Opticstar DS-336C XL User manual

OPTICSTAR
Microsoft Windows
(64-bit & 32-bit)
XP/Vista/7/8

DS-336C XL Setup Guide
15/03/2012
Ä Opticstar Ltd
1
1.
The DS camera is sealed to protect the sensor and electronics, do not
open your camera,
this will make the camera susceptible to moisture
and dust.
2. Do not drop your camera as this can result in serious damage.
3. Only use the supplied power supply unit (3.3VDC 3A regulated).
4.
Do not point the camera to a bright light source like the Sun without the
appropriate filters.
5. Do not over-tighten adaptors attached to the camera.
6.
Treat the camera glass window with the same care as you would of a
photographic lens.
CAUTION
!
Manufacturer’s Warranty
This product has a 12 month back to base warranty. For after
sales support please contact Opticstar at: [e-mail]

DS-336C XL Setup Guide
15/03/2012
Ä Opticstar Ltd
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Contents
CONTENTS..................................................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................................4
PACKAGE CONTENTS.............................................................................................................................................. 4
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.......................................................................................................................................4
INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE DRIVERS............................................................................................................. 5
SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS...................................................................................................................................8
OPTICSTAR VIEW........................................................................................................................................................ 8
NEBULOSITY .............................................................................................................................................................. 8
ASTROART................................................................................................................................................................. 8
MAXIM DL ................................................................................................................................................................ 8
INSTALLING OPTICSTAR VIEW............................................................................................................................ 9
CAMERA CONTROL................................................................................................................................................... 10
FRAME RATE............................................................................................................................................................ 10
CAMERA CONFIGURATION ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Colour Adjustment Tab........................................................................................................................................ 11
Exposure Tab...................................................................................................................................................... 11
Other Tab............................................................................................................................................................ 11
Quick Fluro Tab.................................................................................................................................................. 12
IMAGE CAPTURE....................................................................................................................................................... 12
IMAGE PROCESSING`................................................................................................................................................. 13
INSTALLING NEBULOSITY V2 AND THE DS-336C XL PLUGIN...................................................................... 14
RUNNING NEBULOSITY V2........................................................................................................................................ 14
MAIN PANEL ............................................................................................................................................................ 15
Advanced Sub Panel............................................................................................................................................ 15
VIDEO MODE............................................................................................................................................................ 16
SUPPORT .................................................................................................................................................................. 16
INSTALLING THE DS-336C XL PLUGIN FOR ASTROART V3/V4.................................................................... 17
BINNING MODES....................................................................................................................................................... 18
HIGHER IMAGE QUALITY .......................................................................................................................................... 18
HIGHER SPEED ......................................................................................................................................................... 18
STARVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................... 19
CAPTURE SETTINGS .................................................................................................................................................. 19
COLOUR SYNTHESIS ................................................................................................................................................. 20
SUPPORT .................................................................................................................................................................. 20
INSTALLING THE DS-336C XL PLUGIN FOR MAXIM DL V4/V5..................................................................... 21
BINNING MODES....................................................................................................................................................... 22
HIGHER IMAGE QUALITY .......................................................................................................................................... 22
HIGHER SPEED ......................................................................................................................................................... 22
STARVIEW ............................................................................................................................................................... 23
CAPTURE SETTINGS .................................................................................................................................................. 23
COLOUR SYNTHESIS ................................................................................................................................................. 24
SUPPORT .................................................................................................................................................................. 24
TROUBLESHOOTING............................................................................................................................................. 25
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS........................................................................................................................................... 25
INSTALLATION ISSUES .............................................................................................................................................. 25
Windows does not Recognise the Camera............................................................................................................. 25
Camera Driver Check.......................................................................................................................................... 26
Camera Driver Removal...................................................................................................................................... 26
Re-installing the Camera and Drivers.................................................................................................................. 27
CAMERA PERFORMANCE........................................................................................................................................... 27

DS-336C XL Setup Guide
15/03/2012
Ä Opticstar Ltd
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USB BUS SPEED .......................................................................................................................................................27
USBEXTENSIONS .....................................................................................................................................................28
USB PORT ISSUES.....................................................................................................................................................28
GOOD PRACTICES...................................................................................................................................................29
CAMERA CLEANING ..................................................................................................................................................29
CAMERA POWER REQUIREMENTS ..............................................................................................................................29
OVEREXPOSING THE CAMERA TO STRONG LIGHT .......................................................................................................29
SUPPORT ...................................................................................................................................................................29
OTHER SOFTWARE.................................................................................................................................................29
MICROSCOPE ATTACHMENTS............................................................................................................................29
CAMERA SPECIFICATION.....................................................................................................................................30
If you have any queries regarding the camera or you require after
sales support, please email us at: [email protected] Please
include your camera’s serial number as displayed on the camera’s
case.
The camera does not incorporate any optics and therefore it cannot
reach focus by itself. A C/CS mounted lens must be used with the
camera or it must be attached to a telescope with the nosepiece
adapter that is included with the camera. To attach it to a
microscope, please use an appropriate attachment.
It is not necessary to connect the power supply unit to the camera
at this point since the camera itself is powered through the USB 2.0
port. The 3.3V mains power supply unit is only used by the onboard
cooling sub-system.

DS-336C XL Setup Guide
15/03/2012
Ä Opticstar Ltd
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Introduction
Your Opticstar DS-336C XL single shot camera will enable you to capture
images of deep sky objects, the planets and their satellites as well as images of
the Moon and Sun with the use of an appropriate filter. The camera is also
capable in operating in video mode and it is also suitable for microscopy and
industrial applications. The camera incorporates thermo-electric cooling (TEC)
reducing the levels of noise dramatically during longer exposures.
The DS-336C XL is the successor to the popular DS-335C ICE but includes a
number of significant enhancements such as:
Double the speed and the frame rate in focus and preview modes.
New CCD sensor with more than twice the light sensitivity.
Even higher light sensitivity due to Gain function in hardware.
Improved dynamic range and image quality.
Package Contents
Please insure that you check that no parts are missing. In the event of a part
missing please inform your local supplier immediately. Your camera should
include the following:
1. Camera.
2. USB cable.
3. C-mount to 1.25” telescope drawtube.
4. T-mount (M) to 2” telescope drawtube.
5. Printed camera setup manual.
6. CD with drivers, full manuals and software.
7. Mains PSU for powering the cooling subsystem. AEU/UK/US PSU adaptor
is included for US and UK customers.
System Requirements
You will first need to install the camera and drivers before installing the View
and Nebulosity software. Please follow the instructions closely for a successful
installation. You will require a PC running Microsoft Windows (64-bit or 32-bit)
XP/Vista/7/8 with a free USB2.0 port.
If you experience any difficulty during or following installation please refer to the
Troubleshooting section in this guide.
If you have installed the camera drivers in the past and you wish to replace the
drivers to a different version you must first remove the original drivers. Please
refer to the Troubleshooting section on how to remove the currently installed
drivers.

DS-336C XL Setup Guide
15/03/2012
Ä Opticstar Ltd
5
Installing the Software Drivers
Follow the instructions below closely ensuring that you make the right
selections.
1. Un-install any previous versions of the software.
2. Insert the supplied CD in the CD/DVD drive.
3. Plug the camera to a USB2.0 port
(ideally to one attached directly on
the motherboard of your computer).
4. The Windows Device Manager will list the camera as 3.1MCCD
USB2.0 Camera as shown below.
Once conn
ected to the computer, the
Device Manager will show the camera.
During installation do not allow Windows to automatically select the
best drivers. If you allow Windows to automatically select the
drivers, installation will fail.
The software drivers can be installed by
the user from the Device Manager.

DS-336C XL Setup Guide
15/03/2012
Ä Opticstar Ltd
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5. The Windows Found New Hardware Wizard will come into view.If the
wizard does not appear, you can install the drivers by right-clicking on the
camera entry in Device Manager and select Update Driver Software.
6. Do not allow Windows to search automatically for the driver software.
Instead, select the Browse my computer for driver software option.
7. The drivers are situated on the CD inside the Drivers folder. There are
two sub-folders named 32-bit and 64-bit. Select the appropriate sub-
folder for your operating system. All 32-bit operating systems
(XP/Vista/7/8) should use the drivers in the 32-bit sub-folder. All 64-bit
operating systems (XP/Vista/7/8) should use the drivers in the 64-bit
sub-folder.
Anti-virus software may attempt to block the installation. In such cases
the anti-virus software should be temporarily disabled. Alternatively,
when prompted, add the installation files to the trusted list.
Select the software drivers manually.
The software drivers are situated on the
CD inside the Drivers folder.
Windows may demand the user to have Administrator access rights in
order to install the software. Otherwise the installation will be
terminated by Windows.

DS-336C XL Setup Guide
15/03/2012
Ä Opticstar Ltd
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8. Windows may display a warning prior to installing the driver software.
Ignore the message and select Install the driver software anyway.
9. Once the drivers have been installed,
Windows will identify the camera as
Opticstar 336C.
10.If Windows asks you to restart the
computer before proceeding, please
do so.
11.Your camera and drivers are now
installed. Please refer to the
Troubleshooting section in this
guide if the camera and driver
installation failed to complete
successfully.
Ignore the Windows warning.
The drivers installed successfully.
Note that if later you remove the camera from your computer and
re-connect it to a different USB 2.0 port Windows will ask for the
drivers again. Repeat the above procedure to re-install the drivers
for the newly selected USB 2.0 port.

DS-336C XL Setup Guide
15/03/2012
Ä Opticstar Ltd
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Software Applications
The Opticstar DS-336C XL camera can be controlled by Opticstar View,
Nebulosity, AstroArt and MaxIm DL.
Opticstar View
View operates the camera in video mode. It can be used to capture
and store video on the computer in AVI format. Single frames can be
captured in BMP format. View is ideal for microscopy and suitable to
capture planetary images at high frame rates. It supports automatic
exposure times as well as manual.
Nebulosity
The DS-336C XL is bundled with a copy of Nebulosity v2 as
standard. Nebulosity is a fully featured application that provides
camera control and image processing. Nebulosity needs to be installed
as a first step but it will not provide DS-336C XL camera support by
default. The DS-336C XL software plugin for Nebulosity must be copied into the
folder where Nebulosity has been installed.
Nebulosity is ideal for astronomy. It supports long exposures, single or multiple
frame capture, and video modes for real time visual observation of deep sky
objects.
AstroArt
Users of AstroArt will be interested in the DS-336C XL plugin for
AstroArt.This plugin adds camera support with 8 binning modes
including 1x1, 2x2, and 4x4 in colour and monochrome. Some very
fast focus and preview modes are also supported. Please refer to the
following pages for detailed instructions.
MaxIm DL
MaxIm DL users will need to install the DS-336C XL plugin for
MaxIm DL. The plugin enables MaxIm DL full camera control with
many binning modes including: 1x1, 2x2, 4x4 binning in colour and
monochrome. There is also support for fast readout speeds in most
modes. Please refer to the following pages for detailed instructions.
Please note that the AstroArt and MaxIm DL software applications
are not bundled with the Opticstar DS-336C XL camera but may be
purchased separately.

DS-336C XL Setup Guide
15/03/2012
Ä Opticstar Ltd
9
Installing Opticstar View
Opticstar View is a
software application
that can be used to
control the camera,
capture single frames or video,
perform image processing and
image measurements.
View can be used for a wide
range of applications outside
astronomy including
microscopy.
1. To install View, navigate to the View folder on the CD and open the
View_setup.exe file.
2. Windows will display “Welcome to the Opticstar View Setup Wizard”.
Click the Next button to continue.
Installing Opticstar View. Running Opticstar View.
After the installation has finished, View can be run by clicking on the Windows
Start button and selecting Opticstar View from the programs list.