PlaneWave - 14" CDK14 Carbon Fiber Telescope F/7.2 S-5 Focuser Package

The Planewave CDK14 is an innovative solution for unsurpassed astroimaging quality at an affordable price. The CDK (Corrected Dall-Kirkham) Optical Design is an innovative solution for unsurpassed astro-imaging quality at an affordable price. The CDK telescope design provides excellent imaging with large format CCD cameras while remaining superb for visual use. The CDK design far exceeds the off-axis performance of most commercial telescope designs including the Ritchey-Chrétien design.

This no-compromise design is unique in making the optical alignment forgiving and collimation very easy. This guarantees the user the best possible performance from the telescope. The end result at the image plane of the CDK design is no off-axis coma, no off-axis astigmatism, perfectly flat field (no off-axis defocus). The CDK design will give you pinpoint stars from the center to the corner of the field of view.

• Fused Silica Mirrors with no coma, off-axis astigmatism, or field curvature.
• 70mm tack-sharp image circle
• Can be used for imaging and visual work.
• Easy to collimate secondary mirror.
• Carbon Fiber Truss Tube
• 3D Printed Baffles
• Dovetail Joint Expansion

Fused silica mirrors offer a highly stable optical substrate, making the mirrors less susceptible to being affected by temperature fluctuations.  This in turn reduces the need to refocus during long imaging, viewing or tracking research sessions.  

Every mirror at Planewave undergoes a rigorous process of figuring, testing and inspection to ensure excellence in performance.     Using a custom metrology measurement system, a precision surface wavelength map is created for every mirror and each stage of the manufacturing process.    That map is then utilized by a high precision robotic figuring machine to further smooth and correct any minute errors found in the mirror that might have naturally occurred during the initial manufacturering processes.  This testing is done again after the final figuring stage along with mounting in the support cells and inspection.  Testing is done again at the final assembly of the telescope in a temperature controlled environment, as a complete system with mirrors working in tandem.  

The Series 5 controller has been designed for operating the Series-5 focuser and rotator, and will power the fans on CDK12.5 to CDK24 telescopes.

• The Series -5 controller has been designed for operating the new Series-5 focuser and rotator.
• This controller will also power the fans on CDK12.5 to CDK24 telescopes.
• Includes M12 circular 5-wire threaded connector heads for environmental sealing.
• Controlled via the PlaneWave Interface 4 PWI4 software with ASCOM support.

The Series -5 focuser has a clear aperture of 5″ and is only 1.675″ thick. The focuser is capable of lifting 40 lbs (18 kg) with a travel range of 16.51mm (16,5100 microns).

While designing the new DeltaRho 350 we also wanted to design a new focuser and rotator that would add even more flexibility to our systems. The goal was to create a faster, stronger, focuser and rotator system that had a thinner profile than the IRF90. Our new Series-5 stackable focuser and rotator have achieved just that for users of our CDK700 and smaller telescopes. Both the focuser and rotator offer a clear aperture of 5” and are designed to stack for users that require derotation. For those only needing focusing capabilities, the new focuser also occupies less backfocus, which means more room for imaging train components.

The Series-5 is compatible with the CDK14, CDK17, CDK20, CDK24, and the CDK700.