Meade DSI Pro CCD

I dont think I'll be doing this soon, but when I do , I'd be happy to collaborate.

As far as an autoguider is concerned. Why not just use a webcam in conjunction with webcam guiding software like guide dog.

see;

barkosoftware.com/GuideDog/

Guiddog will view an image of a star through the webcam and send guiding commands to your scope via your laptops parallel or serial port

What you need alongside this is something to carry the guiding commands from your laptop port to your mount or hand controller. I've ordered one of these;

www.otticasanmarco.it/shoestringastronomy_en.htm

What this effectively does is push the right buttons on your hand controller. If your mount has an ST4 port it just plugs straight in. Mine has a 9pin D plug which is wired straight to the handcontroller buttons. All I need to do is make a suitable adaptor, Wont be a problem.

Ok the webcam wont be sensitive enough to guide on really faint stars, but with guidedog the star doesnt have to be in the center of the field. I can see jupiters moons in my webcam so any star this brioght will do.

BTW I know Dave Lillis might be interested in this DIY Autoguider Isolated Relay Box.

www.astrosurf.com/benschop/Autoguider_Relay_Box.htm

Problem is the components nearly work out the same price as the unit mentioned in my last post. The 5V relays cost 7lids each and you need 4 of them. I'm guessing the shoestringastronomy unit is transistor based (like the DSLR parallel cable). Using the transistors as relays like this might just work. Anyway like I said I looked at all of this and thought that for 90lids for the shoestringastronomy unit. Building one just wasnt worth it. I'll let you know how it goes when it arrives and I get it set up.

Back to the DSI pro. I spent a lot of time looking around this evening and I'm totally sold on the unit. Just a question of when and how much. It seems the dsi pro is not available at all in europe yet. The nearest I can find is BC&F who say 'coming soon' based on the UK price of 269quid for the original DSI, it looks like the pro is gonna cost us around 500euro:(

This does get up my goat a bit. I know we have vat and all that but it still doesnt bring the price up to that level. BTW do any of you know a US dealer prepared to ship meade gear here? Maybe I need to take a weekend break in New York:)

Hi Dave McD and all. I've been doing some study recently on the DSI. It appears to me that everyone is now using the LPI as an autoguider to image with the DSI. There seems to be software issues around it initially, some have no problems while others do. I think the gist of it is, the ones with software issues are the ones who installed the LPI drivers first, then the DSI drivers, but installation the opposite way around solves most of the issues. Don't forget tho' I'm no tech buff, I'm still trying to get my head around all this astronomy stuff.
Dave McD is aware of how disheartened I was with the DSI initially, but things are rapidly changing for me mentally as well as image-wise. I've done a lot of reading lately, and this DSI is really magic and it would appear that while the auto controls are OK to get started, you are probably better forgetting them when you get a bit confident. this imager seems so versatile in manual I can't wait to get a clear night and have a crack at it. So far my main problem, which Dave knows I did a lot of intial moaning about, is not the imager but my eyes. Focusing with this thing is a real b**ch, but all the time I had the perfect focusing assistant in my laptop and never realised. I don't think I'm too excited about it's "magic eye focusing", it seems to depend on too many variables and I often end up just using my eye to focus, but lo' and behold, right there in Windows XP is the perfect focusing aid, magnifier. I'm sure it's going to cut my focussing time right down to near zero minutes. anyway, as Dave McD already knows, this imager is capable of lots, just stand by for my future images, remembering of course, that I'm learning astronomy as well as imaging at the same time, something I woudn't advise or do again if I had to start over again, it would be astronomy, then imaging. So if any of you have eye difficulties then don't forget to call up magnifier, even if you don't have the problems, it's still handy.
The more I learn about the DSI the more excited I'm becoming about it, and once I get my head around the LPI autoguiing, you can be sure I will be trying that. all i need now is a clear night to put what i have been learning into practice.
Bill H.

BTW I know Dave Lillis might be interested in this DIY Autoguider Isolated Relay Box.

www.astrosurf.com/benschop/Autoguider_Relay_Box.htm

Problem is the components nearly work out the same price as the unit mentioned in my last post. The 5V relays cost 7lids each and you need 4 of them. I'm guessing the shoestringastronomy unit is transistor based (like the DSLR parallel cable). Using the transistors as relays like this might just work. Anyway like I said I looked at all of this and thought that for 90lids for the shoestringastronomy unit. Building one just wasnt worth it. I'll let you know how it goes when it arrives and I get it set up.

Thanks for the link Dave, when I get more free time, I might build one of these, it looks quite simple and uses very standard parts.
The relays might be abit costy, but the reast is pretty cheap.