From: Mark Gaffney <markgaffney@mac.com>
Date: December 21, 2008 1:30:19 PM MST
To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] Flea 2 peltier cooler etc...
Hi Milton, Do you mean they should be connected to the 12v power supply? I`ve been having dreams about doing that for some hours! If that`s the case polarity shouldn`t matter either. I`ve been connecting things like neons to 12v adaptors for years for my artworks-I don`t know why I had to go to sleep for this to occur to me. I guess the important thing is to select the right 2 wires from the rat-tail? Who`s Walter? Is this someone from the group? Mark.
On 22/12/2008, at 6:02 AM, Milton Aupperle wrote:
Hi Mark;
No, the GPIO pins are for general purposes input & output. They can be configured for many things such as trigger, RS232 support, long exposure control, controlling an external device etc.
You should not need any other parts and the GPIO Rat Tail plug is included in the kit. You need to connect the two leads / wires off of the rattail, which should be GPIO Pin 0 and Pin 1. But as Walter suggested check the pdf documents for it. The early rat tails were not numbered, but the current bunch are.
HTH..
Milton Aupperle
On 21-Dec-08, at 10:58 AM, Mark Gaffney wrote:
Hi Milton, I`ve been looking into that! Where do the wires of the "Rat Tail" then go. I understand it`s to a RS-232 connector is that right? The PGR site recommends B & B electronics part no. 232 PTTL; (http://www.bb-elec.com/)
I thought I recalled you saying something about a firewire connection for this when I asked before?? It`s cloudy here at present but a couple of days ago we were getting 35+ C temperatures. The scope is out under tarps with it`s delicate parts removed (eyepiece-finder etc.) but it`s still not nice to think of it cooking out there! I have to look seriously at some drift aligning myself but have to sort out my N-S-E-W & crosshair orientation whether I use the camera etc. or reticle eyepiece. I `ve had some help from a guy on the Autoguiding group but have also found these directions which sound fairly straightforward; http://www.geologynet.com/astronomy/polar.htm
I probably won`t be set-up before the end of summer here for DSOs. I still have the focal reducer & Easy Guider to purchase & have a backlog of overlimits on my credit card! Good luck with your dark sky imaging during your holidays! Mark.
On 22/12/2008, at 3:23 AM, Milton Aupperle wrote:
Hi Mark;
Glad to hear it's working for you.
Your also going to have to connect up two pins (Pin 0 and Pin 1)on
the "Rat Tail" GPIO connector for the Fleas cameras, and then check
mark the ""Allow extended PGR cameras exposure times. " (see page 61
of the Astro IIDC manual). That's how you can get exposures to 60
minutes with it.
Where I am now, the out door temp is -30°C or lower, so I don't need
any active cooling at all, but I do need an electric blanket on the
back of the LCD of the Laptop or it freezes solid and stops displaying.
TTYL..
Milton Aupperle
On 20-Dec-08, at 11:30 PM, Mark Gaffney wrote:
Hi Milton, Thanks for your help choosing the parts for the peltier
cooler set-up. As you may
have gathered I now have the Flea 2, heatsink/fan & power source &
am awaiting the cooler
itself. I`ve posted a photo to my "set-up C9.25XLT OTA" folder in
photos to give you an idea
of the comparative size of the parts. I`ve also added a new file
with my latest mosaic done
with the Flea 2. Will maybe investigate further processing options
for the images. Interesting
that you were able to synchronise so many different nights' imaging
in your recent Messier
52 image. I`ll hopefully soon be coping with some DSOs myself. Have
a nice Christmas! Mark.
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