Baader Planetarium 3.5" Quick Changer Ring

The Baader 3.5" Quick Changer Ring is designed to allow for the rapid exchange and easy rotational alignment of heavy accessories on PlaneWave telescopes. Coupled with the Baader 3.5" Quick Changer and Instrument Rotator (#1324000) on the 3.5" Hedrick Focuser, it makes it simple to switch between cameras, spectrographs, and visual accessories.

This quick changer is specifically designed for PlaneWave CDK telescopes ranging from 14" to 24" in aperture that are equipped with the 3.5" Hedrick Focuser, used together with the Baader 3.5" Quick Changer and Instrument Rotator (#1324000).

For a PlaneWave CDK 17" system, which often carries heavy instrument loads, the 3.5" Quick Changer Ring provides a rigid, non-flexing connection. It allows you to securely mount a heavy spectrograph and then easily rotate it to align the slit with a target like the jets of M87, or quickly swap it out for an imaging camera without a lengthy process of unthreading components.

Yes, a key function of the Baader 3.5" Quick Changer Ring is to provide a repeatable connection. While perfect parfocality depends on your specific accessories, the mechanical alignment should remain consistent, minimizing the need for significant refocusing or re-collimation when switching between pre-configured instrument packages on a large scope like the CDK 24".

Yes, the design facilitates easy rotational alignment. This is critical for framing celestial objects precisely or for aligning spectrograph slits without having to loosen the entire imaging train.

Baader says the ring allows the exchange or easy alignment of heavy cameras, spectrographs or visual accessories, and its spec table lists it for heavy-duty accessories. Coupled with the 3.5" Quick Changer (#1324000), Baader describes the resulting quick-change and rotating device as having standard load capacity.