ADC tool
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'+1' posts are welcome in this area of the forums to indicate your support for a particular feature suggestion. Suggestions that get the most +1's will be seriously considered for inclusion in future versions of SharpCap.
'+1' posts are welcome in this area of the forums to indicate your support for a particular feature suggestion. Suggestions that get the most +1's will be seriously considered for inclusion in future versions of SharpCap.
Re: ADC tool
I have a Zwo adc, and I find the sharpcap tool too complicated. I looked for a tutorial on YouTube to calibrate the ADC with Sharpcap, but they all use different software. I haven't found a single user who uses sharpcap for this purpose. I downloaded a similar software and in fact its function is much simpler. I advise the creators of sharpcap to update their tool and make it simpler!!! Personally I have the Pro version but I'm thinking of switching to other software just for this reason!!!
Re: ADC tool
Do you have any suggestions?
The procedure is pretty straightforward and is described in the documentation. Perhaps on-screen prompts akin to the polar alignment would help? Like this:
1) Cross your ADC levers fully to maximize dispersion
2) Slowly rotate your ADC to find the angle that maximizes the red and blue channel offset
3) Uncross your ADC levers and adjust them symmetrically about the midpoint to optimal correction
I do have to admit that I don't find the direction vectors particularly useful. Having an EQ mount, I usually don't know the orientation of my camera relative to the horizon, and it changes as I rotate the ADC, and the directions change as I adjust the levers in ways that I really don't know what it means.
Here's some ideas I had. When the tool is on you could exaggerate the calculated offsets of the red and blue channels by a factor of ten or twenty or something. Then it would be visually obvious when you are really well dialed in. Another option is to take the absolute difference of the red and green channels, and display that in the red channel. Take the absolute difference of the blue and green channels and display that in the blue channel. Leave the green channel black.
The procedure is pretty straightforward and is described in the documentation. Perhaps on-screen prompts akin to the polar alignment would help? Like this:
1) Cross your ADC levers fully to maximize dispersion
2) Slowly rotate your ADC to find the angle that maximizes the red and blue channel offset
3) Uncross your ADC levers and adjust them symmetrically about the midpoint to optimal correction
I do have to admit that I don't find the direction vectors particularly useful. Having an EQ mount, I usually don't know the orientation of my camera relative to the horizon, and it changes as I rotate the ADC, and the directions change as I adjust the levers in ways that I really don't know what it means.
Here's some ideas I had. When the tool is on you could exaggerate the calculated offsets of the red and blue channels by a factor of ten or twenty or something. Then it would be visually obvious when you are really well dialed in. Another option is to take the absolute difference of the red and green channels, and display that in the red channel. Take the absolute difference of the blue and green channels and display that in the blue channel. Leave the green channel black.
Re: ADC tool
Hi Borodog, thanks for the reply. I don't have many suggestions other than making a mask similar to that of another software which practically does everything automatically without having to intervene on the commands like for sharpcap. It is no coincidence that in all the tutorials on YouTube the users do not use SharCap but other software (I won't mention the name). I think there must be a reason!!! Mine is just advice, I don't want to criticize the work of the scarpcap creators.
Re: ADC tool
I don't think anyone will mind you mentioning FireCapture. ;O)
When I was starting out with planetary imaging I was already a SharpCap user, but gave FC a try as a lot of planetary imagers recommended it. I used it for a season but never cared for it and returned to SharpCap where everything made more sense to me and worked better (FX had some trouble with my camera where SC never did). However, that was before I had an ADC. So I've never used the ADC adjustment tool in FC.
I do feel like the ADC Alignment tool in SharpCap could be better. I've been having a lot of trouble adjusting my own ADC, to the point where I assumed it was defective. I bought a brand new one, and it behaves in exactly the same way that I don't understand. Atmospheric dispersion happens perpendicular to the ground/horizon, so theoretically the ADC is supposed to remain level to the ground. It even has a bubble level for this. But that's not either EITHER of mine work; the angle of optimum correction rotates clockwise as the target rises until both levers are both pointed at the ground! I don't understand what is going on, and the SharpCap tool does not provide much visual feedback to help make adjustments.
When I was starting out with planetary imaging I was already a SharpCap user, but gave FC a try as a lot of planetary imagers recommended it. I used it for a season but never cared for it and returned to SharpCap where everything made more sense to me and worked better (FX had some trouble with my camera where SC never did). However, that was before I had an ADC. So I've never used the ADC adjustment tool in FC.
I do feel like the ADC Alignment tool in SharpCap could be better. I've been having a lot of trouble adjusting my own ADC, to the point where I assumed it was defective. I bought a brand new one, and it behaves in exactly the same way that I don't understand. Atmospheric dispersion happens perpendicular to the ground/horizon, so theoretically the ADC is supposed to remain level to the ground. It even has a bubble level for this. But that's not either EITHER of mine work; the angle of optimum correction rotates clockwise as the target rises until both levers are both pointed at the ground! I don't understand what is going on, and the SharpCap tool does not provide much visual feedback to help make adjustments.
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Re: ADC tool
Hi folks,
thanks for the feedback on this tool - at the moment it is really a tool to measure the amount of dispersion in the image, which can help guide you through a manual process of alignment.
One method would be to set maximum correction on the ADC, rotate until you see maximum dispersion measurement (both ADC and atmosphere dispersing the same way), rotate through 180 degrees (now atmosphere and ADC dispersing opposite ways) and then reduce the dispersion correction to obtain minimum values.
cheers,
Robin
thanks for the feedback on this tool - at the moment it is really a tool to measure the amount of dispersion in the image, which can help guide you through a manual process of alignment.
One method would be to set maximum correction on the ADC, rotate until you see maximum dispersion measurement (both ADC and atmosphere dispersing the same way), rotate through 180 degrees (now atmosphere and ADC dispersing opposite ways) and then reduce the dispersion correction to obtain minimum values.
cheers,
Robin
Re: ADC tool
Hi everyone, an expert user advised me to adjust the ADC by setting the gain to maximum and then operating the ADC levers. he doesn't like the sharpcap adc tool either.