explorescientific 4K Planetary & DeepSky Astro Camera Instruction Manual

explore scientific 4K Planetary & DeepSky Astro Camera

Imprint

Bresser GmbH
Gutenbergstr. 2
46414 Rhede
Germany
www.explorescientific.de
For any warranty claims or service inquiries, please refer to the information on “Warranty” and “Ser-vice” in this documentation. We ask for your understanding that unsolicited returns cannot be processed. Errors and technical changes excepted.
© 2022 Bresser GmbH
All rights reserved. The reproduction of this documentation – even in extracts – in any form (e.g. photocopy, print, etc.) as well as the use and distribution by means of electronic systems (e.g. image file, website, etc.) without the prior written permission of the manufacturer is prohibited. The designations and brand names of the respective companies used in this documentation are generally protected by trade, trademark and/or patent law in Germany, the European Union, and/or other countries.

Validity note

This documentation is valid for the products with the following article numbers: 0510530
Manual version: 0122
Manual designation:
Manual_0510530_4K-Planetary-DeepSky-Camera_en-de_EXPSC_v012022a Always provide information when requesting service.

About this Instruction Manual

NOTICE

These operating instructions are to be considered a component of the device.
Read the safety instructions and the operating manual carefully before using this device. Keep this instruction manual in a safe place for future reference. When the device is sold or given to someone else, the instruction manual must be provided to the new owner/user of the product.

Intended use

• This device is not intended for use by persons (including children) with impaired physical, sensory or mental abilities, or for lack of experience and/or knowledge unless they are supervised by or have received instructions from a person responsible for their safety on how to use this device.
• This device is for personal use only.
• The device was developed as an electronic accessory and may only be used to connect and operate the devices for private use described in this manual.

General safety instructions

DANGER

The danger of suffocation!
Improper use of this product may result in suffocation, especially for children. It is therefore imperative that you observe the following safety information.

• Keep packaging materials (plastic bags, rubber bands, etc.) away from children! There is a danger of choking!
• Keep cables, tapes, and similar materials away from children! They could accidentally strangle and suffocate themselves with them!

NOTICE

The danger of material damage!
Improper handling may result in damage to the unit and/or accessories. Therefore, use the device only in accordance with the following safety information.

• Do not disassemble the device! In the event of a defect, please contact your dealer. They will contact the Service Center and can arrange the return of this device for repair if necessary.
• Check this device, cables, and connections for damage before use.
• Never attempt to operate a damaged device or a device with damaged electrical parts! Damaged parts must be replaced immediately by an authorized service agent.
• For the normal operation as intended, only use the supplied cables and connect them as described in the manual.

NOTICE

The danger of data loss!
Do not interrupt an ongoing data connection to a computer before all data has been transferred. This could lead to data loss for which the manufacturer is not liable.

NOTICE

Privacy Protection
Respect the privacy of your fellow human beings – do not look into flats with this device, for example!

Parts overview and scope of delivery

Illustration 1: All parts of the Astro camera

1. Camera body
2. Mounting thread (T2/M42x0,75mm)
3. Camera connection:
4. Ventilation slots
5. Function indicator light
6. USB 3.0 port
7. ST4 port
8. Plug-in adaptor 1 ¼”
9. Connection thread
10. USB 3.0 connection cable
11. DC connection cable
12. Software CD

Scope of delivery
Astro camera (A); 1 ¼” plug-in adaptor (B); USB cable (C); ST4 cable (D); software CD (E)

Installing the software and drivers

1. Insert the CD-ROM included in the scope of delivery into the CD drive of your computer. Alternatively, you can download the software package from the product page and start the installation directly. The files are stored under the heading ‘Software’. You will find the link/QR code to the product page on the second page of these operating instructions.
2. Install the ‘EXPLORE Capture’ software. This will also install the camera drivers automatically.
3. Remove the rubber cover of the CMOS sensor on the camera and connect it to your telescope. The connection can be made directly via T2 thread (M42x0.75mm) or via the plug-in adapter. Always make sure that the camera is securely mounted.
4. Connect the camera to an available USB port on your computer using the supplied USB cable.
5. Start the EXPLORE Capture software after successful installation.
6. Select the connected camera in the EXPLORE Capture software menu.
7. The camera now continuously sends live images to the computer at the current exposure time.
8. Use the telescope´s finder scope to focus on a bright star in the camera’s field of view. To obtain a faster image sequence and a higher camera sensitivity during focusing, switch to binning mode if necessary (see software menu “Digital Binning”).
9. After successful focusing, you can start recording images or video sequences.

Camera mounting on the telescope

Illustration 3: Mounting the camera onto a telescope

1. Camera housing
2. Holding thread
3. Connection thread
4. T2 or plug-in adaptor
5. Eyepiece holder
6. Eyepiece extension

Camera mounting as an autoguider

Illustration 4: Mounting of the Astro camera as an autoguider on the guide tube

1. Guide tube
2. Socket adaptor 1 ¼”
3. Camera body
4. USB 3.0 port
5. ST4 port
6. USB cable
7. USB port on PC/notebook
8. ST4 connecting cable
9. ST4 port on the mount*
10. Recording device (e.g. single-lens reflex camera or another deep sky camera)1

NOTICE! This is not a stand-alone camera. A computer running the operating system Windows® 10 or 11 is required for both, photography and auto- guiding.

NOTICE! Autoguiding requires appropriate software (see below).
Autoguiding Software
The following software packages, among others, can be used for auto-guiding with this camera: PhD-Guiding, GuideDog, Meta guide, Guidemaster (free of charge) or AstroArt, MaxIm DL (fee payable)
DOWNLOAD PHD-Guiding: https://openphdguiding.org
DOWNLOAD GuideDog: http://barkosoftware.com/GuideDog

Optimizing the camera settings for long exposures

To ensure that the camera delivers the best possible image results for long exposures over 1 minute, you can optimally adjust the setting values for gain and black level depending on the desired exposure time. Refer to Table 1 for help. Proceed as follows for the setting:

1. Select the desired exposure time (e.g. 6 minutes). (Image 1)
2. Open the “Acquisition & Resolution” settings menu. Click on the field with the current value for the “Gain” and enter 158. Confirm the entry with [ENTER]. The value 1.58 is set. (Image 2)
3. Select the image format and bit depth according to Table 1. (Image 2+3)
4. Open the “Black Level” setting menu. Move the slider until you reach the appropriate value (e.g. 440). (Image 4)
5. Start the capturing images.

NOTICE! These are recommended guide values determined under real test conditions. Individual adjustments may be necessary and depend on external factors such as ambient temperature.

Exposure time| Gain| Black level| Format| Bit depth| e/ADU| Read noise| Full Well
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---
6 minutes| 1.58| 440| RAW (fit)| 12| 2.03| 1.81| 8318.91
5 minutes| 1.58| 380| RAW (fit)| 12| 2.03| 1.81| 8318.91
4 minutes| 1.58| 303| RAW (fit)| 12| 2.03| 1.81| 8318.91
3 minutes| 1.58| 233| RAW (fit)| 12| 2.03| 1.81| 8318.91
2 minutes| 1.58| 172| RAW (fit)| 12| 2.03| 1.81| 8318.91
1 minute| 1.58| 112| RAW (fit)| 12| 2.03| 1.81| 8318.91

Cleaning and maintenance

• Before cleaning the device, disconnect it from the power supply (remove the plug or remove batteries)!
• Only clean the device externally using a dry cloth. Do not use a cleaning solution to prevent damage to the electronic parts.

Disposal

Dispose of the packaging materials properly, according to their types, such as paper or cardboard. Contact your local waste disposal service or environmental authority for information on the proper disposal. Do not dispose of electronic devices in the household garbage! According to the European Directive 2012/19/EU on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and its transposition into national law, used electrical equipment must be collected separately and recycled in an environmentally sound manner.

EC declaration of conformity

A “Declaration of conformity” in accordance with the applicable directives and corresponding standards has been prepared by Bresser GmbH. The full text of the EC declaration of conformity is available at the following Internet address: www.bresser.de/down-load/0510530/CE/0510530_CE.pdf

UKCA Declaration of Conformity

Bresser GmbH has issued a “Declaration of Conformity” in accordance with applicable guidelines and corresponding standards. The full text of the UKCA declaration of conform-ity is available at the following internet address: www.bresser.de/download/0510530/UKCA/0510530_UKCA.pdf

Bresser UK Ltd. • Suite 3G, Eden House, Enterprise Way, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 6HF, Great Britain

References

• GuideDog
• disponibles.IT
• konsoleH :: Login
• hier online bestellen
• PHD2 Guiding
• PHD2 Guiding

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