The Flip-Flat

Alnitak Astrosystems flagship product, the Flip-Flat, is a robotic lenscap and flat field illumination source for mid-size refractors.

With dozens of Flip-Flats already in the field being used by satisfied customers, we’re confident that our product is meeting the needs of discriminating astro-imagers around the world.

The Flip-Flat employs advanced electroluminescent panel technology to provide a uniform source of illumination for the production of high quality flat field frames necessary for serious astroimaging and photometric work. With the Flip-Flat, on-demand flat fields with uniformity errors less than ± 2% are now possible.

In addition to providing excellent flat fields, the Flip-Flat protects the objective lens of the telescope from dust that typically plagues remote installations where the user cannot manually replace the lenscap after an imaging session.

A report of our testing procedure and results can be found here.

The Flip-Flat can be mounted quickly to the front of any telescope tube (or rigid dewshield) with an outside diameter of 4-7.625″. It is easily removable for transport and storage.

Click on the play button above to see the Flip-Flat open and close

A simple Windows interface provides the ability to open and close the Flip-Flat and turn on the light source. The intensity of the light can be adjusted to one of 255 levels.

Click on the play button above to see the Flip-Flat light go on and off

A single USB cable (supplied with the Flip-Flat) powers and controls the unit. The windows-based software application can be downloaded here.

The Flip-Flat is fully integrated into CCD Autopilot by using our command line program, aacmd. See CCD Autopilot’s Flip-Flat help page for full details.

Aacmd can also be used by scripts and batch files to automatically control the Flip-Flat. See the manual for details.

Machined and assembled in the US of high quality materials, the Flip-Flat should give years of uninterrupted service. All Flip-Flats come with a one-year warranty.

We are now accepting orders for immediate delivery. Click on the Buy Now button in the sidebar to order using Paypal.

Specifications

• Weight: 1.5 lbs.
• Fully Illuminated Lamp size:  6-1/2-inches (all models)
• Uniformity of illumination: < ± 2% deviation from uniformity
• Power requirements: USB 1.1 or 2.0 (powered hub required if not connected directly to computer).
• Operating systems: Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7
• Minimum OTA/dewshield OD: 4″
• Maximum OTA/dewshield OD: 7.625″