Meade DEEP SKY IMAGER Installation Instructions

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Meade

Deep Sky Imager: The Basics

Parts Listing

When first opening the packing box, note carefully the following parts:

• Deep Sky Imager camera

• Parfocal ring

• USB cable

• DB-9 to RJ-11 adapter

• LX200 serial cable

• Autostar #497 serial cable

• CD ROM, including the Operating Instruction in .pdf format

Recommended Minimum System:

PC running Windows 98SE with 96 MB and 100 MB free disk space.

To get the best view and resolution for the images in this manual, zoom in to 200% using the viewing controls

in the Acrobat Reader control bar.

2

Install the Autostar Suite Software

The following procedure is also found on the printed Quick Start Guide supplied with this product.

Before you can operate the Deep Sky Imager camera, you must install the Autostar Suite software.

1. Do not plug the USB cable into your PC at this time. You will be asked to do so later in this installation.

2. Turn on your PC. Allow Windows to load.

3. Place the CD ROM into your PC's CD drive.

4. The Main Menu screen displays. Click "Install Autostar Suite."

5. You are prompted to choose a directory in which to install the driver.You may accept the default directory or
create your own directory path. Click “Next” when done.

6. The “Select Components” window displays. This window allows you to choose whether or not to install the
Guide Star Catalog.

Note: This is an optional catalog that may be used by the Planetarium program and contains all of the

locations of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Guide stars. This file is very large and takes up a large
amount of memory. Only download if you have enough memory or wish to use this amount of memory of
your hard drive. Memory totals for the file and your hard drive are displayed in this window.

If you wish to install the catalog, check the GSC check box.
If you do not wish to install the catalog, uncheck the GSC check box.
Then click “Next.”

7. The “Start Installation” window displays. The program is now ready to install the Autostar Suite. Click "Next”
to begin installation.

8. The “Microsoft Text to Speech Engine” window displays. Click "Ye s ” to agree to the terms and to continue
with the installation.

9. The “Microsoft .Net Framework installation” window displays. You must click “Ye s ” for the Deep Sky Imager to
operate.

10. Once .Net Framework installs, the .Net Framework agreement displays. Click “OK” to continue.

11. A window displays that allows you to install Adobe Acrobat Reader if you do not already have it installed on
your PC. Click “Ye s ” or “No.”

12. The “InstallShield Wizard for the Meade Deep Sky Imager” displays. Click "Next.”

13. A window displays prompting you to do a complete or custom install of InstallShield Wizard. Click on the
“Complete”
button and then click “Install” to begin installation.

XP versions only) “Windows Logo Test” window displays. Clicking “Continue Anyway” will install a driver

14. (
that should operate with most PC configurations.

15. InstallShield Wizard completes installation. Click “Finish.”

16. A window displays that tells you that Autostar Suite has been installed. Click “Finish.”

3

Connect The Deep Sky Imager Camera to Your PC

To connect the Deep Sky Imager Camera to your PC, you need to install the Deep Sky Imager device driver
and connect the USB cable:

1. Connect one end of the USB Cable to the Deep Sky Imager camera.

2. Connect the other end of the USB Cable to your PC or to a USB hub.

3. “Found camera” displays at the bottom right of your PC screen.

4. The “Hardware Wizard” window displays. The “Install Software” selection is checked as the default choice.
Click “Next.” The Wizard searches for the driver.

5. (XP versions only) “Windows Logo Test” window displays. Clicking “Continue Anyway” will install a driver
that should operate with most PC configurations.

6. The driver is installed. Click “Finish.”

The camera driver is now installed and your PC will now be able to recognize the Deep Sky Imager whenever
you connect it to the PC.

4

Start the Suite Software

If the Autostar Suite icon doesn’t appear on your desktop, you can start the Autostar Suite program by going to
Start/Program/Meade/Autostar Suite. The Planetarium program will display.

You can open other programs of the Suite by going to the Image menu and selecting the desired program.

You can open the Operating Instruction manuals or the Meade General Catalog by selecting them from the Main
Menu screen of the CD ROM.

Click the word “Meade” in the Main Menu or in the General catalog to go www.meade.com.

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Connect the Deep Sky Imager Camera to Your Telescope

To connect the Deep Sky Imager camera to an ETX Telescope:

• While looking at the back of the telescope, orient the Deep Sky Imager camera into the eyepiece holder so
that the USB cable points to the left of the telescope’s optical tube (see photo at right).

• If you are using the ETX in a “straight-through” configuration, orient the Deep Sky Imager camera in the
holder so that the USB cable points
downward.

To connect the Deep Sky Imager camera to an LX-200 or LX-90 Telescope:

• While looking at the back of the telescope, orient the Deep Sky Imager camera into the eyepiece holder so
that the USB cable points to the right of the telescope’s optical tube.

To connect the Deep Sky Imager camera to other telescopes:

• Move the Deep Sky Imager camera around in the eyepiece holder until the image on the Deep Sky Imager
display screen (39) is upright.

To connect the Deep Sky Imager camera when using an autoguider:

• Attach the correct serial cable from the telescope’s control panel RS-232 port to the comm port of your PC
(see the Autoguider instruction sheet for more information). Also see “Autoguider and Telescope Controls,”
page 31, for more information.

• Click on the telescope tab (16). Enter the PC’s comm port number or Netscape Server.

• Click the Connect button (27).

6

Open the Deep Sky Imager Program

To open the Deep Sky Imager Imaging program, go to the Image menu of the Planetarium program and select

Deep Sky Imager Imaging.

The Deep Sky Imager program will display.

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Deep Sky Imager Controls

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Key to Deep Sky Imager Controls

1. Gain and Offset sliders

2. Preview and Exposure controls

3. Auto Exp (Exposure) controls

4. Mono (Black and white) check box

5. Live Image check box

6. Dark Sub check box

7. Long Exp check box

8. Color button

9. Combine and Quality controls

10. Image Process box

11. Object Name box

12. File status box

13. Save Process button

14. Start/Stop button

15. Image Acquire status bars

16. Stats, Telescope tabs

17. Help, Live, File Names tabs

18. Histogram display

19. Histogram sliders and controls

20. Countdown display

21. Autocontrast, Shadow Enhance controls

22. Magic Eye Focus

23. Avg (Average), Reset check boxes

24. Status display

25. File Open and Settings menu

26. Comm port field

27. Connect/Disconnect button

28. Telescope controls (up, down, right, left,
focus)

29. Autoguide/Guiding or Track/Tracking
button (displays depending on whether
scope can autoguide or track)

30. Tracking box

31. Centroid

32. Will Cal (Calibrate)/No Calibrate button

33. Center and Set Target buttons

34. Corr (Correct) Gain control

35. FL in mm (Focal Length in millimeters)

36. Target Status display

37. Tab scroll arrows

38. Close Tab control

39. Tracking box

40. Dark Spot check box

Throughout this manual, any number that is displayed in parentheses, refers to key above. For
example, “(3)” refers to the Auto Exp button and “(14)” refers to the Start/Stop button.

9

Start Taking Pictures

1

Once you have connected your camera to the computer and opened the Deep Sky Imager program, you’ll want
to start taking pictures. Follow the steps below to start taking simple pictures with your Deep Sky Imager cam­era. We recommend that the first time you take pictures, you do so during daylight hours. Point your telescope at
a stationary landmark, such as a building, telephone pole or so forth—trees and other objects that move slightly
are not the best objects to use during your first image
tests.

1. Click on the “Auto Exp” button (3).
See “Auto Exp Button,” page 19, for more informa­tion.

2. Click on the combo box controls in the “Image
Process” field (10) to display a list of object types.
Scroll down the list and select “Terrestrial.” See
“Image Process,” page 21, for more information.

3. Type a name for the object in the “Object
Name” box (11). This will be used as the image
file name. See “Object Name,” page 22, for more
information.

4. Click “Save Process” button (13). Select “JPEG”
and “Normal Operation.” See “Save Process,” page
22, for more information.

5. Click on the “Live” tab (17). See “Live Image Check
Box,” page 19, for more information.

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Start Taking Pictures

more...

6. An image should be already displayed on the screen (39). Use the focuser on
your telescope to focus the object. Notice that in the Magic Eye Focus field
(22), that two triangles are displayed and change their size. The Magic Eye
Focus will help you focus your image; see “Magic Eye Focus,” page 25, for
more
information. If you are having a lot of problems focusing your image, see “The
Parfocal Ring,” pages 17-18.

7. Click “Start (14).”

The camera begins taking pictures and will
continue to do so until you click on “Stop.”
Watch the Status box (24). When “Images”
reaches 50, click the “Stop” button (14).

2

Go to the next page to find out what the program is doing once you press “Start.”

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What Happens When You Press Start

1

• The live image is displayed on the program’s display screen if the Live box is checked and the Live tab is
selected (these are the default settings).

• When you press Start, the Deep Sky Imager camera begins taking images and continues to take images
until you press stop.The Deep Sky Imager program uses the first 10 images it takes as a baseline to com­pare with the images it takes subsequently. In other words, the program is always comparing images. Note:
The user can change the amount of images that the program uses as a baseline. See “Evaluation Count,”
page 21, for more
information.

• The program takes images with the best contrast and quality and assembles the best of these images (that
is, the program “stacks the best images”) into one image; this image is referred to as the composite image
in this manual.

• After you press the Start button, the composite image is displayed as a new tab above the display screen.
When you press Stop and select this tab, the final version of the composite image is displayed.

• After about 10 images are taken, the Deep Sky Imager program applies a sharpening filter to the composite
image.You can choose which sharpening filter you wish to use from the most to the least sharp, or none.

can change the filter setting while the camera is taking pictures. See “Kernel Filter,” page 21, for more

You
information.

• Further image enhancement or filtering may be performed in other image editing software, such as the
supplied Image Processing software or Adobe Photoshop. Make sure you select an image type that can be
opened (such as JPEG or BMP) by the Image Editing software.

more...

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