From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>
Date: May 31, 2007 11:08:46 AM MDT
To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] autoguider camera?
Hi Ron;
They work fine for guiding, especially the mono versions. I normally guide off 5th to 7th Mag stars using an 80 mm Aperture/ 400 mm FL refractor at 7.5 to 15 fps with a Color camera in light polluted (Mag 1 to 3) skies. The Mono cameras are about 30 to 50% more sensitive, so they reach a bit further down. Your light pollution levels make a big difference as to how far you can guide and under dark Mag 6 skies, I've guided at 7.5 fps off 8th Mag stars.
The DMK 21AF04.AS (640x480 mono 8 bit Astro Model) series run up to 60 minute exposure time, where as the DMK 21AF04 (640x480 mono 8 bit normal model) have a maximum of 30 second exposures. Price wise they are about the same.
I would not recommend the cheaper DMK 21F04 which use the Texas Instruments TSLB150v01 chip set (same as Unibrain, iBot, ADS Pyro, iRez, APLux models) and has several flaws in the chip that makes it very undesirable for monochrome imaging. But for guiding they work okay.
HTH..
Milton J. Aupperle
President
ASC - Aupperle Services and Contracting
Mac Software (Drivers, Components and Application) Specialist
#1005 - 815 14th Avenue. S.W.
Calgary Alberta T2R0N5
1-(403)-229-9456
www.outcastsoft.com
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On 31-May-07, at 10:39 AM, cosmicrock2001 wrote:
has anyone used one of the imaging source cameras with long exp.
capability for autoguiding? just wondering if I can use it for both
planetary images and occasional autoguiding. thanks.
Ron