ZWO ASI071 Series User manual

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ASI071 Manual
Revision 1.3
Mar, 2018
All materials related to this publication are subject to change without notice and its
copyright totally belongs to Suzhou ZWO CO.,LTD.

ASI071 Manual
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Table of Contents
ASI071 Manual...............................................................................................................................1
1. Instruction.................................................................................................................................3
2. What's in the box?.....................................................................................................................4
3. Camera technical specifications................................................................................................5
4. QE Graph & Read Noise...........................................................................................................6
5. Getting to know your camera....................................................................................................8
5.1 External View......................................................................................................................8
5.2 Power consumption.............................................................................................................9
5.2 DDR Buffer.........................................................................................................................9
5.3 Cooling system..................................................................................................................10
5.4 Back focus distance...........................................................................................................10
5.5 Protect Window.................................................................................................................10
5.6 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)..................................................................................11
5.7 Binning..............................................................................................................................11
5.8 Tilt adjustment...................................................................................................................11
6. How to use your camera..........................................................................................................12
7. Cleaning..................................................................................................................................13
8. Mechanical drawing................................................................................................................15
9. Servicing.................................................................................................................................15
10. Warranty .................................................................................................................................15

ASI071 Manual
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1. Instruction
Congratulations and thank you for buying one of ourASI Cameras！This manual
will give you a brief introduction to your ASI camera. Please take the time to read it
thoroughly and if you have any other questions, feel free to contact us.
[e-mail]
ASI071 Camera is designed for astronomical photography. This is our first
APS-C format CMOS camera which is not only suitable for DSO imaging, but also
for other kind of astronomical imaging. The excellent performance and
multifunctional usage will impress you a lot!
For software installation instructions and other technical information please refer to
“ASI USB3.0 Cameras software Manual”
https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/
Model
Mono or Color
Regulated TEC Cooling
Sensor
ASI071MC Pro
Color
Yes
SONY IMX071 CMOS
ASI071MC-COOL
discontinue
Color
Yes
SONY IMX071 CMOS

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2. What's in the box?
ASI071MC Pro

ASI071 Manual
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3. Camera technical specifications
Sensor
SONY IMX071 CMOS
Diagonal
28.4mm
Resolution
16 Mega Pixels
4944X3284
Pixel Size
4.78μm
Image area
23.6mmX15.6mm
Max FPS at full resolution
10FPS
Shutter
Rolling shutter
Exposure Range
64μs-2000s
Read Noise
2.3e @24db gain
QE peak
TBD
Full well
46k e
ADC
14 bit
DDRIII buffer
256MB
Interface
USB3.0/USB2.0
Adapters
M42X0.75
Protect window
AR window
Dimensions
86mm Diameter
Weight
640g
Back Focus Distance
17.5mm
Cooling:
Regulated Two Stage TEC
Delta T
35°C -40°C below ambient
Cooling Power consumption
12V at 2A Max
Supported OS
Windows, Linux & Mac OSX
Working Temperature
-5°C~45°C
Storage Temperature
-20°C~60°C
Working Relative Humidity
20%~80%
Storage Relative Humidity
20%~95%

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4. QE Graph & Read Noise
QE and Read noise are the most important parts to measure the performance of a camera.
Higher QE and Lower read noise are needed to improve the SNR of an image.
Here is the relative QE graph of ASI071.

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Read noise includes pixel diode noise, circuit noise and ADC quantization error noise, and
the lower the better.
The Read Noise of the ASI071 cameras is extremely low when compared with traditional
CCD cameras and it is even lower when the camera is used 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).

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5. Getting to know your camera
5.1 External View
Heat Sink
USB2.0 Hub
USB3.0 or USB2.0 IN
Cooler power supply
5.5*2.1 DC socket
12V @3A or up AC-DC
power supply suggested
Maglev fan
Only on when cooler is
turn on in software
Protect and sealed window
AR coated D42*2mm
M42 Cover
Tilt adjust screws
3 for push and 3 for pull
Controllable
Window Heater
Cooler Power
LED Indicator
M42*0.75
Threads

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5.2 Power consumption
ASI071 has one APS-C format sensor, the max power consumption is around 500ma@5V
which is nearly the maximum power supply of USB2.0. We recommend customer connect ASI071
through USB3.0 which can provide 1A@5V power. You also need a separate power supply to
power the cooler. We recommend using a 12V/3-5A or more DC adapter for cooler power supply
(2.1×5.5, center positive). Using a battery with 9-15V is also suitable for the cooler power supply.
ASI071 and USB hub is powered from 12V DC power supply if you connect it.
Here is a test result of the cooler power consumption of ASI071 camera. It only needs 0.5A to
cool the camera to 30℃below ambient.
5.2 DDR Buffer
ASI294 Pro camera includes one 256MB DDR3 memory buffer to help data transfer more
stable and no amp-glow issue which is caused by the slow speed data transfer during reading out
under USB2.0 Port.
DDR memory buffer is the main difference between ASI “Cool” and “Pro” cameras.

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5.3 Cooling system
The ASI071 camera has 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
or lucky DSO imaging unlike the traditional CCD cameras which need very long exposure for
each frame. However, keep in mind that cooling won’t help with very short exposure such as less
than 100ms. The lowest temperature that can be set is -35℃~40℃below ambient.
Here is a dark current test result ofASI071 sensor at various temperatures.
5.4 Back focus distance
The M42 female flange to the sensor is 17.5mm. You can reach 55mm back focus distance
with the 21mm and 16.5mm extender included in the camera package.
5.5 Protect Window
There is a protect window before the sensor of ASI071 camera.
It’s an AR-AR coated BK7 glass, diameter is 42mm and 2mm thick.