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Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!

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Offline RaduP

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #10 on: 02 / April / 2009, 16:22:09 »
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Well, welcome back, I remmeber you :)
I would really like to find a way to disable ALL the lens errors in software. This way, we could just take the damn thing off, rather than mess with resistors, switches, and so on.

I have a few questions:
1. Isn't the dust on the sensor a problem?
2. How do you focus exactly? Can you see anything useful on the LCD screen?

BTW, I have a suggestion for the developers: can there be an option to do the dark frame on demand, rather than right after the shot? This way, you can cover the telescope with a hat or something, then do the dark frame.

Regarding the sensor 65 seconds, maybe it is a hardware limitation of the sensor itself? I looked at some other sensors specs, and in their specs there is a max exposure time. No idea why, and I don't think it can be overwritten unless you want to do some really hard core mods.
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Offline Leonardo Miguel Delgado

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #11 on: 02 / April / 2009, 17:48:13 »
Quote from: whoever on 02 / April / 2009, 14:58:28
I don't recall anybody investigating this to any further detail -- probably because too long exposures with "non-modded" CCD are pretty useless anyway. What stops you from taking several consecutive exposures, say 60 s each, and then summing them up?

Whoever: It would be a good idea to investigate the 64secs barrier and break it. By summing 64 secs exposures, the only thing you manage to get is a much better signal to noise ratio, but no more. It is a usual rutine (stacking images) on astrophotography. 64 secs exposures is quite enough to image the brightest objects and even more but at least 120 secs is recomended.

RaduP: Here...

1) The dust isn't much of a problem. I always use a dust cap, and if dust is there, I just use an air blower.

2) The focus is done on the telescope's focuser. The CCD uses as "lens" the primary mirror on the telescope. I see everything on the LCD, stars, etc.

On CHDK there is an option to disable the dark frame substraction. It really helps in my case (no shutter).

I don't think the CCD is limited to take up to 64 seconds. The CCD glow is very limiting, but with the amp off mod the problem is solved and the CCD should take whatever exposure you want (like with the CCD webcams).

Regards!
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Offline ewavr

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #12 on: 02 / April / 2009, 17:59:15 »
Quote from: RaduP on 02 / April / 2009, 16:22:09
BTW, I have a suggestion for the developers: can there be an option to do the dark frame on demand, rather than right after the shot?

Why not?
Somewhere in capt_seq_hook_set_nr()

if (make_dark_frame){
 *nrflag = NR_OFF;
 _CloseMShutter();
}

It works on A710.
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Offline RaduP

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #13 on: 02 / April / 2009, 18:16:39 »
Yes, I know that it can be done, but I was thinking more in the lines of having it done by pressing the shutter button again.

Leonardo Miguel Delgado:
Yes, I know that you use the telescope focuser, but didn't know if the stars are bright enough to see them on the LCD with such a short exposure. I guess it's a pretty fast telescope.

Regarding the sensor exposure, it may be that the sensor has a 16b internal counter, in 1ms increments, so 65 seconds is the most it can get until the timer overflows. I don't see any other reason why it would stop at this magic number.
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Offline fudgey

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #14 on: 10 / April / 2009, 18:00:11 »
CHDK long exposures development talk from this thread moved to a new topic here:
http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php/topic,3461.0.html
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Offline c2thew

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #15 on: 16 / April / 2009, 02:06:44 »
wow.... just wow.  I'm a huge fan of chdk and this by far is one of the most extensive hardware mods i've ever heard of.  Congratulations for pushing a point and shoot to beyond it's intended limits.
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Offline ccs_hello

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #16 on: 12 / April / 2010, 21:01:24 »
Just wish to add another link about the mod I did in November 2008 using A530.
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/2742127/Main/2742127

There are pictures in these posts but you have to have a user account before picture can be displayed.

ccs_hello
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Offline spectroplasm

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #17 on: 16 / August / 2013, 13:05:45 »
Hello everyone, First time posting on the forums. I have found this thread upon searching how to add a manual lens on the P&S canon Powershot A2200HD, my goal isn't astrophotography but rather normal photography.

I have a m42 mount and a couple of m42 lens I would like to use with the camera's 14.1mp sensor, So far I had finished ripping the lens out but I'm stuck at a certai point with the dreaded Lens Error message upon first boot of the camera.

If Leonardo Miguel is still visiting the forums, I would like to ask him or anyone else who knows which lines in the ribbon of the camera module we'd need to cut or add a resistor in order to fool the camera the lens is in place and functional. I only need the sensor and that's all. Thank you very much everyone.

PS: would it also be possible if CHDK has an option to bypass this error and force the camera to just use the sensor?
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Offline spectroplasm

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #18 on: 16 / August / 2013, 14:18:55 »
answering the post again, I found the trick without cutting wires or adding extra scripts to CHDK, Im' sorry for the annoyance of the topic spanning in different new threads on the forums.

To fool the camera that the lens is in place all you have to do it look close to the CCD (on A2200HD it's bottom left of the CCD quadrant. I use a small flat head screwdriver to wedge the slit and as you turn on the camera you count 1second and then remove the screwdriver or wedge and the camera goes straight on without errors. When you turn off the camera you reverse these steps you insert the wedge and then hit the power switch and the camera shutsdown  without error  :)

I'm gathering photos as I do this and soon I'll post pictures of the A2200HD with Yashica Zeiss lens, Helios 50mm lens, and industar 50mm lens :). RAW IMAGING here I come!
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Offline reyalp

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Re: Hardcore modding on a A530, thanks to CHDK!
« Reply #19 on: 16 / August / 2013, 16:38:26 »
Quote from: spectroplasm on 16 / August / 2013, 14:18:55
answering the post again, I found the trick without cutting wires or adding extra scripts to CHDK, Im' sorry for the annoyance of the topic spanning in different new threads on the forums.
No annoyance at all. You might also be interested in this thread: http://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php?topic=8801.0

Let us know how your project goes :)
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