John Wunderlin
Vendor - Spike-a Focusing Mask
Reged: 10/01/04
Posts: 655
Loc: Mineral Point, Wi
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Quote:
Jerry, I saw you reference to the site:
www.spike-a.com
I had just found this site also, via an advertisement in:
www.astrophotoinsight.com
Are you and spike-a one in the same? Just curious. Thought I would mention it, as others may be interested in the mask, but not want to "make it".
Jerry & I are partners in this venture. If you want more information, PM one of us or post in the Vendor section. Thanks!
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John Wunderlin
Vendor - Spike-a Bahtinov Focusing Mask
Empire Ranch Observatory
Iowa County Astronomers
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donsinger1
sage
Reged: 10/28/07
Posts: 294
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Just used my Spike-a Mask last night and could not believe how effective it is. This mask is a must have accessory for anyone, either visual or an imager. I am impressed.
Don
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Fun Stuff:)
Portland, OR
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Joe F Gafford
professor emeritus
Reged: 12/15/06
Posts: 509
Loc: Denver, Colorado, US
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This is from an 18" version I made out of 'gator board' and used at the Okie-Tex star party. See the picture of the mask in #2652853. The gator board is similar to corrugated cardboard, but waterproof. Harder to cut straight edges in it though. Even though the edges were a little rippled this was the result.
Joe.
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JMI 18" f4.5 Newtonian, split ring mount
10" f4.5 Newtonian on GEM (was a DS-10 once upon a time)
50 and 110 mm Mamiya RZ lenses with homemade adapter
ST-2000XM camera
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FarmerDave
sage
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 412
Loc: Northern Virginia
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Wow, this thread was *waaaay* down on the third page when I went searching for it. 
Just wanted to let everyone know that my mask generator has been updated.
Here's a list of the changes:
- Moved to new hosting provider.
- Complete rewrite of mask generation code.
- SVG opens fine in Corel Draw 12 (and, I think Corel Draw X4) now.
- SVG now converts to DXF cleanly in Inkscape. You should be able to take the resulting .DXF directly to a machine shop/laser cutter/etc.
- Split the existing generator page up into 4 pages (Overview, Generator, FAQ, and Change History) to make them more manageable.
- Segregated parameter entry so it's not so overwhelming - broke it into Basic parameters, Advanced parameters, and Print options.
- Entry validation added.
- Appropriate parameters will accept numbers with decimal points.
- Added an option to make the center of the left-hand side a bar instead of a slot.
- Added an override for the slot width.
- Added an option to scale the SVG to 72DPI for use with Adobe Illustrator.
- Cleaned up the text a bit - now consistently use "slot" to mean an opening in the mask and "bar" to mean a solid bit.
Oh, and I've changed my position on printing from the browser - don't do it - the larger the mask, the farther "off" it was.
Please, please, please let me know if you have any problems with the update.
The new FAQ page is pretty barren, but I'm working on it.
Other things I'm either thinking about adding in the future and/or working on include:
- Presets for various scopes
- Direct output to .DXF
- Color pickers
- A Silverlight version that will display the mask and update in real time.
- Ability to upload an existing SVG to tweak it.
Let me know if you have any great ideas for the generator.
David
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Celestron C6/C9.25/CG-5GT Mount
Orion 80ED/EON 72/Supercharged Atlas EQ-G
Garrett Optical Signature Series 10x50
Canon XTi (soon to be modded)/Canon 40D (unmodded)
Meade DSI/Meade DSI Pro/Philips SPC900N
1944 Ford 2N/1948 Ford 8N
Bahtinov Mask Generator * AstroCataLink * 40DShutterCount
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snowdragonusa
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/04/07
Posts: 1125
Loc: Denver, CO
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David *** YOU DA MAN *** 
Nice work! I am totally impressed! The new additions and layout are awesome and the up coming ideas sound excellent.
The Silverlight version really sounds cool.
Keep it up mate!
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Adam
12" LX200R, AT80LE
Lunt 60mm Ha & CaK solar scopes
DMK41.AS, DSI Pro, DSI-C, LPI
Denver Astronomical Society
Brighton Astronomical Group
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FarmerDave
sage
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 412
Loc: Northern Virginia
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Thanks Adam!
One issue I've noticed is a possible problem in the scale of the .DXF file.
It seemed to work okay for one online vendor's program, and with another online vendor my 120mm mask came out as 120 inches. Slight difference.
David
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Celestron C6/C9.25/CG-5GT Mount
Orion 80ED/EON 72/Supercharged Atlas EQ-G
Garrett Optical Signature Series 10x50
Canon XTi (soon to be modded)/Canon 40D (unmodded)
Meade DSI/Meade DSI Pro/Philips SPC900N
1944 Ford 2N/1948 Ford 8N
Bahtinov Mask Generator * AstroCataLink * 40DShutterCount
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MartyT
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 682
Loc: Kansas City
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Somewhere back in the previous 8 pages of posts, someone mentioned possibly using an online laser cutting service. Has anyone actually used such a service? If so, which one and what was the cost and how did the results turn out?
I've tried to find a local laser cutting company but either don't know the right keywords to search for or there are none in the Kansas City area...
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Celestron CGE / C-11 (CGE-1100)
Megrez 90 FD APO / 0.8x FR/FF vIII
QHY8, 350D, DSI Pro, SPC900NC
KWIQ Guider (QHY5)
ETX-125AT
12" Lightbridge
My Astrophoto Gallery
Astronomical Society of Kansas City
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snowdragonusa
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 09/04/07
Posts: 1125
Loc: Denver, CO
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Yup, I used a company I found online. They happen to be local to me here in Denver. You can find there website here Custom Laser Designs.
She will not charge a setup fee if you already have your mask generated for her. She can use the SVG file format and charges about $1.50/minute for laser time. I found it rather fair for the amount of cutting needed. My total order was around $80 and included 2 masks and about 20 small pieces I ended up using as hanger brakets.
Oh, and they ship.
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Adam
12" LX200R, AT80LE
Lunt 60mm Ha & CaK solar scopes
DMK41.AS, DSI Pro, DSI-C, LPI
Denver Astronomical Society
Brighton Astronomical Group
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Maau the Lynx
journeyman
Reged: 10/08/08
Posts: 9
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Wow!The mask is indeed Revolutionary.I tried to make 1 out of cardboard for a 4inch Newtonian with 3 spider veins.Bahtinov factor was 50.Thanks David for mask Generator tool.
The pattern was distinct.Honestly,Couldn't test completely as morning twilight inturrupted.But due to 3 veins,W/o mask also the image instantly shows spikes sharply while in focus.Will check tonite & let u know if difference in inter spike spacing is helpful.
Initially i held classic hartman mask with 3 circles & saw no real gain.Still hartman mask was useful for a different thing in my current scope that it showed views w/o spikes like in refractor for the 1st time.I loved this cool circular pattern w/o jumpy holes.This whole exercise is getting interesting.
Any thots if 3 veined reflector could benifit from Bahtinov mask greatly?
David its a unrelated or rather functionally opposite kind of a request but can u expand the tool for generating cutting overlays for
1]different circular apertures in newtonians
&
2]Curved spider designs to eliminate spikes.
for varius aperture/tube dia/obstruction
it wil help in many situations like when we attach small mylar solar filter on end caps of a large scope etc.
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FarmerDave
sage
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 412
Loc: Northern Virginia
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Quote:
Thanks David for mask Generator tool.
You're welcome!
Quote:
but can u expand the tool for generating cutting overlays for
1]different circular apertures in newtonians
&
2]Curved spider designs to eliminate spikes.
I *probably* can add stuff, but I'm not really sure what you're asking for. It sounds like you want the mask offset in a larger solid circle?
Dunno - can you draw me a picture or pictures and show me what needs to be parameterized? You can either respond here or PM me.
Thanks,
David
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Celestron C6/C9.25/CG-5GT Mount
Orion 80ED/EON 72/Supercharged Atlas EQ-G
Garrett Optical Signature Series 10x50
Canon XTi (soon to be modded)/Canon 40D (unmodded)
Meade DSI/Meade DSI Pro/Philips SPC900N
1944 Ford 2N/1948 Ford 8N
Bahtinov Mask Generator * AstroCataLink * 40DShutterCount
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MartyT
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 682
Loc: Kansas City
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Well, I used the handy-dandy Bahtinov generator to create masks for my Megrez 90 and C-11, then converted to DXF in Inkscape and combined those DXFs into a single big Adobe Illustrator file and shipped them off to www.pololu.com for a laser cutting estimate. Depending on the results, I'll either have them do the cutting or I'll get in touch with the Denver company that Adam recommended.
But the bottom line is that the Generator web site works incredibly well and it was a no-brainer to get this stuff set up for sending off for fabrication.
Thanks again, David!
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Celestron CGE / C-11 (CGE-1100)
Megrez 90 FD APO / 0.8x FR/FF vIII
QHY8, 350D, DSI Pro, SPC900NC
KWIQ Guider (QHY5)
ETX-125AT
12" Lightbridge
My Astrophoto Gallery
Astronomical Society of Kansas City
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FarmerDave
sage
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 412
Loc: Northern Virginia
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Quote:
Thanks again, David!
Thank you for the kind words.
One word of caution: Make sure whomever is doing your cutting knows the intended size of the masks. The reason I was having problems with the scale of my DXF is that the DXF file that Inkscape produces has no scale/units of measurement.
Good luck and let us know how it works out.
David
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Celestron C6/C9.25/CG-5GT Mount
Orion 80ED/EON 72/Supercharged Atlas EQ-G
Garrett Optical Signature Series 10x50
Canon XTi (soon to be modded)/Canon 40D (unmodded)
Meade DSI/Meade DSI Pro/Philips SPC900N
1944 Ford 2N/1948 Ford 8N
Bahtinov Mask Generator * AstroCataLink * 40DShutterCount
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quantumac
sage
Reged: 12/17/07
Posts: 334
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I used the Bahtinov generator to create a usable template. Had to print from the Safari because nothing else I had understood the file format. Took a couple of times to scale the printout correctly. I cut and taped up the pages, secured the cutout to some black foam board and used a foam board cutter to make the pattern. Afterwards, I glued the foam-board to a cheap wood embroidery loop. Seems to work. My images are in focus.
There was one caveat, though. I noticed a slight shift if the mask is not centered on the optical path. I'm not sure how critical the alignment needs to be.
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Scope: Meade 10" LX200R
Guide/Planetary Camera: Imaging Source DBK41AF02.AS
DSO Camera: QHY8
Guide Hardware: Celestron OAG, Shoestring Astronomy GPUSB
Software: Mac OS X, Starry Night Pro, Nebulosity, PHD Guiding, PixInsight. No Windows anything.
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MartyT
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 682
Loc: Kansas City
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Quote:
One word of caution: Make sure whomever is doing your cutting knows the intended size of the masks. The reason I was having problems with the scale of my DXF is that the DXF file that Inkscape produces has no scale/units of measurement.
Good point. I printed a copy of the Adobe Illustrator drawing file and measured it by hand, it was dead-on. The laser cutting company also wants a 1"x1" reference on the drawing so they can verify that the scale is correct.
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Celestron CGE / C-11 (CGE-1100)
Megrez 90 FD APO / 0.8x FR/FF vIII
QHY8, 350D, DSI Pro, SPC900NC
KWIQ Guider (QHY5)
ETX-125AT
12" Lightbridge
My Astrophoto Gallery
Astronomical Society of Kansas City
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MartyT
professor emeritus
Reged: 09/28/07
Posts: 682
Loc: Kansas City
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Just got my quote back from www.pololu.com
My quote request was for two masks - one is 4.9" diameter for a Megrez 90, the other is 12.5" diameter for a C-11, plus a set of square "tabs" (to be glued to the perimeter of the mask that will hold it in place).
Material: 1/8" opaque black acrylic
$66 plus shipping for both of them. 5-day turnaround time.
That's a bargain as far as I'm concerned, and they're made *exactly* the way I want them. I'll post photos when they get here (around Nov 1).
The service was very easy to use and the quote was turned around in less than 24 hours.
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Celestron CGE / C-11 (CGE-1100)
Megrez 90 FD APO / 0.8x FR/FF vIII
QHY8, 350D, DSI Pro, SPC900NC
KWIQ Guider (QHY5)
ETX-125AT
12" Lightbridge
My Astrophoto Gallery
Astronomical Society of Kansas City
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Dennis Sakva
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/19/04
Posts: 1298
Loc: Kiev, Ukraine
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Dave thanks again for the super-duper generator
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Taylor
professor emeritus
Reged: 07/10/05
Posts: 555
Loc: Federal Way, WA
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Wow, thats a smashing deal, I think I'll use them when I need two of these for my 8" GPS and ED80.
Quote:
Just got my quote back from www.pololu.com
My quote request was for two masks - one is 4.9" diameter for a Megrez 90, the other is 12.5" diameter for a C-11, plus a set of square "tabs" (to be glued to the perimeter of the mask that will hold it in place).
Material: 1/8" opaque black acrylic
$66 plus shipping for both of them. 5-day turnaround time.
That's a bargain as far as I'm concerned, and they're made *exactly* the way I want them. I'll post photos when they get here (around Nov 1).
The service was very easy to use and the quote was turned around in less than 24 hours.
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Some OTAs, a mount, some eyepieces, and some cameras
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John Wunderlin
Vendor - Spike-a Focusing Mask
Reged: 10/01/04
Posts: 655
Loc: Mineral Point, Wi
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The other night I was trying to image m51 and I slewed to it before I focused. So I used my telrad to move to a nearby bright star. Then I put on the mask. I could not get the pattern to show up properly! Ooops. Mizar The mask doesn't work with doubles!
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John Wunderlin
Vendor - Spike-a Bahtinov Focusing Mask
Empire Ranch Observatory
Iowa County Astronomers
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FarmerDave
sage
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 412
Loc: Northern Virginia
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Quote:
Dave thanks again for the super-duper generator
Dennis - thanks again for starting this thread!
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Celestron C6/C9.25/CG-5GT Mount
Orion 80ED/EON 72/Supercharged Atlas EQ-G
Garrett Optical Signature Series 10x50
Canon XTi (soon to be modded)/Canon 40D (unmodded)
Meade DSI/Meade DSI Pro/Philips SPC900N
1944 Ford 2N/1948 Ford 8N
Bahtinov Mask Generator * AstroCataLink * 40DShutterCount
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FarmerDave
sage
Reged: 09/07/07
Posts: 412
Loc: Northern Virginia
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Quote:
Had to print from the Safari because nothing else I had understood the file format. Took a couple of times to scale the printout correctly.
Inkscape's got a Mac version, and it's free!
HTH,
David
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Celestron C6/C9.25/CG-5GT Mount
Orion 80ED/EON 72/Supercharged Atlas EQ-G
Garrett Optical Signature Series 10x50
Canon XTi (soon to be modded)/Canon 40D (unmodded)
Meade DSI/Meade DSI Pro/Philips SPC900N
1944 Ford 2N/1948 Ford 8N
Bahtinov Mask Generator * AstroCataLink * 40DShutterCount
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