iOptron HAE29 Dual AZ/EQ SWG Mount

29.7 lbs of Payload on an 8.15 lb Head: The Strain Wave Advantage

Every HAE29 is built around separate strain wave gears for RA and DEC, driven by stepper motors through 480:1 and 360:1 reduction ratios. This compact, high-torque drive lets the 8.15 lb (3.7 kg) head of the HAE29C and original HAE29 carry 29.7 lbs (13.5 kg) with no counterweight or shaft, a 3.65 payload-to-weight ratio. The HAE29B, with its iMate computer built in, weighs 8.6 lbs (3.9 kg) and is rated for 29 lbs (13 kg), a 3.33 ratio. For heavier rigs, the optional 10 lb (4.5 kg) counterweight and Φ20×200mm shaft raise capacity to 40 lbs (18 kg) on every version.

Strain wave gears have zero backlash, so the mount responds instantly to guide corrections. The HAE29C and HAE29B track with a native periodic error of less than 36 arcsec (< ±18 arcsec) over a 360-second gear period, a smooth, predictable error curve that standard autoguiding handles with ease. The all-metal, CNC-machined body is finished in anodized black and small enough to fit in a backpack for trips to dark-sky sites.

Dual AZ/EQ Modes from 0° to 90° Latitude, with a Power-Off Brake

Set the latitude to 90° and the HAE29 becomes a simple up-down, left-right Alt-Azimuth mount for fast, no-polar-alignment visual sessions, planetary viewing and outreach. Tilt it to your latitude and it becomes a true equatorial mount for long-exposure astrophotography without field rotation. The 0° to 90° latitude range lets you polar align anywhere on Earth, including at the equator.

• Electronic friction brake: Strain wave gears can be back-driven, so every HAE29 engages a friction brake on both axes when power is turned off or lost, keeping your telescope from swinging into the tripod.
• Universal saddle: The Vixen/Losmandy dual saddle accepts both common dovetail styles without an adapter.
• Tripod-ready base: The 102mm mounting base fits optional tripods and piers; the tripod is not included.
• Fast polar alignment: The iPolar electronic polar scope is included with the original HAE29 w/ iPolar and HAE29EC w/ iPolar, and available as an option for the other versions.

High-Precision RA Encoder: Real-Time PEC over the 360-Second Gear Period (EC Versions)

The HAE29C-EC, HAE29B-EC w/ iMate and original HAE29EC w/ iPolar add a high-precision encoder on the Right Ascension axis. It constantly measures the mount's actual position and feeds corrections to the motor controller, enabling real-time periodic error correction (RPEC) across the 360-second gear period. The result is noticeably smoother tracking that can reduce, or with short to medium focal length optics even eliminate, the need for autoguiding.

For long-focal-length, long-exposure deep-sky work, autoguiding still pays off, but the EC versions' better baseline tracking means smaller guide corrections and tighter, rounder stars. Every HAE29 version keeps an ST-4 compatible autoguide port.

Control Your Way: Wi-Fi, USB-C or an Onboard iMate with 3 DC Outputs

The HAE29 has no required handset in its current generation. How you connect depends on the version:

• HAE29C versions: Built-in Wi-Fi and USB-C in the mount. Control it wirelessly from a smartphone, tablet or PC with iOptron Commander, or over USB with ASCOM drivers and software like NINA, SGP or TheSkyX. The Go2Nova® 8411 handset is optional.
• HAE29B versions: The integrated iMate is an open-source onboard computer preloaded with KStars/Ekos. Connect to it over Wi-Fi and it runs GoTo, tracking, plate solving and imaging sequences directly from the mount, with 1× USB 3.0, 2× USB 2.0 and 3× 12V DC outputs for your camera, guider, focuser and filter wheel. One power cable to the mount, no cable drag and no laptop at the telescope.
• Original versions: Controlled through the included Go2Nova® 8409 hand controller with a ~212,000-object database, which also provides the Wi-Fi and USB connections for Commander/ASCOM on Windows, INDI on macOS or Raspberry Pi, and smartphone apps such as Commander Lite or SkySafari. Power-down position memory lets the mount resume after an abrupt power loss without realigning.

All versions run on DC 12V, 5A and draw only 0.6A while tracking and 1A during GoTo slews, so they are easy to run from a 12V field battery.

Choose Your HAE29 Version

Every HAE29 shares the same 480:1/360:1 strain wave drive, 40 lb (18 kg) maximum payload with counterweight, 6°/sec slewing, AZ/EQ design and electronic friction brake. The versions differ in how the mount is controlled, which ports it provides, whether the RA encoder is fitted and, for the original generation, what comes in the box.

• HAE29C: The lightest, most streamlined current model: an 8.15 lb (3.7 kg) head carrying 29.7 lbs (13.5 kg), with Wi-Fi and USB-C built into the mount and an optional handset. Ideal if you already control your rig with a laptop or mini-PC.
• HAE29C-EC: The HAE29C with the high-precision RA encoder and real-time PEC, for imagers who want the best tracking accuracy and less reliance on autoguiding from an ultra-light rig.
• HAE29B w/ iMate: Adds the iMate onboard computer with KStars/Ekos, 1× USB 3.0, 2× USB 2.0 and 3× 12V DC outputs, replacing the separate control computer and power hub at the scope. The integrated electronics add 0.45 lb (0.2 kg), for an 8.6 lb (3.9 kg) head rated at 29 lbs (13 kg) without counterweight.
• HAE29B-EC w/ iMate: The iMate computer plus the high-precision RA encoder: a self-contained imaging platform that plate solves, sequences and tracks with real-time PEC without any external computer.
• HAE29 (Original): The first-generation HAE29 with the same 8.15 lb (3.7 kg) head and 29.7 lb (13.5 kg) payload. It is operated through the included Go2Nova® 8409 hand controller, which also provides Wi-Fi and USB control, and has neither the C's in-mount Wi-Fi/USB-C nor the B's iMate computer. Rated from -20°C to 40°C.
• HAE29 w/ iPolar (Original): The original HAE29 with the external iPolar electronic polar scope included for quick, accurate polar alignment.
• HAE29EC w/ iPolar (Original): The original HAE29 with the high-precision RA encoder and real-time PEC, plus the included iPolar electronic polar scope.

iOptron HAE29 vs. ZWO AM5: Payload, Weight and Onboard Computing

The ZWO AM5 is the HAE29's closest rival among portable strain wave mounts. Both carry similar counterweight-free payloads, but they take different approaches to weight and system integration.

• Payload: The HAE29C and original HAE29 carry 29.7 lbs (13.5 kg) without a counterweight, and the HAE29B 29 lbs (13 kg), versus 28.6 lbs (13 kg) for the AM5. With a counterweight, the AM5 reaches 44 lbs against the HAE29's 40 lbs.
• Weight: At 8.15 to 8.6 lbs, the HAE29 head is significantly lighter than the AM5's 12.1 lb head, making it the easier mount to carry on a plane or hike to a dark site.
• Onboard computing: The AM5 is built around the ASIAIR ecosystem and needs an external ASIAIR or mini-PC. The HAE29B versions integrate the iMate computer and power outputs into the mount, for a cleaner, self-contained rig.
• Tracking: The HAE29C and HAE29B are rated at < ±18 arcsec periodic error, versus < ±20 arcsec for the AM5, and the HAE29 line adds EC versions with a high-precision RA encoder and real-time PEC.

If you are already committed to ASIAIR or need the last few pounds of counterweighted capacity, the AM5 remains a strong choice. If the lightest possible head, an optional RA encoder or a built-in observatory computer matter more, the HAE29 is the better fit.