PHD2 Setting Up

[jACK101]

I have a Celestron CPC 925 telescope and I am using a Zwo ASI120MM camera to guide using PHD2. I have focused the telescope in daylight on a neighbours TV aerial  using my Live View screen on my taking camera, and I am trying to get the Zwo also in focus. The image I am getting on the PHD2 screen  bears no relationship to a TV aerial, it is more like a carpet design. I have tried altering the Gamma slider and trying all exposures from 0.001 sec up to 30 seconds, changing the Gamma slider and also the position of the camera. All that happens is that the image gets darker or lighter as the Gamma slider is moved.

I have my taking camera, a Canon 600D set up at 100 ISO and exposure of 1/800th sec. This gives a properly exposed image on a bright sunny day.

I have also tried changing the Zwo exposure on PHD2 to 0.0001 sec on the custom section of the exposure bar.

According to the writer of the PHD2 Manual, this setting up should be done in daylight and this seems to be very sensible. I have read on another website that what I am trying to do is impossible and that this focusing adjustment must be done on a night sky.

I have also read about people who claim to have done what I am trying to do in daylight.

As usual, in my experience, I am running into difficulties on what should be a simple process.

There are 2 possibilities:

I am stupid, and there is an obvious answer which I cannot see.

The writer of the manual is wrong, and this operation needs to be done in the dark. ( a feeling I am becoming used to)

 

Can anyone clarify.

 

Thanks

 

Jack

 

 

 

[newbie alert]

I've never tried during daylight but the exposure will be drastically different at night and focus on the guidecam.. 

What are you using a guidescope or oag method?

[Ronclarke]

I use PHD 1.2 for this very reason!

 

Ron

[alacant]

Hi. Lower the gain of the camera to 1 or 2:

brain > camera > Camera gain

Or just use a video app like SharpCap to focus.

HTH

[RayD]

Just now, alacant said:

Or just use a video app like SharpCap to focus.

Exactly what I was just typing.  You can focus using any capture software, and SharpCap automatically adjusts exposure so makes this pretty easy.

[Synchronicity]

I tried similar with a starshoot autoguider on a 60mm guidescope and eventually got a reasonably good image with camera gain at 4.  After dark the focus was very close and just needed a minor adjustment.
I guess daylight is just a huge amount more light than PHD2 is set up for.

I'll definitely be giving Sharpcap a try. All the best

Michael

 

[MarsG76]

I always setup at night....

You issue seems to be either the guide cam is out of focus and/or doesn't have the aerial in the FOV and/or the whole thing UNDER exposed... mind you tho, when I tested a CCD during day time, my exposure, shutter speed was at 1/5000th of a second and NO gain.   thats 0.2ms.... you seem to be at double that speed, 0.0001s = 1/10,000th sec.

I'd find a bright star and set the exposure, frame it and focus.

 

[jACK101]

Thanks,

 

I reduced the gain to 1 and managed to get an image to focus.

 

Jack

[michael8554]

Hi Jack

The PHD2 display is not suitable for showing daytime exposures.

Use SharpCap in Auto during the day for lining up and for getting focus on a distant object.

Then finetune on a star using the HFD reading on the PHD2 Star Profile.

Michael