Cable management in an astrophotography telescope is very difficult as it is necessary to use many devices (mount, camera, autoguider, electronic focuser, motorized filter wheel, etc.) that require data and power cables. If you connect all of these devices to a standard external computer, when the telescope moves, cables may pull or disconnect. Instead, by using the EAGLE, you can simplify cable management: you will need less and shorter cables that will move together with your telescope. In this article we’ll also compare cable management in telescopes with or without the EAGLE.
In the picture below you can see a direct comparison of the same telescopes controlled in two different ways:
- without EAGLE: with an external laptop computer and many power adapters connected to a field battery
- with EAGLE: all the devices are connected and powered through the EAGLE
As you can see the use of EAGLE reduces the number of cables that are shorter and no longer tend to detach as EAGLE moves along with the mount.
Another advantage of the use of the EAGLE instead of an external computer, added to the better astrophotography cable management, is the lower power consumption of the EAGLE that will need less Amps per hour of a normal laptop computer (that usually requires more than 5 Ah). This will reduce a lot the dimension and the weight of the battery you will need to power your telescope all night long!