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MallinCam Universe User Manual

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Summary of Contents for MallinCam Universe

  • Page 2 The unique Hyper Circuit system found on all other MallinCam imaging cameras has been included in the Universe. This allows the camera to deliver a total variable gain of 26 dB and a dynamic range of 80 dB, with a signal-to-noise ratio of 60 dB.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    9. Using filters and adjusting color balance.................39 10. Processing astronomical images ..................41 11. Troubleshooting ......................44 12. Specifications........................46 Cover background image of M42/M43: MallinCam Universe image courtesy of Paul Comision User’s Guide created by: Paul Klauninger Send comments and corrections to: Paul.Klauninger@yahoo.ca Copyright © MallinCam 2014 PRO-COM Electronics and MallinCam reserve the right to change product specifications without notice.

  • Page 4: Supplied Components

    The optional 0.5X focal reducer is a recommended accessory when using the Universe on a telescope with a long focal length and/or a high F-ratio, such as F8 or greater. A long focal length yields a relatively small field-of-view. The 0.5X focal reducer essentially cuts the telescope’s focal length in half and provides a field-of-view...

  • Page 5: Computer System Requirements

    • Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit* • Windows 8 32-bit or 64-bit* *NOTE: Installing the MallinCam Universe driver on the 64-bit versions of Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8 may be problematic due to the Device Driver Signature Enforcement function built into these operating systems. If you experience difficulties...

  • Page 6: Software Installation

    Section 3: Software installation The MallinCam software required to operate the camera is supplied on a disc or flash drive included with your camera. You can also download the latest versions of the drivers, capture application, and documentation over the Internet at: www.mallincam.net/software-...
  • Page 7 4. Double-click the MALLINCAM Driver Setup.exe file. The camera Driver Setup Wizard opens to install the driver. 5. Click Next to continue. The following message may appear: If this is displayed, click the Continue Anyway button to install the driver.
  • Page 8 12. Click Finish to complete the software installation and close the MallinCam Setup Wizard. A MallinCam icon is installed on your desktop as part of the procedure. You can use this later on to launch the application. 13. Remove the disc or flash drive from your computer.

  • Page 9: Hardware Installation

    1. Connect the USB 2.0 cable to camera first and then to an available USB 2.0 port on your computer (USB 1.1 ports are not supported for the MallinCam Universe). NOTE: You should always attach the USB cable to your camera and computer before powering up the camera.
  • Page 10 6. On the following form, click on the Install software automatically (Recommended) radio button and then click Next: 7. The Hardware Installation form may then appear: If this is displayed, click the Continue Anyway button. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 11 Windows then informs you that your new hardware is installed and ready to use. NOTE: If you plug the Universe camera into a different USB 2.0 port at a later date, you may have to repeat steps 5 through 7 above. This is typical behavior for some versions of Windows.

  • Page 12: Attaching The Camera To Your Telescope

    4. Connect the USB 2.0 cable to camera first and then to an available USB 2.0 port on your computer (USB 1.1 ports are not supported for the MallinCam Universe). NOTE: You should always attach the USB cable to your camera and computer before powering up the camera.

  • Page 13: Using The Mallincam Image Capture Application

    Section 6: Using the MallinCam image capture application When you launch the MallinCam Universe image capture application, the main MallinCam window opens. The window contains an image preview area and displays the Property panel on the right side. The Picture panel can be displayed by clicking the Picture tab at the bottom-right corner of the main screen.

  • Page 14: Setting Up A Proper Exposure To Help Achieve Focus

    A. Setting up a proper exposure to help achieve focus Once the camera has been powered up and the MallinCam image capture application opened, you can start setting up your initial exposure. Before pressing the Start Camera button, you must set up the resolution for your captured images.

  • Page 15: Procedure 2: Adjusting The Focus Using The Preview Images

    6. If the central portion of the defocused star looks too bright or saturated now, reduce the exposure time and/or the Gain. You want to be able to see the shape of the star clearly as you focus. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 16 At this point, you are ready to adjust the other camera controls to obtain a proper image. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...

  • Page 17: Adjusting The Camera Controls

    There are few hard and fast rules, since astrophotography can be as much art as it is science. However, by understanding the function of each of the controls and following the provided suggestions, you’ll be able to use the camera effectively and to its maximum potential. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 18 The result is shown in the example above, on the right side. These new values appear in the text boxes. The new black point is also indicated by a vertical red line on the graph, and the new white point is indicated by a vertical cyan line. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 19 If the majority of the blue columns are towards the right side, then you are over-exposing. Adjust the exposure length for a greater spread of columns through the middle of the graph, if possible. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 20 Deselect the histogram’s Auto function to stop this behavior. You can then re-enable the Auto checkbox after changing the exposure length and clicking OK. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 21 If you want to see the effect of amp glow, try the following tests. Cap the Universe camera so that no light reaches the sensor. The images you’ll take here are called dark frames, with the only “light”...
  • Page 22 Select a value between –20 to +20. The default value is 0. Higher values make dark areas of the image appear darker, thereby emphasizing any bright details in the image. Lower values make dark areas lighter, thereby emphasizing fainter details. You will see the effect on the current preview image. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 23 The default values are 1.00 for each of these controls. You can adjust them independently to values in the range of 0.00 to 3.98. You will see the effect on the current preview image. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 24 The MallinCam capture application also offers an automatic white balancing solution. Click the One Push WB button to activate this feature. When you use this, the application performs an analysis of the current image. It then applies a mathematical algorithm to transform the data using the image’s histogram and known characteristics of the sensor.

  • Page 25: Procedure 3: Cropping Images For Capture

    (as described in Procedure 2), but may also be used to save only a portion of the full image captured by the Universe. For some smaller targets (i.e. planets), you may not want to save the entire frame when you do a capture. Crop the image to show only the area of interest and discard the rest.

  • Page 26: Capturing Images And Saving Your Files

    The MallinCam capture application offers a number of ways to capture and save. You can save individual images one at a time, or you can instruct the application to save a sequence of images captured one after another.

  • Page 27: Procedure 5: Capturing A Sequence Of Images With Equal Exposure Times

    6. Click the Browse button to select or create the folder you want to store the captured images in. You may want to create a new folder to help organize your captures. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 28 17. If you want to go back to taking single images after shooting a sequence, you must reset the value in the Frames field to 1. If you don’t do this, then the same exposure sequence you just completed will be started again whenever you next press the Capture button. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...

  • Page 29: Procedure 6: Capturing A Sequence Of Images With Customized Exposure Times

    You may want to create a new folder here to help organize your captures. 7. Click the Property tab to display the Property panel. 8. Click the Custom Set checkbox in the Custom sequence capture mode panel. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 30 14. Once the custom set of exposures has completed, the Universe resumes taking individual preview images. It uses the time of the last exposure in the custom set for these previews.

  • Page 31: Procedure 7: Capturing Images Using The Capture Delay Timer

    If you don’t enter a name here, the application will automatically enter one for you. This will be in the form “TS_x”, where x is an incrementing number, for example: TS_1, TS_2, and so on. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 32 10b, it would indicate “48” when the last cycle is complete and all images have been downloaded. 12. To stop a capture sequence before it is entirely completed, click the Abort button. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...
  • Page 33 Start. For this example, it would indicate “24” when the last cycle is complete and all images have been downloaded. 6. To stop a custom capture sequence before it is entirely completed, click the Abort button. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...

  • Page 34: Saving And Loading Your Camera Settings

    D. Saving and loading your camera settings Once you have used the MallinCam capture application on a variety of targets (deep sky, lunar, solar) you’ll notice that the camera’s control settings can vary widely to produce a properly exposed image. Use the Settings configurations function to save the control settings at any time to a custom configuration that you can load and reuse in the future.

  • Page 35: Viewing Your Captured Images

    Section 7: Viewing your captured images The MallinCam image capture application allows you to view the images you’ve captured in the current session. There are two preview windows on the Picture panel. They are the All images preview and the Sequence capture preview.
  • Page 36 TIP: You may want to browse for a different folder or create a new one to place your duplicate files into before using Save or Save All. This can help you sort through and organize the files later on. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...

  • Page 37: Viewing The Preview Images

    Section 8: Viewing the preview images The Universe offers an additional display mode that is useful for viewing by groups, or if you just want to sit back and enjoy the scene. Once the telescope has been aimed and the camera configured for a proper exposure of the target, the preview image is constantly refreshed as each exposure is completed.
  • Page 38 Boost the Gain setting. This shortens the exposure length but may increase visible image noise. Consider using the optional MallinCam 0.5X focal reducer. This cuts the exposure time by a factor of four, while providing four times the area of sky coverage.

  • Page 39: Using Filters And Adjusting Color Balance

    Section 9: Using filters and adjusting color balance The CCD sensor on the MallinCam Universe is not filtered in any way. This allows you maximum freedom to filter an exposure in the way you want. For instance, you may want to experiment with a Hydrogen-alpha filter to capture the deep red light of many emission nebulae.
  • Page 40 But note that such a comparison will be strongly influenced by the monitor you’re viewing the image on. Color calibrating your monitor is highly recommended for this purpose. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...

  • Page 41: Processing Astronomical Images

    256 different levels of intensity. Such files are also referred to as 24-bit RGB files, since each color channel is 8-bits and there are three channels. However, the Universe can record a much finer level of color resolution than this. It does this by dividing each color channel into 4,096 levels.
  • Page 42 You can use such dark frames to subtract this residual camera noise from your actual images. The MallinCam Universe is remarkably quiet in terms of the noise it generates. You often don’t need to worry about dark frames to produce high-quality images. However, if you want to produce the best possible imagery, consider learning more about dark frames and their usage.
  • Page 43 Here’s an example provided by Paul Comision of Ottawa, Canada from his first session with the MallinCam Universe. Five one-minute exposures of M27 were taken and then combined: The image on the left is a single 60-second exposure, while the image on the right is a stack of five 60-second exposures, with no other processing done.

  • Page 44: Troubleshooting

    (use a ballpoint pen tip) to the position furthest away from the Power ON indicator. Refer to the Universe picture in Section 4 to locate the switch. Apply gentle or gradual heating (no hair dryers!) to remove the dew, if required.
  • Page 45 Therefore, images that are being saved to the hard drive do not appear to be affected. But the issue may re-occur in the preview whenever you adjust a new image’s parameters. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...

  • Page 46: Specifications

    T-thread or 2” nosepiece Field-of-View reference The following reference table provides a list of some common telescope focal lengths and the approximate angular field-of-view provided by the Universe when connected to these scopes. The measurements shown are in arc-minutes. Focal length Field-of-View Field-of-View with optional 0.5X focal reducer...
  • Page 47 MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v3.10...

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