Dslrfocus Manual

Version 3.
0 User Manual
DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter
Notices

No part of the manual included with this product may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form, by any means, with out my prior written permission. I reserve the right to change the specifications of the hardware and soft ware described in these manuals at any time and without prior notice. I will not be held liable for any damages resulting from the use of this product. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate and complete, I would appreciate it were you to bring any errors or omissions to my attention.
Symbols and Convention used in this manual

The following symbols are used in this manual:
This Icon Marks Tips and additional Information that you may find helpful when using the software This Icon Marks Caution and provides information on actions that could cause data loss This Icon Marks Warning and provides information that MUST be adhered to, to ensure correct use of the software This Icon Marks critical information that must be considered when using the software
Updates
Updated information, changes and news about this software can obtained online from http://www.dslrfocus.com or from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dslrfocus
Table Of Contents
Notices .............................................................................................................................. 2 Symbols and Convention used in this manual .................................................................. 2 Updates............................................................................................................................. 2 1. Introduction....................................................................................................................... 6 DSLR Focus 3.0 Overview................................................................................................ 6 2. Installing DSLR Focus ...................................................................................................... 7 Installation Requirements.................................................................................................. 7 OS.............................................................................................................................. 7 CPU/Model ................................................................................................................ 7 Hard-disk space ......................................................................................................... 7 Video resolution ......................................................................................................... 7 Supported cameras.................................................................................................... 7 Installation Instructions...................................................................................................... 7 Installation steps are as follows: .................................................................................... 7 Registering DSLR Focus: .............................................................................................. 8 Troubleshooting installation .............................................................................................. 8 3. Getting Started ............................................................................................................... 10 Information on Cables ..................................................................................................... 12 Building your own Remote Control Cable.................................................................... 12 Buying a Remote Control Cable .................................................................................. 13 4. Telescope Control .......................................................................................................... 15 About Telescope Control................................................................................................. 15 Supported Telescopes .................................................................................................... 15 The Telescope Menu ...................................................................................................... 15 Choosing Your Telescope ........................................................................................... 16 Moving your Telescope ............................................................................................... 17 Connection Status.................................................................................................... 17 Slewing to Objects ................................................................................................... 17 Manually Controlling Telescope Motion ................................................................... 18 Stopping Telescope Motion ..................................................................................... 18 Selecting the Object Catalogue ................................................................................... 18 Customising the object Catalogue ............................................................................... 19 5. Focusing your Camera ................................................................................................... 22 Factors that affect focusing ............................................................................................. 22 Seeing ......................................................................................................................... 22 Quality of your optics ................................................................................................... 23 Quality of your Focuser ............................................................................................... 23 Quality of your Mount .................................................................................................. 24 Your Polar Alignment................................................................................................... 24 The method you use to attach your camera to your telescope .................................... 24 Using DSLR Focus to assist your focusing ..................................................................... 24 Starting up and Camera Connections ............................................................................. 25 Connecting to your Camera......................................................................................... 26
Canon DSLR users .................................................................................................. 27 Non Canon DSL Users ............................................................................................ 29 Focusing Individual Colour Channels.............................................................................. 32 Manual Focusing............................................................................................................. 34 Choosing a Star to focus on ........................................................................................ 34 Suggested Settings for Focusing ............................................................................. 35 Finding a star to focus on......................................................................................... 35 Analysing Focus Metrics.............................................................................................. 38 Choosing a new star to focus on ................................................................................. 41 Logging Tracking Data ................................................................................................ 41 Real Time Tracking Analysis ....................................................................................... 41 Manual Focusing Tips ................................................................................................. 42 Auto Focus...................................................................................................................... 44 About Auto focusing .................................................................................................... 44 Factors effecting accuracy of Auto Focus.................................................................... 44 Quality of your Telescopes Focuser......................................................................... 44 Quality of your Motor Focuser.................................................................................. 45 Focal Ratio and Critical Focus Zones ...................................................................... 46 How do I know if my focuser is up to the task.............................................................. 47 Supported Auto focusers ............................................................................................. 48 Preparing to connect DSLR Focus to your motor focuser ........................................... 49 Auto focuser Setup ...................................................................................................... 49 Compensating for Backlash during movement ............................................................ 52 Starting an Auto focus run ........................................................................................... 53 5. Image Preview & Framing .............................................................................................. 57 About Image Preview ...................................................................................................... 57 The Histogram ............................................................................................................. 58 About Image Capture ...................................................................................................... 62 Capture Modes ............................................................................................................... 62 Starting Capture Mode ................................................................................................ 63 Short Exposure Mode (exposures <= 30 seconds)...................................................... 64 Capturing Images to your Computer ........................................................................ 65 Automating a series of exposure sequences ........................................................... 67 Why would I want to automate sequences?............................................................. 68 Long Exposure Mode (Unlimited Bulb Exposures) ...................................................... 69 Serial and Parallel Cables........................................................................................ 70 Setting up your Serial or Parallel Cable ................................................................... 70 Trouble Shooting Parallel Port Problems ................................................................. 71 Using Long Exposure Mode to Capture Images ...................................................... 72 Capturing Images to your Computer ........................................................................ 74 Automating a series of exposure sequences ........................................................... 75 Why would I want to automate sequences?............................................................. 77 Information area....................................................................................................... 77 End of Sequence Alarm ........................................................................................... 77 11. Tools............................................................................................................................. 79 About Tools..................................................................................................................... 79
Exposure Calculator........................................................................................................ 79 Moon Phase.................................................................................................................... 81 12. Night Vision .................................................................................................................. 83 Appendix A ......................................................................................................................... 84 Cable Schematics............................................................................................................... 84 Parallel Cable.................................................................................................................. 85 Circuit Diagram for 300D/Digital Rebel/EOSKISS ....................................................... 85 The Parts..................................................................................................................... 85 Construction Notes ...................................................................................................... 86 Circuit Diagram for 10D and D60 ................................................................................ 87 Serial Cable for 300D/Digital Rebel/EOS KISS............................................................... 88 The Parts..................................................................................................................... 88 Closing Comments and Thanks ...................................................................................... 89
1. Introduction
DSLR Focus 3.0 Overview
Welcome and thanks for choosing DSLR Focus. DSLR Focus is a tool developed specifically to assist with the focusing and capturing of images on digital cameras for use in Astrophotography. DSLR Focus currently supports full camera control on the Canon Range of DSLRs. It has been tested on 1Ds, 10Ds, D60s and EOS300D. DSLR Focus also supports focusing on non Canon Cameras like D70, D100, Pentax 1stD, CP4500 The Usage guide provides you step-by-step instructions on how to get the most out of DSLR Focus. I strongly suggest you read though this before jumping into using the tool. I hope the DSLR Focus helps you take some wonderful pictures. I strongly encourage you to join the Yahoo Digital Astro group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digital_astro to post the fruits of your labour and learn from others. For application updates and news visit http://www.dslrfocus.com or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dslrfocus Best Regards Chris Venter
2. Installing DSLR Focus

Installation Requirements
OS
Pre-installed versions of Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professsional, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) 300 MHz Pentium or better 20 MB required for installation, with additional free disk space of 10 MB plus whatever space you need to save images to disk
CPU/Model
Hard-disk space
Video resolution
800 600 pixels or more with 16-bit color (High Color/thousands of colors). 24-bit color (True Color/millions of colors) recommended. All functions, including Camera Control: Canon 10D, Canon 300D, Canon
Supported cameras D60 , Canon 1Ds

All functions except Camera Control and Image Capture: Nikon D70, Nikon D100, Pentax 1stDx, CP4500, Canon G3
Installation Instructions
Follow the instructions sent to you via email when you purchased DSLR Focus to download DSLR Focus version 3.
If you are upgrading from a previous version of DSLR Focus then you MUST uninstall the previous version before installing this version. To uninstall DSLR Focus, navigate to your control panel and find the Add/Remove programs icon. Double Click on this icon, find DSLR Focus and press the remove button.
Installation steps are as follows:

1. 2. 3. 4. Unzip installation package to a temporary folder on your PC Find the file called Setup.exe Double Click Setup.exe Follow the onscreen instructions to install DSLR Focus
5. Users who plan on controlling an ASCOM compliant telescope and focuser from DSLR Focus need to make sure they have the ASCOM platform installed. The latest ASCOM platform can be found here: http://ascom-standards.org/downloads.html 6. Download and install the ASCOM platform.
Installing and using DSLR Focus under a multi-user operating system requires Administrator privileges. When installing and using DSLR Focus, log in as: Windows XP Home edition/Professional Computer administrator Windows 2000 Professional Administrators
Registering DSLR Focus:

1. After installation is complete navigate to the DSLR Focus folder. It should be something like Start->Programs->DSLR Focus. Find the DSLR Focus Icon and double click this to start the program. 2. You will then be asked to register DSLR Focus. I suggest you have an electronic copy of the email sent to you with download instructions and your key on hand. 3. Copy your name, e-mail address and Key into the corresponding fields. Please note that all fields are case sensitive, and should be entered exactly as per the original email. I suggest you use the Microsoft shortcut keys CTL-C to copy the data and CTL-V to paste the data into the registration fields. This way you will not make any typing mistakes. Also make sure you dont copy any leading or trailing spaces in any of the fields 4. Once you have entered the data in the fields, press the verify button. 5. If you entered all the details correctly you will get a message telling you your key has been verified and you can now use the software.
Troubleshooting installation
If you get a message telling you some systems files are out of date and you need to reboot, then do so. It just means some of the files that the installation program uses need updating before installation can proceed. Windows XP Pro or Windows 2000 Pro users may get the message again after rebooting and trying installation again. If you do, then the quickest way to avoid this problem (which is related to security privileges) is to install the software either as a user with FULL administrator rights or install the software in SAFE MODE.
Instructions to install the software in SAFE MODE:
To start Windows in Safe mode, single operating system 1. Start Windows, or if it is running, shut Windows down, and then turn off the computer. Restart the computer. 2. The computer begins processing a set of instructions known as the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). What is displayed depends on the BIOS manufacturer. Some computers display a progress bar that refers to the word BIOS, while others may not display any indication that this process is happening. 3. As soon as the BIOS is finished loading, begin tapping the F8 key on your keyboard. Continue to do so until the Windows Advanced Options menu appears.
If you begin tapping the F8 key too soon, some computers will generate a "keyboard error" message. Please restart, and then try again.
4. Using the arrow keys on the keyboard, scroll to and select the Safe mode menu item, and then press Enter. 5. Computer now boots in safe mode. 6. Install software and you're done. reboot as normal
3. Getting Started
DSLR Focus is designed specifically to assist you with astrophotography. A typical astrophotography session involves: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Choosing a Target to photograph Slewing the Telescope to the Target object you have chosen Focusing the Telescope Verifying Target object you have chosen is within the Camera Field of View (FOV) Framing the Target object within the Cameras FOV Deciding how many exposures you plan on taking and at what ISO speed Taking a test shot with proposed camera settings to ensure you have not reached the Sky Fog limit 8. Starting the Image Capture session
DSLR Focus can assist you with all 8 of these steps depending on the combination of equipment that you have.
The features of DSLR Focus that are available to you are dependant on the model of Camera you have, the model of Telescope you have, the Model of Focuser you have and the types of Cables you have for you camera.
These 8 steps for the purpose of this manual will be broken down into 3 areas: 1. Telescope Control 2. Focusing your Camera 3. Capturing Images
Each area will be covered as a separate section later on in this manual.
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Features available based on your equipment are summarised in figure 1 below.

Feature Telescope Control Cable Required RS232 Cable to connect your PC to your Telescope mount Software Required DSLR Focus 3.0, ASCOM Platform 2 or higher Supported Devices ACL-based telescopes (Comsoft PC-TCS, Optical Guidance, DFM, other research grade instruments) ACP Observatory Control Software telescope hub AstroOptik research telescopes Astro-Physics GTO mounts Celestron NexStar 60GT, 80Gt, 115GT, 130GT, 4GT, 5, 5i, 8, 8i, 8 GPS, 9.5 GPS, 11 GPS, CGE 800, CGE 925, CGE 1100, CGE 1400, Advanced C5-SGT, C6-RGT, C8-SGT, C8-NGT, C9 1/4-SGT, C10-NGT, Ultima 2000. (See note below!) Desktop Universe telescope hub Generic LX200 type (many emulations such as Bartels, FS2) Losmandy Gemini controller (levels 1-3) MaxPoint telescope hub Meade LX200, LX200GPS, and Autostar (Meade specific features supported) Plain Old Telescope Hub (POTH) with Dome control Software Bisque TheSky (pass through TheSky and TPOINT to its selected telescope, including the Paramount) Telescope Simulator (for testing) Vixen SkySensor 2000 PC
Motorised Focuser Control
Cable to connect your focuser to your PC. For LX200 scopes, this is the same cable used for Telescope Control
DSLR Focus 3.0, ASCOM Platform 2 or higher
Aquest PCFocus client focuser interface AstroOptik integrated focuser AstroPhysics focuser Finger Lakes DF-2 Focuser Simulator (for testing) FocusMax client focuser interface JMI SmartFocus Meade LX200, LX200GPS and Autostar focusers Optec Temperature Compensated Focuser RC Optical Temperature Compensated Focuser RoboFocus (includes complete RoboFocus control software) * DIY Motor Focus (available soon)
Image Capture (short exposures <= 30 secs) Image Capture (Long Exposures > 30 secs)
USB or Firewire Cable provided with Camera USB or Firewire Cable provided with Camera, Parallel or Serial remote Control Cable USB or Firewire Cable provided with Camera USB or Firewire Cable provided with Camera
DSLR Focus 3.0, ASCOM Platform 2 or higher DSLR Focus 3.0, ASCOM Platform 2 or higher
Canon DSLR Cameras: 10D, 300D, D60, 1DS 1DS Mark II
Canon DSLR Cameras: 10D, 300D, D60, 1DS 1DS Mark II
Image Focusing (Canon DSLR's) Image Focusing (Other Digital Cameras)
DSLR Focus 3.0 DSLR Focus 3.0, Camera control/capture software provided by camera manufacturer eg Nikon Capture 4
Canon DSLR Cameras: 10D, 300D, D60, 1DS 1DS Mark II Any Digital Camera that provides software to automate the taking and downloading of images from the camera eg Nikon D100, Nikon D70, Pentax 1stDx, Canon G3, Coolpix 4500
Figure 1.0 Features based on equipment
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Information on Cables
Your Canon DSLR Camera would have come supplied with either a USB or fire wire cable in the standard package. This USB/Firewire cable is what is used to communicate with the camera from a PC and allows you to change the settings on the camera remotely and trigger exposures up to 30 seconds in length.
The canon cameras and software drivers have a hard coded limitation in them that only allow the user to remotely control the camera with exposures of up to 30 Seconds. If you require exposure longer than this then you need to use the camera in Bulb mode and provide a method to trigger the shutter for the required length of time.
In order to take exposures longer than 30 seconds you need to set your camera into Bulb mode and have a way of triggering the shutter for the required length of time. This can be done in several ways: 1. Using a parallel or serial cable that connects your cameras remote control terminal to the computer. This is the recommended, easiest and most integrated method of taking astrophotos with DSLR Focus 2. Using a remote Timer control like a Canon TC-80N3 3. Using a manual remote control like an RC-80N3 or RS-60E3 Using a serial or parallel cable is by far the best approach and provides hands free automated integration with DSLR Focus at a very low cost.
Building your own Remote Control Cable

Details on how to go about building your own serial or parallel cable can be found in Appendix A and on the DSLR Focus website at http://www.dslrfocus.com/help/eoscable.htm An alternative in depth resource for information on building serial cables can also be found here: http://www.beskeen.com/astro/SerialDSLRControl/SerialPortControlCables.html
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Buying a Remote Control Cable

If you are not comfortable with a soldering iron or sourcing the required parts to build your own cable, then high quality pre built cables that are fully tested can be purchased online here: http://www.hapg.org/astrocables.htm
Sample of pre built parallel cable available for sale
Notes on Serial/Parallel Cables Some computers default the parallel or serial cable lines to on at start-up. The symptom of a computer that does this is of the shutter on your camera fires the moment you plug the serial or parallel cable into the camera bulb socket. The only way around this is not to plug the camera in until you have started DSLR Focus. When DSLR Focus starts up, it initialises the serial or parallel ports so that all lines or set low. This ensures the shutter will not trigger when you plug it in. If you forget this and the camera starts in a seemingly endless cycle, the quickest way to solve this is switch off the camera, run DSLR Focus, then switch on the camera and the shutter will not fire again until you tell it to. If you dont want DSLR to Initialise the ports for some reason then this can be turned off from the menu item: CameraControl->Bulb Exposure Setup->Initialise Ports on Startup
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Telescope Control
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4. Telescope Control
About Telescope Control
DSLR Focus allows you to control the pointing of your ASCOM compliant telescope. The movement of your Telescope is accomplished in 2 ways: 1. Selecting an object from the Catalogue and pressing the Go to Button 2. Using the Motion Controls to Jog the scope
Supported Telescopes
The current list of supported Telescopes is as follows: ACL-based telescopes (Comsoft PC-TCS, Optical Guidance, DFM, other research grade instruments) ACP Observatory Control Software telescope hub AstroOptik research telescopes Astro-Physics GTO mounts Celestron NexStar 60GT, 80Gt, 115GT, 130GT, 4GT, 5, 5i, 8, 8i, 8 GPS, 9.5 GPS, 11 GPS, CGE 800, CGE 925, CGE 1100,
CGE 1400, Advanced C5-SGT, C6-RGT, C8-SGT, C8-NGT, C9 1/4-SGT, C10-NGT, Ultima 2000. (See note below!)
Desktop Universe telescope hub Generic LX200 type (many emulations such as Bartels, FS2) Losmandy Gemini controller (levels 1-3) MaxPoint telescope hub Meade LX200, LX200GPS, and Autostar (Meade specific features supported) Plain Old Telescope Hub (POTH) with Dome control Software Bisque TheSky (pass through TheSky and TPOINT to its selected telescope, including the Paramount) Telescope Simulator (for testing) Vixen SkySensor 2000 PC
The Telescope Menu
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The Telescope Menu allows you to: Choose the telescope you have via the Setup menu option Establish a link to your telescope via the Link->Establish menu option Move your telescope via the Motion Controls menu option Select or change the catalogue being used for choosing objects to go to via the Set New Catalogue menu option Create a customised catalogue/imaging list via the Customise Catalogue menu option
Choosing Your Telescope

By selecting the menu option Telescope->Setup You will be presented with the following screen. The dropdown list box contains a list of the supported Telescopes. Use this to select your telescope and the Properties button to configure the port/connection between your PC and the telescope.
In order to use the Telescope Control features within DSLR Focus, you must make sure you have the ASCOM platform installed on your computer. The latest ASCOM platform can be found here: http://ascom-standards.org/downloads.html . If you dont have the ASCOM platform installed you will receive an error message when trying to choose a telescope.
Using DSLR Focus Telescope Control in conjunction with Planetarium software ASCOM Compliant Planetarium software like The Sky or Cartes Du Ciel can be used in conjunction with DSLR Focus. In order to ensure that DSLR Focus and your planetarium software work together you need to connect them to what is known as a hub. One of the items that appear in the Telescope Chooser drop down list box is called POTH, which stands for Plain Old Telescope Handset. POTH acts as a hub and allows both DSLR Focus and your planetarium software to simultaneously speak to your telescope.
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After successfully choosing your telescope, you then establish a link between DSLR Focus and your telescope by selecting the Telescope->Link->Establish menu option. After successful connection you will note that the menu option for Motion Control is now enabled.
Different scopes handle the connection notification in different ways. Some may beep to confirm connection; others may pop up a Telescope control dialogue box.
Moving your Telescope

Selecting the menu option Telescope->Motion Control brings up the motion control window
Connection Status
The connection status of your Telescope is displayed in the connection frame. A green light indicates your scope is connected to DSLR Focus. A red light indicates the scope is not connected. Pressing the Settings button brings up the Telescope Settings Window for your particular telescope type.
Slewing to Objects
Choose the target you wish to slew to from the Object drop down list box. The Object drop down list box is pre loaded with all the Messier Objects and all the NGC objects that are brighter than Mag 11. When you select an object, eg M31 as in the screenshot, the objects RA, Dec co-ordinates are displayed. To Go To the selected object press the Slew to button. Your telescope will slew to the target.
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Different scopes handle the notifying the user when a slew is finished in different ways. Some like the LX200 or Skysensor 2000 PC may beep to confirm the slew is finished.
Manually Controlling Telescope Motion
There are times when you will need to manually control the pointing position of your Telescope. The most common reasons for this are: Your mounts go to was not 100% accurate and you need to move the scope to position the object in the FOV The object you are photographing is within the Camera FOV, but not framed on the Camera sensor where you would like it to be You can use the motion controls to jog the telescope user selectable amounts in the direction you choose. The drop down list box in the motion control frame has move amounts of (1,2,5,10 and 30 seconds) and (1,2,5,10,30,60 Minutes). By using the jog motion controls you can position objects on the sensor and use the DSLR Focus Frame Image Command to show the a scaled version of the entire FOV. Using the Frame Image window in conjunction with the motions controls allows you to easily and predictably position the object you are imaging with the Cameras FOV.
Instructions on using the Frame Image Window can be found later in this manual.
The direction that the object moves in the Camera FOV when pressing one of the N, S, E or W motion controls is entirely determined by your cameras orientation in the telescope
Stopping Telescope Motion
Pressing the STOP button immediately causes any Telescope motion to be stopped. This includes any GoTo/Slew command currently in progress.
Selecting the Object Catalogue

The default object catalogue contains all the Messier Objects and all the NGC objects that are brighter than Mag 11.
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The Object Catalogue contains object data that is separated by commas (,) in the following order.
Object Name, Object Type, Object RA, Object DEC, Object Mag, Object Size Height , Object Size Width
You can use this information to create your own catalogues from readily available catalogues on the Internet. The default object catalogue is located in a subdirectory of the application installation directory called DataFiles. It is recommended that you store any custom catalogues you create here. Choosing the Telescope->Set New Catalogue brings up a dialog box that allows you to select object catalogues other than the default object catalogue.
Customising the object Catalogue

Choosing the Telescope-> Customise Catalogue menu option brings up the Customise Catalogue window.
The Object Catalogue that you wish to customise is loaded into the Source Object List. Whatever Catalogue is currently active is loaded into the Source Object List by default. Pressing the Load Source Object List button brings up a file browser that allows you to use any custom catalogues you have previously created as source catalogues. You can then create smaller customised imaging list by selecting the objects you wish to image from the source list and pressing the >> button.
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Objects that you have included in your list that you wish to remove, can be removed by selecting them and pressing the << button. Once you are happy with your Custom List you press the Save Custom List button. You will be asked to name the new object catalogue.
At this point the new customised imaging list is not active and will not appear in the Motion Controls Drop down list of go to objects. To activate the new list you need to use the Telescope->Set New Catalogue menu option, and select the new catalogue you just created.
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Focusing
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5. Focusing your Camera

As you probably know by now, good astrophotography pictures require very precise focusing. Using the cameras viewfinder on a bright star can get you pretty close most of the time, but this is often not good enough to bring out the detail in some faint Galaxies or provide pinpoint stars in a Globular Cluster. I have done tests to see how close I can get by using the viewfinder. 2 out of 10 times I find I have got the focus almost spot on. The other 8 times I have then analysed the star in DSLR Focus and found I could get the focus significantly better with some tweaking.
Focusing is as much art as it is science. There are many factors at play when focusing a telescope that can make it difficult to achieve accurate focus.
Factors that affect focusing

Seeing
The earths atmosphere is not as transparent or as stable as we would like it to be. The effect of this poor stability can often be seen as shimmering or twinkling stars. Atmospheric disturbances in the form of turbulent air currents, or atmospheric particles (air pollution) can cause images we see in telescopes to jump about or seem like they are swimming in the eyepiece and moderately high power. The effect this turbulence has on out image quality as seen through a telescope is called the Astronomical Seeing A subjective method for determining seeing commonly used in scientific circles is the Antoniadi Scale. The Antonaidi Scale divides seeing into five classes as follows:
1. 2. 3. 4. Perfect steadiness; without a quiver. Slight undulating, with moments of calm lasting for several seconds. Moderate seeing, with larger air tremors. Poor seeing, with constant troublesome undulations. 5. Very bad seeing, unsuitable for anything except possibly a very rough sketch.
Another method of determining your seeing is by Harvard Observatory's William H. Pickering (1858-1938). Pickering used a 5-inch refractor. His comments about diffraction disks and rings will have to be modified for larger or smaller instruments, but they're a starting point:
1. Star image is usually about twice the diameter of the third diffraction ring if the ring could be seen; star image 13" in diameter. 2. Image occasionally twice the diameter of the third ring (13"). 3. Image about the same diameter as the third ring (6.7"), and brighter at the center.
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4. The central Airy diffraction disk often visible; arcs of diffraction rings sometimes seen on brighter stars. 5. Airy disk always visible; arcs frequently seen on brighter stars. 6. Airy disk always visible; short arcs constantly seen. 7. Disk sometimes sharply defined; diffraction rings seen as long arcs or complete circles. 8. Disk always sharply defined; rings seen as long arcs or complete circles, but always in motion. 9. The inner diffraction ring is stationary. Outer rings momentarily stationary. 10. The complete diffraction pattern is stationary.
On this scale 1 to 3 is considered very bad, 4 to 5 poor, 6 to 7 good, and 8 to 10 excellent. A night with turbulent skies or bad seeing (ie Scale 1 3) can make getting accurate focus a very challenging task, even with the best focus assist software. Its nights like these that you should consider some wide field astrophotography using a wide angle camera lens eg 50mm or a Fast Wide field scope. This type of astrophotography is less dependant on good seeing. When using DSLR Focus, you may notice that the Peak Value readings or FWHM readings you are getting from your selected star fluctuate wildly between successive images. If this is happening, there is a good chance you are seeing the effects of bad seeing at work.
Quality of your optics

This is probably stating the obvious, but the better your optics the more likely you will be able to obtain pinpoint star images. Make sure your optics are collimated to the best of your ability and then make the most of what you have. Not everyone can afford Takahashi quality optics, but this does not mean you cannot take great images with the equipment you have. I can highly recommend a book called Star Testing Astronomical Telescopes by Harold Richard Suiter ISBN 0-943396-44-1 as a resource to assist you getting the most out of your optics.
Quality of your Focuser

The quality of your telescope focuser will greatly impact your ability to quickly, accurately and consistently achieve pinpoint focus. A poor quality focuser will exhibit some or all of the following problems.
1. Focuser sags under the weight of the camera causing the image plane not to be aligned with the focal plane of the telescope. The effect of this is stars that are focused on one side of the image and gradually appear to become out of focus at the opposite end of the image. You may also notice spherical aberration on stars at the edge of your image. 2. Focuser slips under the weight of the camera. Some focusers do not provide an adequate mechanism to lock the focus tube in place one focus is achieved. 3. Focuser has excessive unpredictable backlash. Focusers with large amounts of unpredictable backlash make precise focusing difficult. Often you will need to move the focuser in one direction then another in very small amounts. Focusers that have excessive backlash make this task difficult to achieve. This problem is less of a concern when you are manually focusing your telescope by hand. It becomes a real problem if trying to use auto-focusing software in combination with a motor attached to your focuser.
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4. Mirror shift. Many of the commercial Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescopes like the Meade LX200 or Celestron exhibit a phenomenon called mirror shift. As the focuser direction is reversed, the focuser pushes on the mirror and changes the plane of the mirror to the optics. The effect of this is that the star you were focusing on moves about on the image chip. This problem is overcome by using Zero Image shift micro focusers that are now standard issue on the Meade LX200 range of telescopes.
Most of these issues can be resolved in your own workshop or by purchasing a replacement focuser for your telescope.
Quality of your Mount

Once again I am stating the obvious, but a telescope mounted on an inadequate mount is a nightmare to focus. Every little touch of the focuser causes jiggles and wiggles that can take up to 5 seconds to dampen out. If your mount is one of these then you are going to have a tough task ahead of you producing decent images. My advice is that you get the best mount that you can afford. The Vixen GP and GP-DX mounts are a good beginner mount that will allow you to mount a lightweight wide field scope and camera and be able to take 1 2 minute exposures unguided. A good resource for astrophotography on a budget is http://www.andysshotglass.com For detailed information on Astronomical Imaging I strongly recommend Ron Wodowskis book, The New CCD Astronomy http://www.newastro.com/newastro/default.asp
Your Polar Alignment

Good polar alignment is not only necessary to get good images, but also assist in focusing. When you select a star to focus on, DSLR Focus places a 60 x 60 pixel box around this star and tracks the star within this box. The better polar aligned you are the more likely it is that the star will stay within this box during a focusing run. If the star you choose to focus on is constantly moving out of the ranging box, you will need to keep reselecting it every so often, which can be distracting.
The method you use to attach your camera to your telescope

Most DSLR Cameras are attached to telescopes in prime focus mode by using a T-ring and T-adaptor. This is the most stable and by far the most recommended approach to couple your camera to your telescope. The reason being that its creates a rigid coupling that is unlikely to move throughout the course of an imaging session. DSLR Focus relies on the fact that the camera is rigidly coupled to the scope to track a selected star during a focusing session.
Using DSLR Focus to assist your focusing

So your seeing is good, your optics are collimated, your focuser is as good as it can be, your mount is polar aligned and your camera is rigidly coupled to your telescope. You are now ready to focus your telescope. DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter 24
DSLR focus can help you achieve accurate focus in 2 ways. 1. Assist you to manually focus your telescope 2. Automatically focus your telescope for you Both of these focusing methods will be covered in detail in the following sections.
Starting up and Camera Connections

To start DSLR Focus, navigate to the DSLR Focus folder under the Start->Programs menu. Double click the DSLR Focus icon that looks similar to one pictured below.
On start up you are presented with the main application window.
The toolbar is used to navigate around the various functions of DSLR Focus. You will notice at this stage that the only active toolbar buttons (ie not greyed out) are the Connect to camera button , the Zoom button and the Image Capture button .
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Connecting to your Camera

The first thing you will do upon starting DSLR Focus is typically connect to your camera. To connect DSLR Focus to your camera you will need to have your camera connected to your computer with the cable supplied with your camera. This may be a USB or Firewire cable depending on your camera model.
Before connecting you should make sure you have performed the following: 1. Camera is connected to computer with supplied cable 2. Camera is set to (M) Manual mode 3. Camera is switched on 4. Camera Event dialogue that pops up when you connect is closed down Once you have performed these steps you are ready to connect. Press the connect button on the toolbar. You can also connect using the menu path pictured below:
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After pressing the connect button you will be presented with the Camera Control Window.
A Camera Model Selection Window will now be displayed. (If it is not then press the connect button on the Camera Control Window)
Canon DSLR users
If your camera is switched on and connected to your computer via the supplied cable you should see your camera listed in the camera selection drop down list box.
It is strongly recommended that you visit Canons Powershot website and make sure you have the latest TWAIN/WIA drivers for your camera model installed. You can get them here: http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/customer/driverdown.html
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Select your camera model and press OK. You will now see the Camera Control window displayed with information about your camera displayed and some drop down boxes filled in that allow you to control various settings on your camera.
The list boxes that are enabled will depend on what mode your camera is in. If your Camera is in Tv mode, then the Av box will be disabled. If you are in Av mode, then the Tv mode will be disabled. Most of the time your camera however should be in the Manual (M) mode.
The first time you connect to DSLR Focus you will notice the Camera is connected in what is know as Focus Mode. The Focus mode Radio button is selected. You will also notice that there is a button on the right of the window called Set Default. This button tells DSLR Focus to associate the current camera settings for ISO speed, Quality/Size, Tv and Av with the currently selected mode. After pressing this button, every time you start up DSLR Focus from now on and select a mode, the settings you associated with that mode will become active and the camera settings will be changed to reflect the defaults you associated with that mode. The recommended default settings will be discussed later on in the focusing section. The Capture mode will be discussed in the section on Capturing Images.
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Non Canon DSL Users
DSLR Focus now has the ability to support focusing for any digital camera that is capable of downloading images to a directory on to your computer.
How does it work?
When you start DLSR Focus and press the connect toolbar button, you will be provided with a dropdown list box of camera types. Scroll down and select the monitor folder option. And press ok
Once this is done you will be presented with a dialogue box asking you which directory to monitor. Select the directory that your remote control application that came with your camera downloads the images to. Next you will be presented with the Connection window displaying the folder you selected to be monitored.
Folder Monitoring Modes
There are 2 modes for working with DSLR Focus and remote control applications. 1. 2. DSLR Focus Controls firing the shutter by controlling your remote control application You fire the shutter from your remote control application
Mode 1 DSLR Focus Controls Remote application
On the Camera Control Window is a button titled Select Remote Application Press this button. You will be presented with a dialogue box to navigate to the remote control application that controls your camera. Find the executable (.exe) that you run to start this application and double click it. Your remote control application will have the ability to fire the shutter of your camera by pressing a key eg F1 or F4 or <SPACEBAR>. Select the key that has been setup in your remote application to fire the shutter.
For Nikon Capture 4 Software, this key is Ctrl+Shift+F, For the Pentax *istD camera its Alt+O+S
Some Remote applications like Canon remote download a temporary thumbnail before the actual image. You dont want DLR Focus to test focus on a thumbnail. So in the text box titled Ignore Files Containing you can put the characters that indicate a file is a thumbnail. For example if thumbnails are called IMG_0001_T.jpg and the actual image
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name is IMG_0001.jpg, then you could put _T in the text box, and all files with a them will be ignored. You are now ready to get started. Press the Start Monitoring button.
_T in
Your remote application will automatically be started for you. Connect to your camera as normal, and as a starting point set the following settings on your camera. Exposure length (Tv) = 2 to 4 seconds Image Size/Quality should be Medium size and normal quality. Your camera may have different settings. The idea is to get a combination that produces an image that does not take more than about 5 seconds to download to the PC. Once this is done, you can then go back to DSLR Focus by using the ALT-TAB keys on your keyboard. You are now ready to take your first test image. Press the spacebar in DSLR Focus. This should now set focus to your remote application and fire the camera shutter. The image will then be downloading to the directory specified, and DSLR Focus will automatically detect this and open the image.
The remote control of your application will not work if you do not allow DSLR Focus to start your remote control application. If for example Nikon Capture is running when you press the Start Monitoring button, then the shutter will not be fired. Press the stop monitoring button, close down your remote control application and press the Start Monitoring button again.
You can then use the image navigation toolbar icons to move around the image and find a suitable star to focus on. When you do, put cross hairs on the target and press mouse button. The focus analyses will then display. When you have tweaked focus and are ready, press the spacebar again and the next image will be taken and automatically load into DSLR Focus. Focus details will change and the history will be updated. More on focusing can be found in the following sections.
Mode 2 You fire shutter in your remote application
Press the Start Monitoring button. Run your Remote Control application, and Connect to your camera as normal, and set the following settings on your camera. Exposure length (Tv) = 2 to 4 seconds Image Size/Quality should be Medium size and Normal quality.
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Your camera may have different settings. The idea is to get a combination that produces an image that does not take more than about 5 seconds to download to the PC. Fire the shutter on in your remote control software. The image will then be downloaded to the directory specified, and DSLR Focus will automatically detect this and open the image. Switch to DSLR Focus to check the image You can then use the image navigation toolbar icons to move around the image and find a suitable star to focus on. When you do, put cross hairs on the target and press the left mouse button. The focus analyses will then display. When you have tweaked focus and are ready, go back to your remote application and fire the shutter. The next image will be taken and automatically loaded into DSLR Focus. Switch to DSLR Focus. The focus details will change and the history will be updated. Continue this process of tweaking focus and firing the shutter till you have reached perfect focus. More on focusing can be found in the following sections
You need to be using either T-ring for a DSLR Camera or eyepiece adaptor like scopetronix to couple your camera to the scope. Hand holding the camera to eyepiece will not work, as you cannot return camera to exact same position each time and DSLR Focus needs to be able to find the same star each time to compare if its getting better or worse.
Overview of Steps to use DSLR Focus to monitor a folder
1. Connect your camera to Telescope 2. Connect USB or Fire wire cable from your camera to PC 2. Start DSLR Focus, connect to a folder that the Images will be downloaded to 3. Point DSLR Focus to you remote capture software 4. Tell DSLR Focus what hotkey you will use in Remote Capture to fire the shutter 5. Start Monitoring 6. DSLR Focus will run remote capture software for you 7. In Remote capture software define the hotkey to fire the shutter.eg SPACE (you only need to do this once) 8. Use remote capture to set exposure length to 4 seconds, ISO to highest setting you have. If remote capture cant do it then set these settings manually 9. Set Image size to medium/Normal and format to JPG (you want images to take about 5 - 10 seconds max to download to PC) 10. Now try set focus using viewfinder reasonably close. ie so you can at least make out some stars are in the FOV 11. Go to DSLR Focus 12. Press spacebar. This fires shutter in Remote capture 13. Image is downloaded to the folder specified 14. DSLR Focus detects this and displays the image
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15. Find a suitable star on the image to monitor 16. Centre star in crosshairs and click mouse to activate focus analysis 17. Tweak scope focus 18. Press spacebar in DSLR Focus to take next image 19. New image is downloaded and analysed. Focus stats are updated showing if focus is better or worse Continue steps 17 - 19 till focus is perfect.....
Focusing Individual Colour Channels

Some optical designs on telescopes and camera lenses do not bring all the colours of the visible spectrum to focus at the same focal point. The result when imaging is bloated stars and what is often known as Violet Blooming or Chromatic Aberration. Your colour astro images are made up of 3 layers of data. A red layer and green layer and a blue layer that are combined to give you a colour image. If the stars on each of these layers are not bought to focus at the same focal point then you will not have sharp images. DSLR Focus can help you create sharp images with each colour channel by allowing you to focus each colour channel separately. On the toolbar you will see the following Radio buttons The default is RGB, which means the focus metrics data that is displayed is for all 3 colour channels combined. If you wish to focus the blue channel, you would click the B (blue) radio button. If you wanted to focus the red channel then you would click the R (red) radio button. Using this feature it would be possible to obtain images that dont have any violet blooming in them using cheaper achromat optics. The process would be as follows: 1. Focus Red channel 2. Capture Red channel Images 3. Focus Green channel 4. Capture Green channel images 5. Focus Blue channel 6. Capture Blue channel Images 7. Open each colour channel images separately and extract the appropriate channels data into a separate image 8. Combine/Stack the individual colour channel images 9. Align stacked Red, Green and Blue channels and then merge them back together The downside of this process is 3 times the amount of image data needs to be captured. Ie you have to expose data for each of the 3 colour channels and them combine them.
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Manual Focusing
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Manual Focusing
By now your Camera is connected to DSLR Focus and we are ready to focus the telescope or Camera lens. The process of focusing a DSLR Camera whether in prime focus mode or otherwise is an iterative process that consists of the following steps. 1. Establish communication between DSLR Focus and your camera 2. Align suitable focus star in camera FOV 3. Take Image and Transfer to PC by pressing play button or pressing Release Shutter button 4. Examine Image for suitable star to analyse focus on. Use toolbar image navigation buttons to quickly move around the image. If you cant find a star or exposure was too long or too short, then adjust shutter speed and take another exposure 5. Centre Suitable star with cross hair 6. Click mouse button while centred over star of choice 7. Analysis window pops up and gives digital analysis of the chosen star focus metrics 8. Adjust focus in or out 9. Take next image 10. New image automatically is added to focus analysis window 11. Compare Analysis metrics between images and adjust telescope focus appropriately 12. Repeat steps 9 12 until best focus is reached We have covered establishing a connection to the camera. We will now focus on the process of choosing a star to focus on and interpreting the focus metrics. You will notice that after you have connected to the Camera, 3 other Toolbar buttons become enabled. They are: The Start Exposure button The Disconnect button The Shutter Release button button will disconnect the Camera. Closing the Camera Control Window Pressing the will have the same effect.
Choosing a Star to focus on

The first thing you need to do when starting a focusing run, is select an appropriate star to use to focus the Telescope or Lens.
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Tips for Choosing a star Dont use stars close to the horizon. Use stars that are at least 30 degrees above the horizon to minimise atmospheric turbulence Dont choose stars that are too bright. Very bright stars are too big on the camera chip and saturate the image very quickly. This makes the focus metrics displayed for very bright stars less useful. Make sure you only have 1 bright star in focus box field of view
Before taking your first image to find a star make sure your camera settings are appropriately adjusted.
Suggested Settings for Focusing
Set you ISO between ISO 800 and ISO 1600 Set your exposure time (Tv) between 2 4 seconds Set your Image Quality/Size to Medium size and normal Quality
You want settings that provide a compromise between speed and size. You could set your image quality to LARGE/FINE but this setting will mean images take 20 40 seconds to download, which is too long to wait between images. Exposures in the range of 2 4 seconds also average out or minimise the effects of bad seeing.
Finding a star to focus on
After connecting to the camera the following toolbar buttons become enabled. You can start the process of snapping images to test focus in 3 ways. 1. By Pressing the Release Shutter Button 2. By Pressing the <SPACEBAR> 3. By pressing the Play Button The Play button is used to start a series of exposures at a predetermined time interval. The time interval between exposures is set in the list box on the toolbar next to the stop button. Use this to set the length of time you want to elapse between exposures.
I do not recommend you start a focusing session by using the button. It is primarily used once you have chosen a star and want to change focus of the fly and watch the results. This feature is best used in conjunction with a Motorised focuser that you can manually control.
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The Release shutter button or <SPACEBAR> is used to take an exposure whenever you press it. During a sequential set of exposures enabled with the Play button, this button is disabled.
After using the software extensively I find I mainly use the manual mode by pressing the <SPACEBAR>, This gives you time to inspect the images, adjust focus and wait for Telescope to settle before taking your next image.
or the <SPACEBAR>, the first image After Pressing the Release shutter toolbar button will be captured and displayed in the Image Display window as shown below:
This Image shows 2 out of focus stars. 1 very bright star and 1 small star.
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You can navigate around the image using the scroll bars or using the toolbar quick navigate buttons. You can also use the menu path Image->Position = Navigate to Top Left of image = Navigate to Top Right of Image = Navigate to Centre Left of Image = Navigate to centre of Image = Navigate to Centre Right of Image = Navigate to Bottom Left of Image = Navigate to Bottom Right of Image
In the example image above you would not choose the bright star to tune your focus as it is too saturated to get good Peak Value readings. See Focus Analysis section)
Always go the centre of the image first using the button. Depending on the quality of your optics, stars in the centre of your image are usually the sharpest and do not show the effect of poor optics as much. Optics with perfectly flat fields will not have this problem and any star on the Image can be used.
Once you have found a suitable star to use as your focusing star you centre the star in the cross hairs using the mouse or the keyboard Arrow keys( , , , ) then press the left mouse button. This Tells DSLR Focus to perform focus analysis on the selected star for every image you take from now on until you close the focus analysis window. What is actually occurring is that DSLR Focus places an invisible box around the star image you have chosen that is 64 x 64 pixels in width and height. Every image that gets taken from this point gets this invisible box placed around it in the exact same position. If your mount is not reasonably well polar aligned then your star tracking will be off. This poor tracking will cause your star to move position between each new image. This movement is tolerated to a point. Once the star moves out of the 64 x 64 pixel box, you will need to reselect it.
If this is occurring then the chances of you getting decent images when you do decide to image are very slim. I suggest investing the time to get a good polar alignment.
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Analysing Focus Metrics

After clicking on your selected star the Focus Analyses window will be displayed.
The Focus Analyses window is divided into 2 halves. The top half shows the Focus metrics, and the bottom half shows a history of each successive image you have taken. As the history fills up a scroll bar will appear allowing you to scroll back and forth. The focus metric data consists of Numerical and Graphical displays of the following data. HFWHM (Horizontal Full Width Half Maximum) VFWHM (Vertical Full Width Half Maximum) RSV (Radial Sum Value) Peak (Peak Value) FWHM The FWHM is effectively a measure of the size of the image, it is defined as the width of the Gaussian fit at half the maximum value. Since stars are point-like objects, the FWHM is DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter 38
minimized. That is, the star is closest to a point-like object when the telescope is optimally focused. Ideally the vertical and horizontal FWHM values will be the same. Poor optics or bad seeing can cause them to differ from each other. If you constantly get fluctuating horizontal and vertical FWHM values, then this is a good indication you have bad seeing. RSV Radial sum value is a relative measure of star width. As the star gets smaller this number gets bigger Peak Value Peak value is a measure of the brightest pixels in an image. A perfectly focused image will have a higher peak value than an out of focus image. Your goal is to obtain the highest peak value possible.
If you are getting peak values above 245 then you are probably focusing on too bright a star. I would recommend you choose a star that give you peak values at best focus of less that 240.
After you have evaluated your focus and adjusted the focuser, you continue to press the Release Shutter toolbar button (Or the <Spacebar>) to bring up the next image. The focus metrics for the next image will automatically be displayed allowing you to evaluate the metrics compared to the previous image. Sometimes the metrics alone are not enough to judge which image is focused the best. Another good visual judge of perfect focus is to monitor some very faint stars on the image. When you are out of focus, very faint stars may not show up. As you reach perfect focus you will see small pinpricks of light appear. This is a good indication that your image is focused. The ZOOM toolbar button toolbar button can be useful for analysing the image visually. Pressing the The zoom zoom button causes a magnified view of wherever your cursor is pointing to appear. You can leave this magnified view up between images and compare the star image in detail to assess the focus accuracy. Using the zoom slider bar changes the magnification of the zoom window.
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The following image shows a nearly focused star at 5x magnification using the zoom window.
The following image shows what things look like after 8 Iterations of Image capture and focus adjustment.
On this image you can see the history of stars in the History Frame, as well as a Vs Time Graph. The shape of this graph is typical of a star out of focus becoming focused. The Peak Value Rises, the Radial Sum Rises and the FWHM Values fall.
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Choosing a new star to focus on

After evaluating a star you may decide its not suitable and want to choose another. Navigate around the image frame and find a suitable star. Centre the star in the crosshairs and click the left mouse button. Choosing a new star tells the focus analysis window that you are starting over. All history will be erased. When you select a new star you will be asked if you are sure you want to perform this action. Selecting "No" will leave things exactly as they were. Selecting "Yes" will erase the focus history and bring up analysis for the new star.
Logging Tracking Data

If you wish to plot a graph of your mounts Periodic error or tracking accuracy, you can click the Log Tracking Data button from the Focus Metrics Window. Each new image that gets analysed has its star position logged. To check your PE over say a 4 minute worm cycle you would do the following:
1. Snap an Image using the <spacebar> 2. Select a star to track with crosshairs and press enter 3. Press the Log Tracking Data button in the focus metrics window 4. Choose an interval time on the toolbar of 10 seconds, and press the Play 5. After 4 or five minutes, press the STOP button on the toolbar 6. Press the Stop Tracking Data Log button in the Focus Metrics window. button.
A File called Tracking.log will be generated in the DataFiles subdirectory of the DSLR Focus install directory. This can be loaded into something like MS Excel and graphed. The data produced looks like this:
"t","DeltaX","DeltaY" "11:03:55 PM",49.63,49.57 "11:04:05 PM",49.77,52.01 "11:04:15 PM",49.61,55.13 "11:04:25 PM",49.72,56.94 "11:04:35 PM",49.25,57.16 "11:04:45 PM",48.94,56.87 "11:04:55 PM",48.78,55.28 "11:05:05 PM",48.56,52.95
etc
Real Time Tracking Analysis

It is also possible to view real time analysis of your mounts tracking. What this means is that while focusing every time a new image is opened the position of the star you are focusing on is compared to the last image and displayed as X and Y values in terms of number of pixels/sub pixels the image has moved.
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This allows you to work out if your tracking over says a 30 second period is good enough. All you do is snap 1 image and select a star. Now wait for your planned imaging time. For example, if planned exposure length is 2 minutes, then snap an image and choose a star. When 2 minutes is up press spacebar and snap another image. The X/Y difference in pixels is shown. If its greater than 1 pixel, then depending on your image scale (based on focal length and camera pixel size) you can determine if you can support shorter or longer images. The X,Y difference can be found on the status bar at the bottom of the screen. The following image shows the status bar indicating that X position changed by 0.14 and Y position changed by 0.01.
Manual Focusing Tips

Dont select an overly saturated I.e. Too bright a star to focus with. If the peak value is always around 240 or greater then choose another star Try keep your exposures as short as possible (ie between 1 and 4 seconds at ISO 400 or higher) Wait till any vibration from touching the focuser has died down before taking the next image Use the mirror lock feature on your camera, if you have it, as this reduces vibration Make sure your mount is tracking reasonable well. You dont want the star moving at of the FOV during the focusing run. Set Image quality to Medium/Normal. This creates higher resolution stars for analysis routines to work with. There is no need to set Large fine for the image size, as the download to the PC becomes too slow. Select a star that has no other stars in the immediate vicinity of it. Ie in the focus analysis window only 1 star is visible in the displayed images. If you have a motorised focuser, use this to make small adjustment of the focuser between frames, as it provides better accuracy and will not cause vibration in your mount. Take a 30 seconds shot when you think you have reached accurate focus, to verify that all the faint stars that show up are in focus If the temperature changes significantly after you have achieved focus, you will need to refocus. This is because the critical focus zone changes slightly with temperature changes as things like your mirror or OTA shrink or expand Lock your focuser once focus is achieved. If your focuser does not have a lock, then install one yourself if at all possible.
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Auto Focus
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Auto Focus
About Auto focusing
The goal of automatic focusing is to achieve equal or better results than you could achieve by manually focusing your telescope by hand. The ability for your setup to consistently achieve good auto focus is highly dependant on the equipment you use. As such there is no 1 solution fits all that I can recommend that will ensure you obtain good results with auto focusing. You will need to invest time in understanding your own equipment and its nuances. Once you understand how your equipment performs during auto focusing you will be able to tweak the settings in both DSLR Focus and your own focuser software to ensure you get repeatable results. I will give some guidelines in the section, but most of your learning will come from trial and error.
Factors effecting accuracy of Auto Focus

Quality of your Telescopes Focuser
The quality of your telescope focuser will greatly impact your ability to quickly and accurately and consistently achieve pinpoint focus. A poor quality focuser will exhibit some or all of the following problems.
1. Focuser sags under the weight of the camera causing the image plane not to be aligned with the focal plane of the telescope. The effect of this is stars that are focused on one side of the image and gradually appear to become out of focus at the opposite end of the image. You may also notice spherical aberration on stars at the edge of your image. 2. Focuser slips under the weight of the camera. Some focusers do not provide an adequate mechanism to lock the focus tube in place one focus is achieved. 3. Focuser has excessive unpredictable backlash. Focusers with large amounts on unpredictable backlash make precise focusing difficult. Often you will need to move the focuser in one direction then another in very small amounts. Focuser that have excessive backlash make this task difficult to achieve. This problem is less of a concern when you are manually focusing your telescope by hand. It becomes a real problem if trying to use auto-focusing software in combination with a motor attached to your focuser. 4. Mirror shift. Many of the commercial Schmidt-Casse grain Telescopes like the Meade LX200 or Celestron exhibit a phenomenon called mirror shift. As the focuser direction is reversed, the focuser pushes on the mirror and changes the plane of the mirror to the optics. The effect of this is that the star you were focusing on moves about on the image chip. This problem is overcome by using Zero Image shift micro focusers that are now standard issue on the Meade LX200 range of telescopes.
Most of these issues can be resolved in your own workshop or by purchasing a replacement focuser for your telescope. If your focuser exhibits some or all of these problems then your likelihood of achieving success with auto focus will be reduced. The painful fact is that no amount of software will allow cheap hardware to focus well.
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Quality of your Motor Focuser
It goes without saying that higher quality motorised focuser units will deliver better performance than cheaper or lower quality units. The things you want in a Motor Focuser are in no particular order: Ability to make very small changes in focus often to less than 0.001 of an Inch Low profile so as not to cause vignetting Secure way of mounting motor unit to your focuser within minimal mechanical backlash Ability to compensate for mechanical backlash present in the focusing train There are 2 types of Electro Mechanical focusers. Absolute position focusers and relative position focusers.
Absolute Position Focusers
Absolute position focusers are focusers that use geared stepper motors and are able to make repeatable small adjustments to the focuser and have the ability to return the focuser to a particular position. These type focusers generally are better in auto focusing applications than relative position focusers. 2 examples of absolute position motor focus system are the ROBO-FOCUSTM Focuser or the Optec TCF-S Focuser. Robofocus unit on Van Slyke Engineering Monster Focuser
Optec TCF-S Focuser
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Relative Position Focusers
Relative position focusers typically use geared DC servo motors to move the focuser. Many of these are capable of high speed and fine movement. The disadvantage of using a relative position focuser to an absolute one is that you cannot tell a relative position focuser to move the focuser to a predetermined position. All you can do is tell it to move forward or backward from its current position. Having said this, it does not mean that relative position focusers cannot be used with auto focus software. Some examples of relative position focusers are the Meade #1206 motorised focuser, or the JMI MOTOFOCUS range of focusers
Focal Ratio and Critical Focus Zones
Depending on the focal ratio of your telescope optics, some of the cheaper relative position focusers are not able to provide accurate or small enough movement to move the focuser within the Critical Focus Zone of your telescope. There is not one single point of perfect focus in a real word situation. Telescopes have a range of positions where an image will appear focused. The size of this range is called the Critical Focus zone or Depth of Focus. The Critical Focus Zone concept is illustrated below.
In the example above you can see that the Critical Focus Zone for the faster f/5 scope is much smaller than that of the f/10 scope. To create a well-focused image, your focuser will need to be able to move the cameras imaging sensor within this critical focus zone.
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You can calculate your telescope focal ratio by dividing your focal length by your aperture. For example an 80mm Aperture scope with a 600mm focal length has a f/ratio of 600/80 = f7.5
By understanding your telescopes Depth of Focus you can determine if your focuser is up to the task. A focuser should be able to move to your Depth of Focus in a single step. Using the formula: Focal Range = 0.000088 x (Focal Ratio) 2 We can calculate the focal range for a number of Focal Ratios to give you and idea of how accurate focusing needs to be. This value is also often referred to as the Critical Focus Zone. (Note: Real world values would be between 20 30% higher as a result of things like seeing
and less than perfect optics) F/Ratio Depth of Focus 10 0.0088 Inch 0.22352 mm 9 0.007128 Inch 0.181051 mm 8 0.005632 Inch 0.143053 mm 7 0.004312 Inch 0.109525 mm 6 0.003168 Inch 0.080467 mm 5 0.0022 Inch 0.05588 mm 4 0.001408 Inch 0.035763 mm What you can see from this table is that faster focal ratio systems have much smaller depths of focus. What this means is the tolerance zone for achieving perfect focus is much smaller for faster focal ratio optics. Faster focal ratios therefore require smaller more accurate movement of the focuser. So make sure your motor focuser is up to the task!
For detailed information of Depth of focus analysis and calculation formulas visit http://www.brayebrookobservatory.org/BrayObsWebSite/HOMEPAGE/forum/Depth-of-Focus_htmldocs/depthoffocus.html
How do I know if my focuser is up to the task

To work out if your focuser will be useful for auto focusing, you need to determine what the minimum step size in mm or microns is. Many motor focuser will give you this information in the documentation. If you dont have it, then you can calculate it using the following simple procedure. A set of digital or mechanical vernier callipers will help a lot, but this test can be done with a ruler. For refractors, measure how far your focuser is from the end of your OTA. Move the focuser 1000 steps or units. Measure how far it has moved. Take the result and divide it by 1000. This is your step size in mm. Divide it by 1000 to get it in Microns. If you cannot see the focuser move, as for a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, focus the telescope with an eyepiece, move the focuser out 1000 steps. Now pull the eyepiece out of the focuser until the image is sharp. Measure the distance the eyepiece was moved out and divide it by 1000. This gives your step size in mm. If your step size in less than half your calculated Critical Focus Zone/Focus Depth for your scope then you are going to struggle using your motorised focuser to auto focus your telescope.
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Supported Auto focusers

DSLR Focus is designed to support any ASCOM compliant focuser. The current list of supported Focusers is as follows: Aquest PCFocus client focuser interface AstroOptik integrated focuser AstroPhysics focuser Finger Lakes DF-2 Focuser Simulator (for testing) FocusMax client focuser interface JMI SmartFocus Meade LX200, LX200GPS and Autostar focusers Optec Temperature Compensated Focuser RC Optical Temperature Compensated Focuser RoboFocus (includes complete RoboFocus control software) * DIY Motor Focus (available soon from DSLR Focus)
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Preparing to connect DSLR Focus to your motor focuser
Before entering the auto focus control screens in DSLR Focus, make sure your motor focuser is plugged into you computer, it has power and is fully functioning.
Auto focuser Setup

The auto focus control window can be access from 2 places. From the Focuser Menu item.
or from the Focus Analysis window via the Autofocus button once you have selected a suitable star to focus on.
After selecting either the Focuser menu option or pressing the Autofocus button you will be presented with the Auto Focus Window.
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This window allows you to connect to your motor focuser and bring up the settings dialog box for your particular piece of equipment.
The first thing you need to do is chose your focuser. To do this press the Choose Focuser button. You will be presented with the focuser chooser dialog box
Select your brand of focuser and press ok. You can now modify the settings for your brand of focuser by pressing the Settings button.
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The following example shows what the settings dialog looks like for the DSRL Focus - Fine Focuser that is a low cost motorised focuser I am currently developing that will be available for purchase soon.
This screen will be different depending on your brand of focuser.
Pressing the Link Button will now connect DSLR Focus to your focuser and display some information about your focuser in the Connection frame. The information displayed is: Current Position Maxstep StepSize Focuser type. I.e. Absolute or Relative You can test that DSLR Focus is connected to you focuser by issuing a Move command to your focuser. You can do this from the Manual Control area.
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If you have an absolute focuser, then the Move command tells the focuser to move to an exact step position based on the number of steps you specify. In the displayed example clicking the Move Out button causes the focuser to position 3300, which is 150 steps from the current position of 3150. If you have a relative focuser the Move command tells the focuser to move in a relative direction. So if the focuser was at position 0, moving In would cause the position reading to read 150. Moving out would read +150. Pressing moving out again would make it 300 etc
This manual control feature is very useful during manual focusing if you have a motor focuser. It allows you to tweak the focus position my issuing a move command, then using the space bar you can snap an image, evaluate the focus and move the focuser again, without having to ever touch the telescope.
Compensating for Backlash during movement

Almost all focusers will have some backlash. It is more likely than not that your brand of focuser will have backlash compensation built into the software drivers to allow you to compensate for the backlash on your particular system.
An excellent article discussing the issue of backlash on LX200 telescopes can be found here: http://www.homedome.com/knobvsJMI2.pdf
If your particular focuser does not have backlash compensation support then DSLR Focus provides a way for you to compensate e for backlash in the software.
Checking the Compensate for Backlash checkbox allows you to enter a value that describes how much movement in the opposite direction of travel is required to compensate for your focuser backlash. It also allows you to indicate the final direction the focuser should travel. It is a well-known fact that final direction on many SCTs should be Counter Clockwise (CCW), which corresponds to the direction out.
Only check the backlash compensation if your focuser does not already support this function. You can verify if your focuser supports backslash compensation by pressing the Settings button. If you check the backlash compensation box and your focuser is also compensating for backlash, then you will end up compensating for backlash twice which means you will never be able to accurately move to any given position.
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Starting an Auto focus run

Once you are connected to your focuser and have ensured all your settings are correct, you are just about ready to start an auto-focusing run.
There are 3 other setting you need to worry about. These are the No of Images per move and the No of Iterations and the Move Direction
No of Images per move This setting determines how many images the camera will take at each focuser position. This can be a number from 1 5. What this setting does is take the number of images you specify at each focus position and averages the results. This has the effect of minimising the effects of bad seeing between images, which can cause erratic results. A good number for this setting is 2 or 3 images. No of Iterations This setting tells DSLR Focus how many discreet moves of the focuser it should make. If this is set to auto then DSLR Focus will determine how many iterations it needs based on the results of the first few images. If you set a number here yourself, then DSLR Focus will move the focuser in the direction you indicate that many times. The size of the steps the focuser make sis determined by the value in the Manual Control section of the window,
So in the example above when you press the Start Autofocus button, the focuser will move 150 steps 10 times. Every 150 steps DSLR Focus will take 3 images, average the focus metrics results and move to the next position.
If the show Graph live checkbox is selected, then DSLR Focus will in real-time show you a graph of the results after each Iteration. i.e. every 150 steps in this example
Before you can start an auto focus run, you must have selected an appropriate star, and the focus analysis window must be displayed. If you have taken a while to configure your focuser, it is recommended that you snap another image and confirm the cross hairs are still centred on the star before starting your auto focus run.
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The end result of a successful auto-focusing run will look something like this
The focuser was moved from position 25000 to position 24100 over 10 iterations. Every 150 steps 3 images were captured and the focus result averaged and plotted on the results graph. From this graph we can see the linear nature of moving the focuser the same distance each iteration. At the end of the run the DSLR Focus examines the results and displays the Focus metrics for the position it thinks has the best focus. In this example it is Position 24600, which corresponds with the actual star images at each point. DSLR Focus then prompts you to move the focuser back to the best focus position. Choosing Yes will absolute position focusers where to move to and tell relative position focusers which direction and how far to move.
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The following illustration shows the actual stars from each of the focuser positions during the focusing run. A visual inspection of the images clearly shows that at position 24600 the image is at best focus. Astute viewers will just see a very tiny spec of a 3rd star visible at the bottom left of position 24600. When faint stars show up that you could not see before, this is a good indication your focus is accurate.
If you disagree with the suggestion DSLR Focus makes, then press No. You can then manually select the data point on the graph you feel is the best focus and double click on it. Doing this displays that data points data. You then press the :Move to button and your focuser will move the position you manually selected.
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Image Preview & Framing
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5. Image Preview & Framing

About Image Preview
After you have focused your telescope or camera lens you will want to verify that you have the object you are imaging correctly framed in the camera FOV. For some bright objects like bright Globular clusters or bright nebula this is an easy task. For fainter objects like galaxies it can be more challenging to accomplish this. An Image Framing window is provided to show you a full screen view of the entire FOV of your camera. The Frame Image windows is access by using the Frame Image toolbar button Here is an example of the Frame Image window after a 30 second ISO1600 image of Globular Cluster Omega Centauri.
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The Frame image window allows you to zoom in or out on the image. When you are zoomed in scroll bars will appear around the image. You can navigate your way around a zoomed image using the scroll bars. Or Check the Enable Panning Mode checkbox. This mode allows you to pan around the image by pressing the mouse button down and simultaneously moving the mouse. The Open button allows you to open any JPG or RAW image on your computer. If you select a RAW image (generally extension CRW) then the image will be converted to JPG and then opened. The Preview Images from Camera button is enabled when you are connected to your camera via the supplied USB cable. Pressing this button causes the camera image preview screen to open up. This screen shows what images are currently stored on your cameras compact flash memory card.
You select the image you wish to preview and press the preview button. The image is then opened in the Frame Image window.
The typical scenario for this use is you program 1 long exposure e.g. 3 or 5 minutes and you want to check if you have reached sky glow or you have star trailing. You can now open the image frame window and retrieve any image off the camera flash memory. If you select a RAW image it will download the raw and then convert it to a JPG, which is quote handy as it auto stretches the JPG so fainter details will show up with no processing required. This saves you spending and hour imaging objects that are actually showing star trails or are over exposed. If you selected a RAW image (generally extension CRW) then the image will be downloaded to the PC and converted to JPG. RAW images are typically in excess of 3mb and can take as long as 60 seconds on some system to download before the image can be previewed.
The Histogram
The histogram is provided as a tool to analyse an image before making your mind up about the exposure settings you will use to capture images. The high sensitivity of the modern digital camera means that from light polluted suburban backyards it is very easy to run into
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what is know as the sky fog limit. Essentially this is the point where the amount of light pollution in your image outweighs the signal you are getting. There is no point exposing an image longer than your sky fog limit allows as the image becomes saturated and you lose data. Everyone will have different limits depending on your camera settings and the light your own levels of light pollution The Show Histogram button brings up a histogram of the currently displayed image. You can view the luminance channel, the red, channel, the green channel or the blue channel by selecting the option in the Channel drop down list box. The histogram shown here if for the 30 second Omega Centauri image from above.
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An image that is approaching the sky fog limits will have the histogram shifted way over to the right.
This image shows Omega Centauri exposed under sever light pollution for too long. You can see the histogram has moved to the right. You would be losing valuable faint data in this image.
You can reduce the sky fog limit by using Light Pollution Filters. There are many brands available, but one that sticks out and is used by many DSLR Imagers is the 2 IDAS LPS filter by Hutech. This filter greatly reduces light pollution while maintaining a good color balance. Many other brands exhibit poor color balance and give your images a green tinge. The filter screw directly into the front of your T-Adapter.
The image frame window also allows you to adjust the Brightness and Contrast of your image. Faint galaxies and nebula may not show up on your image without increasing the brightness and contrast levels of the image. Pressing the Brightness + or Contrast + buttons increases the effect. Pressing the Brightness - or Contrast - buttons decreases the effect. Because of the size of these images these settings take a few seconds to take effect. A status indicator in the Image Frame Window title will tell you the progress of these commands.
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Aligning your image in the FOV

If you have a go to Telescope that is ASCOM compliant, then using the Telescope Motion Control feature is a good way to align the image in the camera FOV.
The motion control allows you to jog the scope in the N, S, E or W directions in very discreet amounts. This allows you to position the image within the FOV. The process would be as follows: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Snap Image by pressing <SPACEBAR> to open the Frame Image Window Press Frame Image button Examine location of the object you are imaging Open Telescope Motion Control Window Set Motion to 2 degrees Press one the N, S, E or W direction buttons Wait for slew to finish Snap Image by pressing <SPACEBAR> The new image is automatically updated in the Image Frame Window Check the position and repeat steps 6 8 till the image is located at the position in the FOV that you desire
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10. Capturing Images

About Image Capture
The current crop of DSLRs on the market eg Canon 10D, 300D, Nikon D70, Pentax *istD exhibit very low noise during exposure of 5 10 minutes. Even with the ability to capture 5 minute images, it still means that any many objects that you will want to image, 5 minutes worth of light gathering is not enough. The obvious way around this is to take lots of 5minute exposures and then use software to digitally add the images together giving you the equivalent (or close to) of the same length longer exposure. Depending on the Focal length that you are imaging at, you will then have the problem of needing to manually guide or autoguide your images. This produces added complexity and cost that many people dont want face. The way around this is to then take lots of short exposures up to the limit of your mounts tracking ability. This may mean lots of 30 or 60-second images, which are then later combined to make up the equivalent of a longer exposure. Whether you are taking relatively few long 5-minute exposures or lots of short exposures DSLR Focus will fully automate the process of capturing these images for you.
DSLR Focus currently only supports Capture mode for the following Canon cameras. 10D, 300D Digital Rebel/EOS KISS, D60, 1ds, 1ds MarkII. I will be adding support for the Nikon D70 in the near future
Capture Modes
DSLR Focus has 2 capture modes available. The first mode called Short Exposure Mode allows you to use DSLR Focus to automate the taking, saving and downloading of images to your computer that are up to 30 seconds in duration. To use this mode you just need the standard USB or Firewire cable that came with your Canon DSLR Camera.
It is important for you to read Section 3. Getting Started before going any further, as the following sections assume you have an understanding of the capabilities that you have when using a USB or Firewire cable VS a Serial or Parallel Cable.
The second mode is called the Long Exposure Mode and is used to automate the taking, saving and downloading of images to your computer that are longer than 30 seconds in DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter 62
duration. To use this mode you need have a serial or parallel cable that connects to the Remote Control or Bulb port of your camera.
Starting Capture Mode

The capture mode is started by pressing either the Image Capture Capture mode Radio button on the Camera Control Window. toolbar button or the
The Image Capture Window will be displayed, and the mode you last used the software in will be activated.
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Short Exposure Mode (exposures <= 30 seconds)

The Short Exposure Mode is the first Tab on the Image Capture Window. If you are connected to the camera when you enter capture mode and you press on the Short Exposures Tab you will be presented with the short exposure screen. The image below shows the short exposure controls with an image capture in progress.
When you enter the Image Capture window: if your camera is connected from the Camera Control Window, you will see
If your camera is not connected you will see
When you are not connected you will notice that the Start and Stop buttons are disabled. To connect you must go to the Camera Control window and press the Connect button or if the Camera Control window is not open, press the Connect toolbar button
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Lets say you wanted to program a sequence that consisted of 10 exposures at 30 seconds each saved only to the camera, with a 10 second pause between each exposure and you wanted to wait till 5 seconds after you press the start button to start the sequence. Programming the sequence would look exactly like the picture on the previous page. No Exposures = 10 Secs Between Exp = 10 Lead In =5 Save Images to Cam checkbox = Checked So where do you set the 30 second exposure time? In short Exposure Mode, this is done on the Camera Control Window.
You will notice that the Exposure Time (min) and Exposure Time (sec) entry boxes on the Image Capture Window are disabled. The reason for this is that in short exposure mode you are limited to whatever exposure (Tv) settings your camera provides.
You cannot set you camera Tv to Bulb in short exposure mode. If you do you will see the Start Button gets disabled. To shoot exposures longer than 30 seconds you need to have a Serial or Parallel Cable. See Section 3 getting started for more info on these cables.
Capturing Images to your Computer
If you want to download images to your PC as the images are taken then you need to click the Save Images to PC checkbox This will cause each image to be download to your pc as it completes. To specify the location where the images get saved to you need to go the File Naming tab
If you have not clicked the Save Images to PC checkbox then the File Naming information will be disabled.
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Pressing the File Naming tab will bring up the following information
From here you can specify the location on your computer that the files should be saved to by pressing the Browse button. You can also prefix your objects with customised names by entering a name for the object you are imaging. In the example above, if you enter M42 as the object name, the sample name shows you what the image will be called on your computer. If you click the Append Time/ISO to Object name checkbox then the ISO speed and exposure time is also added to the name.
This naming feature with ISO appended to object names if very helpful when taking a number of images at different ISOs. The reason being that in your image stacking software you need to stack images in groups with the same ISO speed and same Time.
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Automating a series of exposure sequences
It is possible to automate the taking of a series of exposures at different ISO speeds with different delay times using the Automation button. This button can be found next to the Stop button on the Short Exposure Tab. Pressing the Automate Button brings up the Exposure Sequencing Window.
This window allows you to create exposure sequences, Modify Exposure sequences and save them for use at a later date.
Loading Existing Sequence Files
Pressing the Load File button allows you to open existing Exposure sequences. Exposure Sequence files are stored in the ExposureFiles sub directory of your DSLR Focus installation directory.
Modifying Existing Sequences
To modify a sequence, double click on the sequence entry in the Exposure Sequence File area of the window. This causes the details of the exposure series to be displayed in the Add/Modify area of the window. Change the settings as appropriate and then press the Modify button to change this entry, or press the Delete button to remove it.
Adding new sequences
To add a new sequence, fill in the Sequence details as in the example below
In short exposure mode, the Exposure Time(sec) entry is ignored. This is because the exposure time gets set using the Tv setting in the Camera Control window or on the Camera itself. DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter 67
When setting an ISO speed, make sure your camera supports this ISO speed. This list box contains a list of the most common ISO speeds, but does not necessarily mean your camera supports all of these. For example the 300D/Digital Rebel does not support ISO1000. Setting this ISO Speed to a value your camera does not support will not cause an error but the value will be ignored and the ISO speed will remain unchanged from its current setting. The only connect to change ISO text box is not enabled in Short Exposure Mode and will be discussed further in the Long Exposure Mode section of this manual.
Saving the Sequence
Changes/Modifications made to an existing sequence file are automatically saved when you exit the Sequence Automation window. You do not need to press the Save File button. If you have modified an existing sequence and wish to save a copy of it under a different name, then use the Save File button.
Starting the Sequence
Once you have loaded or created a new sequence you press the Start Sequence Button
The exposures will start and the sequence currently executing will be highlighted in Blue as in the example below:
To stop a sequence that is currently in progress, you press the Cancel Sequence button.
Why would I want to automate sequences?
Sequences are very useful when you wish to image an object at different ISO settings or different Shutter Speeds. They are also a good way of remembering how many images of a particular object you took and what the camera settings used were. They can be shared with other Astrophotographers who wish to achieve similar results. Lets say you were imaging M42, you may wish to take say 20 x 30 Second exposures at IS01600 to gather some nebulosity, but then only take say 5 x 30 seconds at ISO 100 to capture the core. You can then combine these different ISO exposures to get a nice image without a burned out core. Using a serial or parallel cable gives you more options as you can also have different exposure times for sequence instead of just different ISO values.
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Long Exposure Mode (Unlimited Bulb Exposures)

The Long Exposure Mode is the second Tab on the Image Capture Window. If you are connected to the camera when you enter capture mode and you press on the Long Exposures Tab you will be presented with the long exposure screen. The image below shows the long exposure controls.
When you enter the Image Capture window: if your camera is connected from the Camera Control Window, you will see
If your camera is not connected you will see
When you are not connected you will notice that the Save Image(s) to PC checkbox is disabled. To save images to your PC you must be connected. To connect you must go to
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the Camera Control window and press the Connect button or if the Camera Control window is not open, press the Connect toolbar button
The Camera Connected/Disconnected information is referring to the Connection of the Camera to the Computer via the USB cable. This is not to be confused with your Serial or Parallel cable connection.
Serial and Parallel Cables
The pre requisite to using the Long Exposure Mode is that you have a Serial or Parallel cable connected to your Cameras Remote Control or Bulb port. See Section 3, Getting Started for more details on these cables.
Setting up your Serial or Parallel Cable
Plug in your serial or Parallel cable to your computer. At this point dont plug it into your camera. If you do, make sure your camera is switched off. To Setup your cable you need to navigate to the following Menu Item. CameraControl>Bulb Exposure Setup->Port Setup
This brings up the Port Setup Window,
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From this window you Tell DSRL Focus about your parallel or serial port configuration
Parallel Port Setup
First step is to press the Find Ports button. You then select the port you are using which is usually LPT1. Set the ECP mode to bi-directional and press the Test Port button. You then Press the Enable Parallel button and you are done. Unless you built a custom parallel cable and changed the Data Pinouts, then ignore the Circuit Pinouts sections of this form. If you did build your own cable and decided for example you wanted Date Port 5 to trigger the shutter, then you would put a 5 in the Shutter Entry.
Dont change these settings unless you know what you are doing!
Serial Port Setup
If you have a serial cable then drop down the Com Port list box and tell DSLR Focus which com port you are using. This is usually Com 1 or Com 2. However some users are using USB > Serial Converters. These often use Com 5 or Com 7. Either way just select the appropriate com port. If you made your own cable you need to tell DSLR Focus which line to use to trigger the shutter. The Default is RTS. Unless you changed the Serial cable design, then leave this setting at default. Press the Test Port button. You then Press the Enable Serial button and you are done.
Trouble Shooting Parallel Port Problems
If you are having problems getting your Parallel cable to work then try the following. The best way to test your cable is to test it without DSLR focus. I included a piece of software called LPTTEST.exe in the install directory. You can use this to test if your cable is working. 1. On boot up of your laptop/pc go into bios and set the LPT port type to ECP or Bidirectional (try ECP first). 2. In your DSLR Focus install directory is a programme called LPTTEST.exe 3. Run this, then go into port setup and press the find port button. 4. Click the LPT1 Radio button and in the drop down list box set the port type to bidirectional. (yes I know the Bios was set to ECP but dont worry) 5. Now connect the cable to your camera, and set camera to bulb mode. 6. Press the 0 and 1 buttons in the Data Port frame. 7. Your shutter should fire. If not, then play with the port settings dialogue until you get it to fire.
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8. When it does, then you can be assured that DSLR focus will fire the shutter. 9. Dont forget you have to go into port setup in DSLR Focus (. CameraControl->Bulb Exposure Setup->Port Setup) and tell it what port to use. You only do this once. If this does not fix your problems then try the following: 1. Go into device manager and bring up list of ports. You should see 2 ports. A communications port on com1 and a Printer port on LPT1. 2. Delete the printer port by selecting uninstall. 3. Now shut down your PC and reboot. Go into BIOS before it boots, and set LPT port to ECP 4. Make sure Plug and Play OS is also selected as an option in your bios. 5. Now reboot. PC should detect port again and reinstall drivers. 6. Go into LPT driver info from the device manager and disable legacy plug and 7. play detection 8. Now run LPTTEST, go into port setup and press the find port button 9. Set drop down list to bi-directional and do a test. 10. If you built the cable to spec then only Data Port 0 and 1 will have any affect so just toggle those and see if shutter fires.
Some laptops just dont put out enough current on the parallel Port to drive the transistors. If yours is one of these then your only alternative is to convert your parallel cable into a serial one. This is very easy to do and only requires a diode and DB9 female plug.
Using Long Exposure Mode to Capture Images
Lets say you wanted to program a sequence that consisted of 10 exposures at 4 minutes each saved only to the camera, with a 30 second pause between each image to let the sensor cool down. Lets also say you wanted to wait 30 seconds after pressing the Start button to give you time to walk out of your observatory without shaking the scope before the exposures start. You would do this as follows: No Exposures = 10 Secs Between Exp = 30 Lead In = 30 Exposure Time (Min) =4 Save Images to Cam checkbox = Checked The following image shows exactly this scenario in progress:
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You will notice that the Icon is showing. Remember this is talking about your connection to the Camera via the USB cable NOT the Serial/Parallel Cable. It is entirely possible and in fact recommended to not be connected to the camera via USB during long exposures. The Long Exposure Mode also has a Mirror Lock checkbox. For Cameras like the 10D and D60 that have Mirror Lock this can be enabled. When a camera with Mirror lock is in Bulb mode it takes 2 presses of the shutter to fire the exposure. One to lock up the shutter and the other to fire it. Checking this Checkbox causes DSLR Focus to lock up the shutter and then wait for the period of time specified in the Lock Delay field. This can be any time between 1 and 59 seconds.
If you dont have mirror lock enabled on your camera and check the mirror lock checkbox, the software will not behave as expected and will not take the number of exposures you are expecting. Some 300D/Digital Rebel users are using modified firmware that has a mirror lock function. This does not operate in the same way that the 10D and D60 mirror lock does. Do not press the mirror lock checkbox if you are using modified firmware.
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Your must set your Camera Tv to Bulb in Long Exposure mode. If you do not you will notice that your Exposure Time in Min and seconds that you set in the Long Exposure Window are ignored. The shutter will fire for the duration that the current Tv .
Capturing Images to your Computer
If you want to download images to your PC as the images are taken then you need to click the Save Images to PC checkbox This will cause each images to be download to your pc as it completes. This checkbox is not enabled if your camera is not connected to your computer via the USB cable. To enable this checkbox you must connect your camera. To connect you must go to the Camera Control window and press the Connect button or if the Camera Control toolbar button. window is not open, press the Connect To specify the location where the images get saved to you need to go the File Naming tab
If you have not clicked the Save Images to PC checkbox then the File Naming information will be disabled. Pressing the File Naming tab will bring up the following information
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From here you can specify the location on your computer that the files should be saved to by pressing the Browse button. You can also prefix your objects with customised names by entering a name for the object you are imaging. In the example above if you enter M42 as the object name, the sample name shows you what the image will be called on your computer. If you click the Append Time/ISO to Object name checkbox then the ISO speed and exposure time is also added to the name.
This naming feature with ISO appended to object names if very helpful when taking a number of images at different ISOs. The reason being that in your image stacking software you need to stack images in groups with the same ISO speed and same Time.
Automating a series of exposure sequences
It is possible to automate the taking of a series of exposures at different ISO speeds with different delay times and different exposure times using the Automation button. This button can be found next to the Stop button on the Short Exposure Tab. Pressing the Automate Button brings up the Exposure Sequencing Window.
This window allows you to create exposure sequences, Modify Exposure sequences and save them for use at a later date.
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Loading Existing Sequence Files
Pressing the Load File button allows you to open existing Exposure sequences. Exposure Sequence files are stored in the ExposureFiles sub directory of your DSLR Focus installation directory.
Modifying Existing Sequences
To modify a sequence, double click on the sequence entry in the Exposure Sequence File area of the window. This causes the details of the exposure series to be displayed in the Add/Modify area of the window. Change the settings as appropriate and then press the Modify button to change this entry, or press the Delete button to remove it.
Adding new sequences
To add a new sequence, fill in the Sequence details as in the example below
The when setting an ISO speed, make sure your camera supports this ISO speed. This list box contains a list of the most common ISO speeds, but does not necessarily mean your camera supports all of these. For example the 300D/Digital Rebel does not support ISO1000. Setting this to a value your camera does not support will not cause an error but the value will be ignored and the ISO speed will remain unchanged from its current setting.
Saving the Sequence
Changes/Modifications made to an existing sequence file are automatically saved when you exit the Sequence Automation window. You do not need to press the Save File button. If you have modified an existing sequence and wish to save a copy of it under a different name, then use the Save File button.
Starting the Sequence
Once you have loaded or created a new sequence you press the Start Sequence Button
The exposures will start and the sequence currently executing will be highlighted in Blue as in the example below:
To stop a sequence that is currently in progress, you press the Cancel Sequence button. From many hour of testing and working with the Canon DSLRs I have found that they can often freeze up when remaining connected vis the USB cable for long periods. The ability to sequence a series of exposures with differing ISO speeds is crucial for many types of objects. If the camera is not connected, then the ISO speed will not be changed between each sequence.
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To get around this problem there is a check box called Only Connect to Change ISO:
If you click this, then what happens is DSLR focus only establishes a USB connection to your camera when it needs to change the ISO speed. As soon as its done, the camera is disconnected. Obviously this means you cannot use this feature when the Save Images to PC option is selected.
Why would I want to automate sequences?
Sequences are very useful when you wish to image an object at different ISO settings or different exposure times. They are also a good way of remembering how many images of a particular object you took and what the camera settings used were. They can be shared with other Astrophotographers who wish to achieve similar results. Lets say you were imaging M42, you may wish to take say 10 x 5 Minute exposures at IS01600 to gather some nebulosity, then take say 10 x 4 minute exposures at ISO800 to smooth out some of the ISO 1600 noise, then take 10 x 30 second exposures at ISO 400 to capture the core. You can then combine these different ISO and different time exposures to get a nice image without a burned out core.
Information area
The information area shows you the progress of a sequence of exposures.
From this you can see how far you are though a set of exposures and get information about the settings on the camera during the exposures.
End of Sequence Alarm
An alarm will sound when your sequence of exposures is complete. You can customise the WAV file that is played. The WAV file is selected from the CameraControl menu as follows:
This command will bring up a browse dialog allowing you to select any WAV file of your choosing. If you are at a star party and dont want to annoy others with sounds then select the Mute All Sounds option.
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Tools
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11. Tools
About Tools
DSLR Focus has 2 tools to assist you with planning your imaging sessions. 1. Exposure Calculator 2. Moon Phases They can be accessed from the Tools menu.
Exposure Calculator
The List boxes are self-explanatory. The only thing to remember is that our wonderful DSLR cameras do not have reciprocity failure and should be set to CCD (No reciprocity failure). The example above shows the suggested exposure time for imaging a crescent mood at ISO 400 with no filters and an f/10 scope.
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If the Image Capture Window is open in Long Exposure mode when you run the exposure calculator, the suggested time will be copied into the Exposure Time entry fields for you automatically. The exposure calculator is really just a guide. The beauty of Digital Camera imaging is you can try out various exposures yourself and see the result immediately. Dont forget you can open the image in the Frame Image Window and check the histogram to make sure you have not overexposed the image. (This only works on Jpeg images. RAW images must be developed first. However the Histogram for RAW images can be viewed on your Camera. See your Camera Manual)
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Moon Phase
The Moon Phase tool gives you accurate details about the current phase of the moon, the rise and set times of the moon and the expected time for both Sunset and for Nautical Twilight (the time its actually dark)
To set your location press the Change>> button. You will be presented with the Location change screen as follows:
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If you know your location Latitude and Longitude Co-Ordinates, then enter them on this screen. In the Location list box, type in the name of your location. Eg My House Now press Save and your custom location will be saved, If you dont know your location, then select one from the Drop Down list of locations thats close to you.
Press done and the Moon phase data will be updated for your location. Once you have set your location, you can use the calendar on the Moon Phase tool to plan your imaging sessions based on the new moon or the rise set times of the moon.
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12. Night Vision

DSLR Focus has a night vision mode built into it. Night Vision is enabled from the Application Menu by selecting the Night Vision item. Selecting this mode will turn the screen dark red. I have added this feature because people expect it to be there. Personally I find it a waste of time, because even in Night Vision mode, Laptop screens are still WAY too bright. The best thing to actually reduce laptop glare on a laptop is a neutral density filter. This is way better than red cellophane because it keeps the image contrast at the same time as reducing the brightness.
: If you are unfortunate enough to have the program crash while in night vision mode, you can reset your colors by going to desktop properties and selecting windows standard from the Appearance Tab)
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Appendix A Cable Schematics
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Parallel Cable
Circuit Diagram for 300D/Digital Rebel/EOSKISS
The Parts
2 x Resistors: 47Kohm 2 x transistors: 2N3904 1 x Stereo 2.5 mm audio plug. Cable - 3 Wire is best 1x D-25 male computer adaptor and Clam Shell If you are having trouble finding the 2N3904 transistors in Europe, you can also use the following: 2N4401: http://www.onsemi.com/site/products/summary/0,4450,2N4401,00.html BC547/548 series http://www.onsemi.com/site/products/searchresults/0,4533,,00.html? searchString=BC547 Just be careful with the pinout which is opposite to the US 2N series
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(C-B-E for the European BC series instead of E-B-C for the US 2N series).
Construction Notes
Depending on the size of the D-25 connector you get, you may have enough room to surface mount the 2 Resistors and the 2 Transistors. Pay careful attention to the pinout of the transistors. Study the circuit diagram carefully before soldering to make sure you connect the right pins to the right places. Try not to let the Transistors heat up too much. So be quick in your solder to the pins on the transistors. Dint rush. Double check all connection sand make sure you solder the 2 base pins to Pin 2 and 3 on the D-25 Parallel adaptor. This circuit will work on all Canon EOS DSLR's ie 300D, 10D , D60, 1D. 300D users have got it easy because canon decided to use a standard stereo 2.5 mm jack. 10D and D60 users dont have it so easy. The plug canon use is proprietary and so you need to hack into one of the cheaper remotes to get the plug. You can either cut the plug off and then use stereo extension sockets to mate the plug to the cable in the circuit design above, or you can drill a hole into the side of the remote and attach a lead to it.
Note that you shouldn't use mono jack plugs with the 300D as this will short the half-press and disrupt the operation of the camera and software.
On a TC-80N3 remote: The Red Cable = Shutter The Yellow Cable = Auto Focus The Bare Copper Wire = Ground On an RS-80N3 The Red Cable = Shutter The White Cable = Auto Focus The Bare Copper Wire = Ground
86
Circuit Diagram for 10D and D60
87
Serial Cable for 300D/Digital Rebel/EOS KISS
The Parts
Female 9 pin D-type serial plug and clamshell 47K resistor 2N3904 transistor 1N4001 diode Suitable length of 2 or 3 wire cable (length should probably not exceed 10 Meters) 2.5mm stereo jack plug (or N3 type plug for some camera models) Lots of good detail and construction notes for this circuit and other alternatives can be found here: http://www.stek.ch/Stefano/html/dslr_serial_cable.html and here http://www.beskeen.com/astro/SerialDSLRControl/SerialPortControlCables.html The following USB to Serial converters are known to work:

The Belkin USB Serial Port Adapter also sometimes marketed as the USB PDA Adapter. The Keyspan USB Serial Adapter (Also works with Mac OS X). A no-name brand USB to Serial converter from Maplin Electronics in the UK.
88
Closing Comments and Thanks

I would like to thank my gorgeous wife Kate for putting up with the amount of time and effort I have spent over the past 8 months developing release 3 and this user manual. In fact the night we gave birth to my baby daughter I was testing version 3 Autofocus while imaging the Triffid Nebula just 4 hours before my daughter Samantha was born. I would also like to thank all the volunteer beta testers who put a lot of hard work and effort into testing. Especially Dr. Herbert Burkhard who spent many hours working with me fixing problems. Finally I want to thank you. Yes you reading this right now for purchasing DSLR Focus. The user community out there is very supportive and has helped this product evolve over the last 18 months by providing input and suggestions for improvements. Best Regards and Clear Skies Chris Venter
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Version 3.

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Symbols and Convention used in this manual

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

2. Installing DSLR Focus

Supported cameras D60 , Canon 1Ds

Installation steps are as follows:

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Registering DSLR Focus:

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Instructions to install the software in SAFE MODE:

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Each area will be covered as a separate section later on in this manual.

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Features available based on your equipment are summarised in figure 1 below.

Motorised Focuser Control

DSLR Focus 3.0, ASCOM Platform 2 or higher

Canon DSLR Cameras: 10D, 300D, D60, 1DS 1DS Mark II

Canon DSLR Cameras: 10D, 300D, D60, 1DS 1DS Mark II

Image Focusing (Canon DSLR's) Image Focusing (Other Digital Cameras)

Figure 1.0 Features based on equipment

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Building your own Remote Control Cable

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Buying a Remote Control Cable

Sample of pre built parallel cable available for sale

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

The Telescope Menu

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Choosing Your Telescope

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Moving your Telescope

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Manually Controlling Telescope Motion

Stopping Telescope Motion

Selecting the Object Catalogue

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Customising the object Catalogue

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

5. Focusing your Camera

Factors that affect focusing

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Quality of your optics

Quality of your Focuser

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Quality of your Mount

Your Polar Alignment

The method you use to attach your camera to your telescope

Using DSLR Focus to assist your focusing

Starting up and Camera Connections

On start up you are presented with the main application window.

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

Connecting to your Camera

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter

DSLR Focus Copyright 2004 by Chris Venter