Still fighting the QUARK

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marktownley
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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by marktownley »

Using a 0.5x reducer on a shorter nosepiece will result is less of a magnification factor - so maybe it operates at say 0.6-0.7x instead. When using a reducer it will amplify any banding etc, and the lower the magnifcation factor - eg 0.4x-0.5x the more any optical defects / banding etc will be amplified. Try using the reducer on your camera with your sm40 and that banding will really jump out at you. Don't also forget any reducer will have an operating range (of magnification) it is designed to work in, at the extremes of this range any spherical aberration will be accentuated.


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by grimble_cornet »

All valid points Mark. With the Grasshopper the sensor is about 20mm inside the case compared to about half that for the DMK cameras. My short nose-piece probably just about compensates for the difference so I suspect it is working at close to x0.5. With the long/normal nose-piece I get a full disc with lots of space so I suspect it is down to x0.25 or less - well outside the design spec as you say and this probably explains the distortion.
Quark with focal reducers.jpg
Just been told my replacement is in the post and should arrive tomorrow :band

Pity the forecast is rain and cloud for days :evil:

Lets hope for a few cracks in the clouds :roll:


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by grimble_cornet »

Thanks John; I'm also nervous about how the replacement will perform :?

Just arrived with Mr Postman :P so once the rain goes away (not for a few days I fear) I will find out :roll:


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by grimble_cornet »

The replacement has arrived :band

Managed to grab a couple of quick captures through the front door from the porch - only place I could get a view of the low sun :oops:

Seeing was dire - very difficult to focus etc

Put 4 frames together as a mosaic - also tried inverting for fun.....
4 panel Panorama mono LR1 2000px.jpg
4 panel Panorama colour LR1 2000px .jpg
4 panel Panorama inverted mono LR1 2000px.jpg
4 panel Panorama inverted colour LR1 2000px.jpg
Difficult to evaluate from such a short session with poor seeing and no time to try adjusting Quark settings :?:


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by swisswalter »

Hi Mike

Looks good so far


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by Valery »

For the first test looks perfectly uniform over FOV.

And narrow enough band wide! I think you need prepare an expedition to the place where you can test it for several hours straight - with two telescopes and several scales - from FD to high resolution.

Valery.


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by grimble_cornet »

Thanks guys.
As I said, its very difficult to draw conclusions from one very short session under dire conditions.
I had to work quite hard to get a fairly uniform mosaic as some uneven illumination is present in each frame and, if processed hard, a hint of the on/off band pattern can be seen.
I have been working on ways of combining frames from my SM40 which also shows a quite obvious 'hot spot' that spoils the appearance of full discs and have found that producing the mosaic from 'raw' frames before any processing has been applied works best. I have also been experimenting with Lucy Richardson deconvolution in PixInsight and have found that this works better than the smart sharpening in PS which I normally use.
The difference can be seen here:
Quark mosaic comparisons.jpg
Valery: you are right, based on my experience with the first Quark unit, it will take several long sessions to try out different scopes and the 11 different tuning settings on the Quark. Unfortunately, having had the driest September for 100 years here in the UK, we are now paying for it with a long spell of clouds and rain. I was very lucky to grab a few shots yesterday in a narrow crack between between rain bands passing through.
Maybe I should 'prepare an expedition' to Pedro's part of Portugal where the sun seems to shine every day :lol:


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by Valery »

Mike,

Do the basic things prior to long tests.

1. Place the wave length indicator to the position one click right from the middle. This will be close enough to unit's CWL, but may be help if you have some inclination in the train (focuser slop etc).

2. Use a small refractor <450mm FL - to see FD

3. Use at least 100mm F/8 refractor with 32 and 40mm eyepieces and "scan" the sun surface.

You will immediately see the non-uniformity in the FOV if this sample has the non-uniformity.

The next basic test is all the same, but with camera + Focal reducer.

Hope this help and you will be able to test even within an hour or two of clear sky.

Valery


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by marktownley »

Mike, the comparison image above, try photomerge on the raw frames then do all the smart sharpen etc on the mosaic image as a whole, be interesting to see if there is a difference...

Apart from that looks good!


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by grimble_cornet »

Valery: thanks for the advice. I will try out your tests as soon as I can see the sun.

Mark: that is exactly what I did with the second mosaic. I fed the raw frames, straight out of AutoStakkert, into photomerge and then did all sharpening and other adjustments on the mosaic. I did try a version with smart sharpen but am finding that Lucy Richardson deconvolution in PixInsight does a better job on some images. Give me a few hours in the sun and I might have some conclusions.

One thing I have just discovered is that the replacement has one of the 'out of spec' 1.25" mounts. The original was a tight fit in most of my 1.25" diagonals but this one won't fit at all! Not a major issue as I use it in 2" diagonals/drawtubes on most of my scopes but it does stop me trying it as a DS on the SM40.


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by Luke Stacy »

Nice shots, Mike. My fingers are crossed!


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Re: Still fighting the QUARK

Post by grimble_cornet »

Thanks Luke - don't need to cross mine for you having just seen your first light :mrgreen:


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