From: "milton_aupperle" <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: June 4, 2010 4:21:22 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Astro IIDC 4.06.0 A6 Available

Hi Folks;

I got stuck waiting for PGR to get back to me on some technical details for their USB 2 cameras, so I was doing Q&A checks on the last Alpha. I ran a cross a few problems, so here is Alpha 6 to correct them.

Astro IIDC 4.06.00 A6 is a Universal Binary for OSX 10.4 or higher (1.3 megabyte download):

http://www.outcastsoft.com/Prototype/AstroIIDC40600A6_20100604.zip

The "User manual" .pdf is not embedded in the App for the Alphas / Betas to save space.

Changes and new features are listed in "READMEFIRST40600 A6.rtfd", which I STRONGLY recommend you read before asking questions.

Remember this is an Alpha release and there possibly could be bugs, so try it out before you run some mission critical once in a life time event with it. 

Also if you find bugs or issues, please let me know soonest so I can fix them in the next release. If you do not report them, it may be a long time before they get addressed.

Have a great weekend..

PS:

The PGR Chameleon USB camera I'm developing with (big thanks to PGR for the loaner) are very tiny. They are shorter than the Flea series (the short axis being along the optical axis), but slightly  wider and thicker. I would guess they occupy the same volume as a Flea, have a Mini USB 2 connector and weight about 40 grams (~1.5 ounces). It has a 1/3" ICX445 EXview HAD 1290x964 pixel Sony CCD with 3.75 micron pixels, so it would be a pretty decent lunar / planetary / solar camera. The only negative factor is it's in a plastic case, so external cooling them will be difficult. Like the Grasshoppers, they do have an internal thermal probe, so you can monitor the camera temperature in Astro IIDC.

Milton Aupperle