Unencumbered by knowledge, I am learning the vaugeries of focusing a CCD. I saw Artificial stars for sale and thought of a way to make a small battery powered portable one EASILY.
I used one of those keychain LED flashlights that are everywhere (even at CompUSA!). I took an exceedingly fine piece of wire (from a grill brush) a made a small hole in a piece of tin foil. I positioned the hole over the lens of the flashlight, and taped it in place. Switch it on and bingo a very bright, very small point source of light. I mounted the foil-wrapped apparatus in a plastic eyepiece cylinder and threaded a nylon thumbscrew (Home Depot) through the cylinder to depress the momentary switch on the illuminator. Total cost maybe 15 bucks. Portable, small and cheap. Works well and the tinfoil permits the greation of very fine pinholes.
I used one of those keychain LED flashlights that are everywhere (even at CompUSA!). I took an exceedingly fine piece of wire (from a grill brush) a made a small hole in a piece of tin foil. I positioned the hole over the lens of the flashlight, and taped it in place. Switch it on and bingo a very bright, very small point source of light. I mounted the foil-wrapped apparatus in a plastic eyepiece cylinder and threaded a nylon thumbscrew (Home Depot) through the cylinder to depress the momentary switch on the illuminator. Total cost maybe 15 bucks. Portable, small and cheap. Works well and the tinfoil permits the greation of very fine pinholes.
