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Setting up a flat panel target
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For those of you who have large(r) telescopes, how do you handle your flats, and if you are automating them, what is your strategy? the reason I'm asking here on losmandy is this: i have a 12" RC and i need to do the flats in a semi-automated fashion.? i'm thinking to set up the flat panel where i can slew the telescope to point at it, and then remotely turn on the panel and take flats.? do folks do this, and if so do you have any advice on how to set this up? maybe slew to the location, record the coordinates, set it up in my imaging program, etc. or maybe people do something entirely different? I apologize if this is too far off topic thanks Brian? Brian Valente portfolio |
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Brian:
I use an electoluminated light panel that is about 16" x 12" that when I am ready to take the flats, align my 8" C8 straight up and take the flats.
John Hobbs
hobbs_john@... -----Original Message-----
From: Brian Valente <bvalente@...> To: Losmandy_users <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, Sep 5, 2019 2:28 pm Subject: [Losmandy_users_io] Setting up a flat panel target For those of you who have large(r) telescopes, how do you handle your flats, and if you are automating them, what is your strategy?
the reason I'm asking here on losmandy is this: i have a 12" RC and i need to do the flats in a semi-automated fashion.? i'm thinking to set up the flat panel where i can slew the telescope to point at it, and then remotely turn on the panel and take flats.?
do folks do this, and if so do you have any advice on how to set this up? maybe slew to the location, record the coordinates, set it up in my imaging program, etc.
or maybe people do something entirely different?
I apologize if this is too far off topic
thanks
Brian?
Brian Valente
portfolio
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开云体育See ? Derek ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Brian Valente
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2019 11:28 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Losmandy_users_io] Setting up a flat panel target ? For those of you who have large(r) telescopes, how do you handle your
flats, and if you are automating them, what is your strategy? ? i'm thinking to set up the flat panel where i can slew the telescope to point at it, and then remotely turn on the panel and take flats.? ? do folks do this, and if so do you have any advice on how to set this up? maybe slew to the location, record the coordinates, set it up in my imaging program, etc. ? or maybe people do something entirely different? ? I apologize if this is too far off topic ? ? thanks ? Brian? ? ? ? Brian Valente portfolio |
开云体育What Paul has described is exactly what I do. The Optec Alnitak flat panel is secured to the observatory wall by one of those television mounts that enables one to pull out and move to the left or right. The top part of the flat panel sits above the observatory wall by about eight inches. This is low enough to never obstruct the field of view of the scope when pointed to the night sky. The beauty of the Gemini system is that there are a number of different Park settings available. If you run scripting software, you need to be able to specify which “Home” setting to fully automate the process. ? Having said this, I would prefer to have the flat panel mounted on the inside of the dome of the observatory so that the scope is pointing up at an angle similar to normal operations. The commercial SCT I have is subject to mirror shift. However, this plan confronts a problem – how to power a flat panel and be able to turn it on and off, etc. when it is affixed to the dome. At the moment, the flat panel is powered by the supply which came with it and delivers around 270 volts to the panel. Both the flat panel and the power supply must be affixed to the dome, and powered by, say, a battery which is charged up by a solar panel during the day. I am looking around for an electrical engineer who could guide me through this set up. ?
? ? ? ? ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
On Behalf Of Paul Kanevsky
Sent: Friday, 6 September 2019 11:36 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [Losmandy_users_io] Setting up a flat panel target ? If you're using Gemini, one way to do this is to define a Home location pointing at the flat panel. You can then command Gemini to go Home when you need to take flats, or park when you are ready to shut down. |
开云体育Thanks Paul and everyone ? This was the bit I was primarily interested in, but it was helpful to hear how everyone is doing it ? ? Thanks ? Brian ? portfolio https://www.brianvalentephotography.com/ ? From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Paul Kanevsky ? If you're using Gemini, one way to do this is to define a Home location pointing at the flat panel. You can then command Gemini to go Home when you need to take flats, or park when you are ready to shut down. |
Paul Kanevsky