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My All Sky Camera Construction photos & first test

 
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John Chumack



登録日: 2008.01.02
記事: 17
所在地: Dayton, Ohio

記事日時: Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:00 am    記事の件名: My All Sky Camera Construction photos & first test 引用付きで返信

Hi all,

Here are some preliminary construction photos of my All SKY CAMERA for
meteors , bollides, Fireballs, and etc. I based it oon the basic design at Cloudbait.com with some of my own modifications and using a more sensitive camera system.

The photos numbers have a matching description below

1.) Shows the basic housing components, 4" diamter PVC (12"length), 3"
diameter PVC (6"length), a 5" diameter Optical Acrylic
dome(surplusShed.com), a 4" PVC Flange,
the Camera is already installed in the 3" diameter PVC, with a small
12vdc fan mount at the back of the 3"PVC housing(used a meshed 3"snap
in PVC drain) to help blow warm air from the camera and power supply
below up to the acrylic dome to act as a dew zapper.


2.) This shows how to place the flange on the 4" tube, and how the
acrylic dome mounts and will eventually be Silicon sealed to the
Flange(later).

3.) This is a closeup view of the Camera's Fujinon 180 degree Fisheye
lens, attached to the Watec 902H2 Supreme Low light video camera.

I made some brackets to hold the camera in the center and to hold the
3" housing in place when placed in the larger 4" PVC tube.

4.) This shows me placing the power supply for both the camera and fan
into 4" pvc tube this will generate your heat for the dew prevention
on the acrylic dome.

5.) shows the power cable for the camera and the video cable which
both must be plugged into the back of the camera via the backside of
the 3" PVC housing.

6.) Inserting the Camera housing into the 4"PVC with camera power, fan
power, and video cables attached. Be careful not to pinch them in
between housings. Leave enough cable for easy removal.

7.)camera now inserted into the 4" PVC tube, make sure the support
brackets clear the PVC flange as well.

8.) Important!!!
See instruction #10 before you seal your acrylic dome to the flange!!!
Now it shows the camera inserted without the Flange or acrylic dome,
at this point you can silicon seal your Acrylic Dome to the PVC
Flange, lightly sanding the area of the flange that the acrylic dome
will mount too will help it hold better. Do not sand the Acrylic Dome
or any where near the dome or camera, do this work in another room or
garage, and then wash and dry the flange completely before applying
the silicon sealant.

Warning!!!!!
Be careful not to get any on the dome top outer surfaces, try not to
touch the sealant at all, this way when you add press the dome in
place on the flange.

9.)Once the Acrylic Dome is completely dried and sealed to the Flange
attach the Flange/dome to the 4' PVC and push down lightly on the
fange until it is a snug fit on the 4" PVC tube.

10.) Top View showing the Camera lens and acrylic dome. I did end up
taking this completely apart and painted the top surfaces of the
flange, aluminum brackets, and both 3" and 4" PVC tubes a flat black,
so I would not get any reflections on the inside of the Acrylic dome
due to the white PVC. remember to do all your painting away from your
optics and dome.

I know optics farely well so, I'm not taking any chances. I
recommend the same for you, especially if your in a light polluted city.


11.) The final assembly and test in the room, all looked good.
I really hate the thought of leaving this dome exposed to the bad weather!
But now how do I keep the dome clean when not in use..............hmmmm!


12.) I found a old Candy dish that seem to fit the acrylic dome
perfectly, I also found a backup cover is needed via my wifes
tupperware bowls, SHUSH, I won't tell her if you won't!
I also applied some large spiked nails sticking up from the bowl to prevent birds from roosting on it.

13.) The Candy bowl fit nicelyand will be secured with two magnets,
just strong enough to prevent the strong wind from blowing it off, I
will use a small rod to retrieve it from by window......you see in the
next photo!
The yellow end cap is for the bottom of the 4" PVC, which you can use
for access to your power supplies, and cables via this cap. You can
have your main power and video cables go through the cap or out of the
side of the PVC tube your choice, just seal it up good with Silicon
sealant.

14.) Installation of the Camera mounting brackets onto the house,
actually I canabalized two antennea mounts (Lowes) and 1" diameter
conduit as the bar support,added some additional hardware so I can
retreive the camera from the window, rather than having to spring up
the large ladder each time it need service. The Cables will be routed
down to my observatory control room in my home.

I put these mounting brackets up in the rain today, the ladder was
quite slick, so I decide to wait for the final install when the
weather is better.


15.) The final product waiting to be installed, can't wait for clear weather!

The first all sky image is with UFOCapture software, my first test from ground level in my backyard in the city of Dayton, Ohio, USA with full moon and all. I captured several meteors that first test night, but I'm sure it will be better during new Moon.



allskycamcollage2.jpg
 説明:
allskycam construction photos
 ファイルサイズ:  99.34 KB
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allskycamcollage2.jpg



ChumackObservALLSKYCAM2a.jpg
 説明:
first test
 ファイルサイズ:  95.52 KB
 閲覧数:  8397 回

ChumackObservALLSKYCAM2a.jpg



_________________
John Chumack
The Chumack Observatories
MPC #838 Dayton Research Station
MPC #H66 Yellow Springs Research Station
http://www.galacticimages.com
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Jarmo Moilanen



登録日: 2006.12.02
記事: 4
所在地: Finland

記事日時: Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:23 am    記事の件名: 引用付きで返信

Hi John,

Nice construction. I have also used all-sky camera since November. My lens is a miniatyre megapixel fish-eye DSL-215 made by Sunex with 185 degree FOV attached with Watec 902H b/w camera.

Some small sized sample photo can be seen here (sorry, text is in Finnish): http://koti.kainuu.com/jmoilanen/
Photo of my all-sky camera can be seen here:
http://koti.kainuu.com/jmoilanen/info.html

For some reason I have problem with my video card Hauppauge ImpactVCB. It should run 768x576 with PAL-B format and it does, but for some mysterious reason in UFOCapture even fields drop two lines down making starst looking like two bright spot. I have used it with incorrect PAL-N format but limiting magnitude is only about +1.5 magnitude instead of +2.5 magnitude or better with PAL-B. With some other programs it works well with PAL-B. Does anybody know why?

Jarmo
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John Chumack



登録日: 2008.01.02
記事: 17
所在地: Dayton, Ohio

記事日時: Fri Jan 04, 2008 6:18 am    記事の件名: very nice all sky cam also 引用付きで返信

Hi,
Thanks,

I loved seeing your all sky camera as well, How do you keep the dew off the lens in your setup?

I'm not sure why it keeps droping your frames, do you have the interlace button checked? Have you tried it this way?

Do you have any other software running, firewall, anti-virus, etc, this may be taking up too much resources while running UFO capture.

I also turned off Window Auto Update feature, becuase it would interupt UFOcapture at 3:00am every morning, a normal scheduled update time.

I have never asked if the UFO capture can do larger than 640x480 frames, it may also be just something to do with your specific Video card.

I'm currently using an ATI "All in Wonder" video card, I have not had any problems with the card or missing frames.

Best Regards,
John

_________________
John Chumack
The Chumack Observatories
MPC #838 Dayton Research Station
MPC #H66 Yellow Springs Research Station
http://www.galacticimages.com
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