Philips SPC 880 / 900 help

[stargazermanc]

Hello all, I need some help.

A few years back I bought what I thought was a Philips spc900nc cam that I was going to do some planetary photography. Unfortunately I had some ill health so everything went into storage but I have got it all out today and I think what I actually have is a spc880 which has been flashed.

My question isn't about that. I have connected the cam to my laptop and installed SharpCap, but despite connecting to the camera, all I see is light and dark depending on where I point the camera, no image.

Is this correct? I don't have the original focuser as it came to me already modified with the eyepiece adapter.

I have added a picture which is suppose to be outside of my house.

[JamesF]

I don't believe there's any significant difference between the SPC880 and SPC900 other than the firmware, so that shouldn't be a problem.

If you don't have a lens on the camera then what you're seeing is probably what I'd expect.  As there's nothing to focus an image onto the sensor you'll just get varying colours depending on what you point it at.

James

[spillage]

Hi

It has been a while since I did anything with a webcam but if you put your finger into the light path does this show on the screen. You will need to turn down the exposure time as much as possible in the daytime and I can remember spending ages getting my old nextimage5 working.

They were a popular webcam and being a flashed 880 should not make a difference. I am sure someone on here will have one and be able to help further.

 

Cheers,

 

As @JamesF mentions, if its not attached to your scope then you will not be able to get focus.

Edited May 14, 2020 by spillage

[Kev M]

Is it connected to a telescope , if so it will need to be focused correctly.

 

 

 

[JamesF]

9 minutes ago, spillage said:

They were a popular webcam and being a flashed 880 should not make a difference. I am sure someone on here will have one and be able to help further.

I have three or four, by sheer chance from before I got into planetary imaging.  I should have sold them when people were paying £100 each for them

James

[Cozzy]

If it is not connected to anything other than the laptop and sharpcap then just light and dark maybe a bit of colour if you point it at your monitor is all you will see.

When I had the 880 I checked it in daylight by placing it in 80 mm refractor with the telescope end cap on with a 1/4'' hole in the middle of it, turned the gain down on the camera and focused on a distant tree line. 

[happy-kat]

If using Windows 10 check the privacy settings, you have to allow the camera. However my flashed toucam worked fine on W10 until the update two weeks ago. Now I don't see an image at all just a black signal.

Be careful of the latest update create a restore point before you update.

Edited May 14, 2020 by happy-kat

[stargazermanc]

Hello, thank you for your replies.

I think I will just give it a try tonight and see what happens.

[Bruce Leeroy]

22 minutes ago, stargazermanc said:

I think I will just give it a try tonight and see what happens.

You should try during daylight/twilight hours, if you can gain focus on a roof or tree close by you shouldn't be far off from focusing to infinity later on, keep gain low/off and have the exposure somewhere in the middle range or lower if testing during daylight hours....you may need an extension tube or conversely you may need more inward focusing travel, if you have a 2-3x barlow with a removeable lens you can use that as an extension tube. If it seems you need more inward travel then you might gain focus using the barlow with the lens attached. You might also be able to attch the barlow lens directly to the spc's camera nose piece for less magnifacation. Good luck.

[michael8554]

In the day I found my SPC900 exposed best on Auto with SharpCap.

Michael

[stargazermanc]

Hello again,

Just wanted to say thanks for all the helpful advice I was given, I did give it a go last night but just couldn't focus to anything so decided this morning to follow the suggestion of attaching the cam to a 80mm refractor that I have. I have managed to capture (after some time focussing) the tree in my back garden.

Do people find that there is a large amount of travel in focus between eyepieces and the cam?

[JamesF]

23 minutes ago, stargazermanc said:

Do people find that there is a large amount of travel in focus between eyepieces and the cam?

Yes, I'd say this is absolutely expected.  If you're swapping between the two regularly it may help to mark the drawtube or identify the approximate positions for focus in some other way to make it easier to switch.

James

[Bruce Leeroy]

40 minutes ago, stargazermanc said:

Do people find that there is a large amount of travel in focus between eyepieces and the cam?

The use of a barlow should reduce the amount of travel needed. If you can remove the barlow lens from the barlow body you might be able to screw it onto the nose piece of the camera.

[TerryMcK]

I have the a pair of 900's and without a lens on it looks just like your image. There is not much difference between an eyepiece being in focus and what is seen after inserting the 900. Probably a turn or so on my reflector.

Edited May 15, 2020 by TerryMcK