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MallinCam Universe User Manual

Mallincam universe astronomical ccd color camera
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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.................32 10. Processing astronomical images ..................34 11. Troubleshooting ......................37 12. Specifications........................38 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 2013 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 systems. If you experience difficulties installing the driver, you can override this enforcement by rebooting your computer and pressing the F8 key during the boot sequence (this must be done before the Windows logo appears).

  • Page 6: Software Installation

    Section 3: Software installation The MallinCam software required to operate the camera is supplied on the disc or flash drive included with your camera. You can also download and install the latest versions of the drivers and capture application from the internet. Contact Rock Mallin at mallincam@gmail.com...
  • Page 7 6. The Driver Setup Wizard displays a message informing you when the setup has finished installing the camera driver on your computer. 7. Click Finish to complete the driver installation. 8. In Windows Explorer, double-click the MallinCam Setup.exe file. The MallinCam Setup Wizard opens: 9. Click Next to start the installation.
  • 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 v1.05...
  • 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 panel and displays the Property panel at 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 Gain and/or the exposure time. You want to see the shape of the star clearly as you focus. 7. Continue adjusting the focus gradually until the star becomes as small and tight as possible. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v1.05...
  • Page 16 Note however that if you do not restore the preview image before taking an actual capture, then only the selected area will be saved in your captured image file. At this point, you are ready to adjust the other camera controls to obtain a proper image. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v1.05...

  • 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 v1.05...
  • Page 18 Similarly, with the majority of the blue columns towards the right, 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 v1.05...
  • Page 19 Deselect the Auto histogram function to stop this behavior. You can re-enable the Auto checkbox after changing the exposure length and clicking OK. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v1.05...
  • Page 20 If you want to see the effect of amp glow, try the following. 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 visible coming from the camera itself.
  • Page 21 Gamma: Used to adjust the range of brightness in the image. Since the Universe camera can capture a dynamic range of brightness greater than most computer screens can display, adjusting the gamma value allows you to adjust the image brightness to your liking.

  • Page 22: 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, you may not want to save the entire frame when you do a capture. So you can crop the image to show only the area of interest and discard the rest.

  • Page 23: 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 24: Procedure 5: Capturing & Saving A Set Of Images With Equal Exposure Times

    15. 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 will be started whenever you next press the Capture button. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v1.05...

  • Page 25: Procedure 6: Capturing & Saving A Set Of Images With Customized Exposure Times

    12. Once the custom set of exposures has completed, the Universe resumes taking individual preview images. It will use the time of the last exposure in the custom set for these previews.

  • Page 26: Procedure 7: Capturing & Saving A Set Of Images Using The Timer

    6. Set the number of images you want to capture in the Cycle times field. 7. Click the Start button to begin the capture sequence. 8. To stop a capture sequence before it is completed, click on the Abort button. MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v1.05...

  • Page 27: 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 28: Procedure 10: Deleting A Saved Configuration

    4. 7. Load another saved configuration as described in Procedure 9, if required. TIP: The MallinCam image capture application will load a previously-saved configuration (if there are any) whenever you start a new session.

  • Page 29: 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 Single image preview and the Sequence capture preview.

  • Page 30: Viewing Preview Images Without Controls Showing

    Section 8: Viewing preview images without controls showing 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 images are constantly displayed one after another as soon as exposures are completed.
  • Page 31 To reinstate the Property or Picture panel, just click the Panel Manage tab and then click the pin icon again. NOTE: You can also use this display mode while capturing a set of images. M42/M43: MallinCam Universe image courtesy of Paul Comision MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v1.05...

  • Page 32: 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 33 But note that such a comparison will also 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 v1.05...

  • Page 34: Processing Astronomical Images

    The RAW format also contains the full 16-bit per channel data. The MallinCam RAW files can be converted using the ImageJ program. ImageJ is a free, public domain, Java-based image processing program.
  • Page 35 You can use 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 36 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 37: 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 38: 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 39 MallinCam Universe - User’s Guide v1.05...

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