CCD Imaging for Dummies

[capnron]

T-Man
You can do what they all said or you can do something like I did.



I took the lens out of the Logitech web cam (pro 4000 or some such thing, it also has a CCD chip for low noise better sensitivity). The lens is in a screw mount that is used for focusing. If you back it out all the way the lens just comes out, leaving direct access to the chip. I then attached (tongue in cheek) a plastic 35 mm film case with the bottom cut off. They are 1 1/4" diameter and will fit nicely in the scope EP tube. Note the attachment is with Scotch Tape (works great) so that I can return the web cam to its original state if I want to (and I have done this by removing tape and screwing the lens back in ).

I mount this at prime focus without any EP and you can begin taking pictures or movies. I did not modify the web cam for long exposure, because I read that you can do a better job by taking movies and then examine individual frames, select out the best frames and stack them. The advantage is that some frames of the movies will capture periods of good seeing (air is still for a few seconds in the path you are looking) and these frames will be better than anything you capture with a timed exposure. Qualifier, this only works if you have enough light, like for planets. It does not work for deep space objects where you need long exposures just to capture enough photons. Well, I should not say it does not work, only that is a much tougher job.

the end result is I can produce pictures of Mars that look like this;



by stacking multiple frames that had good seeing.

And I still have a web cam that I can use to keep track of my boat at the dock at the house when I am not there!

[roverich]

Originally Posted by SteveB

Nothing as exciting as that. The 'T' stands for Tamron - The company that came up with a non camera-brand-specific lens mounting system called the "T-mount".

Steve.

I was under the asumption a T- mount adapter stood for thread mount adapter . I had no idea tamron came up with it .

[TambourineMan]

That's a great picture of Mars. I hope I can get something like that. Nice dock too.

In the summer I run a bunch of webcams to keep an eye on my cottage and boats also, although my neighbor does a better job. I also used them to check the weather to see whether it was worth the 2 1/2 hour trip - since the internet weather reports are so bad I couldn't get any idea how good or bad the weather was - although now that I know about the Clear Sky charts I can use them - they have been amazingly good

I ordered one of the 1.25" adapters to attach my SPC 900NC to my focuser and it came in today. I didn't realize scotch tape would have worked so well. I would have used duct tape.

I am also not going to bother with the long exposure mod as from what little I know my dob wouldn't track long enough or smooth enough for that to be worthwhile.

The picture of Mars - is that from just a direct attachment to the eyepiece holder and then stacking and enlargening the image? Or did you use a barlow?

[capnron]

T-Man,
Good Question
I believe I used a Barlow, but I am not sure how exactly. Let me explain. The 2X Barlow I have has its focal spot probably only 2 mm beyond the barrel and I don't think I could have placed that tube that far into the Barlow mount. But there is another way. I could have placed the Barlow before the Star Diagonal and then mounted the web cam and 'adapter' into the star adapter and perhaps would have been able to reach the focus there. I honestly don't remember, it was back in 2003. I thought I had notes but those are probably boxed away someplace.

But you should spend some time figuring out where the focal planes are for however you want to use the web cam, because the chips are small and you can spend a lot of time hunting around getting the image on the chip and in focus if you are way off.

[FatherGuse]

Ron ... my man ... that just flat ROCKS ! ... I may actually have to get serious about messing around with that webcam and taking some pics/video ... very very kewl ...

[capnron]

Bill,
Cool it is, but whats with the mittens and ear muffs in SC!! Our daughter went to Clemson to get away from the winters in NJ, it is supposed to be warmer down there!! Its like 24 up here, now thats Kewl!!!

[FatherGuse]

ROFL ... actually ... before I moved here I lived in Tampa, FL and the Bahamas ... so about anything less than ... oh ... say 75 degrees is COLD ... lol ... but I am adjusting to my Viking Ancestry ...

... you should see the faces on the folks at work when I show up on my bike (motorcycle) this time of year ... lol ...

[tleaf100]

hi guys,just joined site. i found the quickest and easiest way to attach toucam to scope was to take rubber off the eyepiece,find a plastic bottle top that push fitted onto eyepiece,cut out centre of bottle top to take webcam lens/focuser,leaveing a small rim on inside of bottle top and then hot glued bottle top to focuser.cheap,simple,works.

[star drop]

Hi tleaf100,

Welcome to Astronomy Forum.
That sounds like a quick and inexpensive solution to attach a web camera to an eyepiece. Thank you.

[roverich]

Hi Tleaf100 ...Welcome aboard the forums .... Great idea with the bottle and glue gun ...