The QuickCam handler project

Summary of service. French Version of this page

Here are the specifications for a "QuickCam" handler dedicated to Astronomy.

A Handler is a piece of software dedicated to management of some peripheral...

This one is elaborated for Connectix quickcam and will be very very turned to Astrophotography. Usefull functions for astrophotographers are directly integrated and may be automated...

• Taking into account "the dark current" is facilitated by the use of "black frames". Once captured, "Black Frames" may be added together and automaticaly substracted from incoming frame.
• "Vignettage" may be corrected by the use of "white frames". Once captured, "White Frames" may be added together and automaticaly used to correct incoming frame
• Finally adding many corrected frames is a standart feature. This may enhance image quality.
• "Seeing" is continuously measured through raw incoming frames and an evaluation is displayed as a thermometer to help to choose best moments of seeing.
• Choice of filename is automated allowing the user to spend time anything else than keying barbarisms...

If you have more ideas, please write-me.

If you speak fluently C++, VB3.0 ou plus, WIN32, VFWSDK let me know, for encouragement, help, and advices.!

1. The "raw video" window, used alone in "focus" mode(Cf. 5) and for pointing naturally!
2. The "elaborated Image" window (Black[3] and White [4] frames have still been used for corrections)
3. "Acquire Button" for black frames. The number of frames to use is indicated in "ListeM" (1,3,5,11...). Final "black image" is kept in memory until end of session or a new acquisition. Operator has to manually obturate the camera.
4. Quite the same for "White Frames". Operator has to put a white illuminated paper in front of camera during acquisition time.
5. This is tochoose between: speed focus (1 active window)/ Guiding (commands in Meade Lx200 are sent to port Comx) / Photo (2 active windows).
6. To take a picture. Caption is the name of the file to be written: 3 last characters of the name are automatically inremented. Window "Compof" indicate how many elaborated images to add before creating the file(1,3,5,11...).
7. Thermometer for "seeing" : Dynamic indicator elaborated from a quadratic function on the center of raw video frame .

Tools to be used : (Rather old, I know...like my knowledge)

• Windows 95 (Mac giver's welcome)
• Visual Basic 3.0 (i ignore C++)
• Vidéo for Windows from MS SDK with particulary CAPWNDX.VBX
• P200 , a lot of Megas, a lot of Gigas.

And finally, excuse my english, excuse my french ;-)))

Sommaire des services.

Last modified on August 02 1998