Light panel

[mog3768]

Was not sure were to post this but looking for advice on a light panel any good ones or any that should be avoided

I usually take my flats using a white tee shirt but the day time weather has not allowed that of late. So this looks the way to go.

But did not want to order without some advice from you guys and girls.

[ollypenrice]

I've found the dedicated ones from astro suppliers to be disgracefully unreliable. I had several failures with Aurora panels which use thin, essentially rigid cables which break at the joints. And I've just had a large (hundreds of euros) Geoptik panel peg out, just out of warranty. They do work, when they work, and make life easier but I've spent enough on them and am done. I'll make my own, as I did before they appeared on the scene.

Olly

Edited January 3, 2023 by ollypenrice
correction

[mog3768]

Thanks olly,  when you say you made your own what was that led s under a perspex panel.

With a dimmer of so e kind

[pipnina]

28 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

I've found the dedicated ones from astro suppliers to be disgracefully unreliable. I had several failures with Aurora panels which use thin, essentially rigid cables which break at the joints. And I've just had a large (hundreds of euros) Geoptik panel peg out, just out of warranty. They do work, when they work, and make life easier but I've spent enough on them and am done. I'll make my own, as I did before they appeared on the scene.

Olly

That's pretty shocking! I bought an A3 paper sized £35 panel from amazon intended for artists to illuminate their paper/canvas. It isn't perfectly smooth but has allowed me to take good flat frames, on my DSLR it was spotless, leading me to think irregularities with my flat calibration are more to do with my astrocam or telescope optics rather than the flat panel.

How "proper" astro companies can sell something that is less relaiable than a random cheap amazon purchase, for 5 times as much is beyond me...

 

[ollypenrice]

48 minutes ago, pipnina said:

That's pretty shocking! I bought an A3 paper sized £35 panel from amazon intended for artists to illuminate their paper/canvas. It isn't perfectly smooth but has allowed me to take good flat frames, on my DSLR it was spotless, leading me to think irregularities with my flat calibration are more to do with my astrocam or telescope optics rather than the flat panel.

How "proper" astro companies can sell something that is less relaiable than a random cheap amazon purchase, for 5 times as much is beyond me...

 

If you doubt the regularity of your panel,  just rotate it during the shooting of flats. It doesn't matter if the panel moves during an exposure.

Olly

[Fegato]

I used an A3 tracing panel with my 8 Edge HD which seemed to work OK with use of T shirts in addition when required. When i got an 11 inch RASA, I went for an Aurora panel, as larger tracing panels seemed a bit unwieldy!  I'm really happy with mine so far. It's been going about 18 months with no issues, and I use the dark filters that Gerd Neumann also provides to give flexibility on exposure times depending on filter used.

I guess my skies are loads worse than Olly's, so 18 months use for me will be a lot less use than that in Provence. The cables do seem a bit weedy, so I'm very careful with it - it is packed away carefully and only comes out briefly to produce flats the morning after...

Edited January 3, 2023 by Fegato
typo

[windjammer]

I use one of these, an A4 tracing light box.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073F97NS3/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item

Here it is in action:

They come in A3 sizes and 5V and 12V versions

Simon

 

[mog3768]

Thanks Simon

Cheap enough worth giving a try.

[900SL]

On 03/01/2023 at 23:56, windjammer said:

I use one of these, an A4 tracing light box.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073F97NS3/ref=pe_3187911_185740111_TE_item

Here it is in action:

They come in A3 sizes and 5V and 12V versions

Simon

 

I have exactly the same, dimmable, works well. I taped a foam cutout to the front panel to fit securely around the dew shield

[edarter]

Question on this, I'm lucky enough that work have supplied me with a good quality 34" monitor as I work from home most of the time. Can I use that as a flat panel if I also put paper / tee shirts between it and my scope?

Thanks
Ed

Edited January 9, 2023 by edarter
spelling

[Jonk]

On 09/01/2023 at 12:54, edarter said:

Question on this, I'm lucky enough that work have supplied me with a good quality 34" monitor as I work from home most of the time. Can I use that as a flat panel if I also put paper / tee shirts between it and my scope?

Thanks
Ed

Bit late, maybe you've already tried....... but I would say if was close enough to the scope and you can diffuse the light . dim it down then try it for sure.

If you're doing flats on a OSC camera, I'm not sure how good it would be unless the light was full spectrum white. For mono, I don't think it matters.

[edarter]

Ok, thanks