Resolved Is there an adapter for SBig AO products and non-SBig cameras?

Discussion in 'Guiding and Adaptive Optics - StarChaser and AO' started by Ed, Mar 12, 2023.

  1. Ed

    Ed Cyanogen Customer

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    Are the AO devices you sell only compatible with SBig cameras? If so, would it be possible to adapt them (perhaps using Precise Parts) to a setup with an FLI camera and a Planewave CDK20 telescope on an L-500 mount?
     
    Ed, Mar 12, 2023
    #1
  2. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    People have done it in the past. The main thing is you must have an SBIG guide camera - one that has an I2C port. That could be a StarChaser, but it could also be an STF-8300 or an Aluma CCD604 or whatever. As long as the off-axis guide camera is behind the AO it will work.

    On the mechanical side, that's up to you. We don't have any adapters or such.
     
    Doug, Mar 13, 2023
    #2
  3. Ed

    Ed Cyanogen Customer

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    Thanks.
     
    Ed, Mar 13, 2023
    #3
  4. w4sm

    w4sm Cyanogen Customer

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    This is interesting. Will this work with an integrated guider and filter wheel, ie. an FW8G-STXL? Currently the FW8G connects to the AO-X via the I2C Out connection on the AO-X. The guide camera on the integrated filter wheel is HDMI out which connects to the HDMI remote head on the SBIG STXL16200 camera. I assume this HDMI output would go directly to the computer, probably through an HDMI->USB3 converter. Also the SBIG camera has an I2C Aux that connects to the IC2-In on the AO-X. One of my questions is how the filter wheel is connected/controlled if a non-SBIG camera is used?

    Current connections:
    AO-X:
    I2C-OUT -> FW8G-STXL
    I2C-IN <- STXL16200 Aux

    FW8G-STXL:
    HDMI -> STXL16200 Remote head
     
    w4sm, Jul 14, 2023
    #4
  5. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    NO!

    The HDMI connector is merely a connector that was convenient to run all the wires; it is NOT an HDMI port.
    If you attempt to connect any HDMI devices to SBIG camera hardware, you will destroy the equipment.

    The FW8G-STXL self-guiding filter wheel has two halves:
    1) The guider
    2) The filter wheel

    1) Guider - The FW8G-STXL self-guiding filter wheel is controlled by the "brain" in the STXL camera body - the electrical signals to/from the guide CCD sensor and it's shutter are controlled by the STXL's remote guide head port.

    2) The filter wheel gets power and control signals from the I2C AUX port.
    We sell this accessory to use certain filter wheels with third party equipment:
    https://diffractionlimited.com/product/usb-fw/

    It only provides power and control to the filter wheel.
    It does not do anything for the guide CCD.
     
    Colin Haig, Jul 14, 2023
    #5
  6. w4sm

    w4sm Cyanogen Customer

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    OK, so if I understand this correctly, with the addition of the USB to filter wheel adapter and the guider connected to the AO-X through the I2C-Out port on the AO-X then a third-party camera will work with the SBIG guider/filter wheel and AO-X ???
    Thanks.
     
    w4sm, Jul 14, 2023
    #6
  7. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    NO.
    You can't do this, and have a bad plan that will not work.

    The guider half is unusable. It is completely and totally not electrically compatible with anything but the camera it was designed for.
    We used to sell a replacement "lid" for people who wanted to convert the self-guiding filter wheel to a regular filter wheel. We don't have these any more.

    You would have to remove the guider mechanism and pick off mirror to get it out of the light path.

    A better plan would be to do what everyone else does:
    Don't mess up the FW8G-STXL.


    Buy an SBIG StarChaser SC-3 to run the AO-X with the third party camera.
    The correct way to do this is a SC-3 + AO-X bolted onto a filter wheel that fits the third party camera.
    An SBIG AFW-10-50SQ or AFW-12-50R could be adapted mechanically, and used with the USB-FW adapter.
    Or the third party camera vendor's filter wheel.
     
    Colin Haig, Jul 14, 2023
    #7
  8. w4sm

    w4sm Cyanogen Customer

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    Colin, thanks for the clarification. I never had a "plan" at this point. I just wanted to understand the options.
     
    w4sm, Jul 14, 2023
    #8
  9. w4sm

    w4sm Cyanogen Customer

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    Colin, one further question. If I go the route of SC3 + AO-X + 3rd party filter wheel and camera, what camera type settings would I use in Maxim-DL??? An ASCOM driver would presumably work for the camera but how about the AO-X ?? I see "AO Adapter" listed as in the camera model setup. The Starchaser user's manual doesn't discuss use with third party cameras/filter wheels. The camera I would use would be a QHY600 with a QHY 7-position filter wheel (QHYCFW3L).

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2023
    w4sm, Jul 15, 2023
    #9
  10. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    Camera 1 (main) = ASCOM. [Advanced]. Select the QHYCCD imaging camera in the ASCOM chooser. Click [Properties] to make sure it is set up correctly.
    Camera 2 (guide) = DL Imaging. Click [Advanced] In the list of cameras, you should see the SC. Double click. Hit OK. Then select AO on Sensor 1 (There is only 1 sensor on the SC3).
     
    Colin Haig, Jul 16, 2023
    #10
  11. w4sm

    w4sm Cyanogen Customer

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    Thanks!
     
    w4sm, Jul 16, 2023
    #11

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