webcam

[riogrande100]

What webcam would i need to buy for guiding, that will reuire very little modification. I have seen the Phillips toucam's but they don't seem to be able to fit into a 1.25 camera eye piece.

[Cornelius Varley]

Standard webcams aren't usually used for guiding as they are not sensitive enough to be able to pick up stars. The Meade LPI is supposed to be able to be used as a guider, but I cannot confirm that. The lens on a Toucam SPC900 is held in place by a clip which can be removed and then the lens is unscrewed and a nosepiece attached.

Toucams can be modified for long exposure and can then be used as guide cams, but this requires the addition of extra circuitry to allow this.

Here is a price list for the cost of modifying a webcam to allow long exposures (note the price does not include the cost of the webcam) Astronomiser - Automated Astronomy and AstroImaging Solutions

You could also try to purchase a second hand meade DSI to use as a guide cam.

Peter

[arad85]

QHY5 mono seems to be the camera of choice for a cheap dedicated guide cam.... Effectively an expensive webcam but designed for astro...

[riogrande100]

QHY5 mono seems to be the camera of choice for a cheap dedicated guide cam.... Effectively an expensive webcam but designed for astro...

where can i get one from and how much is it?

[Merlin66]

Google is your friend...

Guider Cameras @ Modern Astronomy

[lukebl]

Hi,

I use my unmodded Phillips SPC900 webcam as a guide cam very successfully, without the need for long-exposure modification. Using the Skymax 90 as the guidescope, plus PHD Guiding, I have managed to guide on stars down to mag 5 or 6 without too much trouble. There are usually stars at least as bright as that somewhere in the neighbourhood of the target to guide on.

Best wishes,

[jgs001]

I have the QHY5v and it works very well as a guidecam and lunar cam (I've not been able to try it on Planets yet, but my expectations are high).

[simon hicks]

Yup, I've been using an unmodded Phillips SPC900 as a guide cam for a few years....no problem...plenty of stars bright enough.

[riogrande100]

Yup, I've been using an unmodded Phillips SPC900 as a guide cam for a few years....no problem...plenty of stars bright enough.

How would you connect the unmodified webcam to a 1.25" port?

[Merlin66]

Just unscrew the lens on the body of the webcam and screw in a webcam> 1.25" adaptor.

They are available at all good astronomy supply shops.

Adaptors

(mid page)

Ken

[lukebl]

How would you connect the unmodified webcam to a 1.25" port?

If you mean how would you connect it to the 1.25" eyepece slot, you get a one of these: Webcam thread to 1.25" eyepiece adaptor= and replace the webcam lens.

Best wishes,

Luke