Canon DSLR debayered with added cooling, filter wheel and OAG in one unit

[Gina]

Thats unreal work What program are you using to desing your prints in?

Google SketchUp.

[Gina]

Having won two ebay auctions for non-working Canon 1100Ds I shall soon be trying to convert the image sensor to monochrome by removing the cover glass and then the microlens and Bayer layers on the sensor image area.  If this is successful I shall be resurecting this project.  If I want to use more than one imaging rig at a time (as I would like) I need more cameras for astro use.  Not that I can use any imaging rig in present overcast skies but that's another matter.  To be able to make maximum use of any hours of clear night sky would be useful

[Gina]

I have one 1100D stripped down to the minimum required for astro use including removal of the red-block filter but haven't yet tried removing the cover glass from the sensor preparatory to debayering.

[Gina]

Update :-

Following a mad flurry of buying reportedly non-working DSLRs form ebay auctions, I have two Canon EOS 450Ds debayered but with slight sensor defects/damage ready to test on DSOs.  I also have a few 1100Ds waiting to be attacked.  I have a cold finger and Peltier TEC etc. ready to fit for cooling.

I have also bought a Canon telephoto zoom lens 75-300mm which I plan to use for initial tests with a 36mm unmounted Ha filter fitted in the camera.  The lens will be fitted directly to the camera for the test.  If this simple testing proves satisfactory I plan to further butcher the camera to take the filter wheel.

If I can get all this working the plan is to have a miniature second observatory with either a cylindrical opening roof or a dome.  This would enable me to have two astro imaging sessions running at the same time, doubling the use of the odd hour or two of possible clear night skies   I'm taking the "glass half full" view of the prospect of clear skies in the New Year

[Gina]

Some clear sky tonight with a good view of Orion so I put the telephoto zoom lens on a debayered 450D then realised I didn't have a way of mounting it.  The observatory is not safely accessible at night due to all the muddy and slippery grass slope I would need to negotiate from the house.  I have an NEQ6 mount and tripod set up in the lounge and ready to view out of the east facing window but nothing indoors to use to attach camera and lens to it   I've been put off astro stuff by the weather but now I realise I must get everything set up in the daytime ready for the next time we get a hour or two of clear night skies.

[Gina]

With no rain for a couple of hours and even some sunshine I'm preparing for testing but I've been sorting out my observatory first.  I'll post about that in the DIY Observatory forum shortly.  Not sure how long I've got - rain is forecast and black clouds are gathering.  Having a coffee break ATM

[Gina]

Back indoors, the sky has now completely clouded over, the rain has come and so has the high wind      Looked for a tripod bush while I was out in the observatory but didn't find one so I'll sort out something else.  I'll need to put the tripod bush back on the camera to use that anyway.  But trying that big lens on the camera I don't think the tripod bush will be good enough for long astro exposures so I'm looking at a 3D printed clamp to go round the lens and attach to the mount like a dovetail.

[frostynixon]

This project looks really awesome! Thanks for sharing and keep up the good work

[trendsetter]

Hi Gina,

I also modified different Canon EOS models 2012-13 and highly respect your work! 

The only problem what I have at the moment is the re-alignment of the CMOS chip to be applicable for a f/2.8 system. Quite tricky.

But anyhow, I also want to adapter a filter wheel.

Maybe can you share 3d printer your files?

My next question is:

How is the camera mounted and aligned in the box?

My target is to decrease the distance beween the front side of the camera and the chip, to have not troubles with the distance to my coma corrector.

Best regards,

Michael

[Gina]

Thank you Michael   Welcome to SGL

Exact alignment of the image sensor is something I have yet to tackle but will be posting all the details as I do things.  I too need to reduce the sensor to front distance and this is shown in the diagrams.  I'll be happy to share the 3D printer files but will need to sort them out first.

[trendsetter]

Dear Gina,

thanks, take your time.
The next days, I will try to do a 3D scan of the shutter and chip mount to get a model for printing of a shortend Lens holder. For testing purposes, a 3D printed model is I guess ok. But for a final cam I would prefer a milled casing.

Buy the way, to improve the electrical shielding of the plastic cases I would recommend a cupper spray coating, which is available at most electronic shops.

Best regards,

Michael

[Gina]

I've designed and now 3D printing a bracket to hold the barrel of the telephoto zoom lens to my NEQ6 mount.  This is in two parts to hold the barrel either side of the ridged part.  I.m hoping for the forecast clear skise tonight and I can point debayered camera and tele zoom len out of the east window of my living room and maybe catch Orion.

[Gina]

Couple of photos showing camera and lens mounted on NEQ6.

[Davey-T]

Good luck with it Gina, I'm waiting for Orion to rise a bit higher to start my, much belated by weather, Witch Head project.

Dave 

[Gina]

Thank you Dave   Good luck with your imaging too

Had a look outside and half the sky has cloud but Orion, low in the east, is visible but too low yet and in the light pollution from a distant town.  I think I may have trouble getting a long enough exposure with my indoor setup as the NEQ6 is only very roughly polar aligned.  It would be very much better on the EQ8 which is polar aligned but I'm not going to risk crossing the bog between house and observatory by night - it's bad enough in daylight   I too will wait for Orion to rise a bit higher in the sky.  This test needs a reasonably bright DSO to stand a chance I think and the Orion Nebula is the obvious choice.

[Gina]

Put laptop, camera and bench PSU on table and connected everything up.  Checked out camera with body cap on for darks with 10s exposure - all fine.  Then set up a table beside the NEQ6 tripod and connected everything up again with camera on lens.  Guess what???  Yep, didn't work   Camera drawing normal current but shutter will only do a short exposure and the image is almost all white.  Blummin' typical - there is the constellation of Orion out there free from cloud and LP and shining brightly and the camera fails!!!!  GRRRR    I've now shut the window and warming up with a nice mug of tea   Maybe I'll put it all back on the table as see what's what in a bit...

Here's the dark as JPG image resized only.

Later...  NOPE camera no longer works   No idea why.

[Gina]

I'll take another look at the camera tomorrow when I'm fresher.  Meanwhile, I tried my unmodded 1100D on the rig instead of the mono 450D and found out something about the 75-300mm lens - it won't focus to infinity at 300mm, best it can do is 150mm.  The Orion Nebula has now gone round too far to be visible through the east window.  If I had the 450D working I would move the NEQ6 across to use a south facing window but I think I've just about gone as far as I can go for tonight.

Here is an image of M42 taken with the 1100D with lens at full apertutre of f5.6, 2.5s exposure and ISO 6400 firstly just resized and secondly zoomed right in - pixel for pixel.

[Gina]

That image that I called a "dark" isn't.  There was light getting in so it's a flat really. 

Decided I couldn't wait until tomorrow to test the camera on the work table so I moved everything back over and connected up.  Amazingly it's working   ATM I'm taking a series of darks with camera in a box keeping light out.  Now on a 10m exposure.  Noise was showing on the 5m.  Not surprising - this is at room temperature plus sensor heating.  Once this has finished I'll try attaching the zoom lens to see if it's that though I have no idea how.

WELL...  It's the lens that causes the problem even though the lens contacts are disconnected, or so I thought, but I must be wrong because if the lens is not fully engaged the camera works.  It does the same with the kit lens.

I have another debayered 450D with the lens contacts completely removed but I haven't added power wires to it yet and I haven't got a charged battery ATM.  The sensor in this one has some defects caused by my debayering.  I'll get both cameras set up ready for action for when we next get some clear night sky.  Not doing it tonight because I've had a very busy day and too tired - I'd risk damaging the cameras.

[Gina]

I've put insulation tape over the lens contacts in the camera and put the 75-300mm zoom back on.  This camera will focus at 300mm FL though manual focussing is very critical, of course.  Needs Arduino controlled remote focussing which I shall do in due course.

Here's a screenshot over Freeview. Exposure 1/400s at ISO 1600.  Visibility isn't very good at something like 10 miles!  AND this is through the window - dirty glass and secondary double glazing

RAW CR2 file converted to TIFF in dcraw and processed in Photoshop, resized and saved in PNG format.

[Gina]

I thought there might just be some gaps in the cloud but it's now pouring with rain that wasn't forecast AFAIK.  So not looking good for tonight.  Anyway, I think I'm ready for when there is a gap in the clouds.

[Gina]

Rain stopped and some stars are showing including Orion but there seems to be thin cloud and I can't get anything to show on the camera.

[Gina]

I would dearly like to get back to this and towards that I have found an M42 to Canon EF mount adapter ring so I can try with some of my Asahi Super Takumar lenses.  These are prime lenses with much more aperture than the Canon lenses I have.  Focal ratios from 1.8 to 4.

[Gina]

ATM there are a couple of hours of clear sky forecast for tomorrow night and if we get that I can probably set the camera up to point out of a window.