Al.Grant Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I've had a few goes with my ASI120MM as an all sky cam (using the supplied lens) but never had enough confidence in the British weather to leave it outside all night. So I'm going to make a waterproof enclosure suitable to leave it outside overnight for short periods, either just overnight or for a couple of days) I got one of these dummy Dome CCTV mounts from Fleabay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150916845218 The top comes off and there is a good bit of room underneath in the mount that will easily accommodate any cable. The black insert simply pops out leaving a clear dome. The dome is just about a perfect fit for the ASI120mm and is preferable to a wet camera! Now I just need to find the best way to secure the camera to the base in a way that is secure but easy to remove when the camera is not being used for all sky and make a hole to allow me to run my 20m active USB cable to the camera. The inside of the acrylic dome gave me a little concern as it doesn't look as smooth as I'd hoped as was a little worried about distortion. However a quick desktop trial showed it should be OK (fingers crossed). After I ordered the dummy CCTV I found an ebay seller using what looks like an identical dome for the same purpose ...... this gives me a bit more confidence that the dome won't cause too much distortion. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251619594552 they look to have left the black insert in, not sure if this will help with any glare from neigbours gardens (I have one who loves his 400w security light ) If I find it's not good enough then there are other domes I can try and I've not wasted too much money. The only thing I'm not happy about so far is that the knurled looking bit at the base is actually solid. I has hoping it would allow the thing to be angled slightly if needed. I won't be using it as a full time all sky cam but there are times when the ASI is sitting idle and it could be out there looking at the sky. The space under where the cam will sit is large enough to also hold a decent sized bag of silica gel or similar desiccant to help keep any moisture at bay, which may not be perfect but easier and more convenient than running a heater to a temporary setup. Al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stash Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Like it - see they have done this http://www.five-roads.co.uk/astro_video_systems_all_sky_cam.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al.Grant Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 Ahh nice ... I'd missed that. I'm assuming they're using the same enclosure and if so then it looks like it should be OK. Actually if I ever feel like a full time 24/7 all sky cam I may try one of those ...... but would want more detail about the actual video cam they use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stash Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 (edited) If its on ebay you have the 14 day "online sales of goods act" so you could try and then send it back -less P&P Looks like the Phil Dyer unit (camera thats is) - used to sell - example of video on "five roads sight" - strange Camera by itself £115 - with dome £115 ?? Edited August 22, 2014 by stash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red dwalf Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 that looks an excellent idea, might have a go at this myself, one thing i did notice while i wad doing some planetary imaging is that the high frame rates can soon fill a hard drive, so are you going to record the images and if so what frame rates would be a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stash Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Rob, its not just the high frame rate its the resolution - so high res plus high rate = lots of space used as you quite rightly said. Format (e.g. Jpeg etc) also has an effect. Example calculations (for CCTV) http://www.wecusurveillance.com/files/891125/uploaded/HDDT.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al.Grant Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 Once I get it all working (there's optimism for ya!) There are a couple of pre-filter options in Firecapture that Imay be worth a try http://firecapture.wonderplanets.de/help/preFilter.html 'Bright Object' & 'Moving Object' should only trigger recording at a certain level .... but I strongly suspect they wouldn't be sensitive or fast enough to trigger on meteors. My spare PC has quite a bit of free hd space, having had most of the non essentials stripped from it and will only be used for my Radio Meteor Detector, so I may be OK, I also have an external 500gb hd that I switch between my laptops and pc. I think it'll be a case of try it and see how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stash Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Once I get it all working (there's optimism for ya!) There are a couple of pre-filter options in Firecapture that Imay be worth a try http://firecapture.wonderplanets.de/help/preFilter.html 'Bright Object' & 'Moving Object' should only trigger recording at a certain level .... but I strongly suspect they wouldn't be sensitive or fast enough to trigger on meteors. My spare PC has quite a bit of free hd space, having had most of the non essentials stripped from it and will only be used for my Radio Meteor Detector, so I may be OK, I also have an external 500gb hd that I switch between my laptops and pc. I think it'll be a case of try it and see how it goes. yep agree - be interesting to see results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+RonC Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Might try that myself! What sort of settings will you use Alastair?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al.Grant Posted August 22, 2014 Author Share Posted August 22, 2014 Might try that myself! What sort of settings will you use Alastair?? Not tried it before, so no idea. I've seen something online that says the Bright Objects pre-filter works for recording ISS passes, but obviously they are much brighter and slower than a meteor. The Firecapture site says the 'Moving Objects' filter is intended for meteor detection, but is untested. This Firecapture Yahoo group thread may be the place to start: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/firecapture/conversations/topics/3725 I've also seen HandyAvi mentioned http://www.azcendant.com/index.html I've never used it but it does say it has astronomy and meteor-trail capture features. It's not free but there is a 10 day trial version that may be worth a look. Finding something that works probably means lots of trial and error ....... knowing my luck lots & lots of error! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+RonC Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Trying a free program out called VideoVelocity 3, seems to be working ok with a sky time lapse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AstroOlly Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Hi, Here is my effort for an all sky camera with the ASI camera, more pictures today of finished project. http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/224699-my-home-built-asi-120mc-based-all-sky-camera/ Olly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stash Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AstroOlly Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Hi,Here is my effort for an all sky camera with the ASI camera, more pictures today of finished project. http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/224699-my-home-built-asi-120mc-based-all-sky-camera/ Olly Added more pics now of final project finished, just need to test now.... Olly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al.Grant Posted September 7, 2014 Author Share Posted September 7, 2014 Looks really good I've not actually done anything else with mine yet as I've been setting up my radio meteor detector, but now that's working I'll get back to doing it. Initially I won't be including power to mine, so no fan or dew heater as I'm only intending to leave it set up for short periods and my camera should be spending more time on the scope than as an all sky ...... But that may change! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AstroOlly Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Looks really good I've not actually done anything else with mine yet as I've been setting up my radio meteor detector, but now that's working I'll get back to doing it. Initially I won't be including power to mine, so no fan or dew heater as I'm only intending to leave it set up for short periods and my camera should be spending more time on the scope than as an all sky ...... But that may change! I have not put a dew heater in it, as I am hoping the heat from the camera will be enough to keep dew at bay, just a fan for moving the air around. Olly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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