What comes in the box with the Altair AAF?

The focuser, a universal bracket with screws and washers, four shaft couplers (4, 5, 6 and 7 mm), a temperature sensor, a USB cable and a hand controller.

Does the Altair AAF work with the ASIAIR?

No. The ASIAIR only drives ZWO's own focuser. The Altair AAF uses Altair's ASCOM driver with NINA, SharpCap and other ASCOM programs.

Is the Altair AAF the same as the ToupTek AAF?

Both are sold as the AAF, Astro Automatic Focuser, and both makers publish the same 45 x 60 x 47 mm body, 1.2 torque figure and Type-C power. Altair's is purple; the ToupTek I use is blue. I have not opened either to compare the insides.

How much does the Altair AAF cost?

The prices I recorded: £139 at Harrison Telescopes (UK), in stock; £139 at Altair Astro (Global), in stock.

What have I not tested on the AAF?

I have not recorded autofocus runs, backlash or cold-weather behaviour with the Altair AAF.

Altair AAF review: a £139 motor focuser with sensor and remote

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 46 accessories on my board, against price
Rank	Accessory	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	GEMINI EAF	100 out of 100	£42
2	Generic Dew Heater	93 out of 100	£9
10	MeLE MiniPC	84 out of 100	£490
14	Rechargeable hand warmers	80 out of 100	£12
26	Altair EAF	70 out of 100	£139
31	ZWO TC40 Tripod	60 out of 100	£342
35	PowerMate 5x Barlow	47 out of 100	£255
45	SKY ROVER 2x54 Binoculars	28 out of 100	£139
46	365 Solar Telescope Cover	5 out of 100	£73

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 In use
04 Watch it in my videos
05 Should you buy it?
06 Questions and more about this review

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 70/100

Reviewed 23 Jul 2025 Updated 25 Sep 2026

Rank: #26 of 46 accessories
Verdict: Worth a look

Written by Damon Scotting 3 min read

Buy it if

You want one of the cheapest motor focusers with a sensor and a remote included.
You image with ASCOM software such as NINA or SharpCap on a laptop.
You want a single Type-C cable for power and data.

Skip it if

You run an ASIAIR: it only drives ZWO's own focuser.
You want the lowest price: the GEMINI EAF costs less still, with a remote.

The Altair AAF is a £139 Type-C motor focuser with a temperature sensor and a hand controller in the box, and it sat on the imaging rig of my £3,000 Altair setup.

Specifications and features

Against the accessories I have reviewed

Compare with

Altair AAF reviewed #26 of 46	ToupTek EAF #20 of 46	ZWO EAF #33 of 46
Recorded UK price	£139	£170	£199
Stars for Your Buck	70/100	75/100	51/100
Model	AAF-UNIV	AAF	EAFN, the standard Type-C EAF
Housing	Aluminium	Aluminium alloy	Metal
Dimensions	45 x 60 x 47 mm	45 x 60 x 47 mm	41 x 52 x 70.3 mm
Torque	1.2 N m	1.2 N m	not recorded
Minimum step	0.0625 degrees	not recorded	About 2.812 micrometres per step
Power and data	USB Type-C, 5 V	USB Type-C, 5 V	USB Type-C, 5 V 500 mA
Power draw	0.049 A standby, 0.185 A running	not recorded	5 V, 500 mA operating consumption
Operating temperature	Plus or minus 30 C	Down to approximately -5 °C without heating, according to Astrogarten; heating recommended below this. Upper limit not specified	-20 to +40 °C (model-specific specification)
Accessory socket	TEMP/HBX jack for the temperature sensor or hand controller	TEMP/HBX jack for the temperature sensor or hand controller	Temperature sensor or hand controller
Software	Altair ASCOM driver (NINA, SharpCap and other ASCOM programs)	ASCOM and INDI, ToupTek AstroStation	ASIAIR, ASIStudio, ASCOM and INDI
In the box	Focuser, universal bracket with screws and washers, 4, 5, 6 and 7 mm couplers, temperature sensor, USB cable, hand controller	Hand controller, temperature sensor, two mounting plates, flexible couplers, USB cable	EAFN; bracket; four couplers; 2 m USB-C cable; five spacers; mounting screws; two hex keys; quick guide
Steps	5,760 minimum angular increments per revolution (derived)	not recorded	6,144 nominal full steps per output-shaft revolution (derived)

In use

Type-C and TEMP/HBX on the back

The purple Altair body

Everything in the box

The temperature sensor

On the imaging rig

Mine, on camera

Watch it in my videos

What YOU can SEE with a £3000 Telescope setup?! · published 23 July 2025 · 6:03 · Watch on YouTube · 6,440 views, 373 likes on 2 Oct 2026

Jump to

1:19 Altair's AAF at £139
1:22 What comes in the box
3:37 The whole £3,000 setup
4:00 The AAF on the imaging rig

Transcript of the video 126 words · 3 chapters · searchable

Press a time stamp to play from there.

1:03 The opening

1:03 This is a total cost breakdown following on from the last episode. 1:07 The only thing we're removing from the last setup is the camera. 1:09 Since we are replacing the camera with an upgraded cooled monochrome variation of the immensely popular 585 sensor, it is still relatively affordable at £539.

1:19 Altair's AAF at £139

1:19 Next up we're introducing Altair Astro's very own automatic focuser, the AAF for just £139 which makes it just about one of the cheapest automatic focuses on the market.

1:22 What comes in the box

1:29 And finally we have the biggest upgrade of them all and that is the one I am most eager to try out. 1:33 The Altair electronic filter wheel with seven 2 inch filter slots. 1:39 At £299 this is again one of the cheapest of its kind on the market.

Should you buy it?

70/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

At £139 it undercuts the ToupTek AAF (£170) and the ZWO EAF (£199).
A temperature sensor and a hand controller come in the box.
One Type-C cable carries power and data at 5 V.
Four shaft couplers (4, 5, 6 and 7 mm) and a universal bracket to fit most focusers.

Cons

The ASIAIR will not drive it: ZWO's controller only works with ZWO's own focuser.
The ASCOM driver needs an email registration on Altair's help site.
Hard to find in the US: Altair and UK shops sell it.

Altair Astro's very own automatic focuser, the AAF, for just £139, which makes it just about one of the cheapest automatic focusers on the market.

Two alternatives I have reviewed

Questions and more about this review

Reviewed by

Damon Scotting

The Telescope Man Verified

BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, Loughborough University PGCE / QTS, University of Nottingham

About Damon About Damon Damon Scotting is The Telescope Man. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology from Loughborough University and a PGCE with QTS from the University of Nottingham, and taught physics in secondary schools before becoming an astronomy creator. He is a contributing writer for BBC Sky at Night Magazine and the author of 42 Wonders of Our Night Sky, and his photograph of the galaxy M100 with the dwarf planet Ceres was Highly Commended in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 competition run by Royal Observatory Greenwich. He has appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter. More than 750,000 people follow his astronomy channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and he has reviewed more than 140 telescopes, mounts, cameras, filters and accessories hands-on for this site. More about Damon · How I test · Damon's book

I review all kinds of gear: most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way. How this site is funded

Five questions, answered

Questions about the Altair AAF

Reviewed 23 July 2025 ·Updated 25 September 2026

I review all kinds of gear. Most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way: no company sees or approves a review before it is published. How this site is funded

What comes in the box with the Altair AAF? The focuser, a universal bracket with screws and washers, four shaft couplers (4, 5, 6 and 7 mm), a temperature sensor, a USB cable and a hand controller. In use ↓
Does the Altair AAF work with the ASIAIR? No. The ASIAIR only drives ZWO's own focuser. The Altair AAF uses Altair's ASCOM driver with NINA, SharpCap and other ASCOM programs. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
Is the Altair AAF the same as the ToupTek AAF? Both are sold as the AAF, Astro Automatic Focuser, and both makers publish the same 45 x 60 x 47 mm body, 1.2 torque figure and Type-C power. Altair's is purple; the ToupTek I use is blue. I have not opened either to compare the insides. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How much does the Altair AAF cost? The prices I recorded: £139 at Harrison Telescopes (UK), in stock; £139 at Altair Astro (Global), in stock. A record, not a live price The verdict, the readers and the sellers ↓
What have I not tested on the AAF? I have not recorded autofocus runs, backlash or cold-weather behaviour with the Altair AAF.