Other third part software support asi cameras user guide other third part software support these software all can be used with asi camera though the wdm interface. Despite being qualified as a miniature camera, it still operates at a high level of performance. Phd2 is free of cost, open source, and communitydeveloped and supported. Zwos ultracompact mini guidescope with 30mm f4 objective lens and rotating helical focuser fits most telescope findershoes, including those from skywatcher, celestron, orion, baader and primaluce. Acquisition software generally have to handle highend cameras, dlsr and. Heres a link to zwos software page, and heres a link to qhys page. I get the guide scope properly focused first with the provided zwo camera software. It offers automatic calibration and guiding with literally a single mouse click. It has a 280mm focal length and a focal ratio of f4. You may find a suitable alternative in our guiding and guiding accessories section. Tsoptics guiding set 50 mm mini guide scope and asi120mm mini guiding camera product. So, when you use asi120mm as a guide camera in video ds mode it doesnt work correct, because pixel size is not correct and calibration is not correct, so you guiding will be bad.
Zwo efw8, zwo oag gen2, gpu corrector wide field setup telescope. William optics 50mm slidebase uniguide scope with 1. The problem now is that the advanced camera settings have lots of options i have never set before never presented with the lodestar and the help on the zwo site is hopeless because it is all based on phd 1. I installed the latest of all the drivers, but if i connect phd with ascom it defaults to image type raw 16 every time and says guiding will not work with that format and a usb2 camera, the other 2 options are raw8 and y8. The easiest way to test the camera is to use the amcap software which comes with the driver select the camera from devices menu. Like public radio, you decide if you want to contribute and how much. The guiding set is not heavier than a good 8x50 finder. I can get an image but i have to drive the camera gain, in phd2 advanced settings, down to almost 0, have the screen brightness almost full right, and have exposures at 1 sec or less.
Phd guiding is open source in both the v1 version here and in the new v2 available for windows and mac. Zwo asi120mm mini monochrome cmos telescope camera. After a guide star has been selected, phd2 can send commands to your star. Option to save exactly as seen on screen the display stretch controls in the mini histogram on the right hand side do not affect the saved image they are only designed to affect the image as shown on screen in sharpcap. The zwo asi120mm mini is a topnotch monochrome guide camera, well suited for both planetary imaging and acting as a guider to amplify the usefulness of other astronomy instruments. Complete guiding set for astrophotography from tsoptics with mini guide scope and guiding camera zwo asi120mm mini for easy installation to the finder shoe. Oct 17, 2014 for me, and the avx, i have best luck and best guiding with the windows wdm driver, choosing the first 640x480 resolution in the list which i believe is the binned option. Es exos2 pmc8, skywatcher azgti portable wireless mount scopes.
What is the longest exposure you have achieved guiding this mount. Phd2 is guiding software inspired by stark labs phd guiding. One of the developers of the software commented that the backlash on losmandy mounts is a common problem. Tsoptics guiding set 50 mm guide scope and asi120mm mini.
I have a zwo asi 120mm that i use for testing phd2 and i can confirm that my camera works as expected with the same version of phd2 that you are using 2. Jan, 2016 i have noticed that phd2 with recent versions, currently using ver 2. Zwo asi120mm mini monochrome astronomy camera asi120mini. Zwo 120mm and phd2 guiding beginning and intermediate. Selecting a guide scope and autoguiding camera for. Takahashi fsq85ed simpli diy 10 single mirror planetary imager camera. This is a simple but handy addition live stacking which allows you to set up the software to automatically save the current stack and reset to start stacking again automatically after a user defineable total stacking time has been reached. About half the time i cannot connect to the camera and the other half phd will connect to the camera but complains that it cannot get an image in 30sec. Phd2 is telescope guiding software that simplifies the process of tracking a guide star, letting you concentrate on other aspects of deepsky imaging or spectroscopy. The st4 port connects the asi120 mini directly to the mounts autoguiding port. An overview for those who have never guided and some tips for advanced users who already know their way around a guiding graph.
For me, and the avx, i have best luck and best guiding with the windows wdm driver, choosing the first 640x480 resolution in the list which i believe. Ive accurately polar aligned, balanced, calibrated numerous times, ran the guiding assistant and implemented the recommendations, focused accurately, etc. I have tried the native zwo asi driver which makes you use the full 1280x960 resolution but the interface of phd2 is faster, less lag. Any faster and youre chasing seeing, longer and youll oversaturate stars in phd. Tsoptics guiding set 50 mm mini guide scope and asi120mm. I use it with a orion mini 50mm guidescope, and guide via ascom. There are nearly as many different astronomical setups as astronomers. Ive never had this problem before, but this was the first time using the. Zwo asi120mm mini camera lowest prices ships free opt. Phd2 is a telescope autoguiding software that automates the process of tracking a guide star. The mini mini auto guiding solution compatible with the new zwo asiair. Lots of devices are required in a setup, and many of each type exist. This makes complete sense from the point of view that it can calculate a better centroid using a nonsaturated star. But that is not to disparage the folks on this forum some of them the very same members as on the phd2 group, who are also quite helpful and knowledgeable.
Rejoice over perfectly round stars when doing long exposures, because the asi120mm mini is a very sensitive autoguider. Often, new features or bug fixes can be found in the prerelease section. If we can be of assistance, please dont hesitate to call us at 18002669590 or send us an email, and we. Use an ascomcompatible or indi telescope driver that sends guide commands to the mount over a serial cable or more commonly. Sorry to hear you are having trouble with the camera. First, you need the native drivers for your autoguider camera. The 290mm mini is very sensitive and a very nice camera for guiding. This zwo usb to st4 guide port adapter has been discontinued and is no longer available.
This is an important aspect of deep sky astrophotography because it allows you to focus on capturing successful long exposure images and get the most out of your telescope mount phd2 is easy enough for a beginner to use right away, yet also includes sophisticated. I use ascom guiding, not st4 so i then use the celestron ascom driver for the mount instead of oncamera. Ive been using an zwo asi120mms for about a year now without any problems. The zwo asi290mm mini mono is a cmos astronomy camera for autoguiding and planetary astrophotography. May 03, 2020 phd2 is guiding software inspired by stark labs phd guiding. Donations to help support phd guiding and its development are certainly appreciated.
The starshoot autoguider is powered via your computers highspeed usb 2. Zwo asi290mm mini perfect guide camera for the zwo asiair. Ive recently installed this guide camera on my deep sky astrophotography rig, which includes a skywatcher esprit 100 ed telescope on an eq6r pro mount. Jun 16, 2017 trying to perfect autoguiding seems like a never ending process. If we can be of assistance, please dont hesitate to call us at 18002669590 or send us an email, and we will be happy to help you. Installing phd2 will not affect your phd1 installation or settings. The new planetary and guiding camera from zwo makes you a successful planet photographer. Luminance, red, vband photometric, diffuser, 200 lpmm spectral grating software. Before you begin guiding, youll need to download the appropriate drivers for your autoguider. A short video showing the basic configuration of phd2 guiding. If you are already using phd1, note that phd2 installs separately from phd1 so you can have both applications installed at once. This is an important aspect of deep sky astrophotography because it allows you to focus on capturing successful long exposure images and get the most out of your telescope mount. Trying to perfect autoguiding seems like a never ending process.
I have noticed that phd2 with recent versions, currently using ver 2. July 20, 2017 discuss this article in the forums 1. Usbtocat6 extender, astromania red dot sight flash shoe telrad, zwo asi120mm guide camera, astromania 60mm guidescope software. Zwo asiair smart wifi asi120mm mini camera and 30f4 mini. However, this seems to be causing a real problem for me, and seems to be very different from earlier versions.
It is insisting on using a star that is not saturated. Downloads sharpcap lunar, planetary, solar and deep sky. Asi cameras user guide software usage basic usage because it is using one of the most popular driver types in the world windows directshow, the camera can be used on a variety of imagevideo grabbing softwares. It houses a highperformance sony imx290 monochrome sensor with 2. Everything what you will need for asi camera control, imaging, guiding and processing at one place. Sophisticated guiding and analysis tools for experienced users extensive support for commonlyused equipment. The improved electronics and the sophisticated software achieve highest sharpness on moon and planets. Asi120mm camera, phd guiding, phd guiding 2, firecapture 2. Zwo asi manuals manuals and user guides for zwo asi. So, please if anyone uses this camera for pulse guiding or st4 guiding with the latest phd please let me know what you had to do to get it working.
Phd2 guiding tips post by jaytee thu dec 19, 2019 1. Jun 23, 2018 note that currently the only guiding application supported is phd2 and it must be running on the same pc as sharpcap. Opening up the autoguiding interface revealed a familiar setting, as phd2 scope guiding software is incorporated into the app. To get the corrective signal back to the mount, there are two options. Zwo asi 120 mini compact astro telescope camera, sensitive. Selecting a guide scope and autoguiding camera for astrophotography author. Guiding camera asi120mm mini with highly sensitive 1. Hi, i have an autoguiding orion starshoot set up which i use with phd. However this has stopped my asi120mm usb2 guide camera from working with the native support in phd2.
Our asi120mm mc camera is not compatible very well with linux. And keep in mind that the older asi cameras asi120mm, mc do not work well with. The camera is, among others, suitable for phd guiding, guidedog, metaguide, guidemaster freeware or astroart, maxim dl with costs. Ive had phd running for about 2 hours without a hang so that part is worked out. Phd2 allows connection to be established but any attempts to get it to loop or to do darks. We also provide development snapshot builds containing the latest bug fixes and enhancements. Apr 17, 2017 a short video showing the basic configuration of phd2 guiding. Windows, mac and linux usb drivers, ascom drivers, latest firmware and camera control and processing software for all zwo devices. Phd2 guiding phd2 is guiding software inspired by stark. Im having problems getting an asi120mm s camera to work with phd2 since a pc crash and reinstallation of software including upgrade of phd2 to v 2. Its always best to search for your specific camera model though, and be sure to get the. Phd found the camera using the windows driver and i could adjust exposure. If you have all of the asi drivers installed, they should show up in the phd2 camera list. Phd2 guiding software it is assumed your camera is in focus, is attached to your scopemount and ready to be used as a a guide scope pointing along the length of where your imaging scope and camera is pointing i try to ensure this is as accurate in view and as parallel as possible to the main imaging scopes view albeit, most likely a much.
Link to more information and download for phd guiding. I have followed the directions given by phd and selected the manual guiding buttons and it takes a few south button pushes but the dec does move south. Opening up the autoguiding interface revealed a familiar setting, as phd2 scopeguiding software is incorporated into the app. The combination allows the guiding of telescopes with up to 10 aperture. Software and drivers everything what you will need for asi camera control, imaging, guiding and processing at one place. The mini mini autoguiding solution compatible with the new zwo asiair.
When guiding i am balanced to the back of the mount. Some cameras come with proprietary guide software, but many imagers use the open source and free phd or phd2 application as the guiding software. Wedlug niego kamerka powinna dzialac pod nastepujacymi programami. In the case of the asi camera the sdk file provides some important crosslinks between the camera driver and the operating system and between the camera driver and third party software such as phd, eqmod, firecapture, sharpcap etc, you dont need to do anything with the sdk once it is loaded but it does need to be installed if you want the camera to work properly. Aug 19, 2018 phd2 guiding software it is assumed your camera is in focus, is attached to your scopemount and ready to be used as a a guide scope pointing along the length of where your imaging scope and camera is pointing i try to ensure this is as accurate in view and as parallel as possible to the main imaging scopes view albeit, most likely a much. Plugin install the plugin to get support by the software. All images taken using phd guiding and most taken using nebulosity.
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