MallinCam Universe User Manual page 15

If you find that the preview is very dark, try increasing the setting of the Gain slider for
now, rather than increasing the exposure length. Set Gain to maximum. This will help to
show brightness variations and defocused stars in the preview. If you're still having a
problem seeing anything at all in the preview, you can try increasing the exposure length
or even repositioning your telescope so that a bright star is near the center of the field of
view. However in most cases you shouldn't need to do this.
2. Rack your telescope's focuser in one direction. If the brightness variations become more
diffuse or the defocused stars become larger and dimmer then you're going the wrong
way. Rack the focuser in the opposite direction so that the defocused stars become
increasingly smaller and brighter. As you get closer to proper focus, you should begin to
see an increasing number of fainter stars sharpening up in the field.
3. When the stars are getting close to focus, place your cursor near a brighter star, click and
hold down the left mouse button and draw a box around the star.
4. Click the Cut Area button in the Area Display portion of the Property panel. The preview
image will then only display the area you selected.
5. Click the Full Screen checkbox in the Area Display. The selected area is enlarged to fill
the screen. You now have a zoomed-in view of the defocused star. This makes seeing
even the tiniest changes in your focusing much easier.
6. If the central portion of the defocused star looks too bright or saturated now, reduce the
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 15