Giro System Background Description:  Using a Tech2000 modular approach, this tripod or pier-mounted altaz head can mount one or two instruments at a time, and with zero modification can use the Tech2000 Dob-Driver II motor module made specifically for it with its famous "no align, no setup" immediate object tracking, or 2-star aligned goto & track functions.  Tech200 is known the world over for electronically optimizing performance of individual mount heads, and the behavior of the instrument(s)  they carry, without the usual burdens which compromize portability and setup convenience for the user.  We like to mount a scope and observe Right Now!  Not polar align or star align, not level the mount or enter time or GPS info.  When we track we really do mean Right Now!  It makes a big difference to many users when the instrument is not encumbered by setup requirements and can be used immediately - and therefore more conveniently and more often without any added hassle.  But we still like our electric slo-mo, slew, and high-mag tracking!  Well the best of both worlds has arrived with an altaz Giro head and a zero-setup-time Dob-Driver.  And when we do want the auto goto & track, and we might want to use our favorite sky chart on PC without fear of drive compatibility, versions etc... well we can do that too... without being forced everytime to do setups just to track objects!
  The Giro head itself is impressive to people already familiar with a wide variety of telescope mountings.  Where "light and compact" could not mix with "silky-smooth and rock solid"... we have finally discovered that design innovation does provide the solution!  In this case it is the clever design of Tele-Optic and their almost maniacle pursuit of German CNC precision.  It is all automated and done so precisely that ball bearings are not used!  Only a particular wide-temperature grease is used to form the cone mechanism that has no deviations like rollers or balls, no expense from those ultra-precision requirements, and an ability to carry large loads!  It is very similar to fluid-filled video mounts.
  The result is silky-smooth movement, without catching, drag, weight, bulk, or the price associated with the larger and more expensive mounts.  Had enough of that - we pick the Giro mounts now every time since the No-Align GiroDrive is available to add anytime our customers want.
  We became aware that this technological ability had arrived when Markus Ludes, the well-known advocate of high-performance optics (and primary distributor of Giro mounts) approached us at Astrofest to say " This mount needs a compact drive unit - can you do it?"  One look and one "feel" session was all it took... we were absolutely hooked!  Developing these mounts with the new Tech2000 drive has been just wonderful ever since.  We have never missed a goto object yet!

Bottom female bolt thread fits 10mm or 3/8-16 tripod bolts.
Many adapters for telescopes, dovetail plates, and tripod mounts are described Below.  The 2 screws on the end of the arm visible in the photo are spaced 35mm (1-3/8") and are 6mm threads - which is the standard for a very large number of telescope tube mountings.  We can fit anything to it at Tech2000 via our custom adapting machine shop without any extra charge in most cases.

These mounts will be superceded by our new twin standard Tech2000 G³ in Spring 2013 since they are so much better but superceded only slightly in cost. The new G³ (pronounced "yee-roe-cubed") handles major more payload than the GR2 or GR3 DX mounts, yet is compact and 33% lighter, plus half the price of the old Giro-XXL. Handles any scope you can carry if your tripod can handle it! Even a little PST or a TeleVue Pronto can be mounted by themselves, or with a 120mm... 150mm... or seven-inch APO refractor at the same time!

  Long-sought-after, that big Giro-XXL telescope mount head was a favorite of people with large and heavy telescopes that needed to be very portable and quick to set-up on a silky-motion strong mounting. But it was a heavy mount head and sold around $1200us. But now just as smooth and rigid as any Giro, renowned for that, we changed the game all-around the board with startling mathematical re-modelling to arrive at relationships, all about 'threes', that are always 1/3 more, 1/3 less, or 3x better. High-stress dynamic bearings - no more relying on grease, stainless steel shafting (33% oversized in diameter and length of course!), 33%larger mount enclosure dim's (cubical), 33% taller to get the instrument up higher, 33% less weight (this 11Lb mount, only 3 Lb more than a Giro2 or Giro3, will easily and smoothly carry 100LB payloads), new feature... the longer horizontal shaft that now allows sliding left and right within the mount for perfect balance of 1 or 2 instruments, and best of all its from Tech2000 - so you can beat it to death IN YOUR MOST-RUDE TREATMENT but like the Terminator Robot series it will simply and absolutely never ever stop no matter what happens - CHEAP AS IT IS THIS MOUNT WILL ACCOMPLISH ITS MISSION AND ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT FAIL YOU - EVER!

Counterweight Shaft Thread-In extensions for GR2 and GR3:
  Threads into any Giro 2nd arm shaft.  20mm diameter for either single or twin-arm extension.  If an instrument weighs >10 Lb then it should have the counterweight shaft added even if you do not use weights on the shaft.  The Giro 2nd arm can be slid and locked in positions along this extended shaft - if two instruments are mounted on a twinarm head then the counterweight shaft is recommended only if the DIFFERENCE between the two loads is > 10 LB.  For use of the Dob-Driver motor unit shown below, you should get a counterweight shaft whether you use a single-arm or a twinarm mount because the balance is more important then and your desire to "play" with multiple devices on this mount will surely be a force you will have a hard time to resist.  20mm (.785") diameter shaft.  10mm male thread screws into your mount arm, free end has 6mm female thread for a "toe-saver" bolt, or Tech2000 Booster weights, or other instrumentation.  We manufacture these in different lengths so that the user has options for balancing various twin instrument packages without the need for balancing weights in highly-restricted compact twin implementations.
GR2-CWS...  all are $60 each... please specify 9"/6"/3" length.  If not specified, 9" will be shipped.

Quick Exchange dovetail clamp:
  For Vixen/Celestron/Mead etc. dovetail rails 45mm wide (1-3/4" rail widths) - $54

Custom adapter between a special black-annodized GR2 DX mount head with a Vixen/Celestron 10mm base thread, and Bogen heavy-duty tripod with its' 3/8"bolt thread.  Typical price is only $99-199 for custom-machining like this but it is usually not needed except for very-particular customer needs.  The 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum adapter is actually mated in two parts - but the seam is barely visible naked eye - due to the precision machining provided by Master Paul Schulden at Tech2000.

Composit photo of 20 images, showing the many ways we adapt telescope mountings, rings, and drives to Giro mount heads and tripods.  It is a piece of cake!  We mean easy, your cake probably looks more tasty than this photo.

Part Engineering & design and product engineering/design/fab are available via our parent corp. Techni-Digital Design, Inc.

DDR2-GR2 $949
  Clamps on to any existing Giro mount head, GR2DX or GR3 models, hex key provided with a very nice installation and operation manual, and carries all of the features of Dob-Driver II by Tech20000.  All accessories are available for Dob-Driver II such as Roboscope PC-link and ccd autoguider interface.  Dual-axis drive corrector and HRG-2x is already istalled as standard for super smooth tracking.  According to Rolf, the President of Tele-Optic "the device tracks impressively with high accuracy - great job!

Goto with a Tele-Vue Genesis-101 and Gibraltar tripod.  Our 12v battery is the counterweight.  Everything moves with the mount head -no cable tangles!

Twin Solar tracking at Astrofest '01, with white filter on Genesis-101 and Coronado filter on Tak Sky-90.  GR2 twinarm head & Giro Driver.

With a C8 on the Giro head and Dob-Driver II tracking DDR2-GR2 for Giro.

Tech2000:  Thanks I received it!  One wide field, one high-power light bucket, is a dream to use!  This pic using a C8 on a Giro mount with your superb GiroDrive.  -Oldfield