AO-X/STX Guider use on-axis?

Hi, I'm interested in the AO-X product & associated STX Guider.

My setup is currently three PW1000's, for use at the NPOI optical interferometer at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. I will be equipping these units with full-up adaptive optics in the future, but I'm in need of a quick interim solution for tip-tilt, and the AO-X/STX Guider look like a possibility. In our PW1000 user's forum I saw that another PW1000 user was using the AO-X/STX Guider with good results.

Here's the rub: my main targets are bright-ish stars (Vmag ~ 5-8) and I'd actually like to steal some of the light with a beam splitter (say, a 70/30 or something like that) to drive the STX CCD - I'm assuming that'll be where I get the most light into the STX for fastest tip-tilt tracking, rather than some random (presumably fain) off-axis nearby star. Would it be possible for me to retrofit the STX so it could be fed by such a beam splitter? (We have machine shop facilities here at Lowell for making custom parts as needed.)

 

This looks very attractive. What kind of software is used to close the loop between the AO-X unit and the guider (say, assume a STF-8300M as recommended)? Also, do you have any sense of what sort of correction update rate with the AO-X would be possible using a brighter star (in the 30% of a Vmag ~5-8 range I noted above) for guiding?

 

Is it possible to use a simpler guider than the STF-8300M - say, anything supported by MaxIm DL? That's a really nice camera, but for a basic test setup that will be in service for less than 12 to 18 months, it might be a bit overspec'd.

 

Ah, I understand. Thanks! Well it's not the worst thing in the world to be compelled to buy a nice CCD camera