Stuart1971

Is this my Dropbox data as is, or have you done anything to it, if so what and in what software, as the noise does not look as bad..

It had a small stretch in APP…yes..

Thanks, Do you really think so, I really expected it to look more detailed….but maybe I’m asking a bit too much….

Exactly, I know nothing of how to use CMOS cameras and this gain and offset mullarky…so I need all the help I can get, so what is a good gain to use with this camera…??

What settings were used on the camera…gain, offset etc….

I am new to using a OSC CMOS camera and I have got the QHY268c Now a couple of nights ago, I took 104 x 2min subs (3 hours 28 mins) at low gain mode and 0 gain, through the Idas LP filter with my Tak FSQ85, bortle 6 skies. My guiding was not great but this was really just a test, I expected great things, but when I processed in APP with Darks, flats and dark flats, I got a really noisy image, well I hope that’s what it is, the detail is there…I think if stretched hard, but looks awful like loads of noise…but wondered if someone could check this link to see the stack from APP and it has a small stretch and even background, and cropped to remove stacking artefacts, I would like to see what anyone could get from it, and tell me if I am correct about the noise, and what it needs to correct…I’m guessing much more data…. I thought with 104 x 2min subs it would be better, especially with a low gain used, in fact the lowest the camera will do….…🤔🤔 link to APP stack https://www.dropbox.com/s/gwbkotzahgb04ie/Iris_Nebula-RGB-cropped-LP-st.tiff?dl=0 And a jpg

If you have some spare cash, go for the Pegasus UPB V2 it will cover all your USB, Power, focuser and dew ports in one, and they work really well, so just one 12v power lead to the mount, best thing I ever bought, I also then have an intel NUC on the mount, with NINA running, and I RDP into that from the house PC….all works really well…👍🏼

Wow, was just looking at these on Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/Calotherm-Calocloth-Microfibre-Optical-Cleaning/dp/B004PY99HW/ref=asc_df_B004PY99HW/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=217982896211&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6680223798003525408&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046174&hvtargid=pla-442727326956&th=1

Did you ever get this sorted…?

I think it’s assuming, that all your filters are parfocal, and most are not….so you are correct…this will not work, unless you can set offsets from that base filter, as in NINA, but I am not sure you can in Ekos….it’s been a while now since I have used it, as I moved to NINA some months ago…

Yes, so the Min figure shown is the one I need to alway be above 0….correct…

I think because I was eying the histogram in NINA, in a small window, this was my issue, the curve looked as if it was hard against the left edge, so I kept raising the offset to move it to the right, but now I put the graph full screen I see there is a big gap to the left and the lowest pixel value with 100 offfset was actually 1580…so it was way to big, but no harm done….

Yes, just eying the histogram, I have now learnt about the reading the statistics instead….this gain and offset lark is all me to me after years of using a CCD and not having to know about it…

Yes, this is what I have now learnt, to set the offset from a bias stack, and that it makes no difference what the exposer length is, so if I do the procedure you mention, with a bias stack and let’s say I use a Gain of 0, and an offset of 30, and this works well, then whether I take a 2 min sub or a 10 min sub at gain 0, the same offset of 30 will apply…correct…?

Yes, well they actually have 4 gain modes, 0,1,2,3, and also different modes within each of those 4 too, but that was not my question, I was using mode 0 as stated, but wanting to know if an offset of 100 seemed high, for a mode 0 and gain 0 exposure…as that was what I had to use to get no pixels with a value of zero…it just seemed very high…

I now have this camera and was out last night imaging the iris nebula using 2 min subs with just an Idas P2 light pollution filter from my bottle 6 backyard, now I have read lots of articles about the relationship between gain and offset, and for the most part I get it, but I used the lowest setting last night, the photographic mode and gain 0, but then when watching the histogram in NINA, after running test 2 min subs, I had to move the offset up to 100 to get a small gap to the left of the histogram curve, this seemed very high, as it only goes up to 255 so not much room for using with higher gain modes… so was it too high or am I missing something, I am coming from a few years of CCD imaging, so this gain and offset stuff is all new to me….??

Hi All, First time guiding with this little Tak FS60, and although it’s working, the stars are all doubled up, for want of a better expression, it’s like each star has been split into 2, see image below as what I mean….any ideas what causes this…

Shows it here on there site….

No, these mini PC only support M.2 sata SSD drives….the port is different for the type you have bought….☹️

What is the eMMC like, speed wise, compared to an SSD….?

Yes I get how it works, but it may point you towards a port that is incorrect, if that port number has been used before and it’s changed, my point is check in device manager and just make sure it’s the correct one, as it has been known to throw the wrong port out which will confuse everything….EQMOD is an old driver that’s no longer updated, and with modern windows systems it can be pain from time to time, I have had my share of issues with it, and torn my hair out sometimes….with its quirks…

In my experience depending on what chipset you have in the EQMOD cable, that does not always work correctly, if it’s an FTDI then the port won’t change once it’s been connected once, if it’s a Prolific, then it will change every time, that’s if it works at all…

If it’s freezing and not working, how do you know you have the correct port…?

With a serial port connection error, the driver will pop up and then shut down, and not open…this had been my experience…sounds like this to me, look in the device manger and find the correct port, and choose it from the list and don’t use auto connect….👍🏼

Baud rate is only 115200 when the mount is the newer type with a USB socket and direct USB connection, with standard EQMOD cable it should be 9600