Simple Flea3 adapter mod for PST

[tjensen]

Hi all,

Still playing with the PST and trying to optimize the imaging setup. To achieve focus has meant using a barlow. Works great, but can't get the full disk on the chip. So, I slipped the camera into the eyepiece holder to see if I could focus. The C-mount is smaller than a 1.25' barrel eyepiece, so it took some fiddling to hold the camera, adjust the focus and tweak the computer monitor, but it seemed like it did work.

So, I set out to make an adapter to fit the Flea3 at the prime focus of the PST. I had a spare Mogg adapter for an old webcam (I expect any old eyepiece barrel will work just as well). So I cut off the barrel with a dremel and cutting disk, sanded the edges smooth and touched up the paint. A couple of wraps of electrical tape around the front of the Flea3 to provide some compression and the barrel slid firmly on. It's only a friction fit, but seems sturdy, a firm pull does not separate the pieces.

Naturally, the predicted thunderstorms have arrived early, so I won't get to test my set up until tomorrow. I'll post pictures if and when available.

I also have a 0.5x eyepiece focal reducer on order.

Cheers

[Montana]

I look forward to the pictures

Alexandra

[tjensen]

The clouds broke long enough for me to try out the system.

This image is with the PST 40, Flea3 at prime focus. 30 second capture.

I estimate something between 1/3 and 2/3 the solar surface in the frame. So with the focal reducer, it might make it. Or at the vary least, get it down to two captures.

Suggestions, comments, and more importantly, criticism welcome.

[Montana]

An excellent picture! you just need to do a bit of stitching, I think you could take just 3 or even 2 images and it would be no problem to put them together.

Alexandra

[GreatAttractor]

Great prominences and filaments. This is a single-stack PST, correct?

[tjensen]

Hey

Yes, this is a single stack PST.

I stitched together a few (4) images. Couldn't get the seams completely even, so there are some gradients I couldn't get rid of. These subs were rushed to beat the clouds. So maybe with more time, it would have turned out better.

Looking forward to see what the reducer can do. I'm afraid it will make the image too small, but we'll see.

Cheers

[Montana]

That is a very excellent image! you will find that with a reducer you will lose some fine detail, I am sure you will be happier with a good mosaic. If you have Photoshop, try out Mark Townley's method as it may even out some of the blotches, I'm hooked on this method.

http://solarchat.natca.net/index.php/en/this-is-solar-chat/17-solar-reference-library/17654-tutorial-youtube-full-disk-processing-mark

Alexandra

[tjensen]

Hi Alexandra.

Thanks for the tip! I'll give it a try.

Cheers