John Carruthers
Skiprat
Reged: 02/02/07
Posts: 1596
Loc: Kent, UK
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After hearing the PST owners lament about reaching focus I had a play with a little webcam I was given yesterday. Instead of bringing the PST focal plane out using a Barlow I put a small webcam in, further down the eyepiece holder.
The webcam in question is a PCWorld (UK) 'PCL100K'. The body is no larger than a golf ball, the board inside is exactly 1 1/4" diameter.
I mounted the board in an old 35mm film pot, et voila,webcam solar imaging.
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Jc
ATM 10" F6.1, 1/25th wave spec (max wavefront error +/- 1/12.6 in zone 4 of 6, sodium light )
6" F7 spec
127mm F9.4 Refractor
10 x 50 bin
ETX80 (finder)
Canon 20D
and a curious mind
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John Carruthers
Skiprat
Reged: 02/02/07
Posts: 1596
Loc: Kent, UK
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another shot
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Jc
ATM 10" F6.1, 1/25th wave spec (max wavefront error +/- 1/12.6 in zone 4 of 6, sodium light )
6" F7 spec
127mm F9.4 Refractor
10 x 50 bin
ETX80 (finder)
Canon 20D
and a curious mind
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John Carruthers
Skiprat
Reged: 02/02/07
Posts: 1596
Loc: Kent, UK
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in situ
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Jc
ATM 10" F6.1, 1/25th wave spec (max wavefront error +/- 1/12.6 in zone 4 of 6, sodium light )
6" F7 spec
127mm F9.4 Refractor
10 x 50 bin
ETX80 (finder)
Canon 20D
and a curious mind
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darkstar528
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 4374
Loc: Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
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Thank you for sharing that!...I have a Meade Electric EP, I"m not crazy about the b/w view, is yours color?
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Blue skies,
Stephen "Darkstar" Ames
PST, VIXEN 8-24mm,CEMAX 2x Barlow, Thousand Oaks White Light Filter and a Meade Elec EP
CFI, CFII, MEI, working on EIEIO!
BAA Member
My solar site:
http://seemysunspot.com
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Ralph Marantino
Postmaster
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 5000
Loc: Old Bridge, New Jersey
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all good solar imaging is done with b&w cameras and the color is added later
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darkstar528
Post Laureate
Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 4374
Loc: Hodgenville, Kentucky, USA
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Quote:
all good solar imaging is done with b&w cameras and the color is added later
DOH! I knew that...I just can't see any detail on mine, I"ll keep working on it...May have to try it without the Barlow but I hate messing with the tuning as it seems to stay perfect the way it is and I don't want to move it...
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Blue skies,
Stephen "Darkstar" Ames
PST, VIXEN 8-24mm,CEMAX 2x Barlow, Thousand Oaks White Light Filter and a Meade Elec EP
CFI, CFII, MEI, working on EIEIO!
BAA Member
My solar site:
http://seemysunspot.com
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John Carruthers
Skiprat
Reged: 02/02/07
Posts: 1596
Loc: Kent, UK
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It can do colour, this is the first try from 31/3/07, 640x480, 10 secs @ 15 fps.
It's not the most sensitive camera but then there's no shortage of photons ;-)
I'll make the mods more permanent and learn to use it properly this summer.
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Jc
ATM 10" F6.1, 1/25th wave spec (max wavefront error +/- 1/12.6 in zone 4 of 6, sodium light )
6" F7 spec
127mm F9.4 Refractor
10 x 50 bin
ETX80 (finder)
Canon 20D
and a curious mind
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Zoomster
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/30/05
Posts: 655
Loc: Tampa FL
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Cool idea, you could use an old eyepiece barrel, that would work as well.
Zoom On.
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Celestron CPC 1100 aka "The Marino"
Moonlite Dual Rate Focuser
WO Dielecric Diagonal
Denkmeier "Big Easy" Binos and assorted eyepieces.
Coranado PST
SPC900NC...not modded...yet. (eh-eh)
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
Epicurus
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jgraham
Postmaster
Reged: 12/02/04
Posts: 5142
Loc: Dayton, Ohio
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That's neat! I repackaged my Phillips SPC900NC in a small plastic electronic project kit-box and that has work out as well.
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-John
================================================
Homebuilt scopes from 4.25-16.5"
Meade LXD75-N6/SN6/SC8, DSX-90, ETX-60BB, ETX-125PE, DS-2130
Orion StarBlast, BinoViewers, Coronado PST
Rebel XT/XTi, DSI Pro, DSI, LPI, Electronic Eyepiece, Phillips SPC900NC
Tasco 60mm Refractors
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nytecam
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/20/05
Posts: 4649
Loc: London UK
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Thanks John - great practical advise. So much better than hearsay 
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Nytecam 51N 0.1W
Meade 30cm LX200+ETX-70+DS-2090+C8+Ha+CaK PSTs SBIG SGS+homebuilt spectrographs
Starlight SXVF_M9/Lodestar/Canon 300D DSLR/Fuji E550
My observatory build-ETX-70 imaging-spectro page
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WayneReed
member
Reged: 09/04/06
Posts: 13
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Thanks for the info. I am also working on webcam use with the PST. I have had some beginning success with a 2.5x Powermate and put some initial results on my website at:
http://mysite.verizon.net/wayne1026/main/solar.html
I am hoping to get my Toucam 740 to prime focus with an adapter. Attaching the camera body to the eyepiece holder with masking tape showed that it is possible, but I couldn't get adequate alignment that way. I have emailed Steven Mogg about making a special adapter to get the webcam into position, but I haven't heard from him yet. His standard adapter can't get close enough, and I don't want to alter it since I need it for other work.
Wayne Reed
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Member of Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers (dvaa.org)
Personal website: http://mysite.verizon.net/wayne1026/main/index.html
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John Carruthers
Skiprat
Reged: 02/02/07
Posts: 1596
Loc: Kent, UK
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Hi Wayne, if your Toucam has the square lens/IR mount in front of the CCD it might take an old EP barrel screwed onto the square section. (tight fit) If you remove the font of the camera case it allows the chip to get deeper and it stays centred.
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Jc
ATM 10" F6.1, 1/25th wave spec (max wavefront error +/- 1/12.6 in zone 4 of 6, sodium light )
6" F7 spec
127mm F9.4 Refractor
10 x 50 bin
ETX80 (finder)
Canon 20D
and a curious mind
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nytecam
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/20/05
Posts: 4649
Loc: London UK
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Doug - bought my webcam at PCWorld lunchtime - hacked it with this preliminary result from indoors through the lounge double glazing - shows promise ... thanks for the fun 
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Nytecam 51N 0.1W
Meade 30cm LX200+ETX-70+DS-2090+C8+Ha+CaK PSTs SBIG SGS+homebuilt spectrographs
Starlight SXVF_M9/Lodestar/Canon 300D DSLR/Fuji E550
My observatory build-ETX-70 imaging-spectro page
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John Carruthers
Skiprat
Reged: 02/02/07
Posts: 1596
Loc: Kent, UK
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You'll just love my 10",full aperture,water filled prism+grating, once it gets finished. I tried the prototype on a 6", seems ok 
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Jc
ATM 10" F6.1, 1/25th wave spec (max wavefront error +/- 1/12.6 in zone 4 of 6, sodium light )
6" F7 spec
127mm F9.4 Refractor
10 x 50 bin
ETX80 (finder)
Canon 20D
and a curious mind
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nytecam
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/20/05
Posts: 4649
Loc: London UK
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Quote:
You'll just love my 10",full aperture,water filled prism+grating, once it gets finished. I tried the prototype on a 6", seems ok
Thanks - do you use a motor to stir the fluid to avoid convection I'm really spoilt for choice with prisms/gratings - a 10" glass prism will be returned to the BAA soon
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Nytecam 51N 0.1W
Meade 30cm LX200+ETX-70+DS-2090+C8+Ha+CaK PSTs SBIG SGS+homebuilt spectrographs
Starlight SXVF_M9/Lodestar/Canon 300D DSLR/Fuji E550
My observatory build-ETX-70 imaging-spectro page
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John Carruthers
Skiprat
Reged: 02/02/07
Posts: 1596
Loc: Kent, UK
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Quote:
Thanks - do you use a motor to stir the fluid to avoid convection
That's a point, haven't noticed it with the smaller prism, now I'll be looking.
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Jc
ATM 10" F6.1, 1/25th wave spec (max wavefront error +/- 1/12.6 in zone 4 of 6, sodium light )
6" F7 spec
127mm F9.4 Refractor
10 x 50 bin
ETX80 (finder)
Canon 20D
and a curious mind
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nytecam
Post Laureate
Reged: 08/20/05
Posts: 4649
Loc: London UK
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John - posted my PCL-100K mod here on the DSLR & Digital Camera Astro Imaging & Processing section with a couple of frame grabs of Venus [mono] and Saturn from last night Camera res so sensitive it showed up need to recollimate the LX200 
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Nytecam 51N 0.1W
Meade 30cm LX200+ETX-70+DS-2090+C8+Ha+CaK PSTs SBIG SGS+homebuilt spectrographs
Starlight SXVF_M9/Lodestar/Canon 300D DSLR/Fuji E550
My observatory build-ETX-70 imaging-spectro page
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