How to run a camera test for Altair Technical Support

How to run a camera test for Altair Technical Support:

This also serves as a general diagnostic check of your camera and helps identify USB continuity, power supply or electronic noise issues.Here’s how you can create a set of test .FITS files for by an Altair expert, to determine if there is anything wrong with your camera.

This is a quick easy process and helps familiarise you with basic camera settings.

1. Setup: Plug the camera in directly to your PC with a USB3.0 or USB2.0 cable of not more than 2 metres in length. Launch the latest version of AltairCapture. Then run though the following settings, starting from the top of the left hand “Camera” menu:
2. Put the black silicon rubber lens cap on the camera – very important.
3. Resolution: Set camera to it’s highest available resolution
4. Format: RAW mode (not RGB)
5. Gain: Set to zero
6. Trigger mode menu: Activate by clicking radio button.
7. Trigger mode menu > Exposure time: 2mins or 120secs
8. Trigger mode menu > Options Button > Save to disc, and set file format to .FITS.
9. Trigger mode menu > Sequence Button > Next to button numerical input box > Set a sequence of either 3 frames (if the issue affects all frames) or 10 frames if there is an intermittent issue appearing every few frames, or a frame continuity issue.
10. Bit depth: Set to highest available bit Depth for your camera.
11. Frame rate: Set to highest available. (If no images are recorded, or there is an interruption, choose the next lowest setting and so-on until the camera is saving all frames).
12. Digital binning: Set to 1×1
13. ROI: Make sure this is off.
14. Black level: Set to zero.
15. Cooling: If fan cooled, activate fan at full power. If TEC cooled, set to -10C.
16. When camera is running, create a diagnose file and paste the resulting text into your ticket. This will save the camera settings.
17. When camera has run full course, save the resulting frames and compress them into a .ZIP file. and upload to www.wetransfer.com which will email you a link to download the files. Paste the resulting link into this ticket.