Ready to image candidate variable stars with a cookbook CB245 CCD

["Tom & Lou Krajci" <krajcit@3lefties.com>]

I may not be doing software for Mark IV camera data reduction, or helping
build Mark IV's, but I'd like to help in a different way.

I got back last week from my three month deployment to Saudi and have
finished assembling and testing my CB245 cookbook CCD.  I have tripled the
nominal design's gain to make it better suited to faint object photometry
versus the typical CB245 goal of pretty pictures.

My performance spec's from bench testing with a controlled light source:

gain:  20 electrons per pixel value

read noise:  33 electrons

dark current (at -42C):  average pixel value (including hottest pixels) is
0.1 electrons per pixel per second...the most common dark current is 0.04 e-
per pixel per second, and the hottest pixel is about 68 e- per pixel per
second.

In the next few days I hope to set up my back patio rig on an eq. mount and
C-11 tube assembly.  Once I make sure I can find, focus, and track I'll
start imaging some candidate variable stars from the TASS database.  I have
a
manual filter wheel (presently empty) that can hold four filters.

Any advice on stars I should try to image?

Thanks in advance,
Tom Krajci

PS.  Eventually I plan to incorporate a temperature regulation circuit
similar to the schematic in tech notes for the Mark III...I plan to
breadboard and test ideas in the next week or so.