ZWO ASI224 High Frame Rate Colour Camera Instruction Manual

ZWO ASI224 High Frame Rate Colour Camera

Instruction

Congratulations and thank you for buying one of our ASI Cameras！This manual will give you a brief introduction to your ASI camera. Please read it thoroughly. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us. [email protected]  ASI224 Cameras are designed for astronomical photography.  Its excellent performance and multifunctional usage will impress you a lot!  For software installation instructions and other technical information please refer to “Support” on our official website. https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/

Camera Models and Sensor Type

There are 2 types of ASI224 models:

Which camera to choose:
TEC cooling will help to reduce dark current noise for long exposures. For short exposures, such as under one second, the dark current noise is very low. However, cooling is recommended for DSO imaging when long exposures are required.

What’s in the box?

ASI224MC

ASI224MC-Cool

Camera technical specifications

QE Graph & Read Noise

QE and Read Noise are the most important parameters to measure the performance of a camera. Higher QE and lower Read Noise are needed to improve the SNR of an image. Color 224 sensor Relative QE Curve

Read Noise includes pixel diode noise, circuit noise and ADC quantization error noise, and the lower the better.
The Read Noise of the ASI224 cameras is extremely lower when compared with traditional CCD cameras. It is even lower when the camera is set at a higher gain.  Depending on your target, you can set the Gain lower for higher Dynamic Range (longer exposure) or set the Gain higher for lower noise (such as short exposure or lucky imaging).

Getting to know your camera

External View

*The first generation of cooled camera we used a ST4 port instead of USB2.0 hub

You can order the holder ring from us or our dealer to mount the cooled camera to tripod. There is 1/4″ screw under the holder

Power consumption:
ASI cameras are designed to have very low power consumption which is around 160ma@5V. You only need the USB cable to power up the camera. However, you will need a separate power supply to activate the cooler. We recommend 12V at 3A or more AC-DC adapter for cooler power supply (2.1mm*5.5mm, center positive). You may also use a battery supply from 9V to 15V to power the cooler.
Here is a test result of the cooler power consumption of our cooled camera. It only needs 0.5A to cool the camera to 30 degree below ambient.

Cooling system
The cooled ASI224 cameras have a robust, regulated cooling system, which means that the camera sensor can be kept at the desired temperature throughout your imaging session. The super low readout noise, combined with efficient cooling and adjustable gain setting, allows you to do short exposure or lucky DSO imaging, unlike the traditional CCD cameras which need very long exposures for each frame. However, keep in mind that cooling won’t help with very short exposures such as less than 100ms. The lowest temperature that can be set is -30℃.

Protect Window
There is a protect window before the sensor of ASI224 camera.  It’s an AR-AR coated BK7 glass, diameter is 21mm (non-cooled) , 25mm(cooled version) .  Our ASI224MC comes with the D21 AR window, thickness is 1.1 mm.  While ASI224MC- COOL has the D25 AR window, thickness is 3 mm.

Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
The ASI224 camera records in 12bit ADC and 10bit ADC. You can image at a faster fps rate if you choose to use 10bit ADC (high speed mode). This camera also supports ROI (region of interest) shooting, and this smaller ROI has faster fps.  Here is the maximum speed of ASI224 running at 10bit ADC and 12bit ADC.

Binning
The ASI224 camera supports software bin2 mode. You should use 10bit ADC. We recommend customer to use software binning if you don’t care speed.

How to use your camera

There are many adapters available for this camera for connecting to your scope or lens. Some are included with the camera and others you can order from our site: Color camera connecting drawing:

1. M43-T2 adapter
2.  EOS-T2 adapter
3.  2”Filter (optional)
4.  1.25” T-Mount
5.  1.25” Filter (optional)
6. M42-1.25” Filter (optional)
7.  T2 extender 11mm

Clean the camera and redry desiccant

The camera comes with an AR protect window, which can protect the sensor from dust and humidity. Should you need to clean the sensor, it’s better to do so during the daytime. To see the dust, you just need to setup your telescope and point it to a bright place. A Barlow is required to see these dusts clear. Then attach the camera and adjust the exposure to make sure not over exposed. You can see an image like below if it’s dirty.

The big dim spot on the image (at right ) are the shadows of dust on the protect window.  The very small but very dark spot in the image (at left) are the shadows of the dusts on the sensor. The suggested way to clean them is try to blow them away with a manual air pump. To clean the dust on the sensor you will need to open the camera chamber.  We have a very detailed instruction on our website:
https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/manuals/

Mechanical drawing

ASI224MC

ASI224MC-Cool

Servicing

For software upgrades please refer to “Support-manual and software” on our official website. https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/
Repairs and servicing are available by emailing [email protected]  For customers who bought the camera from your local dealer, dealer is responsible for the customer service.

Warranty

We provide 2-year warranty for our products. We offer repair service or replacement for free if the camera doesn’t work within warranty period.  After the warranty period, we continue to provide repair support and service on a charged basis.  This warranty does not apply to damage that occurred as a result of abuse or misuse, or caused by a fall or any other transportation failures after purchase.  Customer must pay for shipping when shipping the camera back for repair or replacement.

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