Messing with things.

[Steve55]

OK so maybe i have made a mistake i don't know nothing to lose though , Reading on internet (ohhhh yeah i know) about imaging and things some people have done. Read about web cams and home made , i have an old webcam stuck in cupboard for many a year and thought , well hey have a go. So opened it up took out lens and left with just the light collector. Since i have no moon at the moment but a new one on it's way not sure what it will pick up or how am going to secure it to my eye piece elastic band Haha , I'll think of something am sure :-). So what might i expect , or not actually, my expectations are a blurr if am honest . Have a 6" f5 dobs .

[Digger1895]

Hey Steve,

When you say attach it to the eyepiece do you mean the eyepiece itself or the focusser? I'm not into imaging but believe the webcam goes instead of the EP and fits directly into the focusser. To do this you need to attach something the same size as the EP like an old 35mm film canister with the bottom taken out or the barrel off an used eyepiece. If you want the image 'size' to be bigger you add a barlow lens between the webcam and the focusser.

[inedible_hulk]

This might help: http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/131246-xbox-livecam-mod-cliff/

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[Steve55]

Hey Steve,

When you say attach it to the eyepiece do you mean the eyepiece itself or the focusser? I'm not into imaging but believe the webcam goes instead of the EP and fits directly into the focusser. To do this you need to attach something the same size as the EP like an old 35mm film canister with the bottom taken out or the barrel off an used eyepiece. If you want the image 'size' to be bigger you add a barlow lens between the webcam and the focusser.

Ahhh yes , sorry my description there was pant's. I did mean in the focuser, 

[ronin]

Generally the problem is that sticking it in the focuser is just the start, you really do need something bright to aim at and then get it all in focus, also a webcam sensor is small.

So you have faint things (even stars are faint) probably out of focus and you need to get the brightest bits you can on the sensor.

What you can do is spend time with bits of suitable plastic tubing, or some tubing, and get one eyepiece set up with the webcam such that when the image is in focus with the eyepiece it is also in focus on the webcam. That way you do the finding with the eyepiece and swap to the webcam - and things should be in focus on the webcam. And playing at this when the moon is up is likely the best time. Fine adjustment can be preformed after the swap but the main bit will have already been done.

It will depend on webcam and eyepiece which one needs the tubing.