How do you build a light box?

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

Hi Folks,

I need to build a lightbox to fit my 11" SCT

How bright do the lights in the box have to be?

How long is a "Flat light" exposure supposed to be?

What is a "Flat light" exposure supposed to look like?

Baz.

[hpcoolahan]

Heres a link for you Baz , has plans for a 10in lx200 but you should get the jist of it and make your own design.

http://www.rc-astro.com/equipment/light_box/index.htm

http://www.gregpyros.com/html/light_box.html nuther one:biggrin:

http://www.hiddenloft.com/notes/lb.htm

And probably the best one

http://www.astrodon.com/oldsite/LearningCurve.html

Will keep looking for you mate

Cheers
Patrick

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

Thanks Patrick, Great help mate.

Based on all those and more, I came up with my own design and built one tonight. It only took about 2 hours.

I took photos all the way through so I will write up another tutorial on my DIY page and post a link when done.

Thanks again mate,

Baz.

[hpcoolahan]

your'e welcome

Cheers
Patrick

[Radar]

What exactly is the purpose of flat frames again?:confused:

Ray

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

Flats help to get rid of uneven light from your pics and reduces the visible effects of some impurities like dust in the optical train.

Tonights work so far and a teaser pic.....

5mm foam board from the art shop cost me $15.00
8 x 9V light globes, a switch and 4 metres of wire from Jaycar cost me $ 10.00

At home, I already had some tools, knife, rulers, soldering iron and solder, tape and glue etc.

The whole thing cost $30.oo and a couple of hours of my time this evening.

I havent yet got the opaque sheet to finish it off, but that should be a snap to find tomorrow to finish it off.

As I said, I will get a tutorial going soon, so stay tuned for the step-by-step.

Baz.

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

oops, forgot the pic...

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

and.........

[Phil.H]

Hi Baz this is my light box not the best but does the job.
I have a dimmer on my that came in handy.
Phil

[h0ughy]

hey there are some great idea there, need to look at those for one for a star party, i am afraid my normal method will be quite unacceptable:wink:

[malcant]

im still unsure what the purpose of a light box is? i must be stupid or something but i always thought when you were outside at night, the darker the better..:confused:

[Radar]

im still unsure what the purpose of a light box is? i must be stupid or something but i always thought when you were outside at night, the darker the better..:confused:

These light boxes are for taking flat frames. So when you get a shot that has uneven illumination you can add the flat frame (I only just learnt myself:biggrin: ).

Ray

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

im still unsure what the purpose of a light box is? i must be stupid or something but i always thought when you were outside at night, the darker the better..:confused:


I have just explained it (with easy pictures) on this thread..

http://www.myastrospace.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11768#post11768

[A.S.I.G.N_Baz]

G'day again!

I have been having lots of fun this week, building a lightbox. I would like to share it, seeing as it was so much fun and is a must for astrophotography as far as I can tell so far, experimenting with "flat" frames in my image stacking and processing. Here is a complete tutorial on building the lightbox.

http://www.asignobservatory.com/LightBox.aspx

My good friend Ron from www.aussiepeople.com.au has been kind enough to load this up for me during his Easter break. Bless you Ron.


I hope everyone gets something out of this and has fun building one of their own!

HAPPY EASTER!

Baz.

[hpcoolahan]

Well done mate, you are a real nuts and bolts astronomer ,, love it:woot: :woot: :woot:

Great to see you sharing the knowledge too, keep it up .

Cheers
Patrick

[Phil.H]

Well after seeing Braz making his light box gave me the idear of replacing my light box. The problem with my other light box it was a bit heavy. So i made two one for the NP101mm refractor and one for my Cannon 70-200mm lens. Very happy with the way they turn out. Much much lighter then the other one i had. These ones are made from form board.
Phil