From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: September 8, 2006 6:44:21 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Re: Flea a year old now

Hi Tim;

On 8-Sep-06, at 6:10 PM, Tim wrote:

I think what I'm going to do is simply leave the Mogg adapter with the

IR block filter screwed into it attached to the camera at all times.

I have camera lens to c-mount adapters as well, but find that I don't

really use it for that purpose. Besides, I do have the DSI pro for

widefield imaging with camera lenses too - just don't like the camera

all that much.

What about enclosing the whole camera in a sealed dry enclosure that

is then cooled? Or would that be too complicated to be worth the

bother?

I'd say more complicated than is necessary - but that's me. Our humidity up here rarely gets over 40% unless it's raingin and it's been in the low twenties to high teens now for 2+ weeks. The only place that air can get to the camera is around the FireWire port, so if you seal that up (a bit of rubber material or maybe even caulking) then nothing will get in or out. I think I'll make a gasket or maybe just cut some black electricians tape to fit around it and seal it off that way.

I like the Flea's "stock" performance with Astro IIDC on exposures up

to 5 minutes or so, so long as I don't set the brightness gain up very

high.

I have images that show what sort of noise you get with and without cooling at the bottom of the PDF for the cooler. The difference is pretty substantial.

Been since RTMC that I haven't had a scope out much. Was hoping to

for last dark of the moon, but got busy at work, then had a fall that

I'm recovering from (no broken parts, but sore side). Going to have

to keep it to the ligher stuff for a while now.

We've been buried in smoke for 3+ weeks now

http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm

so any DSO imaging is out of the question. The sky is opaque and you can just barely see Arcturus visually. And it doesn't look like it's going to let up until the jets stream swings south to stop the USA smoke from being dragged up here.

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@outcastsoft.com