[Laser] Re : IR camera aiming, was Re : 5mw laser transceiver kit

[f1avyopto at aol.com]

A tracking IR camera is a very good project.
Even ultra lowcost small IR CMOS video cameras are able to bring a very high IR sensitivity with only a few changes.

If we replace the native very small objective by a large one retrieved from a surpluscamera, the input focusing surface is multiplied by hundreds and thesensitivity becomes enormous.
You will find a small example below with the snowy top of Mont Blanc (ASL 4807 m) seen to 170 km bymoonlight with a 700 to 900 nm IR filter (60 mm in diameter objective).

http://sd-1.archive-host.com/membres/videos/22679775843705539/MB_aiming.avi

 73 Yves F1AVY

 

-----E-mail d'origine-----
De : Tom Becker <GTBecker at RighTime.com>
A : Free Space LASER Communications <laser at mailman.qth.net>
Envoyé le : Jeudi, 30 Septembre 2010 18:19
Sujet : [Laser] IR camera aiming, was  Re :  5mw laser transceiver kit


  One of the components of my current major project is a tracking IR 
video camera.  Although the video is from early in its development, here 
are two demos.

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/3354535
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/3490946

The current camera assembly is here:
http://rightime.com/images/Misc/DSCN0450.JPG
http://rightime.com/images/Misc/DSCN0451.JPG
The IR LEDs shown were removed when the assembly was mounted in a 
weather shroud.

This tracking scheme proved to be exceptionally sensitive.  It easily 
tracks distant aircraft strobes and, with the IR-pass filter removed, 
locks onto planets and even Rigel, the star at the foot of Orion.  The 
processor yields the vector from the frame center to the object, so 
driving a self-centering and, thus, tracking platform is easy.

The project is described here:
http://www.zbasic.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6879&highlight=disregard+video&pc_tzo=-14400&pc_d=20100930&pc_t=44294#6879


Tom
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