Posted inAstronomy CCD Cameras & Autoguiders

CCD Cookbook CB245 Autoguider

This is page will hopefully help some out there build the CCD Cookbook based autoguider circuit and provide some background on how to connect one to an LX50.

April 13, 2003, update: Due to, among other things, time constraints and a brand-spanking-new MX7C, this autoguider is pretty much an abandoned project. Which isn’t to say that I won’t give folks a hand if they need it. I have some goodies that may be of help or at least a starting point for this project.

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Posted inAstronomy Software

Win245 CCD CookBook Camera Software by Tybee Evans

Win245 is by far the best image acquisition software available for Richard Berry’s CCD Cookbook based CB245 camera. The intuitive Windows interface makes taking a sequence of images, taking dark and bias frames very easy. The “Find” function is super helpful for framing and focusing, and it also allows taking sub-1 second integrations for brighter targets for planetary and lunar imaging. Also included are functions to average and manage dark frames.


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Posted inAstronomy CCD Cameras & Autoguiders

Centering the CCD Cookbook CB245 CCD chip

The very first thing I noticed after the first night imaging with my CB245 was how badly I had centered the CCD and the cold finger. Objects I wanted to image were not only completely out of the FOV of my illuminated 9mm reticle, but also almost out of the FOV on my 26mm Plössl! Finding my targets was just a ludicrous waste of time.

After asking around on the CCD list and realizing that nobody had any tips on an easy way to do this, I decided to start rubbing my 2 remaining neurons together to see if I could maybe get a spark.

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Posted inAstronomy CCD Cameras & Autoguiders

The CB245 CCD CookBook Camera

First of all, my electronics knowledge is little or none. Sure I’ve had to learn a bit in the process of putting this thing together but I still consider myself a complete newbie when it comes to reading a wiring diagram or even figuring out how to wire 2 transformers together. If you fit this description this is not exactly an easy project but if you are patient and are willing to learn, adapt, and implement modifications to suit your needs it is an immensely enjoyable and ‘doable’ project.

Berry, Kanto, and Munger have put together an incredibly simplified, and unbelievably robust project. My list of mistakes in building this have been long and severe, but somehow its kept on ticking, and it is finally ready to take some pics. This thing surviving my building it is an achievement in itself! 😉

Check out my CB245 gallery for images taken with this camera:
https://astroturtle.com/imaging/

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