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Laptops, CCD'ing, & Star Parties
Last year at Stellafane a friend & I found that our CCD'ing laptop was
annoying nearby visual observers. I would think that "star party etiquette" would have to be that bright laptops are not acceptable. So: How does one use a laptop or other PC at a star party or popular observing site? Anybody have suggestions on how to cut the screen light down to levels acceptable for visual observers? Keep it under a box? George Normandin |
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Laptops, CCD'ing, & Star Parties
On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 03:31:29 GMT, "George Normandin"
wrote: Last year at Stellafane a friend & I found that our CCD'ing laptop was annoying nearby visual observers. I would think that "star party etiquette" would have to be that bright laptops are not acceptable. So: How does one use a laptop or other PC at a star party or popular observing site? Anybody have suggestions on how to cut the screen light down to levels acceptable for visual observers? Keep it under a box? A box isn't a bad idea, and would give good dew protection. First, make a screen filter out of a couple of layers of neutral gray limousine window tinting. Second, design a night vision color scheme that works well for you, featuring mostly reds and dark colors most likely. Finally, if you want to go the extra mile try adding a privacy filter (people use them on airplanes to keep their seat mate from seeing the screen.) They block off-axis light, which is the real problem with modern LCD displays. Do all that, and not only will nobody complain, but your own night vision will be fairly well preserved. _________________________________________________ Chris L Peterson Cloudbait Observatory http://www.cloudbait.com |
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Laptops, CCD'ing, & Star Parties
"George Normandin" wrote in message ... Last year at Stellafane a friend & I found that our CCD'ing laptop was annoying nearby visual observers. I would think that "star party etiquette" would have to be that bright laptops are not acceptable. So: How does one use a laptop or other PC at a star party or popular observing site? Anybody have suggestions on how to cut the screen light down to levels acceptable for visual observers? Keep it under a box? George Normandin Four stages: 1) Set the screen brightness as low as possible. 2) Select a largely 'red based' colour scheme. 3) Add a darkish filter material over the screen (Rubylith), possibly even two layers. 4) Add dark 'edges' to the screen, standing about 1"-1.5" above the existing screen edge. This last is really the 'critical' one. A lot of LCD screens, 'leak light', at small angles. Hence you can have your screen set to give a darkish image when looked at nearly perpendicular to the screen, and bring this down even lower with filters, but then find that if you look at a shallow angle to the screen, the light is several times brighter than the actual image. It is the leakage, that is the real 'pain'. If you sit the screen effectively in the bottom of a 'tray', this stray light gets massively attenuated (ideally you wand these edges lined with something like flock). Some of the modern screens, with very wide 'viewing angles', have less of this leakage, but more and more designs, conversely, don't let you turn the intensity down very far... There are also special filters sold which are meant to block this stray light, but I have never found them to be as effective as the edges. Best Wishes |
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Laptops, CCD'ing, & Star Parties
Two ways to solve this:
Have laptop facing _away_ from the visual group, or do what I do: Place the lappy in a big thick cardboard box with some plastic sheeting over same to stop dew soaking into box. Paint inside box with flat black paint and have red light and screen down to a min. brightness. Jim George Normandin wrote: Last year at Stellafane a friend & I found that our CCD'ing laptop was annoying nearby visual observers. I would think that "star party etiquette" would have to be that bright laptops are not acceptable. So: How does one use a laptop or other PC at a star party or popular observing site? Anybody have suggestions on how to cut the screen light down to levels acceptable for visual observers? Keep it under a box? George Normandin |
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Laptops, CCD'ing, & Star Parties
George Normandin:
Last year at Stellafane a friend & I found that our CCD'ing laptop was annoying nearby visual observers. I would think that "star party etiquette" would have to be that bright laptops are not acceptable. So: How does one use a laptop or other PC at a star party or popular observing site? Anybody have suggestions on how to cut the screen light down to levels acceptable for visual observers? Keep it under a box? ***** Keep it under a laptop privacy/sunshield hood. Follow this link http://www.google.com/search?as_q=&n...859-1&newwindo w=1&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=laptop+hood&as_oq=&a s_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_f iletype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesea rch=&safe=images and you will find a number of sources from which to purchase the Hoodman model. Read a review at http://www.steves-digicams.com/hoodman_e2000.html. Davoud -- usenet *at* davidillig dawt com |
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Laptops, CCD'ing, & Star Parties
George Normandin wrote: Last year at Stellafane a friend & I found that our CCD'ing laptop was annoying nearby visual observers. I would think that "star party etiquette" would have to be that bright laptops are not acceptable. So: How does one use a laptop or other PC at a star party or popular observing site? Anybody have suggestions on how to cut the screen light down to levels acceptable for visual observers? Keep it under a box? George Normandin Good Day George. I have another suggestion. Do a search for a programme called "powerstrip" on Google. It is available from some sites as freeware. Using that on my Dell laptop I can adjust the screen settings to give almost any level of illumination you might want. It also allows control of individual colours and clour temperature if required. It is very useful for Patrick Chevally's "Cartes du Ceil" programme which I use instead of setting circles on my 8" scope I use for field work. I use a digital level for altitude and a home made "circle" on the base which gives azimuth. Thus my Dob mount has effectively got setting circles. Hope this helps. Good seeing! Regards Cliff Wright. |
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Laptops, CCD'ing, & Star Parties
On Thu, 24 Jul 2003 09:21:51 +1200, Cliff Wright
wrote: I have another suggestion. Do a search for a programme called "powerstrip" on Google. It is available from some sites as freeware. Using that on my Dell laptop I can adjust the screen settings to give almost any level of illumination you might want. It also allows control of individual colours and clour temperature if required. The problem is that any modern LCD panel requires some kind of external shielding. This is because they leak light at oblique angles. You can turn off every pixel on the screen, making it as black as is physically possible through the electronics, and the screen will still look like a searchlight once you are dark adapted. What is needed is the ability to greatly reduce the brightness of the fluorescent backlight. I haven't seen any laptops that let you dim them all the way do nothing. _________________________________________________ Chris L Peterson Cloudbait Observatory http://www.cloudbait.com |
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Laptops, CCD'ing, & Star Parties
I simply bought some tinted plexi-glass at a local Home Base store and cut
a couple of pieces the size of the LCD screen. It turned out that two stacked pieces were needed once your eyes got totally adapted. It actually worked quite well, give it a try. On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 03:31:29 GMT, "George Normandin" wrote: Last year at Stellafane a friend & I found that our CCD'ing laptop was annoying nearby visual observers. I would think that "star party etiquette" would have to be that bright laptops are not acceptable. So: How does one use a laptop or other PC at a star party or popular observing site? Anybody have suggestions on how to cut the screen light down to levels acceptable for visual observers? Keep it under a box? George Normandin --- Gregory Phillips Seattle, Washington, USA |
#9
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Laptops, CCD'ing, & Star Parties
"David Nakamoto" wrote I got something from an art store called Rubellite (spelling?), which is a thick cellophane-like stuff that is thick enough...... Thanks guys for all of the neat ideas! I'll try one or more until I get to what I want. Maybe I'll buy a few of those red sheets and offer them to others. However, if I never post here again you will know I failed and some irate visual observer at Stellafane or the Black Forest Star Party, etc, killed me! George Normandin |
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