From: Paul Gaylord <pgaylord@cox.net>
Date: August 23, 2014 3:27:54 PM MDT
To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] 22 Aug 2914 1540 UTC AR2146 C6.2 Flare
Thanks for your all's comments.
Had just added another image to the Sun folder, the first one that the flare showed up in, then checked my mail after reviewing it.
So, Milton,
Thanks for catching my typo, I've now gone back and fixed all the images that I messed up the camera model on. As usual, I've got to mess something up....
I've been running 16-bit capture for everything, I've always wondered whether there'd be any difference in running 8 or 12 bit to gain FPS versus final image quality, but, don't have the experience.
As far as my laptop, it's a:
17" MacBook Pro 4.1
Late 2008
Intel Core 2 Duo
2.5 GHz
4 GB ram (it came with it)
128 GB SSD (the same one that it came with.
OS X v10.9.4
Quicktime v10.3
Spotlight is disabled on it (at least I think so, I put the SSD in the Privacy tab of Spotlight).
I just verified that "Prevent App Nap" is check-marked in Get Info.
I even shut off the the Wireless E-Net
I always keep the wireless BlueTooth off.
Only have Astro IIDC running, no other app's are running.
Usually have one or two Finder windows open.
As far as my Astro IIDC settings:
I leave "At Up To: " Best FPS selected.
At "Camera FPS", (full frame example, 16-bit mode, saving to ram disk) I'll start at 7.5. If I see lines or scrambled video, I'll drop it it 3.75. If not, I'll run a test capture of 100 frames, then wait for the painful Quicktime "converting" and see whether it will eventually open the movie, or the Quicktime Inspector window comes up with a 0 FPS or someother value. I do the same process when saving to the SSD, but expect frame rates of 1/2 to 3/4 of the ram disk.
While I waiting for Quicktime to do it's thing, I'm checking the Astro IIDC capture log text for #frames. Example, it I'm doing a 100 frame capture, I expect #frames to be at 101. When I see that, I'll expect everything went well when I finally get to checkout Quicktime. If the # frame is less, I wait for Quicktime to finish to see if I get a 0 FPS or lines through the video or something else. Any weirdness, and I drop the the "Camera FPS:" down until everything works as expected.
I even shut off the histogram, and usually only have the "Flat Frame" function turned on if I see that I need it.
I looked at the exposure and for one of my captures is was at 12ms in the txt log.
Brightness was at 453.
Sometimes I think that maybe I ought to buy one of those new MacBook Pro's and a thunderbolt-firewire adapter, but am scared. I see from Alan F's response that it seems doable. But with my luck, I just don't know...
Sorry that this turned into a novel.
Thanks again for your interest,
Paul
On Aug 23, 2014, at 12:56 PM, Alan Friedman alan@greatarrow.com [Astro_IIDC] wrote:
I’ve not experienced any problems running the 2MP or 6MP Grasshopper cameras through the thunderbolt-firewire adapter on my new 13” MacBook Pro.
Alan
On Aug 23, 2014, at 3:42 PM, Milton Aupperle maupperl@gmail.com [Astro_IIDC] <Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Hi Paul;
Nice catch. And congratulations on retiring too :)
A couple of questions on your set up.
I can't find any reference to the "GX-FW-60S1M-C" at all. The closest
PGR Express camera to that would be "GX-FW-60S6M-C" - which does match
your indicated CCD and frame sizes.
Also, you should easily be able to capture 8 bit 2736 x 2192 frames
in Format 7 mode at ~11 fps to an internal SSD. That only amounts to
about 62.9 megabytes per second recording to disk, and pretty much any
fairly modern Mac (i.e. 2010 on) with a stock 7200 rpm Hard Drive
should be able to keep up. Even If you are running the camera in 16
bit mode, you would get ~5.5 fps max rate. So I don't know why you
need to go to a memory drive is a baffling.
Lastly what Mac OSX version and Mac model are you using? The only
frame rate limitations might be if your using a Thunderbolt to
FireWire adapter (I am not sure how well they perform, how much stress
Apple actually put them under for testing or how closely they follow
the Spec - they are barely compliant with power draw) and / or running
Mavericks with it idiotic "App Nap" enabled - which cripples all real
time performance applications. Unless an App is playing audio, Apple
knee caps the performance of it using "App Nap" (an all threads too) -
which you have to turn off in the "Info" window for an App using the
Finder.
Thanks for sharing..
Milton J. Aupperle
206 - 6414 Travois Place NW
Calgary Alberta T2K 3T2
Phone: 403-453-1624
maupperl@gmail.com
http://www3.telus.net/maupperl
On 23-Aug-14, at 12:15 PM, Paul Gaylord pgaylord@cox.net [Astro_IIDC]
wrote:
>
>
> Hi All,
>
> It's been a long time for me to post anything, let alone be doing
> amateur astro....
> Been retired since December, so hopefully I can start getting out
> more!
>
> Anyway, since July, I've been practicing with my new (used) Lunt
> LS100THa and new PGR camera.
>
> Discovered that I had captured the flare. The gif is terrible, I
> used some frames that I should have trashed (along with the far
> worse ones) but, it's my first flare, so I'm kind of jazzed up about
> it.
>
> Link:
>
> http://www.astropg.com/amateur_astronomy/solar_system/the_sun/201408221540utcflare.html
>
> TinyURL for just-in-case:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/oljt2pz
>
>
> There's more solar images that I've taken between Jul and now in the
> Sun section (right arrow at top right or menu to the left of it) in
> case your interested.
>
> Thanks for looking,
> Paul