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

Date: August 23, 2011 11:04:47 AM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Grasshopper Version 2

Hi Folks;

I hope to have a beta version of Astro IIDC 4.07.01 out likely tomorrow, which has the PGR GPIO to ST4 functionality set up. I'm running tests today to make sure this addition doesn't break anything like normal trigger or the long exposure bulb trigger modes.

I also thought I thought I'd just mention this in passing.

Point Grey's Generation 2 Grasshopper camera (GS2-FW-14S5M/C-C) now has a special low light and low noise optimized mode, which is described in detail here:

http://ptgrey.com/support/downloads/documents/TAN2011002_GRAS2-FW_Optimized_Modes_Low_Light_Imaging.pdf

Basically they turn off the CCD Amp, do a few electrical things to reduce noise and also power down some components too, which drops the cameras temperature by about 6°C. They show examples of what this does to the image and it looks pretty impressive. This likely would make a really good variable star / Exoplanet / Asteroid imaging camera as it stands now.

The only detractor is that you can't use my GPIO pin bulb trigger mode for arbitrary exposure time AND get the low light optimization. To get the optimizations, you have to use the cameras normal shutter method and it currently has a internal maximum 5 minute exposure limit.

I have already filed an enhancement request to increase the camera exposure time to 60 minutes, but I'm only one person requesting this.

So if any of you are interested in a single general purpose high speed / long exposure image anything type camera, I would appreciate it if you could all send PGR a support request asking them to increase the exposure time to say 1 hour. 

http://www.ptgrey.com/support/contact/contact.asp

I know for a fact they can do it, but unless people ask for it it likely won't get implemented.

Thanks in advance..

Milton Aupperle