PlanetCam

From OnanWiki

The following information was adapted from the user instructions supplied with the
PlanetCam.  Given the camera is permanently installed at the observatory, much of 
the information may not be applicable.  Sections of the information that may be of
use or interest to observatory users is highlighted in blue.

Fig. 1 - ASTROVID Planetcam

Congratulations on the purchase of the ASTROVID PLANETCAM COLOR VIDEO CAMERA! This is a fine HIGH RESOLUTION 480 Line Color Astronomical CCD Video Imaging System! With proper care this system should last many years and provide excellent images!

[edit] Camera Connections / Controls

1 Power supply jack (10-12v DC) 2 Contrast (a.k.a. 'GAMMA') 3 Sharpness (a.k.a. 'APERTURE') 4 Video out (RCA jack) 5 Color (Manual white balance; R-Red, B-Blue 6 Gain (Manual gain; L-Bright, H-Dark) IMPORTANT: The power is to be connected last to prevent any damage to the camera. USE ONLY THE 12-VOLT POWER SUPPLY THAT COMES WITH THE CAMERA.

Fig. 2 - Rear View

1. This camera cannot be hooked directly to a television for a picture as it only supplies Baseband or Composite Video. Most newer televisions have separate RCA Video In jacks that can be used with this camera.
2. Look at the back of the Astrovid PLANETCAM camera. On the back is a round BNC jack in the upper left hand corner labeled VIDEO. The Black 24 foot VIDEO RCA Video Cable plugs into this jack. The other end of the 24-foot video cable will plug into the Video IN (RCA) on your camcorder, TV or VCR. (Please note you will need to set VCR or TV to Line In or Video In)
3. On the left hand lower corner is a knob marked GAIN Land H. Turning counter-clockwise lowers the gain. Turning clockwise increases the gain.
4. On the lower right side is an adjustable knob labeled COLOR. Turning the knob clockwise increases Blue in the image. Turning counterclockwise increases the Red in the image.
5. On the upper right there IS 12 pm jack labeled POWER. Plug the power cable into this jack. The transformer will plug into the black mini pin center pin positive female/female jack.
6. Our monitors come with the BNC jacks. We will supply the BNC to RCA female adapter.
7. On the back of the camera there is a rectangular cut-out with 4 dip switches numbered 1,2,3,4. These are used to control the Contrast and Sharpness of the image.
   
8. On the top of the camera there is a small metal plate that can be removed for further adjustment. Under this plate is a set of 8 dip switches. Only switches 5 - 8 are functional, and are used to set shutter modes and positive / negative image display.
   
   (Depending upon the size of your telescope you will want to use the shutter speed setting that allows you to keep the gain as low as possible.)
   
   (The negative image mode is useful for detecting faint planetary features.)

[edit] Safety Precautions

1. Use only the 12-volt transformer supplied with the camera. Use of any other 12-volt power transformer will bum out the camera and invalidate the Warranty.
2. A portable 12-volt battery pack can be used. CALL US FOR INSTRUCTIONS
3. Avoid static electricity discharges. These may damage the CCD chip.
4. Do not point the CCD towards the Sun. or bright light. Permanent damage to the CCD chip will result. If you want to image Sun you need a solar filter free of all pinholes.
5. Do not directly touch or attempt to clean the CCD chip.
6. The thread mount on the CCD camera has fine threads. Do not force it onto the 1.25"-C adapter, T-C adapter, or lens mount.
7. In our use of the T -C adapters we have found that at times small metal flakes from the T -mount threads will end up on the protective glass that covers the CCD chip. When using your camera they will show up as irregular opaque black dots on the screen. They can either be blown off using an Air Syringe Bulb available at drugs stores or by using a very soft artist's paintbrush to carefully dust them off.
8. Keep the cover on the camera when it is not in use.
9. Treat the ASTROVID PLANETCAM camera as a fine piece of equipment and it will give you many years of enjoyment.

[edit] Plugging Into the Universe

1. Your results will depend greatly on "seeing conditions" at the time of observation.
2. A T -C adapter or I.25"-C adapter is required to attach the video camera to the telescope.
3. The camera can be attached directly to the telescope via the T -C adapter or 1.25"- C adapter into an eyepiece holder for prime focus videography.
4. If closer views are desired, either a Barlow lens with the I.25"-C adapter or an eyepiece projection setup can be used.
5. Eyepiece or Barlow enlargement needs to be used on the planets for increased magnification.
6. Eyepieces with focal lengths from 7-40mm work well with eyepiece projection depending upon the focal length of your telescope. It is best to experiment to find the eyepiece than gives you the most detailed image combined with your seeing conditions. However, because the ASTROVID PLANETCAM uses a 1/4" format CCD you we see that the amounts of magnification needed to see fine features will not be as great.
7. Orthoscopic eyepieces work well because they tend to have less internal reflection (less ghosting) and also have fairly flat fields of view. Barlow lenses are the BEST way to enlarge the images. There are no internal reflections and they can even be stacked to increase magnification even further. You will need the 1.25"-C adapter for Barlows Lens Use.
8. The ASTROVID CCD video cameras will reproduce Astronomical objects at a color temperature of 5200K This is the normal daylight balance of white light. As planets shine by reflected sunlight this is the proper color balance.
9. Color filters can be used to isolate various planetary features.
10. The ASTROVID PLANETCAM has auto-shutter with manual gain control, color balance and contrast control. It will accommodate most light situations. However, when the Moon is full or gibbous you may want to use a polarizing filter or a Moon filter to reduce the brightness.
11. The color reproduction of this camera is quite good and can be used to study various lunar colored features.
12. Star field videography should be done at prime focus and with the fastest f-ratio for your telescope.

The above information is just a guideline to get you started. Because Astrovideography is an unexplored area that does not get much attention, you should take the initiative to experiment with different objects and filters using the ASTROVID camera to "Plug into the Universe."

We invite your comments and feedback and look forward to exploring this new facet of Amateur Astronomy with you. We will publish images sent to us on our web site. Your input will be used in our newsletters. Credit will be given for all items used.