Another webcam / Autoguider topic

[Shelster1973]

Will try and keep my questioning as brief as I can.....

Have modified a Logitech HD 9000 webcam and am trying to use it as a guidecam, but am having not a lot of luck.

Have removed all casing and the autofocuser and mounted it centrally into a FLO adapter, which has all gone well.

The issue I am having is when I connect up to PHD2 am getting the connection fine, but nothing is visible at all.

Have tried several different tweaks of the various options and still nothing.

Was wondering if anyone esle on here has had any joy using this webcam as a guidecam and if so, what settings ddi you apply to get it working.

Cheers in advance

[sgazer]

Have you pressed the "cycle" button in phd? The 2 circular arrows icon at the bottom?

Otherwise, can you see anything with other capture software such as sharp cap?

[Shelster1973]

Yeah, have it in loop.

Tried it in SharpCap and was just getting balck screen with some very serious white banding down right hand side.

Will remove my guidescope tonight and try it on my desktop computer while pointing out the window and see what I can get from that.

Is rather frustrating as other people seem to be able to mod webcams happily to do this yet me........getting close to time to hand back my Engineering card....

[sgazer]

Well it is fiddly and easy to mess it up. Been there and done that many times!

[Shelster1973]

Bit of progres yesterday....seems that using the adaptor from Modern Astro (was not FLO, sorry for that, can't edit the OP as of yet...) am unable to get focus using the full adaptor (ie large thread that goes into finder scope with 1.25" barrel threaded on too.)  Have had to remove the barrel and then 'attach' the webcam into the large thread, so the sensor is effectively sat on the back plane of the finderscope.

Wil grab some pictures this evening and put them up here so as to explain a bit more clearly and also going to go for better focus too as my attaching method will have dried by tonight.

Am quite enjoying the challenge of gettgin this working....when I do eventually get it working will feel as though I have accomplished something...which is nice

[Shelster1973]

Here are pics as promised

As you can see, have had to put eyepiece through the adaptor so as to get focus.

Managed to focus in on some trees over in Cornwall from bedroom window earlier too, so should be good for a trial run when we next have clear skies down this part of the country, which fingers crossed may be tomorrow evening, although Saturday looks like it may be better.

[Shelster1973]

Speed update....have achieved focus and leading on am guiding in phd2....managed to get 20 x 180s subs of dumbell again and currently grabbing same of blue snowball. Think I may try to get some flats this evening too.....all looks good on the byn thumbs....proof will be in the stacking

[Shelster1973]

Second update of the evening.

Some stacked and unprocessed images from tonight....

was unable to grab any flats as it decided it wanted to rain......now very inconsiderate.

Have to say I am rather pleased with the results from this little experiment so far.

Did not do any tweaking in PHD2..basically ran the loop to find star, hit PHD, let it do it's cal and then tracked away.  Did have PEC playback running on mount as well.

Onwards an upwards.....

[Shelster1973]

Another minor update (hopefully will help others out), it appears that the HD9000 is limited to exposures of 1/5th of a second, regardless of what you set in the PHD2 time loop windows.

This kind of limites its use as a guidecam to bright stars only.

I have emailed Logitech to see if they know of anyway of increasing the exposure time, but am not going to hold my breath on that front.  WIll also speak to some of our tech geeks here in work and see if anyone is good at reverse engineering drivers and see if I can 'modify' it that way.