From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>
Date: August 12, 2005 10:35:39 AM MDT
To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Re: just wishing
Hi Tim;
I forgot to mention this..
If your looking for a prime focus camera, you might also want to check out Point Grey Research's Dragon Fly in extended form factor (bottom of the page):
http://www.ptgrey.com/products/dragonfly/index.html
The CCD is mounted on a 6" long cable (maybe they can make a longer cable version for you) and would obstruct probably less than 1 inch and keeps the hot electronics out of the light path too.
TTYL..
Milton J. Aupperle
President
ASC - Aupperle Services and Contracting
Mac Software (Drivers, Components and Application) Specialist
#1005 - 815 14th Avenue. S.W.
Calgary Alberta Canada T2R0N5
1-(403)-229-9456
www.outcastsoft.com
On 12-Aug-05, at 9:01 AM, Tim wrote:
Milton:
I'd be interested in hearing if you've tried your Flea with peltier unit out on the sky.
I think I'd like to "upgrade" from the Aplux soon, and maybe put the Aplux on a finder or
my off-axis guider. Seems like the Flea is small enough that one could even build a
"camera" for it using a Newt primary and place the Flea at the Newt focus in place of the
secondary mirror. You'd need a good finder, though. And you'd have to focus by moving
the primary or the secondary (Flea) support.
Interesting sidebar: I shot Mars the other morning with the Aplux right after imaging with
the ToUcam (about the same age camera) via my PC. The Aplux, with Astro IIDC could
acquire so many more images so much faster than the ToUcam (and they were less noisy),
I was impressed.
Sadly, the seeing has continued to be pretty lousy when I've had the time to image. None
of the videos have produced decent results. And now the marine layer has come back, so
we're socked in by the time Mars gets high enough to do anything.
I live on a hilltop, though. Maybe I should try using my PADC (herschel wedge gizmo) and
image Jupiter some more...
best,
-Tim.
--- In Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com, Milton Aupperle <milton@o...> wrote:
> If your talking about exposures less than 10 minutes uncooled, the
> Flea Color 640x480 camera is pretty decent for the money your
> spending. I ran some 10 minute exposure tests with the camera wrapped
> in a heavy bath towel under my desk, the gains set to zero and the
> dark current and amp glow noise noise level was low enough that it
> could be taken out with dark frame. All you need to do is modify the
> supplied hiruse trigger connector by connecting pins 0 and pin 1
> (solder them or just bending them over so they touch) and Astro IIDC
> will allow up to 60 minute exposures.
>
> With that $45 CDN peltier Cooler unit I bough (I also added a $15 CDN
> Pentium CPU Heat sink and Fan to the hot side) up attached to it, it
> can keep the camera and electronics in the 10 degree C / 50 F range,
> when in dead air air temp is 30 C / 86F. With cooling off, the camera
> is running at about 45 C / 113 F and that brings the noise level up a
> lot.
>
> And speaking of crappy weather, June was the wettest month in Calgary
> history (120+ years or so) and now that it's finally cleared up with
> dark clear skies and no 80 km winds, my motor drive has packed it in :(.
>
> TTYL..
>
> Milton J. Aupperle
> President
> ASC - Aupperle Services and Contracting
> Mac Software (Drivers, Components and Application) Specialist
> #1005 - 815 14th Avenue. S.W.
> Calgary Alberta Canada T2R0N5
> 1-(403)-229-9456
> milton@o...
YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS