ALTO-3 MOTOR FOR GIOTTO 430

The Prima Luce Lab ALTO-3 is a motor designed for use with their GIOTTO flat field generators as a motorized cap. This is an essential accessory for completely remotely-operated setups, allowing you to automate acquisition of flat calibration frames without having to be present at your telescope. The ALTO-1 is suitable for use with GIOTTO panels larger than 320mm in size, such as the GIOTTO 430. 

The ALTO motorized caps can be controlled either with Prima Luce Lab's PLAY software or over ASCOM using the CoverCalibrator driver. The ALTO comes with a USB-C port for direct connection to your EAGLE or standard Windows PC. It can also be controlled via its built-in Wi-Fi using your smartphone or tablet with the Virtual HandPad. 

ALTO-3 main features:

• Allows you to use GIOTTO 430 and larger as a remotely controlled motorized cap
• Natively runs off of a 12V power source to avoid the need for external power units
• USB and 5.5 x 2.5 12V power passthrough plugs to directly connect GIOTTO to ALTO and improve cable management
• Included Cable Locking Clips (CLC) to let cables rotate together with the ALTO arm and GIOTTO
• USB-C port to let you easily connect it to your EAGLE or Windows computer
• WiFi connectivity so you can wirelessly control it using your smartphone or tablet via the included Virtual HandPad
• Control with PLAY astrophotography software for EAGLE or Windows
• ASCOM driver to let you control it through third party software that support ASCOM CoverCalibrator
• Weight: 1.5 kg (3.3 lb)

The ALTO allows you to route USB and power cables from the GIOTTO using passthrough cables, so that you do not have to separately connect each device to your main system. Both the GIOTTO and ALTO will still be recognized as separate devices in Windows, meaning you will always be able to control them individually from your capture software.

The ALTO-3 is designed for use with GIOTTO flat field generators 430mm and larger in diameter. In order to connect it to your telescope, you can add the optional PLUS dual dovetail clamp for attachment to any Vixen or Losmandy style bar as shown in the above animation. This makes it easy to adjust the exact opening and closing position of the assembly to completely cover your telescope. If you do not want to add the optional clamp, the ALTO includes a series of threaded M6 holes for direct connection to a dovetail bar.

The ALTO can be easily controlled with PLAY using its special flat wizard, allowing you to easily calibrate the opening and closing position of the assembly. In addition, you can control the ALTO with third party software that supports the ASCOM CoverCalibrator driver.

The below table shows which ALTO model is compatible with each GIOTTO:

• ALTO-3 telescope cover motor
  
• USB-B cable to USB-C to connect ALTO to GIOTTO via passthrough plug (length 65 cm)
• 12V cable to power ALTO through GIOTTO via passthrough plug (length 65 cm)
  
• ALTO quick start guide

In order to use ALTO, you first need to download and install Prime Luce Lab's PLAY software available here.

ALTO manual

PLAY software

ALTO useful articles