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Photos: 

Enter the number of photos you wish to acquire of the subject. 

You can use advanced image processing methods to combine multiple 

images of an object into a single photo with much less graininess and 

far more detail than can typically be recorded in a single long exposure. 

Tracking Rate: 

Celestial objects within our own solar system move at 

slightly different rates than the distant stars and nebulae that populate 

the rest of our galaxy. SAM can be set to track "nearby" objects more 

accurately by setting this parameter. Choose 

Sidereal 

if  you  are taking 

a  constellation  or  Milkyway portrait and 

Lunar 

if you are tracking the 

Moon  (e.g.,  to record the stages  of a  Lunar Eclipse). 

Solar 

is reserved 

for  advanced  uses  where  specialized  equipment  is  being  used  to 

photograph the Sun. 

WiFi Off on Run: 

When enabled, SAM will automatically turn off WiFi 

at the start of a task to save power. WiFi can be restored at any time 

by  pressing  and  holding  the  power  button  until  the  green  LED  WiFi 

indicator light comes on.  If you encounter any  problems  reconnect to 

SAM's network on your device. 

Profiles Save/ Edit: 

To save a profile tap 

Save. 

To edit or delete a profile 

tap 

Edit. 

You can store your multiple profiles of your favourite settings 

for recall at future sessions. 

Once your tripod, SAM and camera gear are set up and all of your task 

parameters are set, just press 

Run 

to initiate the task. This will bring up 

your 

Progress Screen. 

Astrophotography Progress Screen 

Anytime  you  have  a  process  running  you  can  view  its  progress  by 

tapping on 

Status 

at the bottom of the parameters screen. This brings 

up  .information  about  number  of  photos  taken,  percentage  of  task 

complete,  etc. The information may  vary  slightly depending on which 

function you are currently using. 

22 

1:30PM 

Astrophotography 

Exposu  e (Sec) 

Photo Interval (Sec) 

Photos 

ho 

Trac 

Information 

WiFi 

Photos taken: 3/5 

Progress:  60% 

Pro 

OK 

Status 

4.83V 

••ooo Bell  9 

1:30 PM 

(  Back 

Astro Time-lapse 

Exposure (Sec) 

120 

Video Time Span 

(Hr) 

10.53 

Video Length (Sec) 

10 

Frame Rate (fps) 

30 (NTSC) 

- -

-

Photos 

300 

Tracking Rate 

Sidereal 

WiFi Off on Run 

Profiles 

Save 

No Saved Profiles 

SynScanWiFi_a1281 e 

-

Run 

• 

Edit 

4.76V 

Using the Star Adventurer mini Console For Astro Time-Lapse 

One of the most unique features of SAM is its ability to create time-lapse 

videos of celestial vistas. This feature combines SAM's astrophotography 

functions with its time-lapse functions giving you a powerful tool to create 

stunning and unique time-lapse videos. 

Note that to obtain astronomical time-lapse videos you must polar align 

SAM as described above. Below are the parameters you can set along with 

their explanations for producing astronomical time-lapse videos. 

Exposure  (Sec):  Exposure 

should be set to  a value  that is  sufficiently 

long to record detail in the night time sky, which is typically longer than 

30 seconds. Be sure that your camera is attached to SAM via the SNAP 

control cable, then set your exposure time in this field. Be sure to set your 

camera to BULB mode, otherwise your shutter will not stay open.  It will 

close according to whatever shutter speed is selected on your camera. 

IF  YOU  TAKE  A  LONG  EXPOSURE  AND  SEE  NOTHING  ON  YOUR 

SCREEN THEN MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CAMERA IS SET FOR MANUAL 

OPERATION, YOUR SHUTTER IS SET TO BULB MODE - AND YOUR LENS 

CAP HAS BEEN REMOVED. 

Video  Time  Span (Hr):  Video  Time Span 

refers  to  the  amount  of real 

time that will elapse from the start to the end of the recording. 

Video 

Time Span 

is affected by 

Exposure, Photos, Video Length and Frame Rate, 

and will be calculated for you. However, you can also directly set a value 

for 

Video Time Span. 

For instance, if you want to follow the Moon for 5 

hours to record the stages of a lunar eclipse, you could set 

Video Time 

Span 

to 5. Set the length of your desired time-lapse video in 

Video Length 

and the appropriate frames per second (fps) in 

Frame Rate. 

Other related 

parameters will then be calculated for you. 

Video Length (Sec): 

Set this parameter to the desired length in seconds 

of your finished time-lapse  video. You can set this parameter directly, or 

you can allow it to be calculated for you based on the values of other 

parameters. 

23 

Summary of Contents for star adventurer mini

Page 1: ...r Adventurer Mini User Guide Astrophotography Time Lapse hotography DSLR Camera Control Quite Possibly The Most Compact and Versatile Camera Tracking Platform in the Known Universe Skv waiclier l3e z...

Page 2: ...s could result in explosion or fire Keep out of reach of children Failure to do so could result in injury Moreover note that small parts constitute a choking hazard Consult a physician immediately if...

Page 3: ...ar Alignment in the Southern Hemisphere Star Adventurer mini Console for Astrophotog raphy Astrophotography Progress Screen Using SAM for Astra Time Lapse Photography Astra Time Lapse Progress Screen...

Page 4: ...g Mounting Assembly This optional acccessory enables coarse and fine pointing in two directionsfor precise aiming control See Appendix IV for details Part Number AP RlC AP R3C AP RlN AP R2N AP R3N AP...

Page 5: ...s per second to indicate motor speed errors exceeding 5 and or motor stalls that last over 5 seconds Speed errors can be caused by overloading the mount and by low battery levels To correct a speed er...

Page 6: ...Settings SynScanWiFl_a1281e 4 82V Time Lapse Photography with the Star Adventurer mini Console Now that you have SAM set up with your camera gear attached it s time to learn how to use the Star Adven...

Page 7: ...sunset enter a value of 1 for Video Time Span If you want to compress that hour into a 45 second long video set your Video Length to 45 It s that easy SAM s powerful app will calculate the other neces...

Page 8: ...rn off WiFi at the start of a task to save power WiFi can be restored at any time by pressing and holding the power button until the green LED WiFi indicator light comes on Profiles Save Edit To save...

Page 9: ...tation connection to create much longer exposures like a minute or two or ten With a sufficiently long exposure your camera will collect enough light to reveal hidden details that are much too faint f...

Page 10: ...ime then replayed in a short video revealing natural dynamics that occur much to slowly for us to perceive otherwise Look through the Polar View Finder and align on Polaris making Polaris adjustmentsw...

Page 11: ...il you can see the star Polaris in the field of view This simple polar alignment will be adequate for most purposes OOO Bell 9 1 30 PM Back Astrophotography Exposure Sec Photo Interval Sec Photos 120...

Page 12: ...Video Time Span Hr 10 53 Video Length Sec 10 Frame Rate fps 30 NTSC Photos 300 Tracking Rate Sidereal WiFi Off on Run Profiles Save No Saved Profiles SynScanWiFi_a1281e Run Edit 4 76V Using the Star...

Page 13: ...real WiFi Off on Run When enabled SAM will automatically turn off WiFi at the start of the task to save power WiFi can be restored at any time by pressing and holding the power button until the green...

Page 14: ...device functions as detailed below Language Choose the default language for the Star Adventurer mini Console Night Mode Tap and choose On or Auta to get a black background with red text This mode is...

Page 15: ...ss while using SAM control SAM via the internet or to save battery power When you select STA mode SAM will join an existing WiFi network To use STA Mode select it then set the SSID and Password for th...

Page 16: ...t by matching the view in the polar scope eyepiece to the view given by the Polar Clock Utility provided in the Star Adventurer mini Console NOTE Because the Equatorial Wedge is such a highly recommen...

Page 17: ...cope llluminator and Polar Scope making sure that you do not disturb the position of the tripod Now you can attach your 32 HOOO Bel 9 Back 1 30 PM Polar Clock Utility Location Ni 1md iH IJI Southern H...

Page 18: ...f required Attach SAM to the Equatorial Wedge _ _ i RI rein T Ji l LiStr lJ I 1 Sl1m Oct1nlJ ___ ooo Bell 9 1 30 PM Back Polar Clock Utility Location Northern Hemisphere t IMIM 1 114 Local longitude 1...

Page 19: ...adjustable If this happens you will need to unscrew the eyepiece from the polar scope manually centre the glass reticule as best you can then reinsert the screw that had lost contact 36 Aim your polar...

Page 20: ...e near the eyepiece NOTE Two of the screws are hidden from view in this photo CAUTION DO NOT over tighten the screws as you may crack the glass reticule inside the eyepiece of the polar scope Level Mo...

Page 21: ...econd mounting screw Attach a second ball mount and camera and double your photographic productivity With its versatile design the Fine Tuning Mounting Assembly is a must have accessory particularly i...

Page 22: ...r Then click on Update Press and hold the power button for about 5 second to turn off the power The next time you power up SAM the new firmware will take effect If you encounter a power loss during th...

Page 23: ...ately 10 field for precision polar alignment to NCP and SCP Power Internal 2 x AA batteries External via micro USB Duration of operation Up to 24 hour with 2 x AA batteries Temperature Range 10 40 C D...

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