Thalestris24

Came across this: https://www.microtonano.com/TIN-Removing-Cured-Epoxy.php You can get dichloromethane online but probably via carrier, not through the post. I think it's used in products like tank cure or fertran that dissolve epoxy seals in petrol tanks. Xylene and paint stripper are possibilities. You probably need to include heating to soften the coating. Louise

0 maybe not such a good idea ha ha...

Maybe try increasing the cooling step size? Is the camera's usb connection ok? Louise

Yes, you're right! I'm getting old... 600D should be ok

You shouldn't need to mod a 60D as they are already intended for astro though I've always thought they are overpriced. Your always much better off with a cooled camera! Some of the Nikons use sensors that are found in astrocams e.g. the d5300 has the same sensor as the cooled qhy247c. Obviously the cooled camera is better but costs about £2000 compared to £400 for the d5300 body on Amazon. I mention the d5300 because I was thinking of getting one myself. However, I think they might be awkward and expensive to astromod. I dunno, it's a bit of a jungle out there! I've spent 6months - a year mulling over a camera, especially if it's on the expensive side! Louise

Yes, you have to calibrate in PHD2 first. This allows PHD2 to work out the geometrical relationship between the guide cam and the mount. You also need to Polar align, and I use the PHD2 drift align tool. I find that the Polar Alignment has to be fairly close for PHD2 to calibrate properly - it's a somewhat iterative procedure. It also needs the mount + (scope + attachments) to be properly balanced. If anything causes a significant imbalance it can cause things to drift off. Once you have a successful calibration you can have PHD2 remember it. Oh, don't forget to make sure you have the guide scope focal length entered into PHD2 (Brain -> Guiding) and that PHD2 has calculated a sensible calibration step. I find it better to select a guide star manually and using a ~2s exposure, checking the star shape on the star profile display, especially not saturated, and ensuring you have a decent snr. Do make a dark library/bad pixel map. Presumably you've done all this before with the SW mount? It's easy to forget something - I know! Once you're all up and running, consider using platesolving rather than star alignment procedures. It's quicker and makes life much easier! Good luck! Louise

Yes. There are other versions and makes - depends on what camera you want to connect and whether you can make the distance to the sensor correct. I think the ef lenses have a flange focal distance of 44.00 mm. Louise

I think NMP is potentially toxic because it's easily absorbed through the skin so gloves a must. It has a low vapour pressure so fumes not a problem. I came across some discussion here: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4075910 The thing is there's no telling exactly what compounds a particular manufacturer uses to make their CFAs and it might vary quite a lot even for the same maker. So it's probably a matter of *trying some solvents and seeing. I think they must be designed to be pretty resistant to most common solvents. You could try signing up to Researchgate and asking a specific question: https://www.researchgate.net/post/Which_solvent_can_be_used_to_dissolve_the_cured_polyester_epoxy_resin Also, could maybe just try some common hydrocarbon solvents (aliphatic - no benzene rings!): http://www.ccc-chemicals.com/blog/hydrocarbons-aliphatic-hydrocarbon-solvents-petroleum-hydrocarbon-solvents/ Louise * that's what damaged sensors are for!

I've come across references to using 'photoresist remover' which I think is based on a solvent called N-Methyl-2-Pyrrolidone (NMP). I imagine it requires heating too. I've no idea where you'd get NMP from to try it, unfortunately. Louise

Ah, no, it's a p67 medium format lens. Can get adapters for lots of different cameras. The lens has a long back focus so the adapters are 'chunky'. You can easily fit 2" filters on the inside of the adapters Louise

As I said, I wasn't planning on using it with any Canon lenses so not a problem

I was thinking of using it for astro with my Pentax 67 300mm - with a Nikon adapter, of course. Other than that, it would be for daytime use with, probably, just the kit Nikon lens. I'm into photographing different wild plants and uploading them to iNaturalist. Hence the desire for gps/geotagging. I've been using a mobile phone for that. I have to say, I don't really need yet another camera! Was just toying with the idea, really. As usual, I'll continue mulling over it . Louise

I'm also looking at the Canon M100 which compares quite well plus is a dinky little thing! https://cameradecision.com/compare/Canon-EOS-M100-vs-Nikon-D5300 The M100 has the same sensor as the Eos 80D with a QE of 55% but apparently has no intervalometer options whereas the M50 does so I'm looking at that now. I'm not very mobile, I'm afraid (no car), so no chance of getting outside Glasgow. I do all my imaging from within a 2nd floor flat. Louise

Thanks, Dave I was just musing and thought it might be a good buy as, as mentioned, it has the same 24mp sensor as the qhy247c. I liked the idea of having built-in gps for terrestrial photo geotagging . Of course, my Samsung phone does that anyway - well, some of the time!. I've seen some decent d5300 images on here. The APT website quotes the D5300 as having a QE of 55% which is quite good and significantly better than either my Canon 1100d (36%) or 550d (40%). The D5100 and D7000 also have the same sensor as the 16mp QHY168c/ASI071mc pro and relatively cheap second hand. I'm also looking at mirrorless camera options but they are pricier... I'm not 'changing' anything, rather, 'expanding' is the word! Louise

Hi all Just wondered if anyone had any experience of the Nikon D5300 for astro and terrestrial imaging? I realise they are a little old, as consumer cameras go, but they can still be bought for a reasonable price. Spec says they have inbuilt GPS and wifi, both of which would be nice to have. Has the same sensor as the qhy247c though obviously electronics will be different and may be only 13bit? Still, for short astro exposures ~1 min, should be ok without cooling. I've been a Canon girl up til now but some of the Nikons have me under their spell! I'd be grateful for any feed back on the D5300 Thanks Louise

Hiya It was most likely a voltage spike that killed the board - probably when you power cycled. Maybe have a look at the old board, especially the input circuitry to look for any obvious damage. Louise

What guide camera are you using? What mount and guide scope? What settings, specifically exposure? Is that with PHD2, latest version? Have you made a dark library/bad pixel map? Can you not select a star manually? What is your sky and light pollution like? Generally speaking, you want around 2s exposures and fairly good focus. The range of focus using a typical guide scope e.g. a 50mm one, and guide camera e.g. a qhy5l-ii mono or similar, is quite small so you have to adjust focus carefully. It can be useful to adjust focus during the day using a distant object but you need to block off a lot of light because of the high sensitivity of a typical guide cam. Using a far infra red filter and very short exposure (< a ms.) is one way of doing it, though PHD2 itself doesn't support very short exposures. If you have a qhy guide cam, their ezplanetary software lets you set very short exposures. Louise

Hi I'm limited to about 20mins in total for a particular target and may not get a chance to revisit it. My Individual subs are restricted to about 60-90s at F4 because of skyglow. Louise

I might get around to trying Astrotoaster one of these days - but, there again, I've been saying that for years ha ha. The more I think about it, the more it seems as well to just collect individual subs since I rarely manage to image a target for more than about 20 mins anyway. My Pentax Takumar 300mm and 1100d combo is currently set up to image through a East-facing window space which is a max of 44cm wide and about 50cm high so rather restrictive! I have the same arrangement for the 80mm + qhy183m. I'll post some images taken last month in the EEVA Reports section later. Louise

Yes, shutter keeps clicking. I can set a longer exposure, or maybe use liveview, but either will cause the sensor temperature to rapidly rise. This is going to be a problem for live stacking since you really need a cooling pause between exposures with a standard dslr. Probably will be better off just using APT with DSS live. Louise

I tried the sharpcap Ascom driver with an 1100d during the day earlier - it seemed to work. Of course, SharpCap takes images continuously and there's no way to pause it once the camera is selected. Still I'll try it properly when I can. Louise

I'll give it a try when I can. I keep meaning to try Astrotoaster too but imaging opportunities are so few and far between... It's likely someone else will be able to check these possibles out well before I might and they will, hopefully, post their results Louise

I'll have to give that a try! Louise

Hope it's ok. I bought it on a whim, really, and I wanted to see if I'd get an advantage from the bigger aperture. Although I moaned about paying import vat, it was still only £120 so seems a bargain and it is in mint condition. I've got the M42 200mm F4 Takumar which produces really good images - I've been using it for live stacking with a qhy5l-iim attached. Louise

A Pentax 67 Super-Multi-Coated Takumar 300mm F4 - it's a beautiful looking lens though, naturally, quite heavy! I'm hoping it will reach infinity focus with a Canon but if not I'll try fitting it to an astro camera. I bought an eos adapter separately. Will have to see how it performs... Here's a pic: Louise