...
try different fiber couplers
replace batteries
Dec 5 2023.
OK, had some good success working with Johnny Esteves and remote support from Elana.
We replaced dual AA batteries on both ends of remote shutter controller with AC adapters. We connected up additional optical fibers to the vertical and horizontal bars using SMA to SMA couplers.
After some futzing around with flash controller we got good images. Telescope structure blocks some of the upper extension bar but the horizontal one works fine. Central fiber in the bundle gets most of the light.
WIth current setup and using autofocus tool the cores of PSFs are saturated. So we might want even more ND filtering!
Am now going to try using gphoto2 to control lens focus remotely.
gphoto2 --list-config gives (among other things)
/main/actions/autofocusdrive
/main/actions/manualfocusdrive
/main/actions/cancelautofocus
(base) stubbslab@auxtel-macmini03 ~ % gphoto2 --get-config manualfocusdrive
Label: Drive Canon DSLR Manual focus
Readonly: 0
Type: RADIO
Current: None
Choice: 0 Near 1
Choice: 1 Near 2
Choice: 2 Near 3
Choice: 3 None
Choice: 4 Far 1
Choice: 5 Far 2
Choice: 6 Far 3
I think these are incremental adjustments around current setting.
This seems to have worked:
(base) stubbslab@auxtel-macmini03 ~ % gphoto2 --set-config manualfocusdrive=0
(base) stubbslab@auxtel-macmini03 ~ % gphoto2 --set-config manualfocusdrive=1
So that should have changed things.
Note another option to reduce flux is to reduce the aperture.
(base) stubbslab@auxtel-macmini03 ~ % gphoto2 --get-config aperture
Label: Aperture
Readonly: 0
Type: RADIO
Current: 5.6
Choice: 0 5
Choice: 1 5.6
Choice: 2 6.3
Choice: 3 7.1
Choice: 4 8
Choice: 5 9
Choice: 6 10
Choice: 7 11
Choice: 8 13
Choice: 9 14
Choice: 10 16
Choice: 11 18
Choice: 12 20
Choice: 13 22
Choice: 14 25
Choice: 15 29
Choice: 16 32
Choice: 17 36
END