Wedge for precise polar alignment
- Free worldwide shipping above $99
HANDLE TIME
All orders will be scheduled for shipment in 1 to 3 business days, excluding holidays.
COUNTRIES
We ship worldwide.
WAREHOUSES
Currently, we have 4 warehouses.
🇺🇸 US warehouse, for our US users, parcel usually arrives in 1-7 days.
🇪🇺 EU warehouse, for most EU countries, parcel usually arrives in 1-7 days.
🇦🇺 AU warehouse, for our Australia and New Zealand users, parcel usually arrives around 1-7 days.
🇨🇳 CN warehouse, for all countries, parcel arrives in 4-7 or 8-20 days, please check below for details.
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS
- Total height: 77.5 mm
- Base diameter: 58.8mm
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Net weight: 0.70 pounds (318.2 g)
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Maximum load: 11 lbs (5 kg)
- Arca Swiss Plate: Included
- Screw Hole on the bottom: 3/8 Screw Hole
GENERAL TECHNICAL DATA
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Color: Black
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Material: CNC-Milled Aluminum Alloy
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Tilting Adjustment: 0°-60°
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Compatibility: Any Rig with ARCA Swiss on the Bottom, for example, MSM Rotator, MSM NOMAD, Seestar S30, Seestar S50, Dwarf 2, Dwarf 3 and so on.
Description
The MSM Wedge is designed for precise polar alignment, similar to a ballhead but with finer adjustment capabilities. It features four knobs and one handle, for multi-directional adjustments, allowing you to set your tracker or camera at various angles. On top of the Quick-Release Plate has a standard 1/4"-20 threaded screw so that you can attach anything with a 1/4"-20 threaded screw upon it.
How to use it?
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Knob A Lock or Unlock the Quick-Release Plate on the top
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Knob B & Handle:
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Knob B controls the altitude adjustment.
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The handle locks and unlocks the altitude adjustment when turned in the direction of Knob B or the opposite direction, respectively. Simply pull the handle out to adjust its direction and this action will not affect the locked or unlocked status.
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Knob C & Knob D adjust the azimuth for precise left and right movements in tiny increments.
- Knob E Factory screw for base connection only, no user function
Setting up the Wedge
1. Mount the Wedge on the Tripod:
- Ensure the wedge is tightly mounted to the tripod for stability.
2. Attach the Quick-Release Plate:
- Screw the Quick-Release Plate into the bottom of your rig (e.g., camera, MSM Star Tracker, or others.)
-Tip: Nomad Tracker has a built-in arca plate, so it can pass this step.
3. Secure the Rig:
4. Adjust the Wedge:
Tilting:
- Loosen the handle (turn in the opposite direction of Knob B) to unlock altitude adjustment.
- Tilt the wedge by rotating Knob B, then lock it by turning the handle towards Knob B.
- Tip: Slight tilting is possible even when the handle is locked, the main purpose of this handle is to stabilize the whole wedge but not totally lock it.
Panning
- Use Knob C and Knob D to adjust the azimuth.
- To pan the wedge left or right, turn both knobs towards you or outwards simultaneously, which means you need to rotate both screws in the same direction to pan the wedge
- Tip: Continue turning the knobs until one reaches its limit; this will allow further panning.
- To lock the wedge in place, turn both knobs at the same time towards the center.
- To unlock, turn both knobs simultaneously outwards.
Customer Reviews
The MSM wedge like the DWARF 3 is very compact lightweight and robust and allows easily precise polar alignment. I fully support its well made design.
Wedge for precise polar alignment
At my first try I was abled to EQ my Drwaf3 within 1°. And its staable enough to hold that position for the whole night. So: thumbs up!
A great wedge, everything is so precise, no sloppy movements at all.
I had been using the wedge that came with my iOptron tracker, but that is very loose. The MSM wedge is far superior in my opinion.
This product has worked very well for me with my Seestar S50 setup. Of the several tripod heads I have tried, this works the best. I am able to get reasonable polar alignment such that I can routinely take subs at 30 secs. For you S50 users out there, I recommend this product.
Wedge has more features than the other comp, it has super fine adjustments on the AZ and elevation so getting the SeeStar S50 down to less than 0.02 is a breeze and 0.01 is not hard either. Use the biult in bubble level for tripod first then dial in 0.1 on sea star and track 20-30sec exposures from sunset to sunrise.
Just hope it can handel the ZWO S70 when it comes out.
I think the equatorial wedge is one of the first accessories you should buy to go with the NOMAD. It's very useful for precise alignment, especially when working with heavy equipment.
very usefull wedge for precise polar alignment.
i can recommand it!
I bought this for my SeeStar S50 and it just doesn’t work
Super interessante!e,pratico facile da usare, molto disponibile per chiarimenti e aiuto