Machined Aluminum
ToUCam to T-Mount Adapter
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This solid metal threaded ToUCam to T-thread adapter greatly expands your options for astronomical webcam imaging configurations through your telescope, eliminating wobbly "slide fit" joints and the need for multiple parts to do a single job. NEW! The Mark II version uses a brass insert, threaded for ToUcam threads and standard filter threads. Advantages
Price: (Mark II, filter threads) $49.95 + shipping (USA Priority mail = $4.05; insurance optional; other shipping modes by request.) |
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(And now, the technical stuff... ) The Mark II version features a durable machined brass insert for both camera and standard filter threads.
Standard filters or accessories threaded for 1 1/4" eyepiece barrels may be attached to the Mark II adapter. Because of the CCD chip's infrared sensitivity, many imaging applications should include an infrared blocking filter, such as the Baader UV/IR block filter (shown below), available from Baader Planetarium or Alpine Astronomical.
A typical imaging "stack" is shown here. From left to right: Meade T-thread adapter for flip mirror box; Lumicon T-threaded IR blocking filter; T-threaded eyepiece projection adapter (nosepiece removed) and eyepiece; T-thread to webcam adapter; Baader UV/IR blocker; webcam.
Examples of T-mount accessories compatible with the ToUCam adapter:
The Meade flip mirror boxes come with short and long T-threaded adapters, originally intended for attaching astronomical CCD cameras; with the ToUCam to T-mount adapter, your ToUCam may be attached directly to the flip mirror box for prime focus imaging. |
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Adapter used in |
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Many "eyepiece projection" or "photographic" adapters allow even more versatility when combined with the ToUCam adapter. Meade, Celestron, Lumicon, and other quality eyepiece projection adapters are available either in modular form (Celestron) or can be disassembled; their 1 1/4" nosepieces thread into their respective eyepiece barrels via T-mount thread. This nosepiece may instead be threaded into the ToUCam adapter to provide a 1 1/4" to ToUCam adapter.
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By combining an appropriate commercial eyepiece projection adapter and the ToUCam adapter, you have three setup possibilities: |
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ToUCam to 2" eyepiece drawtube |
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ToUCam to 1 1/4" eyepiece drawtube |
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ToUCam to eyepiece adapter:
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T-mount extension tubes may be used to move the ToUCam focal plane farther from the telescope or eyepiece. This may be necessary, for example, to provide clearance for a long Barlow lens in an eyepiece projection adapter, or to obtain larger image scales with eyepiece projection. Stackable threaded T-mount extension tubes of various lengths are available from Alpine Astronomical and Edmund Scientific.
You can of course insert a Barlow lens in place of an eyepiece, for "negative projection"; a 2X Barlow will double the effective focal length of your scope, thereby doubling image size, etc. Also TeleVue Powermates may be fitted with TeleVue's optional T-thread adapter rings which will allow them to mate directly to the ToUCam adapter, making for an even simpler imaging setup (no "eyepiece projection" adapter needed). (If using an IR filter, a thin T-threaded spacer ring (available from Edmund, Baader or Alpine) should be used to ensure that the filter mount does not contact the rear element of the Powermate).As an alternative to a Barlow or Powermate, you can also achieve the same result using a so-called "teleconverter" or "telextender" intended for 35mm cameras.
Tamron (which originated T-threaded aftermarket camera lenses and adapters to fit many popular 35 mm cameras), Soligor, Vivitar, and lesser known brands once made T-threaded 2x and 3x teleconverters. These may be hard to find, but show up occasionally on ebay. These will fit between any male T-threaded accessory and the ToUcam adapter and, like a Barlow or Powermate, increase effective focal length by a factor of 2 (or 3). Or you may be able to make a non-T-threaded teleconverter work by means of appropriate camera T-mount adapters; some ingenuity and camera shop detective work in finding various 35 mm camera T-adapter rings will be required.
Note: The ToUCam to T-mount adapter has been tested for mechanical compatibility with high-quality, commercially available T-threaded accessories from Meade, Celestron, Lumicon, Televue and Parks Optical. We have determined that some low priced, unbranded accessories have threads that are wildly out of specification for T-mounts and will not mate properly with this adapter -- nor with any other properly T-threaded accessories for that matter. (See shadowgraph, above). We therefore strongly recommend that to avoid disappointment, only high-quality, name-brand accessories be used with these adapters. |
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