6
7
4. When the wizard is complete, click
Finish
. This has installed the driver
software; next we must install the camera itself.
5. Plug in the camera into your computer’s USB port.
6. A
Found New Hardware
notification will appear in your Windows task bar
(Figure 4).
7. Wait a few moments and the camera will automatically install on your com-
puter. When
Device Installed Successfully
notification appears you will
be ready to use the camera.
8. Open MaxIm DL Essentials from the icon on your desktop. The
Live Video
and
Camera Control Window
should appear.
Once the driver is installed, the computer will recognize the SSSSI-III whenever
it is plugged in.
Getting Started During Daylight
We recommend using the SSSSI-III for the first time during the day. This way,
you can become familiar with the camera and its functions without having to
stumble around in the dark. Setup your telescope and mount so the optical
tube is pointing at an object at least a couple of hundred feet away. Insert an
eyepiece and focus as you normally would.
To obtain first images with the SSSSI-III, follow these step-by-step instructions:
1. Plug the camera into your computer’s USB port. Notice the blue LED shin
-
ing on the camera; this LED light indicates the camera is connected and
receiving power from the computer.
2. Open the MaxIm DL Essentials icon now installed on your computer’s
desktop.
3. Essentials should automatically connect directly to your camera with a
Live Video
Window
and
Camera Control
Window
. Your
Live Video
Window
will only show light and dark before the camera is coupled to your
telescope.
4. When the camera is connected to the computer for the first time, the
Live
Video
Window
(and subsequent images captured with the camera) will dis-
play at 640x480 resolution. To change to full resolution mode, click the Setup
button in the
Camera Control Window
and select
Video Capture Pin
. In
the Properties window that pops-up, select
1280x1024
under the
Output
Size
heading, then click
OK
. The
Live Video Window
will now display at
full resolution, and will occupy most of the computer monitor’s screen. Any
images captured with the camera will now also be at full resolution. To move
the
Live Video Window
out of the way, click on the top bar of the window
and drag it to the desired location on the computer screen. Upon subse
-
quent start-ups, the camera will automatically operate at full resolution.
5. To connect the camera to the telescope, simply replace the telescope’s
1.25" eyepiece with the camera. Make sure the securing thumbscrew on
the focuser drawtube is tightened after the camera is inserted.
6. You will now need to refocus the camera for the centered object. Focusing
will be the hardest thing to learn in the initial stages. If you are starting out in
daylight, as is recommended, you may need to turn the brightness control
of the camera down before attempting to focus. This is done by clicking on
the
Setup
button in the
Camera Control Window
. Select
Video Capture
Filter
, and to the right of
Exposure
make sure the
Auto
box is checked.
Then adjust
Contrast and Brightness
. If the daytime image brightness is
still too bright to produce an acceptable image on your computer screen,
you may need to stop-down the aperture of your telescope.
7. Turn the telescope’s focus knob so the focuser drawtube moves slowly
inward. The drawtube needs to go approximately 6mm inward from
where the eyepiece focuses (for most eyepieces). Look at the
Live Video
Window
on the computer screen and adjust the focus knob accordingly to
determine best image focus.
Note: The camera’s field of view is fairly small. It is approximately equivalent to
the field of view through the telescope when looking through a typical (i.e. not
wide-field) 10mm focal length eyepiece.
8. Image orientation can be changed by rotating the camera within the
focuser drawtube. Simply loosen the thumbscrew on the drawtube and
rotate the camera until the desired image orientation is achieved. Retighten
the thumbscrew on the focuser drawtube when done. You may need to
slightly refocus (using the telescope’s focus knob) if the focuser drawtube
has moved a bit inward or outward when the camera was rotated.
9. Select
Light Color 1x1
mode in the
Camera Control Window
.
10. Set
Frames
to 1 in the
Camera Control Window
. You can increase this
number to automatically add successive frames into the resultant image
for higher image quality. If the object is moving due to poor atmospheric
Figure 5.
The
Live Video
Window
and
Camera Control
Window
both automatically
appear when the SSSSI-II is
connected to the computer
and the MaxIm DL Essentials
program is opened.
