Vixen Telescope AXD2 Equatorial Mount WL

An Elegant Silhouette. The Joy of a Flagship Experience

The mission of an equatorial mount is simple and clear: to carry a telescope and accurately track the stars. Yet, that alone is not enough. Rather than forcing users to adapt to the machine, we believe it is essential to pursue intuitive operation for a wider audience, practical usability as a tool, and unwavering reliability—an equatorial mount that satisfies the discerning eye of those who seek the stars.

Our aim was not only to achieve high performance, precision, rigidity, and reliability, but also to create a mount whose beauty radiates from within.

Ready for High-Resolution Digital Imaging! Delivers Exceptional Performance with Precise Tracking, perfectly suited for High-performance Optical Systems

With ongoing technical progress in digital cameras, CMOS sensors, and photographic telescope optical tubes, the demand for higher-quality astrophotography has never been greater.

To meet this demand, we developed the AXD2 mount. By re-evaluating every step of our production process—from machining and assembly to final inspection—we have enhanced the precision of the original AXD mount, delivering accurate and reliable tracking of a rank high.

This precision, rigidity, and ease of use form the DNA of the AXD series, now carried forward in the latest AXD2WL. Its proven reliability makes it an ideal choice for all astronomy enthusiasts, from beginners to seasoned astrophotographers.

Wireless Unit Included! Cable-Free, Comfortable Celestial GoTo Navigation

This model features a Wireless Unit that transforms your smartphone or tablet into a controller for high-precision celestial tracking and celestial navigation.

With the free STAR BOOK Wireless app, you can browse a star chart and tap the object you wish to observe on the screen of your device. The telescope will automatically bring it into view and begin tracking. Enjoy cable-free, comfortable celestial GoTo navigation and observation.

The app’s interface continues our highly acclaimed STAR BOOK TEN controller, renowned for its intuitive operation.

STAR BOOK Wireless

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Wireless Unit

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Notice Regarding Wi-Fi Connection for Wireless Unit Users

Maximum Payload Capacity of 30kg with Exceptional Mechanical Strength!

The AXD2WL features 50mm-diameter super duralumin shafts for both the right ascension and declination axes—the key components for structural strength. This design secures outstanding rigidity, enabling the mount to support a maximum payload of 30kg while remaining lightweight.

“Super duralumin” is one of the strongest aluminum alloys available. Despite its high tensile strength, which exceeds that of lightweight, high-strength titanium*, it has a specific gravity of only about 38% of titanium. Thanks to this combination of strength and lightness, it is also widely used in aircraft construction.

*Pure titanium (JIS Grade 2)

Large, High-Precision Worm Wheel for Superior Tracking Accuracy

The AXD2WL features a large 135mm-diameter worm wheel on its Right Ascension axis. With 270 teeth, this design minimizes errors per tooth, providing both high rigidity and exceptional tracking accuracy.

Equipped with 21 Bearings

The AXD2WL has a total of 21 bearings throughout its key components—including the R.A. and Dec. axes and worm shaft blocks—ensuring exceptionally smooth, stress-free motion.

High-Precision Pulse Motors with Micro-step Control

In response to customer demands for "smooth operation and high responsiveness," the AXD2WL employs 2-phase hybrid-pulse motors for both the right ascension and declination axes, ensuring exceptionally smooth movement and high responsiveness.

With a micro-step-driven control system that offers a wide dynamic range, the mount achieves high-speed slewing of up to 800 times the sidereal rate while maintaining excellent responsiveness at low speeds. This allows smooth and stable operation across the full speed range.

During the sidereal tracking, the motors operate at a high pulse rate of approximately 400 pulses per second (pps), enabling smooth, low-vibration tracking.

Furthermore, through an optimized circuit board and advanced programming, the mount delivers high torque with low power consumption.

Low Backlash

To accommodate the extremely slow speeds required for celestial tracking, equatorial mounts are typically equipped with a reduction gearhead to slow the motor's rotation. This mechanism reduces the motor's speed mechanically by passing it through multiple gears. However, the more gears involved, the greater the backlash—the mechanical play between gears—which negatively impacts tracking accuracy.

To address this, the AXD2WL employs a micro-step-driven control system, allowing the motors to be moved precisely across all speeds, from very low to high. This has enabled a significant reduction in the number of gears in the reduction system: power is now transmitted to the worm wheel through a simpler arrangement of just three spur gears. Additionally, the play between these gears is carefully adjusted to minimize any remaining looseness, resulting in an exceptionally low-backlash system.

V-PEC: The ultimate Periodic Error Correction system, Tracking Accuracy within ±2.8 Arc Seconds

The equatorial mounts are designed to follow celestial objects accurately. However, when observing a star at high magnification, you may notice it making a slow, cyclical back-and-forth movement along the tracking direction. This phenomenon is known as periodic motion (PM).

As the equatorial mounts are typically driven by a gear train, periodic motion is mechanically unavoidable. The function that electronically compensates for it is called PEC (Periodic Error Correction).

The AXD2WL is equipped with V-PEC (Vixen Permanent Periodic Error Correction), a system in which PEC data is pre-stored directly in the mount body.

At Vixen’s factory, each AXD2WL mount is individually tested using a high-resolution Periodic Motion measuring instrument. Measurements are taken at 12 points, every 30 degrees of the worm wheel’s rotation. From this data, optimal correction values are calculated and stored in the mount’s non-volatile memory.

With standard PEC, users must perform their own PM measurements and record the correction data into the hand controller. In contrast, the AXD2WL automatically applies its factory-stored V-PEC data during operation, allowing users to achieve high-precision tracking accuracy of within ±2.8 arcseconds—without the need for any PEC recording procedure.

Mechanical Rationality: A self-balancing Structure that reduces the need for Counterweights, thereby reducing Moment Loads

This mount features a mechanically optimized design in which key heavy components—such as the motor, worm shafts, and the Declination worm wheel—are consolidated on the counterweight side of the axis. In addition, the distance from the intersection of the two axes to the saddle plate (mount head) has been shortened.
As a result, the system can be balanced with significantly fewer counterweights. Depending on the weight of the attached equipment, it is even possible to achieve proper balance without using any counterweights.

Refined ‘Color & Design’ with a White & Silver

Based on the concepts of “White” for purity and elegance and “Silver” for precision and a sense of luxury, the design has been crafted into a sharp, flagship-level aesthetic.

Finely Crafted Setting Circles that Combine Style and Functionality

Setting circles that combine elegant design with practical functionality. They feature a sophisticated silver metallic anodized finish, providing a striking contrast against the white equatorial mount body. Vernier scales are included on both the RA and Dec setting circles, allowing for more precise coordinate readings.

Readings:

・R.A.: 1 min. (hour angle) increments
・Dec.: 10 arcmin (approx. 0.167°) increments
These setting circles offer not only refined aesthetics but also exceptional practicality.

Retractable Counterweight Bar

The counterweight bar is made of durable, corrosion-resistant stainless steel. It can be retracted into the mount body and extended for quick and easy setup. With a 25 mm diameter, it remains compatible with counterweights from the older NewATLUX mounts.

Simplified Wiring

By consolidating the electronic circuit boards into a single location within the mount, the internal wiring has been significantly simplified, resulting in a safer and more reliable electronic system.

User-friendly Polar Alignment Scope PF-LII

Equipped with a built-in PF-LII polar scope with 20 mm aperture and 5× magnification. The low 5× magnification provides a wide field of view, allowing polar alignment using three reference stars: in the Northern Hemisphere, Polaris and two nearby stars; in the Southern Hemisphere, three distinctive stars in the Octans constellation (precession correction supported).

The PF-LII polar scope features automatic red illumination with auto on/off for excellent dark-field visibility, enabling smooth polar alignment with an accuracy of 3 arcminutes.

Capable of Mounting a Wide Variety of Optical Tubes and Equipment

The mount head features a wide variety of mounting screw holes. It is compatible not only with Vixen optical tubes and equipment but also includes screw holes designed for mounting third-party equipment.*

・8 × M8 general-purpose screw holes
・4 × 5/16-inch general-purpose screw holes

*When mounting equipment from other manufacturers, please check the dimensions and consult the instruction manual for the specific equipment.

By using the "Dovetail-Plate Mounting Block" (sold separately), it can also be converted to the Vixen dovetail system standard.

“Dedicated Heavy-Duty Tripod” for Stable Observations

The AXD-TR102 tripod provides a stable foundation for your observations. The connection between the tripod head and legs features a high-torsional-rigidity design, with the trunnion portion of the legs tightly clamped for maximum stability. Additionally, the legs are constructed from large 55 mm diameter pipes, providing ample strength and further enhancing observational stability.