  We present a concept for a 4000-fibre positioner for DESpec, based on the
Echidna 'tilting spine' technology. The DESpec focal plane is 450mm across and
curved, and the required pitch is ~6.75mm. The size, number of fibers and
curvature are all comparable with various concept studies for similar
instruments already undertaken at the AAO, but present new challenges in
combination. A simple, low-cost, and highly modular design is presented,
consisting of identical modules populated by identical spines. No show-stopping
issues in accommodating either the curvature or the smaller pitch have been
identified, and the actuators consist largely of off-the-shelf components. The
actuators have been prototyped at AAO, and allow reconfiguration times of ~15s
to reach position errors 7 microns or less. Straightforward designs for
metrology, acquisition, and guiding are also proposed. The throughput losses of
the entire positioner system are estimated to be ~15%, of which 6.3% is
attributable to the tilting-spine technology.
