DIY webcam issue on GS0680

sharkbite · #1 30-01-2014, 11:52 AM

Folks....

i picked up one of these dirt cheap:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/IDream-Lapto...productDetails

mainly because it has a 31.5mm case....

getting it ready to mount in a 1:25" focusser is simply a matter
of removing the mounting clip, and taking one screw out to remove the lens.(has to be the easiest mod ever, and fits in the scope as if it was specifically designed to do so!)

the problem i have is this:
mounted to my gso680 and
trying to image jupiter with a tool called Sharpcap...
i can't seem to turn the gain down far enough to get detail...
it focusses ok but just looks like a white disk

this cam is supposed to be "driver free" i.e. it uses the stock win7 drivers.

This also seems to limit the capture to 640x480 - and the cam is capable of 1600x1200...

i was hoping there might be someone out there who has experience this with another webcam, and if they fixed it...

note that using this cam solves another problem with the GSO680...
in that because of its shape and size fits deep enough in the focusser
to get prime focus. (Not possible with an SLR on this scope)

cheers,

mswhin63 (Malcolm) · #2 30-01-2014, 02:15 PM

This the exact same result i got with my camera although Windows driver worked but only to a certain degree, objects like the moon and bright planets required further daarkening for which I used double olarizing filter, plus I place IR Filter in as well.

Usually the IR filter of the webcam is removed when the original lens is removed and this causes significant IR blowout on bright objects.

My Camera is the vAgent but is essentially the same resolution. You may also notice slow frame rates at higher resultions plus there also could be a significant amount of noise as higher resolution too.

sharkbite · #3 31-01-2014, 09:20 AM

Thanks mswhin63.

Looking into it a bit further - despite having some control over the exposure,
it seems that the webcam itself has an auto-gain which can't be switched off with the windows driver :-(

Since it does an average exposure, and the planet is small in the frame,
it tries to boost for the mostly black picture.

Never mind - should work ok for the moon which fills the frame.

Not the best for planetary :-(

cheers,

2stroke (Jay) · #4 01-02-2014, 06:40 PM

Really waiting for native usb 3 webcams to hit the market, atm the life cam studio is probably about the best for planetary on a budget. The old 900nc still pulls it wait though and if you get into modding you can do some great things with the old girl. You could try sharpcap and see if you can change exposure and gain with it, though with a min of 10 Lux it really sucks

gary honis has some guides on modding the fusion and life cam studio on his site and the results and the life cam kicks some butt on a budget.

sharkbite · #5 06-02-2014, 03:05 PM

Thanks 2stroke -

I have a lifecam cinema but when i saw how good it is at skype duty i kept it in one piece!

The problem with my cheapy is that it has too much gain -
planets are just washed out white disks.

The default UVC controls work, in that i can reduce or increase the exposure to a certain extent...

Shining a light into it makes it painfully obvious some auto-gain is still active
(goes bright for a half a second then gradually gets darker)

Apparently there is something you can do with a linux box to turn this off,
but i don't have one of those

zenith (Tim) · #6 15-05-2014, 12:24 AM

Have you tried using sharp cap? It is free web-cam control and capture software, and gave me access to more functionality than the software that came with my Logitech web-cam.
http://www.sharpcap.co.uk/

sharkbite · #7 19-05-2014, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zenith

Have you tried using sharp cap? It is free web-cam control and capture software, and gave me access to more functionality than the software that came with my Logitech web-cam.
http://www.sharpcap.co.uk/

Thanks zenith - yes

(hence my statement "trying to image jupiter with a tool called Sharpcap..."
in the original post ;-)

It's true that sharpcap gives more control to logitech-bases webcams -

sadly not for my el-cheapo....

thanks all the same...

Draco (Draco) · #8 19-05-2014, 02:11 PM

Hi Sharkbite

Reading your post gave me a feeling of dejavou

I had also used the exact webcam to take pics of the moon and had high hopes for planetary pics.

As you found out, there seems to be an autogain. Also, there is a button on the top of the webcam, which if you press, seems to cycle through some preset filters (goes green, dark, normal etc). Also, I couldn't get it to focus on the moon or anything for that matter. The moon was soo bright that it just looked like a white circle with a black background

Also, there was this annoying blue led that turned on as soo as I connected the usb cable. Had to solder that out

My first shot at a DIY webcam camera was frustrating and very painful

mswhin63 (Malcolm) · #9 20-05-2014, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharkbite

Thanks zenith - yes

(hence my statement "trying to image jupiter with a tool called Sharpcap..."
in the original post ;-)

It's true that sharpcap gives more control to logitech-bases webcams -

sadly not for my el-cheapo....

thanks all the same...

Unfortunately control of the camera is from the drivers, not so much the software. Without the appropriate drivers SharpCap cannot control it.