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Summary of Contents for Meade LPI
- Page 1 Meade LPI Camera Program ® The Basics...
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Page 2: Parts Listing
Parts Listing When first opening the packing box, note carefully the following parts: • LPI camera • Parfocal ring • USB cable • DB-9 to RJ-11 adapter • LX200 serial cable • Autostar #497 serial cable • CD ROM, including the Operating Instruction in .pdf format Recommended Minimum System: PC running Windows 98SE with 64 MB and 100 MB free disk space. - Page 3 Install the Autostar Suite Software The following procedure is also found on the printed Quick Start Guide supplied with this product. Before you can operate the LPI camera, you must install the Autostar Suite software. Do not plug the USB cable into your PC at this time. You will be asked to do so later in this installation.
- Page 4 “Windows Logo Test” window displays. Clicking that should operate with most PC configurations. 6. The driver is installed. Click “Finish.” The camera driver is now installed and your PC will now be able to recognize the LPI whenever you connect it to the PC. camera.
- Page 5 You can open other programs of the Suite by going to the Image menu and selecting the desired program. You can open the Operating Instruction manuals Menu screen of the CD ROM. Click the word “Meade” in the Main Menu or in the program will display.
- Page 6 To connect the LPI camera to other telescopes: • Move the LPI camera around in the eyepiece holder until the image on the LPI display screen (17) is upright. To connect the LPI camera when using an autoguider: •...
- Page 7 Open the LPI Program To open the LPI Imaging program, go to the Image menu of the Planetarium program and select Imaging. The LPI program will display.
- Page 8 LPI Controls 1& 2&...
- Page 9 Key to LPI Controls 1. Gain and Offset sliders 2. Expose control 3. Auto Adj (Auto Adjust) button 4. Mono (Black and white) check box 5. Live Image check box 6. Dark Sub check box 7. Status box 8. Take Pictures, Settings tabs 9.
- Page 10 Start Taking Pictures Once you have connected your camera to the computer and opened the LPI program, you’ll want to start taking pictures. Follow the steps below to start taking simple pictures with your LPI camera. We recommend that the first time you take pictures, you do so during daylight hours.
- Page 11 Start Taking Pictures 6. An image should be already displayed on the screen (25). Use the focuser on your telescope to focus the object. Notice that in the Magic Eye Focus field (22), that two triangles are displayed and change their size. The Magic Eye Focus will help you focus your image;...
- Page 12 When you press Start, the LPI camera begins taking images and continues to take images until you press stop. The LPI program uses the first 10 images it takes as a baseline to compare with the images it takes subsequently. In other words, the program is always comparing images.
- Page 13 • The LPI program continues to composite the image until you press the Stop button. Typically, about 50 images are needed to get a high quality composite image. After 50 images, the quality of the image increases only in small amounts;...
- Page 14 The Parfocal Ring It is extremely useful to have the LPI camera and a telescope eyepiece be parfocal—it will save you time when you need to refocus. Parfocal means setting two or more eyepieces to the same focus. (In this case, one eyepiece is a camera.) In other words, if you focus one eyepiece in your telescope, then you remove it and replace it with a parfocal eyepiece, the parfocal eyepiece will require little, if any, refocusing.
- Page 15 2. Insert the LPI camera into the telescope eyepiece holder. Make sure the LPI camera slides down as far as it will go into the eyepiece holder. 3. Point the telescope at a terrestrial object that has a lot of contrast with the surrounding area and if possible, has a distinctive edge (like a building, for example).
- Page 16 Automatic Adjustment Controls Gain and Offset sliders (1): Similar to a TV set’s contrast and brightness controls. These controls are automatically set after you pick an Object (10) type and click on the Auto Adj. button (3). Most users will seldom, if ever, need to set these controls manually.
- Page 17 Normally, you will leave this box checked. If you wish to take raw images that are not combined into a composite image (you may wish to process the images yourself), uncheck this box and check the Save Every Image box. The LPI camera will take images and save them in the Image directory. Kernel Filter: The chosen sharpening filter is applied to the composite image as it is saved and is displayed in the live Display Image after about 10 images are accumulated.
- Page 18 Image Processing Controls Object Name (11): Type in a name for the object. Each time the LPI program begins to accumulate a new composite image, it renumbers the image in a new tab, using your original name. For example, if you named the first image “Building,” the next images will be named “Building 2,”...
- Page 19 Image Processing Controls Image Acquire Status bars (15): Display while the LPI camera is taking pictures. Image Directory field and Browse button (26): You may select the directory in which to save your images. Click on the Browse button to locate a directory or type in a directory path in the field.
- Page 20 File Settings Tab Open button (28): Allows you to open a file you have previously created. Click on this button and your directory list displays. Choose the desired file and it opens as a tab above the Image Display window. See diagram below. Scroll Arrows Notice that there are scroll arrows (see diagram above) at the end of the tab row.
- Page 21 Magic Eye Focus Magic Eye Focus displays a graphic representation of the focus as you adjust your telescope’s focuser. The orange triangles “grow” together to indicate better focus. The red lines indicate maximum focus levels. Avg (Average) check box: Check to average the last 5 focus values to smooth out noisy images. Note, however, that this makes the focus response more sluggish.
- Page 22 LPI Camera Program Advanced Concepts...
- Page 23 Tracking Boxes and Centroids Drawing a tracking box allows you to track (that is, to follow) a bright spot that is surrounded by a dark area. This is very much like your telescope’s tracking feature. A centroid is the spot where the crosshairs meet. You can use the centroids to help you center an object in a box.
- Page 24 The Histogram controls allow you more control of the brightness, contrast and mid-range tones of your LPI camera. Experiment with these controls. Select an easily focused terrestrial image and adjust the Histogram sliders. You will notice the Live image growing brighter or darker, and even notice mid-tones becoming more visible.
- Page 25 An autoguider helps keep an object centered so that a 35mm camera can take long exposures of an image. Note that you do not have to set the LPI camera for a long exposure using Exposure controls (2). Autoguiding is used typically with telescope mounted in the equatorial mode, although it can also be used with LX200GPS Telescope mounted in the alt/az mode.
- Page 26 Autoguider 6. In the Focal Length field, type in the focal length of your telescope. 7. Locate a star using your telescope’s alignment and Go To procedures. Focus and prepare the imager as described earlier in this manual. 8. Draw a tracking box around the star. 9.
- Page 27 (about 1.4 seconds apart). Later, when you set your camera exposure time (see Step 6 below), the LPI program will automatically select the Dark Frame file with the closest exposure length, scale it to the actual exposure time and apply it to the image you are taking. In effect, it subtracts out the dark current artifacts.
- Page 28 Frames will be saved to this directory. You may change the directory if you wish. 5. Click the Start button (14). A message displays that tells you to cover up your telescope or LPI camera. Replacing the lens cap on your telescope is sufficient.
- Page 29 CUSTOMER REMEDIES. Meade Instruments entire liability and your exclusive remedy shall be, at Meade 's option, either (a) repair or (b) replacement of the SOFTWARE or hardware that does not meet Meade 's Limited Warranty. You must return the defective item to Meade Instruments, at your expense, with a copy of your receipt.
- Page 30 P R O D U C T S D I V I S I O N Meade Instruments Corporation World’s Leading Manufacturer of Astronomical Telescopes for the Serious Amateur 6001 Oak Canyon, Irvine, California 92618 I (949) 451-1450 FAX: (949) 451-1460 I www.meade.com 9/03 © 2003...