Summary:
The Philips ToUcam Pro III otherwise known as the SPC900NC is an excellent
choice for making a very simple long exposure modification (LX). In my case
I chose to use an LED-command-pin (aka. LED-driven) circuitry to drive the LX
exposures. This is supported using the Saillard.org PWC driver for Linux
and use of qAstrocam which supports "TUC led" option to turn the LED voltage
on and off during each LX exposure, thus accumulating a time exposure image.
My modification therefore only uses the USB port connection, no need for
parallel or serial port complications. However user be warned you need to be
runing Linux (in my case Red Hat Enterprise Linux v4) and use PWC and qAstrocam.
The current Windows-based imaging softwares do not yet support LED-driven LX.
If you happen to find one that does, let me know and I can supply a link.
My modification is based on Matthias Meijer's work with additional switch
circuitry (see my schematic) added which is based on feedback from Frank Larsen
and Matthias Meijer who helped to locate the LED "via" connection on the circuit
board, as well as Frank's suggestion for a fix to the Saillard.org PWC driver
to enable LED support for the SPC900NC webcam. I used Matthias's "bug" 4066B chip
circuitry, and method, so you should make use of his site for the overall
modification, and refer to my schematic below for my additions.
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LX mod ToUcam Pro III mounted on scope.
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