MallinCam SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Download Page 139

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SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual

September 18, 2019

SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual

Page 137

Appendix

Keeping in mind that the SkyRaider DS432 TEC is a video imager rathe than a
dedicated single shot camera, we can control the camera with other 3

party

software products via the DirectShow driver or the ASCOM driver.

Imaging in SharpCap

Now this is the first generation of DirectShow/Sharpcap driver interaction and as
such, not all of the commands are perfected for user control.

SharpCap can be obtained at

http://www.sharpcap.co.uk/

Start SharpCap

Chose

Cameras

from the Top Heading Tab, then in the

DirectShow Cameras

pick

MALLINCAM

Summary of Contents for SkyRaider DS432 TEC

Page 1: ...432 TEC Camera It will include instructions on how to install the Software and Drivers and how connect the SkyRaider to your computer along with explanations of the camera s major settings The documen...

Page 2: ...I have included links to YouTube Videos that will demonstrate the commands you are reading about in the text All you need to do is Left Click on the icon attached to the command you are interested in...

Page 3: ...der DS432TEC to your Computer 13 Using the USB 2 0 Ports on the SkyRaider DS432TEC 16 Dimensions of the SkyRaider DS432TEC 16 4 Using MallincamSky Software 17 The MallincamSky Window 17 Quick Work Flo...

Page 4: ...ticles 56 Browse 56 Sort 56 Icons 57 Refresh 57 Properties 57 Open Record Folder 57 Open Image Folder 57 Setup 57 ST4 Test 57 Capture 58 Capture Image 58 Auto Capture 58 Start Record 58 Batch Record 5...

Page 5: ...Stitch 93 Panorama Straighten 95 Projection Type 95 Seam Finder 95 Exposure Compensation 95 Bundle Adjust 95 Preferences 98 Customize 98 6 Controlling the SkyRaider 99 Camera List 99 Capture and Resol...

Page 6: ...stroToaster and MallincamSky 142 Adjust the Image in AstroToaster 146 AstroLive USB and the SkyRaider DS432CTEC 147 Start AstroLive 147 Click on the ASCOM Camera Driver 147 From the Pull Down list sel...

Page 7: ...ers 160 Finish the Uninstalling Procedure 160 First Aid for the SkyRaider Series 161 MallincamSky acts Strange After Update 162 How do I Optimize my Computer 162 Stacking is going very slow or Stops c...

Page 8: ...permanently The Sony IMX432 CMOS sensor is industrial grade and made to work at a 100 duty cycle making this CMOS sensor one of the longest lasting continuous use sensors on the market It is availabl...

Page 9: ...y Live Star Registration Ideal for all Motorized Alt Az mounted telescopes Built in Memories CDS Correlated Double Sampling 1 78 Mega Pixels CMOS ceramic color sensor 17 6 mm diagonal size Number of e...

Page 10: ...0MB Free HDD In the Box The SkyRaider DS432 TEC Plus includes the following standard equipment MALLINCAM SkyRaider DS432 TEC Camera High Precision T mount to 2 mount Eyepiece Adapter 5 metre 15 ft USB...

Page 11: ...Installing the Software Visit the Software Downloads Page in the Support Tab located on the website www mallincam net Select the Blue Click Here Button to download the Drivers and MallincamSky Softwa...

Page 12: ...e to install Un Zip the folder then Double Click on it to open it up revealing the 5 programs it contains or 1 program if just downloading MallincamSky The ASCOM DRIVER folders contains the ASCOM Driv...

Page 13: ...would like to install the software Either choose your own location or select the default Click on Install to proceed Windows may again ask for permission to install the device software Click on Insta...

Page 14: ...le Click on the ASCOMMallincamSetup program and follow the instructions to install the ASCOM driver Optionally see Installing the DIRECTSHOW Driver for more in depth details Double Click on the DIRECT...

Page 15: ...ider DS432TEC Insert the SkyRaider DS432TEC with 2 Adapter attached into a 2 eyepiece adapter on your Telescope Depending upon the telescope you may need extenders so that you can reach focus with you...

Page 16: ...hru put requirements and not all computers are created equal If you find you are having difficulties with the following steps it maybe the USB 3 0 port on your computer If that is the case one option...

Page 17: ...C on a USB 2 0 cable you will see the name as SkyRaiderDS432CTEC USB2 0 Once the driver has been successfully loaded you will see the name of the SkyRaiderDS432TEC Camera in the MallincamSky Camera Li...

Page 18: ...USB 2 0 HUB on the SkyRaider DS432TEC can be used to connect with various accessories such as a guide camera filter wheel or electronic focuser This will allow you better management of your cables Th...

Page 19: ...ftware The MallincamSky Left SideBar provides the simple click activation and selection capabilities to control all aspects of the image and camera The Left SideBar Base provides selection options for...

Page 20: ...both Dark Field and Flat Field Explanations Double Click on the MallincamSky Icon to start the program Select the SkyRaiderDS432 TEC from the Camera List in the Camera Tab With the Camera Tab selected...

Page 21: ...the appropriate boxes or use the up and down arrows beside the chosen Exposure time unit to set your maximum time To start the SkyRaider DS432 TEC taking continuous exposures in Trigger Mode Left Cli...

Page 22: ...kyRaider Camera and insert the camera into the eyepiece holder of your telescope The shorter exposure will make it easier for you to align and focus your telescope Left Click on the STOP button in the...

Page 23: ...he next image is exposed to see how your adjustments look keep an eye at the bottom of the screen to see when the next adjusted image will appear Have Fun and Experiment You can now spend some time to...

Page 24: ...ng But if you do notice warm pixels and would like to eliminate them Then follow the step by step instructions located in the section called Dark Field Correction later in the manual The following ins...

Page 25: ...r particular SkyRaider can produce along with the largest bits of data for color or shades of Back and White for each pixel that the SkyRaider is able to produce This will provide enough data for exte...

Page 26: ...kyRaider DS432 TEC has two exposure modes Video Mode Trigger Mode Since we are imaging planetary objects our exposure should not exceed 5 seconds Therefore we will be using Video Mode exclusively for...

Page 27: ...Left and Right arrows keys on your keyboard to precisely move the Exposure Marker this method provides the most accurate tiny adjustments to the exposure times o You can Click on the Exposure Time s c...

Page 28: ...want to isolate the planetary object choose a Region of Interest ROI that just includes the image of the planetary object You select the ROI by using Left Click Hold and Drag the handles of the Blue R...

Page 29: ...me used of the exposure time that you had previously set The example above is telling us that we have used 3 seconds of our 5 second 5000ms exposure If you have created Dark Field Corrections for this...

Page 30: ...ng the Sun in the daytime then select Options from the Top Menu Line then choose Preferences It is here that you can set options for the MallincamSky If you go into Misc you can change the Color Style...

Page 31: ...following instructions are used as a guide to assist you in doing Deep Sky imaging Don t forget when finished with a particular step that uses a particular feature tab you can close the Tab by clickin...

Page 32: ...ution that your particular SkyRaider can produce along with the largest bits of data for color or shades of Back and White for each pixel that the SkyRaider is able to produce This will provide enough...

Page 33: ...lace the Lens cap over your Telescope or place the dust cover cap over your SkyRaider DS432 TEC camera to block any light from hitting the sensor of the camera Open the Dark Field Correction Tab on th...

Page 34: ...of our 30 second exposure Take Dark Field Correction Ensure that the cover is either on the SkyRaider Camera or the Telescope itself is covered then Left Click on the Dark Field Correction Line The D...

Page 35: ...o align and verify focus of our Telescope To do that we only need a short duration exposure under 5 seconds so we will use Video Mode Open the Capture and Resolution Tab and ensure that the Auto Expos...

Page 36: ...Set your exposure to a large value say 30s as a starting point we are using 30 seconds but the actual exposure amount depends upon the f ratio size of telescope filters seeing conditions You can adju...

Page 37: ...an image that we are happy with it is time to enable Dark Field subtraction if you took Dark Field Images Click on the Enable CheckBox in the Dark Field Correction Tab Dark Fields will be automatical...

Page 38: ...ent Tabs in MallincamSky There is no precise value for every user as we all use different equipment This is a great time to play with the settings to see what value work best for you Just have fun The...

Page 39: ...and experiment with the settings and see how they affect your image Remember these are your images and you decide what is best for you To shorten the exposure also reduces the resolution you have the...

Page 40: ...User Manual will describe in exact detail what each control on both the Top Line Menu and the Icon Toolbar does This Chapter is best read on a rainy day or can be used to jump to the specific section...

Page 41: ...rticular image on your computer MallincamSky supports and can open a variety of image formats These are identified in the Files of type list box MallincamSky can open more than one image simultaneousl...

Page 42: ...en Video command Select the name of the file you want to open If the file does not appear select the option for showing all files from the Video Files Drop Down Button The video file type can be wmv a...

Page 43: ...rom the Popup Window MallincamSky discards all changes made since the last File Save operation The File Save command saves the contents of the entire window unless if there was an ROI Region of Intere...

Page 44: ...ressive The default is unchecked Optimize Huffman codes The default is unchecked Smoothing The values range between 0 and 100 The default value is 0 Save these setting as defaults When saving a file t...

Page 45: ...choosing Compressions as JPEG the Image quality can be adjusted by the slider bar The values range between 0 and 100 The Default value is 75 Save these setting as defaults When saving a file the curr...

Page 46: ...file the current settings will be saved as defaults for the next file save operation For Bitmap bmp PCX pcx Targa tga There is no Option choices Batch Save The File Batch Save command will be enabled...

Page 47: ...P format the Option will be disabled See File Save As command about the details of the format encoding methods Sample The final file name is shown at the right of the Sample label for quick reference...

Page 48: ...digit to the Paste as New File command in the created image window Title Bar Recent Files MallincamSky maintains 4 default of the most recently opened document files under the Recent Files command Cho...

Page 49: ...r image and copy it to the Windows Clipboard or even de select the ROI if you have changed your mind Cut This command is or future implementation I cannot find a use for this command Copy This Edit Co...

Page 50: ...d Edit Copy into your currently selected folder Delete This control allows you to delete a selected file from your currently selected folder Image Select You can select a Region of Interest on your Im...

Page 51: ...its contents in the MallincamSky Video Window under the Tab name Browse You can Right Click on a Folder or file and the actual Windows controls will pop as in Windows Explorer As you get deeper into...

Page 52: ...ed images you have taken during this session Sidebar The SideBar can contain 3 different Tabs Camera Folders and Undo Redo Left Click on the SideBar control to expand it You will see the 3 choices eac...

Page 53: ...ed the Histogram window We will discuss how to use the Histogram later on in the User Manual but for those of you familiar with Histograms this graph represents the current red green and blue values o...

Page 54: ...uto Grids can be set in the View Grids Settings control This command will pop up the Preferences Window Left Click on the Grids option on the left of the Preferences Window and adjust the Style No Gri...

Page 55: ...ft Click Hold and Drag technique to move the Blue Down Arrow along the Horizontal Ruler to wherever you want When it is dragging over the video image there will be a Vertical Line in the Color and Sty...

Page 56: ...d enter 100 into the Divide box and Left Click on the OK button Remove All Grids This will remove the Grid Overlay from your video image It will also delete your Manual Grid Lines settings thus allowi...

Page 57: ...ck If the video image s actual size is larger than the video image Window then this control will allow you to position the actual video image within in the video image Window This control is activated...

Page 58: ...e how MallincamSky should display the graphic files when you are viewing the Folders This command will allow you to change the size of the image icons determine how to sort the files add shortcuts to...

Page 59: ...Record Folder the default Video Record Folder is selected thru the Options Preference Command Open Image Folder This control will display the current Image Folder the default Image Folder is chosen b...

Page 60: ...nction can capture a sequence of pictures when using either Video Mode or Trigger Mode First you must set up the location File Format Prefix number of exposures required in the Options Preferences Tab...

Page 61: ...o you will notice that in the Capture Resolution Tab in the left window sidebar that the Blue Arrow Record icon has now changed to a Red Stop icon Left Clicking on this Button will stop the video capt...

Page 62: ...tart the recording process and the Record Button on the Left Sidebar turns to a Red STOP symbol By Clicking on the Batch Record Tab again MallincamSky will then abort the whole capturing process By Cl...

Page 63: ...image bit MallincamSky supports the mutual changes among 24 bit 8 bit 4 bit or 1 bit images When the Colour Bits dialog is opened the default checked color bit is the current image s color bit Check...

Page 64: ...makes the same adjustment to every pixel in the image The Brightness Contrast command does not work with individual channels and is not recommended for high end output because it can result in the los...

Page 65: ...a G value of 20 and a B value of 50 When the values of all three components are equal the result is a shade of neutral gray When the value of all components is 255 the result is pure white when the v...

Page 66: ...ce versa Based on the human perception of color the HIS model describes three fundamental characteristics of colors Hue is the color reflected from or transmitted through an object It is measured as a...

Page 67: ...to 100 The Default values are 0 HMS Select the Image Adjust HMS command to adjust the HL Highlight M Midtone and S Shadow parts of the image Each part s value ranges from 100 to 100 This command is o...

Page 68: ...ecked then only information about the Red channel will be retained The Green and Blue information will be discarded Invert Select the Image Adjust Invert command to reverse the pixel values of the act...

Page 69: ...he Spatial Sigma like the domain and the Range Sigma you can affect how many pixels the algorithm uses when applying the smoothing Rotate This control allows you to rotate and or flip your image acros...

Page 70: ...to remove the portions of an image that does not want so that the focus is on the part of the image that is left First select Edit Image Select the mouse cursor will change into cross hairs from the...

Page 71: ...Width and Height will stay proportionate to each other If the Constrain Proportions is unchecked the Width and the Height can be set independently but this will distort the image Reset Resets the ima...

Page 72: ...htness levels we re not just talking about black and white grayscale images but Histograms work equally well and are just as important with full color images This is because even though we don t alway...

Page 73: ...calculate the Histogram Level Displays the intensity level of the area underneath the pointer Count Shows the total number of pixels corresponding to the intensity level underneath the pointer Percen...

Page 74: ...output It would take a novel to explain each of these standard graphical enhancement tools So I will leave it up to you to Google Search the enhancement type to see if it is something you could use Yo...

Page 75: ...l September 18 2019 SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 73 You can modify the color effectiveness range with the Range control to color sharpen your image You can modify the image the pixel no pixel...

Page 76: ...ptember 18 2019 SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 74 You can examine the image as a 3 D color contour map with the 3 D setup control You can apply the Pseudo Color application tools to turn a Black...

Page 77: ...oise ratio is greatly improved The stacked image may have had some black edges this is because the images in the video has moved and in the stacking process MallincamSky will added black to the image...

Page 78: ...er Manual Page 76 MallincamSky will Open an Image Stacking Progress Bar to inform you of the process Once completed the stacked image will appear in the Video Image window You can now apply other proc...

Page 79: ...ording of the current SkyRaider camera Directory The file Directory can be select by Left Clicking on the symbol in the Base selector You can also have MallincamSky create a Sub directory to the Prima...

Page 80: ...heck the box under limit and enter the required amount If none is checked MallincamSky will record until you Stop the recording by Clicking on the Red Stop Recording button on the Left Side Bar in the...

Page 81: ...be select by Left Clicking on the symbol in the Base selector You can also have MallincamSky create a Sub directory to the Primary Directory by selecting one of the pulldown choices in the Sub heading...

Page 82: ...al Images will enable its edit box You can enter the Total Images from 1 to 9999 to be captured MallincamSky will stop the Time lapse capture process automatically when the Total Images are reached If...

Page 83: ...splayed in the Browse window or not The checked Format can be displayed in the Browse window Target The Target Tab allows you to label the target that you are currently shooting The 10 solar system ob...

Page 84: ...yle The Line Style for the grid can be Solid Dash Dot or DashDot The Default is Solid Grid Line Color The color of the grid line The Default color is Red 255 0 0 Reticle Color The color of the Reticle...

Page 85: ...ews that read FITS or EXIF images can then display details about how that image was taken equipment and telescope used Misc The Misc page is mainly used for the control of the MallincamSky s User Inte...

Page 86: ...ame If you have made any modifications to the pictures or if you have captured some pictures from the camera choosing the Close All will let you finish the saving operations quickly The Close All will...

Page 87: ...Choose the Windows Windows control 2 Select the windows you want to close Hold Ctrl or Shift key to select more than one at a time Here 4 windows are selected 3 Click Close Window s button those four...

Page 88: ...and to quickly locate a particular image MallincamSky supports a variety of image formats These are identified in the Files of type list box MallincamSky can open more than one image simultaneously by...

Page 89: ...utomatically The default Save as type will be Window Bitmap bmp dib rle You can determine which image tabs can be saved by noting if there is an asterisk behind the name If present then that image can...

Page 90: ...Right Click on a Folder or file and the actual Windows controls will pop as in Windows Explorer As you get deeper into the Browse Window you can Back Out or Move Deeper into the File Folders via the G...

Page 91: ...image you are saving This is only for your reference Just select an image type from the drop down list If you save an image in FITS format then the Image Type will be included in the Metadata for that...

Page 92: ...ll indicate the status of the Batch Record process on the lower left of the MallincamSky window Pause Video Capture This icon Pauses the Batch Record routine in MallincamSky If will highlight when you...

Page 93: ...hange to a Closed Hand Now drag the image around inside the video image Window If the video image size is smaller than the video image Window size then the track operation will be disabled Histogram T...

Page 94: ...atically re center the selected Reticle on your image You can change the color of the Reticle via the Option Preferences control in the Top Menu Line ST4 Test The DS432CTEC camera does not have an aut...

Page 95: ...a Stich Window will open which contains the real time active video inside the window frame Using your telescope controls tweak the position of the object you are interested in Now slowly move your tel...

Page 96: ...so that you have some overlap in the image and Left Click on the Snap button again Repeat as needed When you are completed taking the snaps Left Click on any of the Snapshots to make it active Left Cl...

Page 97: ...or or Transverse Mercator Seam Finder MallincamSky provides four Sean Finding algorithms None Voronoi Diagram Graph Cut Color or Graph Cut Color Grad Exposure Compensation This is used to minimize the...

Page 98: ...al result in new image window for your viewing pleasure You can try other Stitching decision by having the Stitched imaged active in your Video Window and Left Clicking on the Stitch Icon again You wi...

Page 99: ...SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual September 18 2019 SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 97...

Page 100: ...on the Icon Bar Left Click on the Customize Icon to display the Add or Remove Buttons selector Then Left Click on the down triangle to expand and select Toolbar Left Click on its triangle to expand t...

Page 101: ...and that control Some controls will also display a coloured rectangular box on the Video Window to remind you that that control is in effect You will be able to collapse the control window by Left Cli...

Page 102: ...rrently being displayed Left Click on the Drop Down list on the Resolution to see all the allowable resolutions available for your SkyRaider The Skyraider DS432 TEC has only one resolution of 1600 x 1...

Page 103: ...ecord Button will activate the camera When the Mallincam SkyRaider is recording the Icon will change to a Red STOP Symbol By Clicking on the Stop Icon MallincamSky will terminate the Video recording p...

Page 104: ...gives you more control Gain can be modified at any time while in Video Mode and thus the result will immediately be apparent after each image refresh But you must STOP the Looping in Trigger Mode to c...

Page 105: ...appear over your Video Window This Green Rectangle is a marked region that is a reference region for judging if the image brightness has reached the Exposure Target Value When Auto Exposure is selecte...

Page 106: ...osure limits the SkyRaider Camera can handle Don t forget to Left Click on OK to have MallincamSky accept the entered exposure time For any exposure over 3 seconds you can determine how long your came...

Page 107: ...e 30 seconds Click on the Single Button to a take a single exposure to see if the image of the object is close to the brightness you need If you are satisfied with the single image then Click on the L...

Page 108: ...file format to match your preferences See above in Options Preference Record for more details on how to use Directory Naming and Prefix conventions If Name Format is set to nnnn sequence then checkma...

Page 109: ...idual Red Green and Blue components of your image to better match your requirements This command is available in real time in both Video and Trigger Mode Once this command is activated a Red White Bal...

Page 110: ...of color By adjusting Hue you are changing the balance of Red Green and Blue in the image You can either use the Left Click Hold and Drag technique to move the slider to the left or right or just Lef...

Page 111: ...ust Left Click on the Contrast s slider this selects it then use your Left and Right arrow keys on your Keyboard to adjust the value small Contrast adjustments are easier with this technique The value...

Page 112: ...m Color Gray This control contains commands allow the SkyRaider DS432 TEC to display its displayed images in color these colors can be adjusted using the commands seen above or display the image in sh...

Page 113: ...is not read out but skipped horizontally vertically or in both axes This reduces resolution of the resulting video but introduces subsampling artifacts Left Click on the required button to select the...

Page 114: ...l wheel This command allows you to Zoom in on a specific area of your original Video image If you or the SkyRaider Camera ever get confused with what settings you have entered into the ROI control you...

Page 115: ...ital Binning helps increase sensitivity and reduces noise to some extent by improving Signal to Noise Ratio As a user you will decide as to what level of Digital Binning you will use You can use a sho...

Page 116: ...the Zoom controls to increase the image size to your needs 1 additive 2 additive 3 additive 4 additive You will notice that the brightness of the image will dramatically increase with the larger binni...

Page 117: ...istogram mid tones shown in the middle and highlights shown in the right part See Appendix for more information on Histograms A Histogram can help you determine whether an image has enough detail to m...

Page 118: ...you would like the Histogram data displayed You have a choice of either Linear or Logarithmic Left Click on the Defaults Button to return the Left and Right Histogram boundaries to their original sett...

Page 119: ...so has a role as well Dark Field Correction What makes the Mallincam SkyRaider series of cameras unique is the built in ability to take Dark Fields The best explanation of what a Dark Field is came fr...

Page 120: ...boxes or use the up and down arrows beside the chosen Exposure time unit to set your maximum time Start the SkyRaider DS432 TEC taking continuous exposures by Left Clicking on the Loop button Take Dar...

Page 121: ...correct Dark Fields if you would like to reuse them Name the folders so that it is easy to retrieve Dark Fields that match for current imaging plan 60 s times 5 You can load previously saved Dark Fie...

Page 122: ...ation is an unevenly illuminated CCD CMOS chip These noise variations are usually caused either by variances in sensitivity from pixel to pixel or by the telescope optics Main causes due to the telesc...

Page 123: ...eate a master flat which is then divided out of your light frame on a pixel by pixel basis Visit the following site for before and after images when applying Flats http theworldofastronomy blogspot ca...

Page 124: ...In using this control you can tweak your image to slightly brighten towards level 31 or dim towards level 0 the starting point for the image s backest location Using this slider allows you to define w...

Page 125: ...such as Alt Az Mount the ability to combine images on the fly but can also be very beneficial to all mounts The follwing images captured live illustrate the advantages of Stacking M5 a single 5 secon...

Page 126: ...es Added made brighter or Averaged made sharper plus indicate is you are stacking Planets or Deep Sky Objects This command will provide a live status of its stacking process in this Window First selec...

Page 127: ...fect for the image Start the Stacking by checking the Enable Box The stacking process will keep you informed with its status by indicating you what the current input stacking number is what the curren...

Page 128: ...and low read noise for lowlight scenes providing tremendous benefit for real time imaging The LCG mode is comparable to the old NO GAIN while the HCG mode was comparable to the 2x gain is HCG The trad...

Page 129: ...e TEC by clicking in the radial On button then enter a Target Temperature C value into the box 0 C is recommended but some users are having the best success at 10 C It is also recommended that the tem...

Page 130: ...of the screen If the Fan is turned Off then TEC is automatically turned off and the Fan automatically turns to High when TEC is activated If you are finished using TEC leave the fan On to allow senso...

Page 131: ...tars Just use the check box to activate and uncheck to return to normal image mode Preset The Preset control allows you to Load a previous set of camera control parameters or Save the current camera c...

Page 132: ...me see Management command below Give a Name that is easy to determine what the parameters in the file contain That is choosing a name like Eagle Nebula Dark Skies would indicate that the parameters in...

Page 133: ...or This Folder such as Preset Files on your computer under a name that indicates that these files are yours such as Michael s SkyRaider DS432CTEC Preset Files for New Hamburg This way you can save a a...

Page 134: ...download form the download page The following instruction will represent a Windows Computer There may be a download for a non stacking version along with ASCOM drivers Your Browser should download a z...

Page 135: ...ra The DIRECTSHOW DRIVER folder contains the Direct Show Drivers for the camera The WINDOWS APPLICATION folder contains the camera control software Installing DirectShow Driver Open up the DIRECTSHOW...

Page 136: ...nish to close the process The DirectShow driver will give you the ability to display the SkyRaider video using other video display software The software that uses the DirectShow video protocol will al...

Page 137: ...est ASCOM Platform on your computer www ascom standards org Double Click on the Driver to install it onto your computer system Windows Depending upon the version of Windows the following screen might...

Page 138: ...he Ready to Install Window will appear Click on Install to install the ASCOM Driver Depending upon the version of Windows you may see the Following Pop up Install it That s it The installation process...

Page 139: ...ntrol the camera with other 3rd party software products via the DirectShow driver or the ASCOM driver Imaging in SharpCap Now this is the first generation of DirectShow Sharpcap driver interaction and...

Page 140: ...seconds to 5 seconds You will need to record those numbers to assist you SharpCap recognizes that the DS432CTEC does have an extended mode for exposures that are over 5 seconds To turn on the extende...

Page 141: ...the Time setting on the right of the Slider to Pop Up a window that allows you to directly enter in the time in ms You can also control the Gain in the window The other Tabs in the Window will also yo...

Page 142: ...019 SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 140 Imaging in MaximDL MaximDL is an image acquisition and composition software tool Start MaximDL Click on the Camera Control Icon Select Video DS from the Se...

Page 143: ...9 SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 141 You will be presented with a live video window from the DS432CTEC just minimize this window Chose Expose and exposure time Binning etc then Click on Start to...

Page 144: ...an be downloaded from http www astrotoaster com AstroToaster Workflow Images are sent by MallincamSky to a folder that AstroToaster is monitoring AstroToaster will the align and stack those images pro...

Page 145: ...ing the files Yellow are the images to be stacked Green is the stacked image There is a check box next to the files All checked files will be combined into the current stacked final image If you Click...

Page 146: ...For example if you are using Trigger Mode after setting the exposure so that you are seeing the correct amount of detail in the Video Window Use the Options Button in Trigger Mode to choose the same f...

Page 147: ...incamSky sends the images to the Monitoring Folder you will see them appear with Yellow squares besides their name Click on the Stack Tab on AstroToaster and Viewer Tab if not activated to activate th...

Page 148: ...leList a file named stacked tif with a Green Square besides its name This is the Stacked image that you are seeing in the AstroToaster Viewer Window Adjust the Image in AstroToaster Click on Color Adj...

Page 149: ...http astrolive io astroliveusb html As of this writing the Version of AstroLive USB is v1 1 This version did not have the SkyRaider series of camera in mind But the MALLINCAM ASCOM Driver does partly...

Page 150: ...nts you need then Click on the OK Button to Accept You will be returned to the ASCOM Camera Chooser Window Click on OK to return to the AstroLive USB Window Astrolive USB should already be talking to...

Page 151: ...TEC User Manual September 18 2019 SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 149 You will now be presented with a live connection to the SkyRaider camera Have fun and experiment to see what you can do with...

Page 152: ...ts which will allow you to spend more time using and less time fighting with your equipment You have lots of hardware that is sometimes difficult to get it all working together Sequence Generator pro...

Page 153: ...151 Select the required resolution and ensure that you are using Raw as the format Start Running Sequences based on your needs If you are using Sequence Generator Pro then you will need to save flats...

Page 154: ...cope control software package that can perform many tasks that are related to controlling a telescope One of the capabilities is using a camera to assist in aligning T Point and locking onto objects u...

Page 155: ...18 2019 SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 153 Choose Windows Video Camera Driver Then choose Settings in the drop down list Select MALLINCAM from the Setup Window Click on Connect and you will see...

Page 156: ...of the corners of the Green Rectangle and drag it to the matching corner of your Video Window Next grab the opposite corner of the Green Rectangle and drag it to the same location as the first corner...

Page 157: ...or the Right Marker Line or a combination of both to the left will brighten up you image in a more controlled manner How do I Broadcast my image onto Night Skies Network NSN As a direct way is not ye...

Page 158: ...he whole Image Again Just Left Click on the Defaults Button in the SideBar s ROI control Note by changing the ROI the Dark Fields will be removed from the SkyRaider How do I Turn Off Dark Field correc...

Page 159: ...Uninstall SkyRaider Software Unplug the SkyRaider Camera from your computer Locate the MallincamSky Icon on your Desktop and Right Click on the Icon to open up a selection window In this window selec...

Page 160: ...he Mallincam DirectShow drivers you will see a folder named MALLINCAMDshow in the window If you did not install the DirectShow drivers then jump to Step 3 else follow Step 2 to uninstall the DirectSho...

Page 161: ...aying its contents Again there is a program named uninst Double Click on the uninst program name and follow instructions to uninstall the DirectShow drivers Once the DirectShow drivers have been unins...

Page 162: ...the Uninstalling Procedure This is a very important step as it clears out the Windows registries Reboot your computer via the restart option Now if you haven t already done so download and install th...

Page 163: ...perSpeed Active Extension Repeater Cable When I try to connect I receiver message Catastrophic failure Exception from HRESULT 0x8000FFF E_UNEXPECTED This message indicates that something has blocked o...

Page 164: ...outube com watch v Hdb4iybN8gg for some great suggestions on how to optimize your computer To summarize as per the research done by Doug Murphy Add a much RAM as you can into your system Settings Syst...

Page 165: ...uters This problem is experienced by many video gamers and the solution that resolves this problem is to select only 1 or 2 of the CPUs running the program The work around is to tell MallincamSky to u...

Page 166: ...e Choose Task Manager from the list This will open up the task Manager Window Locate and Right Click on mallincamsky Process located in the Task Manager This will open up a small Selection Window Clic...

Page 167: ...and Right Click on the mallincamsky exe file and another selection window will appear choose Set affinity from that list This will pop up the Processor affinity window Uncheck all Processors Then Che...

Page 168: ...er 18 2019 SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 166 Close the Task Manager Window Note you will have to repeat this every time you restart the MallincamSky as windows doesn t remember you selecting 1...

Page 169: ...ith star alignment difficulties when stacking images You need bright stars to get a successful frame alignment In other words increase gain or increase exposure or re adjust histogram to deliver a bri...

Page 170: ...of the light frames in order to remove hot and warm pixels and amplifier glow However other noise will remain and needs to be removed with other manipulations and software Dark Field Correction Dark F...

Page 171: ...at night and the effect they have with respect to exposure times Take this into account when selecting your exposure time for your 10 dark images But remember this is NOT a Dark Frame subtraction the...

Page 172: ...aider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 170 The two screen captures below demonstrate the difference that applying a Dark Field to an image can provide 90 second exposure lens covered 10 Dark Fields Applied...

Page 173: ...objects we will notice a narrower bump hanging at the left side of the Window This is because we have very few bright pixels and a whole bunch of dark pixles after all we are shhoting at night What w...

Page 174: ...arkers to ensure you do not clip remove parts of the image that are outside the range So what does this mean in English As you adjust the Left and Right markers you remove data that is not relevant to...

Page 175: ...nds not to mention all the guys and gals and the Yahoo MallinCam site http tech groups yahoo com group mallincam messages One of the most important decisions you will need to make with broadcasting th...

Page 176: ...o the MallincamSky Software window This allows you to spend some time playing and adjusting the settings prior to connecting to NSN As you become more comfortable you will not worry about that and wil...

Page 177: ...image A helpful hint I slide over the KVYcam window so that some of the text appears in the KVYcam window Can the members on NSN read the words If not adjust Remember this may take a couple of sessio...

Page 178: ...KVYcam Window If you need to you can again use the KVYcam desktop select icon and select or change the location or size of the window for it to grab If you have a dual monitor you can leave the KVYcam...

Page 179: ...ange LOGIN button to accept You will next be presented with the Channel Line Up screen for Night Skies network Click on the Login selection on the upper right hand side of the screen Another Login Win...

Page 180: ...ers on NSN may hear an extreme loud buzzing feedback noise Later on we will look at using the microphone but until then I recommend CLICKING on the little microphone symbol on the upper right corner o...

Page 181: ...viewers Select the Camera Now is the time to activate the camera or in our case have NSN driver point to our KVYcam Splitcam Webcam Max output RIGHT CLICK inside the NSN Video window to bring up a Se...

Page 182: ...on the right Over time you will find the sweet spot for your system Select your Resolution from the Pull Down Menu Select a starting value of 1280 x 720 for the system Again play with these to see wh...

Page 183: ...gestions that people use It all depends upon what computer equipment you are using Suggestion 1 Get a second cheap monitor This way you can have NSN running in your browser on one monitor and Mallinca...

Page 184: ...thing before login back in Don t worry the NSN viewers sense what is happening and will keep the conversations going while waiting for you to come back on Don t be afraid to ask for advice by typing i...

Page 185: ...age 183 Customizing the Screen You can customize what controls and the defaults for most of the controls you want active by Left Clicking anywhere in the Left Control Panel then choose the Settings ch...

Page 186: ...our larger size up to 28 4mm diagonal CCD or CMOS sensor astronomical camera The large format focal reducer has a 2 48mm thread on either end and comes with a T to 2 adapter to allow use with all T mo...

Page 187: ...SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual September 18 2019 SkyRaider DS432 TEC User Manual Page 185 User Notes...

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