CCD Building question

Hi all,

I'm not sure if this is the proper forum for this but I thought I would give it a shot anyhow. I got the wild idea to attempt building my own CCD imager for deep sky since buying one seems to be a bit out o my price range. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on where to start (i.e. design options, advice.....)?. Since I'm a beginner at the REAL technical stuff, the simpler the better.

Thanks.

One way to do this, would be the "modified webcam" route.
Webcams are cheap (Philips SPC900NC at Walmart.com for about $60),
and much of the work is already done for you. If you
google "long exposure toucam mod" you will find many
sites that describe how to modiy these for long-exposure
astronomy. Some of the sites are
http://www.home.zonnet.nl/m.m.j.meijer/D_I_Y/spc900nc.htm
http://www.pmdo.com/wintro.htm

Hi Dave,

I don't want to burst your dreams but...

I have over thirty years experience in the electronics industry and I don't think I would tackle a project like this one. Twenty years ago I might have but not today. Components,(if available) will not be cheap and building from scratch is a difficult task. Keep in mind, components will be small (actually tiny)and will require proper handling techniques to prevent damage. The final circuit will be complex as far as project electronics go and may require some trouble-shooting to get it up and running. You will need some test gear.

You may be able to find a kit available somewhere or perhaps only a bare circuit board you can stuff with components. Unless you have a good amount of experience behind you and have access to a lot of resources, this is not going to be a money saving project. My advice would be to settle for a less expensive imaging method such as web cams or one of the more modest imaging systems from Meade or Orion. These are well suported and won't break the bank.

good luck,
dan

Have you seen Richard Berry's CCD Cookbook?

Alex

Thanks all for your suggestions, I may go with John's suggestion first and look at the modified web cam (extended exposure)bit. I like playing with web cams so this might be the route I need to go.

At any rate, I'll do some research and some trial and error and let you all know.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

David