MallinCam SKYRAIDER DS16C, User Manual

Page 1: ...ly introduce you to the wonders of the MallinCam SkyRaider DS16C Camera It will include instructions on how to install the Software and Drivers and how connect the SkyRaider to your computer along wit...

Page 2: ...Sheet SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page ii Revision History Version Date Revision Description 1 0 11 20 2016 Template Creation 2 0 10 28 2017 Digital Binning 2 1 01 14 2018 Flat Fields 3 4 07 14 2018 S...

Page 3: ...to your Computer 13 Connecting AutoGuider Cable to the SkyRaider DS16C 15 4 Using MallincamSky Software 16 The MallincamSky Window 16 SkyRaider Quick Setup and Pictorial Work Flow 17 Live Stack Pictor...

Page 4: ...deo 50 Save 51 Save As 51 Batch Save 54 Paste as New File 56 Recent Files 56 Exit 57 Edit 57 Cut 57 Copy 58 Paste 58 Paste Shortcut 58 Delete 58 Image Select 58 Select All 58 Select None 59 View 59 Br...

Page 5: ...ype 100 Auto Capture 100 Batch Record 100 Pause Video Capture 100 Open Video Folder 101 Zoom 101 Image Select 101 Track 101 Histogram 102 Reticle 102 ST4 Test 103 Advance Reverse 104 Stitch 104 Panora...

Page 6: ...0 Flat Field Correction 132 Introduction 132 Optical Path Noise 132 Taking Flats 133 Black Level 134 Conversion Gain 135 Sharpen 135 Misc 135 Live Stack 136 Cooling 138 Parameters 139 7 Installing Opt...

Page 7: ...gle 172 How do I Select a part of the Image and Zoom in 172 How do I automatically save 1 image every 30 seconds 173 How do I adjust the brightness in my monochrome SkyRaider 173 How do I Broadcast my...

Page 8: ...2 reversible the MallinCam SkyRaider DS16C delivers fast download speeds near instantaneous to the computer perfect for displaying live images capturing long exposure images or recording video files A...

Page 9: ...S ceramic color sensor 22 mm diagonal Number of effective pixels 4656 X 3518 16 379 808 pixels Transfer method All pixel scan Progressive Scan Full HD Support Hand Selected sensor class 1 Scientific g...

Page 10: ...e2 2 8GHz or Higher Memory 4GB or More USB port USB 3 0 Port Recommended Display 17 or Larger Recommended In the Box The SkyRaider DS16C Plus includes the following standard equipment MALLINCAM SkyRai...

Page 11: ...2 8GHz or more USB 3 0 Port 4GB RAM Recommend 4GB or more 200MB Free HDD Installing the Software Visit the Software Downloads Page in the Support Tab located on the website www mallincam net Select th...

Page 12: ...t up revealing the 5 programs it contains or 1 program if just downloading MallincamSky The ASCOM DRIVER folders contains the ASCOM Drivers for the camera The DIRECTSHOW DRIVER folder contains the Dir...

Page 13: ...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 Install to...

Page 14: ...amera List Tab see Chapter 3 for detailed instructions If by chance you are running the SkyRaiderDS16C on a USB 2 0 cable you will see the name as SkyRaiderDS16C 2 0 Optionally see Installing the ASCO...

Page 15: ...e box for safe keeping Screw in the 1 25 adapter or the 2 adapter to the front of the SkyRaider DS16C Insert the SkyRaider DS16C with adapter attached into a 1 25 or 2 eyepiece adapter on your Telesco...

Page 16: ...computer This simple step can improve both thru put power and distance between your computer and the SkyRaider DS16C camera Windows will then automatically load the correct SkyRaider Camera Driver ont...

Page 17: ...uider Cable to the SkyRaider DS16C If you are going to use your SkyRaider Ds16C as an Autoguider then you will need to attach the provided ST4 cable Attach one end of the ST4 cable into the ST4 slot o...

Page 18: ...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 Camer...

Page 19: ...pical workflow when using the SkyRaider DS16C with MallincamSky Start Mallincam Deep Sky Object Planetary Trigger Mode to Image Activate Dark Field Video Mode to Focus Adjust Image Save and Record Exi...

Page 20: ...Raider DS16C User Manual Page 18 Live Stack Pictorial Work Flow A typical workflow when Live Stacking with MallincamSky Expose Object Choose and Activate Video Mode or Trigger Mode Live Stack Adjust I...

Page 21: ...orial Work Flow A typical workflow when taking a Dark Field with MallincamSky Determine Maximum Exposure Choose and Activate Video Mode or Trigger Mode with Maximum Exposure Dark Field Dark Field Capt...

Page 22: ...rial Work Flow Choose and Activate Video Mode or Trigger Mode with Maximum Exposure Required Click on Loop Prepare Telescope for Flat Field Apply Flat Field Capture and Resolution Choose Quantity and...

Page 23: ...w A typical workflow when using the Histogram Command with MallincamSky Expose Object Increase Left number or Move Left Bar in Darkens Increase Right number or Move Right Bar in Brightens Select Histo...

Page 24: ...6C User Manual July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 22 ROI Pictorial Work Flow A typical workflow when using the ROI Command with MallincamSky Expose Object Trigger Mode Trigger Mode Video Mo...

Page 25: ...SkyRaider DS16C User Manual July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 23 Save Image Pictorial Work Flow A typical workflow on how to Save an Image with MallincamSky Expose Object...

Page 26: ...ge 24 Record Video Pictorial Work Flow A typical workflow on how Record a Video with MallincamSky Expose Object If No Time Limit Set Enter File Location Format Prefix Type Number of Seconds Number of...

Page 27: ...6C User Manual Page 25 Batch Record Pictorial Work Flow A typical workflow on how to Batch Record a series of Videos with a single Click Expose Object Enter File Location Format Prefix Type Number of...

Page 28: ...ual Page 26 Auto Capture Pictorial Work Flow A typical workflow on how to Auto Capture a series of Images with a single Click Expose Object Enter File Location Format Prefix Type Capture Mode Total nu...

Page 29: ...age 27 Save Sequence of Images Pictorial Work Flow Trigger Mode A typical workflow on an alternative method to Save a Sequence of Images with the Sequence Command in Trigger Mode with MallincamSky Exp...

Page 30: ...gital Binning A typical workflow on applying Digital Binning Choose a Method usually Additive now select a Binning Number from 1 default to 4 Notice the video window will decrease in size so you may n...

Page 31: ...July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 29 Sharpen Pictorial Work Flow Choose and Activate Video Mode or Trigger Mode with Maximum Exposure Select Sharpen Value Choose percentage with slider De...

Page 32: ...om the Camera List in the Camera Tab With the Camera Tab selected on the Left SideBar Left Click on the SkyRaiderDS16C between lines in Camera Heading Once the SkyRaider is selected a black rectangle...

Page 33: ...t a feel of the process Then Left Click on the Capture Button The Software will display its progress above the selected Quantity Remember it is beneficial to set the Dark Field exposure time greater t...

Page 34: ...to Trigger Mode if you are imaging Deep Sky Objects else remain in Video Mode if imaging Planetary Objects and adjust the Exposure Time to match the current target and the equipment you are using If y...

Page 35: ...n shots before imaging 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 manu...

Page 36: ...th the largest bits of data for color or shades of Back and White for each pixel that the SkyRaider can produce This will provide enough data for external stacking programs to pull out the finest deta...

Page 37: ...our exposure times Video Mode will continuously take and display images at the duration you set in the Exposure time So let s get started Set your exposure to a small value say 10ms as a starting poin...

Page 38: ...nces Read the appropriate section in the User Manual it is great reading if I do say so myself to obtain more information what each particular setting does in the Color Balance and Color Adjustment Ta...

Page 39: ...educe the image size in the Image Window To finely adjust the image characteristics open up the Histogram Tab and either enter in the Left and Right values or Left Click Hold and Drag the two Vertical...

Page 40: ...k the Enable Button in the Dark Field Tab to disable Dark Field Correction just un check the Enable Button in the Dark Field Tab Again for most planetary imaging Dark Fields will not be necessary If y...

Page 41: ...processes and controls are provided later in the User Manual The following instructions are used as a guide to assist you in doing Deep Sky imaging Don t forget when finished with a particular step th...

Page 42: ...Raider is able to produce This will provide enough data for external stacking programs to pull out the finest detail from your video images From the Capture and Resolution Tab on the MallincamSky Tool...

Page 43: ...t SideBar of MallincamSky You will normally determine the maximum exposure time that you will be using for the evening but to get started for the first time we will choose 5 exposures of 30 seconds Ad...

Page 44: ...ng you to select the Quantity of Dark Fields and the option to start the Dark Field Capture process Select 5 for the Quantity then Left Click on the Capture Button which will change its name to Stop i...

Page 45: ...the slider or Click on the Current Exposure Time Value to open up the Exposure Time Window Enter in 1 second 1000 ms in this window and Click the OK button to accept We will use a small exposure so we...

Page 46: ...30 seconds using your Keyboard o You can Click on the up or down arrow in the Time Unit Box of choice to move the exposure time to your required value 30 seconds Click on the Single Button to a take a...

Page 47: ...econds before the Dark fields are applied Obtaining an Image of our First Deep Sky Object is enough for most to start the celebration process again most of us will call for our spouse to have a look a...

Page 48: ...if the mess up there is always the Defaults Button to bring your image back To finely adjust the image characteristics open the Histogram Tab and either enter in the Left and Right values or Left Clic...

Page 49: ...de what is best for you To shorten the exposure also reduces the resolution you have the option of selecting Digital Binning You can choose no Binning 1 all the way to 4 x 4 Binning Note you will need...

Page 50: ...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 that...

Page 51: ...r 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 simultaneously by Ct...

Page 52: ...and allow you use the File Open 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...

Page 53: ...pup 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 Interest defined...

Page 54: ...e 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 the cur...

Page 55: ...ing 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 current se...

Page 56: ...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 when a A...

Page 57: ...his prefix will be combined with Name Format to form a final file name naming paradigm File Type In this combo box select the format in which you want the image to be saved can be BMP JPG PNG TIF Clic...

Page 58: ...operties via the Image Menu choice see Image section in user Manual MallincamSky will accept image data from other applications via the clipboard as long as it is in Windows Bitmap DIB format Mallinca...

Page 59: ...If an image has been modified before attempting to Exit MallincamSky will issue a warning to ask if user wants to save the images or not Edit This Drop Down Menu will allow you to Cut Copy and Paste...

Page 60: ...the File and then used Edit Copy into your currently selected folder Remember to use File Paste as New File to paste image into a new MallincamSky Window Paste Shortcut This control allows you to pla...

Page 61: ...nder the specified directory in the Folders Sidebar The Browse Window resembles the Windows Explorer Left Clicking on the will expand a folder so that you can examine its contents You can Right Click...

Page 62: ...r 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 each with a check mark beside it Left Click on the che...

Page 63: ...data as linear or logarithmic Clicking on the Histogram Control again closed the Histogram window Grids The View Grids control has the ability to display a grid overlay on top of your Video Window You...

Page 64: ...ft Click on the Grids option on the left of the Preferences Window and adjust the Style No Grid Auto Grid and Manual Grid Line Style Solid Dash Dot or DashDot and Color that you are interested in Left...

Page 65: ...Down Arrow along the Horizontal Ruler to where ever you want When it is dragging over the video image there will be a Vertical Line in the Color and Style chosen by you aiding you in judging where to...

Page 66: ...ready set to 100 and place the image video inside the Video Window Tab Full Screen Selecting the View Full Screen control will display the video window in full screen mode You will not see any command...

Page 67: ...r another stellar object You can change the color of the Reticle via the Option Preferences control in the Top Menu Line Left Click on Reticle icon to Activate and Left Click again on Reticle icon to...

Page 68: ...ge or Small Icons Simply Left Click to make your Selection Refresh This control allows you to refresh the contents of the currently selected folder Properties This control will display the current Fil...

Page 69: ...test the ST4 port on the camera You can also pause the Video image on the Video Window from here Start Pause Left Clicking on this control will Pause the SkyRaider Camera s live display Left Clicking...

Page 70: ...ves in a specific direction Due to the various orientations of the SkyRaider Camera once inserted inside the telescope the Green Directions Arrows will not necessarily match the direction of Mount mov...

Page 71: ...w is not activated Left Click this Snap button on the Camera Sidebar to a capture image quickly Only when the video window is active the Capture Capture Image menu will be enabled If the Live and Snap...

Page 72: ...o record video in Trigger Mode as this command is identical When the Recording process starts the SkyraideDS16C will toggle the fans when recording starts and when the recording sequence stops The onl...

Page 73: ...ecord Tab in Options Preferences choose the location and file type and duration for recorded Video Files In the Batch Record Tab in Options Preferences chose the number of Videos to be recorded plus t...

Page 74: ...abort the current Video but will continue with the next sequence MallincamSky will also provide you in a status on how the recording are going by displaying a Status Information line on the bottom of...

Page 75: ...our Bits dialog is opened the default checked color bit is the current image s color bit Check the desired bit and click OK to end the command The image will be converted to the selected color bits in...

Page 76: ...he 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 loss of de...

Page 77: ...lue 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 value is...

Page 78: ...sa 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 locat...

Page 79: ...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 only ava...

Page 80: ...hen 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 active ima...

Page 81: ...tial 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 across an a...

Page 82: ...ove 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 Top Men...

Page 83: ...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 image s Wi...

Page 84: ...rtant to note that even though we re talking about brightness levels we re not just talking about black and white grayscale images but Histograms work equally well and are just as important with full...

Page 85: ...the following statistical information below the Histogram Pixels Represents the total number of pixels used to calculate the Histogram Level Displays the intensity level of the area underneath the po...

Page 86: ...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 You can u...

Page 87: ...nual July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 85 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 count...

Page 88: ...July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 86 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 and W...

Page 89: ...io 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 area tha...

Page 90: ...ual Page 88 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 processing...

Page 91: ...camera Directory The file Directory can be select by Left Clicking the Browse button File The File Name This can be a combination of Name of Format File Prefix and File Type avi or ser format as show...

Page 92: ...you to set the number of Video recordings in the batch plus the time interval between each separate recording Clicking on OK accepts the settings The Options Preferences Auto Capture tab will allow y...

Page 93: ...nable 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 Total Images is...

Page 94: ...layed in the Browse window or not The checked Format can be displayed in the Browse window The Target Tab allows you to label the target that you are currently shooting The 10 solar system objects are...

Page 95: ...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 The De...

Page 96: ...mSky window to your liking This control allows you to determine what metadata is embedded inside the FITS and EXIF files when they are saved File views that read FITS or EXIF images can then display d...

Page 97: ...ou 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 actuall...

Page 98: ...cattered through the list 1 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...

Page 99: ...locate a particular image 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 simultaneously by C...

Page 100: ...nal error When an image is closed and not to save its changes is chosen MallincamSky discards all changes made since the last Save operation The Save Icon always saves the contents of the entire windo...

Page 101: ...t Double Click on a Graphics File inside the Video Window it will open up that Graphics File in a new Tab in the Video Window You can close the Tab in the Video Window by Right Clicking on the Tab s T...

Page 102: ...Clicking on the Auto Capture icon MallincamSky will indicate the status of the Auto Capture process on the lower left of the MallincamSky window Batch Record This icon activates the Batch Record routi...

Page 103: ...live or static by using the Left Click Hold and Drag technique Once selected then you can Copy Ctrl C the selected region and then Paste it into another software program Once a Region of Interest Rect...

Page 104: ...togram This icon will display a real time Histogram for information purposes beneath the Video window being displayed Clicking on the icon again will remove the Histogram The icon has a pull down tab...

Page 105: ...s used to check if the camera can correctly communicate with the Telescope Mount Connect the ST4 cable provided with the SkyRaider Camera to the ST4 Port on your Telescope Mount Turn on the Telescope...

Page 106: ...directly enter a number into the number box or Left Click on the up and down arrows to scroll up or down the value in the number box Attempt to orientate the SkyRaider Camera in the eye piece holder...

Page 107: ...g to create a horizontal panoramic image or a vertical panoramic image Have the camera viewing a specific location or object Now Left Click on the Snap button This will place a snapshot in the viewing...

Page 108: ...cation stitched images can be arranged using one of following projection mappings Plane Cylindrical Spherical Fisheye Stereographic Mercator or Transverse Mercator Seam Finder MallincamSky provides fo...

Page 109: ...Next to bring up the final Stich Window Again make some logical guesses with the numbers and Left Click on the Finish button when decisions have been made MallincamSky will work thru the Snaps and ap...

Page 110: ...Manual Page 108 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 will notice that your original snapped ima...

Page 111: ...16C User Manual July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 109 Preferences This icon opens up the preferences window This icon is identical to the Main Tab line Options Preferences See above in the...

Page 112: ...eo Window to remind you that that control is in effect You will be able to collapse the control window by Left Clicking on the Up Arrow on the control heading Camera List The Camera List control lists...

Page 113: ...yed Left Click on the Drop Down list on the Resolution to see all the allowable resolutions available for your SkyRaider The Skyraider DS16C has three resolutions 4640x3506 2304x1750 1536x1168 The Sna...

Page 114: ...e Options Preferences Tab to choose the location name format and duration of the video Left clicking on the Record Icon will tell MallincamSky to start recording a video of what is currently being cap...

Page 115: ...k on the Slider Bar which selects it you can use the Left and Right Arrow Keys of your keyboard to move the slider this gives you more control For Deep Sky Objects start the Gain at about 50 For Plane...

Page 116: ...sure is selected you will see a Green Rectangle labelled Exposure will appear over your Video Window This Green Rectangle is a marked region that is a reference region for judging if the image brightn...

Page 117: ...to move the slider this gives you more control If you Left Click on the Current Exposure Time Value a window will open up where you can enter in the exact exposure time you require This window will al...

Page 118: ...usly Loop images from the SkyRaider DS16C You have two methods of setting your exposure to a large value o You can Click in the Time Unit Box of choice and enter in an amount i e 30 seconds using your...

Page 119: ...format to match your preferences this is great for choosing a folder location for AstroToaster Number in Sequence Use this control to enter in the number of images you would like MallincamSky to save...

Page 120: ...nel Red Green Blue there are 12 bits assigned That is there are 4096 212 shades of Red Green and Blue available The larger the Bit Depth the larger the data and the harder the CPU must work to produce...

Page 121: ...ever get confused with what settings you have entered into the Color Balance control you can reset these values back to their defaults by Left Clicking on the Default Button Color Adjustment The Color...

Page 122: ...he Left Click Hold and Drag technique to move the slider to the left or right or just Left Click on the Saturation s slider this selects it then use your Left and Right arrow keys on your Keyboard to...

Page 123: ...ntrol is like adjusting the mid tone slider on a histogram You can either use the Left Click Hold and Drag technique to move the slider to the left or right or just Left Click on the Gamma s slider th...

Page 124: ...a grey image provides especially when imaging the Moon If you require the color video to be displayed in Color then Left Click on the Color choice If you require the color video to be displayed in sh...

Page 125: ...OI or Region Of Interest relates to the rectangular portion of the video image that you may be interested in You will lose you Dark Field using this control When you are recording video images of plan...

Page 126: ...ROI to its full screen by Left Clicking on the Default Button You may need to set Fit to Window in the Drop Down Size command in the MallincamSky Tool Bar If you are trying to improve the frame rate...

Page 127: ...s You use the Histogram to aid you in determining the best exposure value for your particular object But try not to get too aggressive as you can easily clip remove important data form your image If y...

Page 128: ...s Increasing the Left Bar Darkens the image Decreasing the Right Bar Brightens the image The Before image is a 3 second exposure with Left at 0 and Right at 250 The After image same 3 second exposure...

Page 129: ...t gives up the number of horizontal and vertical pixel resolution by that same factor You can have the Mallincam either Avera the pixels or Add the pixels The supported Binning available is 1x1 2x2 3x...

Page 130: ...as one effectively lowering the number of pixels in the image resolution You can use the Zoom controls to increase the image size to your needs You will notice that the brightness of the image will dr...

Page 131: ...e suggest saving a set of Darks for each of the binning modes Use a naming convection or a file location so that it is easy to not only choose the correct Darks for a binning setting but with in that...

Page 132: ...Resolution The Exposure Gain Window will expand select the exposure time for the Dark Field You must determine what you believe will be the maximum exposure for this session As you will create Dark F...

Page 133: ...ottom right side of the MallincamSky window you will see a counter letting you know how long is left in that particular exposure Once you have finished taking your Dark Fields don t forget to remove t...

Page 134: ...ints and other unwanted shadow producing things in the light path The result of such optical path obscuration is an unevenly illuminated CCD CMOS chip These noise variations are usually caused either...

Page 135: ...the camera after you have taken your flats with integration times to allow the flat to produce an image that captures of noise but Flat images should never bloom but should also not be less than a se...

Page 136: ...ed you can watch the exposure counter in the Flat Field Correction Tab go up and on the bottom right side of the MallincamSky window you will see a counter letting you know how long is left in that pa...

Page 137: ...providing tremendous benefit for real time imaging The LCG mode is comparable to the old NO GAIN while the HCG mode was comparible to the 2x gain is HCG The trade off is the effective lower readout n...

Page 138: ...mounts The follwing images captured live illustrate the advantages of Stacking M5 a single 5 second exposure using SkyRaider DS16C on 10 VRC M5 two 5 second exposures stacked using SkyRaider DS16C on...

Page 139: ...ky Now select if you would like the images stacked Additive or Averaged Mean by making a selection in the Mode Box Next enter in the Number of Frames you would like stacked You can stack from 1 to 99...

Page 140: ...s stacked the first image will be removed this is a rolling stack You can disable the Stacking process by just unchecking the Enable Box Don t be afraid to also turn on Dark Field Subtraction to help...

Page 141: ...ings in the SideBar including the Rectangle Regions of Interest The Drop Down control provides a list of previous if any saved parameter settings Just sellect the parameter session that you require fr...

Page 142: ...rameter file Left Click on the Management command and a Management Dialoge Window will open up This Dialog Window will allow you to Rename the Parameter File name Remove the Parameter File from the co...

Page 143: ...er Parameters File Folder this way you can load parameter files for a specific camera Also you can also include other collegues parameters files in the same Folder Chris s skyRaider DS16C Parameter Fi...

Page 144: ...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 zipped fi...

Page 145: ...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 DRIVER...

Page 146: ...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 always ha...

Page 147: ...COM 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 appear...

Page 148: ...dy 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 will...

Page 149: ...r Guiding with MaximDL and Mallincam ASCOM The following is a pictorial procedure on how to select the Mallincam ASCOM driver assumes you have already installed this driver on your computer in MaximDL...

Page 150: ...ge 148 Left Click the Setup Camera button on Camera 2 from the Setup Tab Choose ASCOM from Camera Model in Setup ASCOM popup Window Now Left Click on the Advanced Button in the Setup ASCOM popup Windo...

Page 151: ...or Left Click on the OK Button to accept the Mallincam Driver in the ASCOM Camera Chooser Window You will be returned to the Setup ASCOM window then Left Click on its OK button to accept this and you...

Page 152: ...ck on the OK Button to accept the settings and return to the Camera Control Window All you need to do now is select Connect from the Setup Tab to activate the camera and start using MaxIm DL as you no...

Page 153: ...16C User Manual July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 151 Guiding in PHD2 with Mallincam ASCOM Driver Start the PHD2 software Click on the Connection Icon to open up Connect Equipment Window S...

Page 154: ...op Down List Left Click on the Camera Setup Button to open Setup Window Setup Recommendations for SkyRaider is to use 640 480 Resolution with the 8 Bit Depth and Low Frame Rate Left Click on OK to go...

Page 155: ...on on Camera List to connect camera Select On Camera from the Mount Dropdown list Left Click on the Connect on Mount List and select On camera to tell PHD2 that the mount that the SkyRaider controls t...

Page 156: ...ly would PHD can control the exposure time of the SkyRaider Camera with the exposure drop down button If you are using a Mallincam SkyRaider DS16C camera to do your auto guiding with PHD and you are u...

Page 157: ...r DS16C User Manual July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 155 Running PHD2 with WDM Driver ToupST4 Driver Start PHD2 software Click on the Camera Icon to open up Connect Equipment Window Step...

Page 158: ...018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 156 Choose WDM style webcam camera from Camera Dropdown List Left Click on the Connect button on Camera List The Camera choice window will pop up Select MALLINCAM...

Page 159: ...SkyRaider DS16C User Manual July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 157 Select Resolution recommend 640x480 and Click on OK Choose ToupST4 ASCOM from the Mount Dropdown List Step 6 Step 7...

Page 160: ...can check to see if the SkyRaider can control your Mount by Left Clicking on the Mount Setup Icon and use the Arrow Buttons to see if your mount moves Left Click on the Mount Connect Button activate...

Page 161: ...video image every 1 second Left Clicking on the Cam Dialog Box see image above in PHD2 will open a window where you can adjust the parameters of the SkyRaider Camera such as the actual Exposure as the...

Page 162: ...ontrol the SkyRaider with a variety of other pieces of Software such as SharpCap Now this is the first generation of DirectShow Sharpcap driver interaction and as such not all of the commands are perf...

Page 163: ...onds to 5 seconds You will need to record those numbers to assist you SharpCap recognizes that the DS16C does have an extended mode for exposures that are over 5 seconds To turn on the extended mode o...

Page 164: ...e 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 you to ad...

Page 165: ...nloaded from http www astrotoaster com AstroToaster Work Flow Images are sent by MallincamSky to a folder that AstroToaster is monitoring AstroToaster will the align and stack those images producing a...

Page 166: ...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 on a F...

Page 167: ...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 folde...

Page 168: ...y 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 the autom...

Page 169: ...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 AstroToaser Click on Color Adj Tab to...

Page 170: ...at http astroprecisioninstruments com products astro live As of this writing the Version of AstroLive is v1 4 This version did not have the SkyRaider series of camera in mind But the MALLINCAM ASCOM...

Page 171: ...Control Window Make any adjustments 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 Window To activate th...

Page 172: ...s 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 w...

Page 173: ...nual Page 171 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 s...

Page 174: ...e 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 This...

Page 175: ...e 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 yet avai...

Page 176: ...operations such as contrast Just Left Click on the location before the operation you would like to undo and MallincamSky will revert the image back to that step How do I make my ROI the whole Image Ag...

Page 177: ...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 or over w...

Page 178: ...computer To summarize as per the research done by Doug Murphy Add a much RAM as you can into your system Settings System Privacy Settings General all off Location all off Camera all off Microphone ye...

Page 179: ...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 use onl...

Page 180: ...se 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 Click on G...

Page 181: ...ght 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 Check a pr...

Page 182: ...14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 180 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 proces...

Page 183: ...ar 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 brighter...

Page 184: ...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 Field co...

Page 185: ...t 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 exposur...

Page 186: ...der DS16C User Manual Page 184 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 90 sec...

Page 187: ...t 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 the imag...

Page 188: ...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 will adju...

Page 189: ...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 sessions unt...

Page 190: ...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 window...

Page 191: ...GIN 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 Window wil...

Page 192: ...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 of the...

Page 193: ...rs 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 Settings...

Page 194: ...e 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 what set...

Page 195: ...s 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 MallincamSky ru...

Page 196: ...efore 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 in on th...

Page 197: ...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 choice to...

Page 198: ...er 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 mount type...

Page 199: ...SkyRaider DS16C User Manual July 14 2018 SkyRaider DS16C User Manual Page 197 User Notes...