Connection plan

[TiffsAndAstro]

Hopefully someone can scan through this highlight any silly mistakes or ideas.

1 get camera connected to laptop directly. Then into the usb hub in place of my dslr.

2 use filter drawer instead of 21mm tube, so just 16mm and maybe a 0.3mm shim if I have one depending on filter thickness.

3 screw it on flattener.

4 test if my 12v 5amp mount power supply can run the mount and via a splitter cable and ext lead to the camera.

5 take test mosaics of m31 and party

[Vroobel]

I would recommend to focus on something smaller than the M31, there is a lot of smaller galaxies. If you do something wrong you will not know what exactly is wrong. 

1-4 sounds OK. 

[TiffsAndAstro]

3 hours ago, Vroobel said:

I would recommend to focus on something smaller than the M31, there is a lot of smaller galaxies. If you do something wrong you will not know what exactly is wrong. 

1-4 sounds OK. 

Yeah first test maybe not pano and m31.

Too much choice. Assuming I even get it working

 

[900SL]

What are you actually trying to do? Is this with the new camera? What is the backfocus from your flattener?

[TiffsAndAstro]

20 minutes ago, 900SL said:

What are you actually trying to do? Is this with the new camera? What is the backfocus from your flattener?

Connect all my new camera stuff up fingers crossed it's all gone suspiciously smoothly. Sharing mount power supply.

Assuming filter drawer is same length as the bigger spacer. Added a shim to account for filter. Cooling down to -5 c as I type this

Back focus I hope is 55mm plus shim for filter. Probably clouds tonight though

 

[Vroobel]

It looks really good! Tidy up the spaghetti though...  😆

[TiffsAndAstro]

7 minutes ago, Vroobel said:

It looks really good! Tidy up the spaghetti though...  😆

It's not quite as bad as it looks....but hopefully the spaghetti will improve when I get a nuc or mele quieter pc where the usb hub currently is.

Can confirm camera works with just the immensely thick and long nice feeling usb c/printer cable. I need a shorter one, uncooled though.

It's warm out but even so using 65% max power to hold -5c. Not great, but ok, I think. Just need a hole in the cloud.

Taking some darks and biases atm and about to follow Cuiv's offset video....

Edited Wednesday at 20:58 by TiffsAndAstro

[TiffsAndAstro]

8 minutes ago, Vroobel said:

It looks really good! Tidy up the spaghetti though...  😆

The camera looks and feels very nice, but I don't have a big sample size to compare

the anodised dark grey looks more serious than the nicer coloured versions

[Vroobel]

14 minutes ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

It's not quite as bad as it looks....but hopefully the spaghetti will improve when I get a nuc or mele quieter pc where the usb hub currently is.

Can confirm camera works with just the immensely thick and long nice feeling usb c/printer cable. I need a shorter one, uncooled though.

It's warm out but even so using 65% max power to hold -5c. Not great, but ok, I think. Just need a hole in the cloud.

Taking some darks and biases atm and about to follow Cuiv's offset video....

65% is not bad, I reach more as I work with -10. But your -5 is OK.

Observe Amazon, the Mele 4c is often for less than £200. I fight with myself, but presently I don't need it, my AstroPC still works and is OK.  

Take 60 bias and 60 dark frames for each exposure time you think you will work with: 300s, 180s, 60s, 30s and stack them, it will be faster later. Also, take some generic flat frames (with clean optical path, with filter(s) and no filter) and stack them - they will be useful during a night, e.g. after the first 20 subs you can check your results.

 

Asiair sets the offset as 50, I use the same with NINA, also I use 101 gain with ASIair and NINA, for both MC and MM cameras.

 

Edited Wednesday at 21:11 by Vroobel

[TiffsAndAstro]

2 minutes ago, Vroobel said:

65% is not bad, I reach more as I work with -10. But your -5 is OK.

Observe Amazon, the Mele 4c is often for less than £200. I fight with myself, but presently I don't need it, my AstroPC still works and is OK.  

Take 60 bias and 60 dark frames for each exposure time you think you will work with: 300s, 180s, 60s, 30s and stack them, it will be faster later. Also, take some generic flat frames (with clean optical path, with filter(s) and no filter) and stack them - they will be useful if during a night, e.g. after the first 20 subs you can check your results.

 

Might as well do them now I guess.

Why -10c btw? It see lots of  graphs of read noise v temp which really almost negates cooling so I was thinking it must be to reduce thermal noise but hard to find graphs for that. I would go +1c to avoid frosting but thermal noise must be a big thing? 

[Vroobel]

5 minutes ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

Might as well do them now I guess.

Why -10c btw? It see lots of  graphs of read noise v temp which really almost negates cooling so I was thinking it must be to reduce thermal noise but hard to find graphs for that. I would go +1c to avoid frosting but thermal noise must be a big thing? 

 

The -10 is doable, so why not?  

Does the camera have a window heater? I'm not sure if it's needed in the UK... 🤔

 

[TiffsAndAstro]

Just now, Vroobel said:

 

The -10 is doable, so why not?  

Does the camera have a window heater? I'm not sure if it's needed in the UK... 🤔

 

I don't think so. I think svbony would be singing about it.

I do have a heater option in Nina underneath cooling temp controls though

[Vroobel]

Another important thing. Cuiv mentions that different brand cameras cool the sensor faster or slower. ZWO cams are slower, it's better to cool the sensor slower. I found that it's recommended to warm the sensor up after the session to avoid thermal stress.

 

[TiffsAndAstro]

1 hour ago, Vroobel said:

Another important thing. Cuiv mentions that different brand cameras cool the sensor faster or slower. ZWO cams are slower, it's better to cool the sensor slower. I found that it's recommended to warm the sensor up after the session to avoid thermal stress.

 

Like the space shuttle?

Well I just disconnected and quit Nina. Going to do the darks etc in a bit. No clear skies I fear

ALso offset max is 100. Dropped mine to 10 I think to get one pixel at around 60adu. But will recheck when it's darker cos maybe light leak

OK I'm using offset 5 and get 1 pixel low 40s.  Next clear skies I can be ready to take a light.

Edited Wednesday at 22:36 by TiffsAndAstro

[AstroMuni]

12 hours ago, Vroobel said:

Does the camera have a window heater?

Is this the same as a dew heater? Like this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-accessories/zwo-anti-dew-heater-strip-for-asi-cooled-cameras.html

Edited Thursday at 09:39 by AstroMuni

[Vroobel]

 This is an additional heater, but doing the same job. Some brands cams have it built in. 

[TiffsAndAstro]

1 hour ago, AstroMuni said:

Is this the same as a dew heater? Like this https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-accessories/zwo-anti-dew-heater-strip-for-asi-cooled-cameras.html

Might be something I should get, it's pretty reasonably priced. Not sure what the cable ties are for?

[Vroobel]

 

[TiffsAndAstro]

21 hours ago, Vroobel said:

65% is not bad, I reach more as I work with -10. But your -5 is OK.

Observe Amazon, the Mele 4c is often for less than £200. I fight with myself, but presently I don't need it, my AstroPC still works and is OK.  

Take 60 bias and 60 dark frames for each exposure time you think you will work with: 300s, 180s, 60s, 30s and stack them, it will be faster later. Also, take some generic flat frames (with clean optical path, with filter(s) and no filter) and stack them - they will be useful during a night, e.g. after the first 20 subs you can check your results.

 

Asiair sets the offset as 50, I use the same with NINA, also I use 101 gain with ASIair and NINA, for both MC and MM cameras.

 

guess who didn't switch cooling on before doing 30 each of those calibration frames?

[Tomatobro]

17 minutes ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

guess who didn't switch cooling on before doing 30 each of those calibration frames?

I have never done that

 

Well almost never

[Elp]

32 minutes ago, TiffsAndAstro said:

guess who didn't switch cooling on before doing 30 each of those calibration frames?

It's worse when you've forgot to take some, and need to recool the camera back down as they heat back up quite quick, it takes ages in a warm house, and no I refuse to put the camera inside a fridge.

[TiffsAndAstro]

5 minutes ago, Elp said:

It's worse when you've forgot to take some, and need to recool the camera back down as they heat back up quite quick, it takes ages in a warm house, and no I refuse to put the camera inside a fridge.

Also noisier than I imagined. 

At midnight it was on about 60% max power.

Offset having a max value of 100 is a bit odd and using Cuiv's video means I set mine to 5. I've emailed svbony but I might try ascom driver install? I used Nina default driver to start with.

Also I need to make sure my sequences include some temperature logic. Not using advanced sequencer yet.

Edited Thursday at 19:04 by TiffsAndAstro

[Elp]

No idea, with an Asiair you just plug in and go, one of the benefits.

[TiffsAndAstro]

Just now, Elp said:

No idea, with an Asiair you just plug in and go, one of the benefits.

Can't disagree but I'm stubbornly welded to Nina which means windows pro nano pc and probably a power distribution box. Still need a clamp of some to sort move guide scope.

[Elp]

Just now, TiffsAndAstro said:

Still need a clamp of some to sort move guide scope.

Ali's the best place for these sorts of things. In fact I bet lots of people buy from there and resell, you see the same items everywhere else at ridiculous markups.