopes up to 20kg with and up to 13kg without a counterweight. As a travel mount, the polar elevation can be adjusted up to the equator - it belongs to the AZ-EQ mount family. The supplier measures the periodic error of each mount before delivery and guarantees a slowly occurring periodic error, which is less than 20" and can therefore be easily corrected by the ST4 interface for autoguiders.

According to the manufacturer, if the mount is aligned exactly to the north or south pole, it comes also without an autoguider (note from Lacerta: it is of course dependent on the focal length.)

Whether the mount is in which mode is shown by color coding (LED on the head): Red stands for parallactic mode and green for azimuthal mode.

No counterweight necessary

Thanks to robot technology, a counterweight (mandatory for equatorial mounts) is only necessary if the telescope weight is over 13 kg. This makes the ZWO-AM5 lighter and more compact. The cable clutter can also be omitted: in addition to the hand controller, communication can also take place via the ASI-AIR WiFi interface - a tablet or smartphone can be used instead of the hand box.

Scope of delivery

• ZWO-AM5 mount head
• Hand controller with cable
• carbon tripod

Technical specifications

• Equatorial mount (both azimuthal and equatorial modes)
• PE less than 20"
• Motorisation: NEMA42 (RA) and NEMA35 (DEC) stepper motors, each with a reduction of 1:100
• Carrying capacity: 20kg with GGW and 13kg without GGW
• Telescopic Clamp: Dual Quick Coupling Vixen & Losmandy
• Pole height setting: 0° to 90° north/south
• Counterweight rod: M12 thread / ?mm diameter
• Speeds: 0.5x - 1x - 2x - 4x - 8x - 20x - 60x -720x - 1440x (corresponds to 6°/sec)
• Power supply: 12V, minimum 1.5A stabilized (at least 3A is recommended)
• Autoguider input: ST4 protocol, compatible with MGEN