Webcams and PHD

[Stub Mandrel]

Has anyone, anywhere actually succeeded in using an unmodified webcam for autoguiding with PHD?

If yes, which webcam and what scope?

[Dr_Ju_ju]

I've managed it with a Microsoft 3000, modified by cutting off the front & gluing the top of a 35mm film camera case with the body being cut down & inserted into the EP hole. 

Forgot to add, its worked with all my ota's with varying success

[almcl]

I removed the lens and the LED from Logitech C270 (£14.99 in Maplin), glued a plastic plug on and attached it to a SW 9 x 50 finder. It's not the most sensitive camera but it's managed to guide my non-goto SW200P/EQ5, via the Shoestring GPUSB interface and the handset mod, on many of the targets in my album. It also guided successfully when attached to a SW ST80, although the mount struggled a bit with the weight of the 200P, the ST80, the camera and the finder scope!

The longest successful sub so far is 600 seconds, but usually I don't need anything like this length of exposureto achieve 50% saturation.

This was with PHD (1) on Thinkpad running Win XP.

[Stub Mandrel]

Thanks both, that's very helpful.

Do you know roughly what the focal length of the 9x50 finder is? I have a cheap 50mm achromat but it is 300mm f/l and I think that's probably too long and one reason why I struggle to find stars using it with a webcam?

[almcl]

Do you know roughly what the focal length of the 9x50 finder is?

I believe it's in the region of 180mm. Or at least I read that somewhere and it doesn't seem too outrageous.

[Stub Mandrel]

Maybe I need to experiment again with the 50/300mm and see what happens. I assume that if I can get stars to appear in Sharpcap, then I can autoguide with PHD.