Introducing the Watusi 150 – The King of Fork Mounts
The Watusi 150 is a revolutionary, friction-based equatorial fork mount designed for serious astronomers. It was born out of the challenge of making fork mounts more popular and accessible among both amateur and professional users. To achieve this, we reimagined not only the manufacturing process but also the user experience. The result? A mount that is not only beautifully shaped but also incredibly precise, efficient, and flexible.
Its ultra-flexible carbon-fiber fork arms allow you to mount a wide range of OTAs—from compact setups, through arrays of instruments, up to massive 60–70 cm telescopes. Thanks to a modular design approach, inspired by the automotive industry, we reduced both cost and production time, while increasing flexibility to meet different customer needs.
âś… Advantages over German Equatorial Mounts
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No counterweights needed → less inertia, faster movement
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No meridian flip → no wasted time
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No guider recalibration or field rotation
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No pier collisions possible → greater safety in remote observatories
âś… Innovative adjustable Carbon-Fiber Fork Arms
Our adjustable carbon-fiber fork arms make OTA changes simple, fast, and secure. Effortlessly switch between smaller and larger tubes — or even mount multiple OTAs at once. The carbon-fiber construction also provides high strength and load capacity, a sleek, modern design, and reduced weight for lower shipping costs. Smart, strong, and stylish — built for serious astronomers.
âś… 100% Made & Assembled in Slovenia, Europe
The Watusi fork mount is fully designed, manufactured, and assembled in Slovenia. Every component is crafted in Slovenia, Europe to ensure the highest precision, durability, and reliability for demanding astronomical use.
Watusi 150 adjustable carbon-fiber fork arms make OTA changes simple, fast, and secure.
For which Applications is Watusi 150 suitable?
While primarily designed as a high-end astrophotography mount, the Watusi 150 also excels in serious visual observations thanks to its comfortable ocular positions.
Its strengths include:
✨ Astrophotography without meridian-flip downtime
đź” Ideal for serious astronomy research
🏫 Perfect for university, school, or society projects
🛰️ Precise tracking for asteroid and satellite observations
⚡ High slewing speed with zero-backlash friction drive
Telescope Compatibility
Unlike traditional fork mounts designed for one specific optical tube, the Watusi 150 is highly flexible:
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Standard Losmandy interface
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Adjustable arms for OTAs between 20 cm and 80 cm (more on request)
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Payload capacity: up to 150 kg
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Perfect for RC, MC, SC, CDK, RASA, and fast Newtonian astrographs
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The Watusi 150 is also ideal for an array of smaller optics, making it perfect for multi-OTA setups — for example, 4 × RASA telescopes or similar configurations.
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Only large refractors are not recommended.
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Watusi 150 Tracking Precision
Our advanced friction drive system achieves 0.5 arcsecond tracking accuracy—sustained indefinitely, with minimal deviation. This performance is achieved without encoders, making the system more reliable, simple, and maintenance-free. We also plan to offer an upgrade with high-precision encoders. With this option, the Watusi 150 will reach an even higher level of tracking precision for the most demanding applications.
Integrated Cable Management and all Integrated Electronics
We know cable management is a nightmare in serious astronomy. That’s why the Watusi 150 integrates:
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DC 12V & USB 3.0 hub (inside the Losmandy adapter)
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Internal cable routing through the arms
With this system, you can power and connect up to 8 devices (cameras, filter wheels, focusers, ASIAIR, heaters, etc.) using just a single power cable running up the mount.
The Watusi 150 comes with integrated electronics fully compatible with ASCOM platform (NINA, Voyager, Stellarium, Cartes du Ciel, StarCalc, MaximDL, Guidemaster, PHD2, etc.), and INDI platform.
Homing Sensors
In case of power loss or position errors, the mount can return to its default park position automatically. With the companion app, you can remotely reset to home position and continue observing seamlessly.
Installation & Support
The Watusi 150 is shipped semi-assembled. Attaching the fork arms is straightforward, but a two-person job.
We provide:
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Illustrated manuals
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Remote video-call support
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Full on-site installation & first light setup upon request
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The friction drive also called a roller drive, consists of a small diameter roller pressed against a large diameter disk. The main philosophy of this drive system is very simple, a small-diameter roller rotates a large-diameter disc, and this allows us to use a large gear ratio, for example, 1:500, also more.
But simple philosophy requires precise material selection, the final touch gives us very precise machining for all mechanical parts in the drive system.
The friction drive has zero backlashes, this drive system does not have a periodic error, or it is very small, and because there are no traditional gear teeth, the stiffness is very high, many times stiffer than any other gearing system. In this friction drive system, no lubrication is needed, the efficiency is overall very high, and the tracking itself is very smooth.
Achieving sub-arcsecond level tracking precision is not just a promise but a reality with our friction drive system. Free from the complexities of encoders and elaborate electronic setups, our technology provides a direct and efficient solution for astronomers who prioritize precision without compromising simplicity. Say goodbye to the challenges associated with intricate electronics and software—our friction drive system empowers you to focus on the beauty of the cosmos rather than navigating technical complexities. The absence of encoders doesn’t hinder performance; instead, it enhances the reliability and ease of use of our system.
Overall, the mount-based of the friction-based drive is extremely precise in pointing, too. It’s crucial to note the significant advancements in recent blind plate solving solutions. These software-based solutions, often freely available, have the capability to achieve sub-arcminute level positioning swiftly, without requiring substantial investments. This allows for enhanced accuracy and efficiency in astronomical observations within minutes.
In the realm of telescope mounts, particularly in higher price ranges, the prevalent trend involves reliance on encoders. This is often necessitated by mechanical imperfections in the drive system, requiring encoders for accurate tracking and position monitoring. However, the use of encoders contributes significantly to the overall cost of these mounts.
Precise encoders themselves come with a hefty price tag, sometimes reaching a few thousand euros for just one. Additionally, specialized electronics and software are essential for constant correction calculations. While mounts equipped with encoders indeed offer sub-arcsecond level tracking precision, this comes at a considerable cost.
The Twinstar team has developed a unique drive system that achieves the highest precision without relying on expensive and vulnerable encoders and electronics. This innovative solution ensures accuracy without compromising on cost or durability.
Our telescope mount consistently delivers exceptional tracking precision, maintaining an accuracy of 0.5 arcseconds for an unlimited duration, with minimal deviation. This level of precision ensures that your observations and astrophotography sessions are highly reliable, even over extended periods.
We recommend using longer exposure times or implementing a variable exposure delay in PHD guiding software. This approach allows the guiding system to average out seeing conditions and reduce the impact of short-term atmospheric disturbances.
Seeing Conditions: It’s important to note that seeing conditions—the atmospheric turbulence that can blur astronomical images—are typically the primary factor affecting tracking precision. Even with our highly accurate tracking capabilities, the quality of your observing location and the current seeing conditions will significantly influence your results.
A typical PHD guide graph made with an FG80 mount loaded with 50 kg (telescope tube + counterweights) under moderate seeing conditions would show relatively consistent guiding with some fluctuation, primarily due seeing conditions.
In most observing scenarios, particularly if you’re not at a location with excellent seeing conditions, you will find that our mount’s tracking precision far exceeds the demands of your observations or astrophotography.
By following these guidelines and taking advantage of the mount’s precision, you can achieve outstanding results, even under challenging conditions.
A practical hint for determining the Minimal Guide Scope Focal Length
The Minimal Guide Scope Focal Length refers to the shortest focal length that a guide scope should have to ensure accurate guiding during astrophotography or tracking. This is important because the guide scope needs to accurately detect small movements of a guide star to keep the main telescope focused on the target.
Where:
- Main Telescope Focal Length is the focal length of your primary imaging telescope (in mm).
- Guider CCD Pixel Size is the pixel size of the camera used in your guide scope (in microns).
- Main CCD Pixel Size is the pixel size of the camera used in your main telescope (in microns).
This calculation ensures that your guide scope can detect small enough deviations in star position for accurate guiding.
Main Telescope Focal Length (mm)
Guider CCD pixel size (µm)
Main CCD pixel size (µm)
| Drive system | Friction |
| Payload  | 150 kg |
| Accepted OTAs | Â from 20 cm up to 80 cm (Losmandy to Losmandy) |
| OTA interface | Â Losmandy female |
| Tracking precision | +/- 0.5 arcsec for unlimited time |
| Control system | ASCOM / INDI compliant |
| USB/DC hub | 7 x USB 3.0 / 8 x 12V DC, 5.5X2.1mm Female / max. 4A/port |
| Homing Sensors | Yes |
| Pointing accuracy  | +/- 5 arcmin |
| Typical PE (Arcsec RMS)Â | 0Â |
| Weight  | 60 kg |
| Power | 12V, max. 20A |
| Maximum GoTo current | max. 2A |
| Latitude range | 0°–75° (extendable to 90° with pier adapter) |
| Azimuth adjustment | ±14° for precise polar alignment |
| Used material |
Anodized aluminum and stainless steel, carbon fiber |