Getting Started During Daylight

We recommend using the SSDSI-II for the ﬁrst time during the day. This way, you can become familiar with the camera and its functions without having to stumble around in the dark. Setup your telescope and mount so the optical tube is pointing at an object that is at least a couple of hundred feet away. Insert an eyepiece and focus as you normally would.

Since the SSDSI-II camera is so sensitive to light, you will need to “stop down” your telescope aperture to do any imaging in daylight. This can be done by creating a simple aperture mask out of a piece of cardboard. The piece of cardboard should be larger than the telescope’s aperture. Cut a circular hole in the cardboard approximately 1⁄2" in diameter, and place the cardboard over the front of the telescope so that it completely covers the aperture except for the 1⁄2" circle. If you are using a refractor telescope, then the hole should be cut so it is centered on the piece of cardboard. If you are using a reﬂector that has a central aperture obstruction, then the hole should be cut off to one side (in order to bypass the central obstruction). Afﬁx your aperture mask to your telescope with tape (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Because the SSDSI-II is sensitive to light, an aperture mask is needed on the telescope for any imaging during daylight. For a refractor, the hole should be centered on the aperture mask. For a reﬂector, the hole should be off to one side of the aperture mask.

Obtaining First Images

To obtain ﬁrst images (in daylight) with the SSDSI-II, follow these step-by-step instructions:

1.With an eyepiece inserted in the telescope, center and focus an object that is approximately 1⁄4 mile away. If you cannot focus your telescope this closely (due to lack of back-focus travel), then you will need to utilize an optional extension tube (available from Orion).

2.Plug the camera into your computer’s USB port.

3.Open Maxim DL Essentials by clicking on the icon now installed on your computer’s desktop.

4.Once open, Essentials should connect directly to your camera with the Camera Control Window.

5.To connect the camera to the telescope, simply replace the telescope’s eyepiece with the camera. Make sure the securing thumbscrew on the focuser drawtube is ﬁrmly tightened. If your telescope has built-in T- threads, then remove the eyepiece from the telescope and the nosepiece from the SSDSI-II, and thread the camera onto the telescope (see Figures 2a-b).

6.You will now need to refocus the camera for the centered object. Focusing will be the hardest thing to do in the initial stages. In the Camera Control Window, set the mode to Light Color 1x1. Set the Seconds (exposure time) to .01 to begin with. In the box underneath the Mode box, select Focus. Make sure the Dark Subtract box is unchecked.

7.Press the Expose button in the Camera Control Window. The camera will now rapidly take short exposures and display them on the computer screen. For daytime imaging, open the Screen Stretch Window (in the View menu), and set the stretch mode to Moon.

8.If the image brightness is too bright for the camera, an all (or mostly) black screen will result. You will also notice that the Max Pixel (in the lower right corner of the Camera Control Window, see Figure 6) will be at 65535, which is the maximum pixel brightness value. Try to get a Max Pixel of around 50000 to 60000 by increasing or decreasing exposure time (.002 sec is the minimum exposure time). If the (daytime) image is still too bright to produce an acceptable image on your computer screen, you may need to stop-down the aperture of your telescope further. Try making another aperture mask with a diameter of only 1⁄4".

9.Now, turn the telescope’s focus knob so the focuser drawtube moves slowly inward. The drawtube needs to go approximately 15mm inward from where the eyepiece focuses (for most eyepieces). Look at the computer screen and adjust the focus knob accordingly to determine best image focus.