A deeper look into the hardware and software used in the aquisition of digital camera images using a laptop
You don't need any of this stuff at all to take excellent digital camera images but if you are already using a laptop or need camera or telescope control then this setup will allow you to display your digital camera's video out on your laptop screen, control your coolpix camera, and/or robotic telescope/mount.
HARDWARE
The laptop is an old 233mhz Pentium Hitachi with one USB port and one serial port.
The RS232 port on the laptop is used for communicating with the LX200GPS telescope. Everything else is tied to the Ultra Mini USB hub. The hub is powered and its power must be applied for even part of this to work.
The Belkin Video Bus II plugs into the hub and then the Nikon video cable that came with the camera plugs into the Belkin Video Bus II and into the video out port of the Nikon 995. [Note: The 4500 also has an audio out than can also be plugged into the VBII.]
Because the laptop's communications port is busy controlling the telescope the Tripp-Lite USB to Serial Adapter is used to control the camera. The Nikon serial cable SC-EW3 connects to the USB/Serial adapter and then into the cameras USB/Serial port. [Note: For more information about the camera's USB/Serial port see this page.]
The Kensington USB Red LED light provides light for the keyboard and because it flexible it can also be used to light other areas of the equipment if necessary.
A Red flood
light on any clear night
USB FlightLight
with Red LED
See digital camera astrophotography with this setup.
The above diagram shows all of the connections used with laptop
The above photograph shows the real thing with all of its cables extented
My observing partners and the laptop case with cables stowed.
The laptop is using Windows 98se with only essential components installed. I have a Windows 2000 pro desktop and this combination also works in this environment.
Camera Control
Camera control is performed using the freeware progam TheForce which emulates the Nikon MC-EU1 in software using the Nikon serial cable SC-EW3 and the USB/Serial Adapter. It can take a series of images at a set shutter speed or bracket those series in EV steps.
Video Preview/Focus
Video preview is used mainly to focus and any video capture software that allows preview can be used for this purpose. I use Hocus Focus a freeware program of my own design that will display video preview at the laptops full screen size. I hope to expand Hocus Focus to incorporate focus analysis and possibly even autofocus.
TeleAuto which can potentially autofocus a digital camera using Robofocus, LX200, or LX200GPS. I have only, so far, successfully used its manual focus feature to focus the telescope.
TeleAuto looks very promising as it will also do mount analysis for drift alignment, autofocus and autoguiding using a webcam. [Note: Autoguiding with a single digital camera is not possible as the video preview is turned off during exposure]
Telescope Control
Telescope control is performed using TeleAuto or Cartes du Ceil. Cartes du Ceil is a freeware full featured planetarium program with ASCOM support. ASCOM supports a variety of robotic telescopes and mounts. TeleAuto currently supports several telescope/mounts including AP, Bisque, and LX200. A future release of TeleAuto will support "t-point" like features.
Pieces and Parts
The table below lists the specific parts and programs with their respective links:
| Belkin
-Video Bus II A USB video capture device Part No. F5U208 ~$60US Buy.com |
 |
|
Nikon
EG900 Video Cable Nikon USA Part No. 25079 See BHPhoto.Com for a replacement |
 |
| Nikon
SC-EW3 Serial Cable Nikon USA Part No. 25143 ~$29.95US BHPhoto.com |
 |
|
Tripp-Lite USB 1.1 to Serial Adapter Part
No. U209-000-R |
  |
|
Part No. U202-004-R |
 |
|
Kensington Flightlight with Red LED Part No. 62644 |
 |
| LX200GPS
Serial Cable ~$16US |
 |
|
Guardforce
18" Heavy Duty Tool Case [Note: I use a second case for eyepieces and accessories.] |
 |
|
TheForce - Remote Shutter Software (beta) Nikon Cooplix Camera Control [Free] |
 |
|
Hocus Focus - Video laptop display (beta) Video for windows and compatible devices supported. [Free] |
 |
|
TeleAuto
v2.9 (beta) Load version 2.8 with English then upgrade to 2.9 and many english words will still show. [Free] |
 |
|
Cartes
du Ceil v2.74 [Free] |
 |
Some other software to try with this setup:
Starry
Night Pro- Planetarium Software - Works Great - 30 day trial
Astronomers Control Panel - Telescope
Control - Works Great
StarTrack
- Webcam AutoGuider - Has a few issues in this setup
[Free]
COAA AstroVideo - Webcam
Software - Still Testing but has manual focus option - 21 day trial
AstroSnap - Webcam Software [Free]
QCfocus
- Webcam Software with manual focus [Free]
If you have any suggestions or questions please feel free to email me: