FOCAL REDUCER Last updated: 30 September 2007

Subject:	Toucam II Pro Focal Reducer Tests with ETX 105
Sent:	Monday, July 2, 2007 10:13:20
From:	PETER SMITH (psmithuk@btinternet.com)
thought people might be interested in some terrestrial test images of a
1.25" 0.5X Focal Reducer that is available from
www.teleskop-service.de.  I also purchased a UV/IR Filter and a 1.25"
Extension Tube from the same company.

The test target is an automatic light sensor on top of a street light
about 50 yards away from the ETX105. As soon as wee get any decent
weather I will try some lunar imaging.
 
Hopefully the filenames are self explanatory.
 
Regards,
 
Peter Smith

Filter only


Filter + Focal Reducer


Filter + Focal Reducer + Extension Tube

Subject:	0.5X Focal Reducer and extension tube update
Sent:	Thursday, September 6, 2007 09:25:59
From:	PETER SMITH (psmithuk@btinternet.com)
This is an update to a post which you have previously posted in the
equipment review section of your site it provides additional information
to that in the original e-mail

The Focal Reducer CANNOT be used at the same time as it's extension tube
with the ETX105 as it is impossible to achieved focus on "astro" objects
indeed there are sometimes issues when using the focal reducer with
filters (UV/IR block) as focus cannot be achieved the CCD is beyond the
back focus point of the ETX105.

Regards,
Peter Smith (UK)

Subject:	Philips Toucam II pro + TS 0.5X focal reducer moon mosaic 
Sent:	Friday, September 28, 2007 12:08:50
From:	PETER SMITH (psmithuk@btinternet.com)
Took the scope out on a rather windy and cold night to image the
"harvest moon"...had to grab the first cloud free night for a while.

The toucam II Pro was fited with the TS 0.5X focal reducer and attached
to the ETX 105 EC. The philips video lounge aplication was used to
capture 300 frame sequences of various areas of the full "harvest" moon
disk in a zig-zag pattern.

The resulting files were processed in Registrax4 - some sequences only
allowed 4 frames to be stacked the wind was that bad!. No wavelet
optimisation was used and the images saved as bmp's which were stitched
roughly using CS3. Only the roughest attempts at alignment and
brightness contrast equalistaion were applied to keep the "mosaic"
effect...Due to the realtively low quyality of the images that resulted
from the poor conditions i didn't see the point in spending more time on
the stitching...

The attached file is the result (low res) of a very quick stitch of the
resulting images.



A higher res version is here...

www.btinternet.com/~psmithuk/AstroPhotos/moon_mosaic_26-09-07.jpg

that one still has the samll missing segmnent which was missed as the
result of a corrupted AVI file....aarrrgghhhhh.

Saying that I did have to use Solveig Multimedia AVITrimmer to remove
some frames from the avi's which were causing registrax to crash!

The full moon made imaging anything else pointless did have a quick look
at M57 with the DSI through the ETX105 and also did some more imaging
witht he DSI on SLR lenses with the dew heaters for trials...

The DIY dew heaters did have their first test and performed OK...have
made a permenant front dew heater now which has 2 belts of 1.5m of the
wire and a switch box which allows them to either one element or the two
elements in parallel to be used...also made a velcro dew heater strap
for use on eyepieces...

Regards,

Peter Smith (UK)
 
p.s. the weather conditions are now back to normal - overcast :(

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