ZWO ASI1600MM User manual

ASI1600 Manual
Revision 1.1
Dec, 2016
All material in this publication is subject to change without notice and its copyright totally
belongs to Suzhou ZWO CO.,LTD.

ASI1600 Manual
2
Table of Contents
ASI1600 Manual............................................................................................................................... 1
1. Instruction................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Camera Models and Sensor Type............................................................................................... 4
3. What's in the box?....................................................................................................................... 5
4. Camera technical specifications..................................................................................................7
5. QE Graph & Read Noise.............................................................................................................8
6. Getting to know your camera....................................................................................................10
6.1 External View......................................................................................................................10
6.2 Power consumption:............................................................................................................11
6.3 Cooling system....................................................................................................................12
6.4 Back focus distance.............................................................................................................12
6.5 Protect Window...................................................................................................................13
6.6 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)................................................................................... 13
6.7 Binning................................................................................................................................13
6.8 Replace the desiccant tablets.............................................................................................. 14
7. How to use your camera........................................................................................................... 16
8. Cleaning.................................................................................................................................... 20
9. Mechanical drawing..................................................................................................................22
10. Servicing.................................................................................................................................. 23
11. Warranty...................................................................................................................................23

ASI1600 Manual
3
1. 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 take the time to read it thoroughly and if you have
any other questions, feel free to contact us. [e-mail]
ASI1600 Cameras are designed for astronomical photography. This is the first camera in the world
not only suitable for DSO imaging but also planetary imaging. The excellent performance and
multifunctional usage will impress you a lot!
For software installation instructions and other technical information please refer to “Getting
started with ASI1600”

ASI1600 Manual
4
2. Camera Models and Sensor Type
There are 4 types of ASI1600 models:
Models
Mono or Color
Regulated TEC Cooling
Sensor
ASI1600MM
Mono
No
Panasonic MN34230ALJ
ASI1600MC
Color
No
Panasonic MN34230PLJ
ASI1600MM-COOL
Mono
Yes
Panasonic MN34230ALJ
ASI1600MC-COOL
Color
Yes
Panasonic MN34230PLJ
Which camera to choose:
Monochrome camera sensors are capable of higher detail and sensitivity than is possible with
color sensors, but you need additional accessories such as filter wheel and filters. The
post-processing is more complicated too, so a color camera is often recommended for the beginner
of astrophotographer.
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.

ASI1600 Manual
5
3. What's in the box?
ASI1600MM or ASI1600MC
1–ZWO ASI1600MM or ASI1600MC Camera Body
The 11mm T2 extender ring has been already attached to it.
2–2 m long ST4 guider cable
3–1.25″ Cover
4–M42-1.25″ Filter adapter 3mm thickness
So you can screw a 1.25” filter very close to the sensor without vignetting.
5–M42-M48 extender
2”diameter outside, 18.5mm length and with M48x0.75 threads in the end.
6–T2-1.25″ T-Mount
7–2 m long USB3.0 cable
8–Driver & Extra Software CD (Mac, PC & Linux Compatible)
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
1

ASI1600 Manual
6
For ASI1600MM-COOL or ASI1600MC-COOL
1–ZWO ASI1600MM-COOL or ASI1600MC-COOL Camera Body
The 11mm T2 extender ring has been already attached to it.
2–T2-M48 extender
2”diameter outside, 18.5mm length and with M48x0.75 threads in the end.
3–T2-1.25″ nosepiece
4–1.25″ Cover
5–2 m long USB 3.0 cable
6–USB 2.0 short cable x2
They are used to connect your EFW or guider camera through the USB2.0 hub.
7–backup desiccant tablets packet
You need to replace them once you found fogging happen inside camera.
8–T2-1.25″ Filter adapter 3mm thickness
So you can screw a 1.25” filter very close to the sensor without vignetting.
9–Driver & Extra Software CD (Mac, PC & Linux Compatible)
2
8
3
4
5
6
7
1
9

ASI1600 Manual
7
4. Camera technical specifications
Sensor
4/3″ CMOS
Diagonal
21.9mm
Resolution
16Mega Pixels 4656×3520
Pixel Size
3.8μm
Image area
17.6mm*13.3mm
Max FPS at full resolution
23FPS(10bitADC) 15FPS(12bitADC)
Shutter
Rolling shutter
Exposure Range
32μs-2000s
Read Noise
1.2e @30db gain
QE peak
~60%
Full well
20ke
ADC
12 bit or 10 bit
Interface
USB3.0/USB2.0
Adapters
2″ / 1.25″ / M42X0.75
Protect window
AR window
Dimensions
Uncooled 62mm/Cooled 78mm
Weight
Uncooled 140g/Cooled 410g
Back Focus Distance
6.5mm
Cooling:
Regulated Two Stage TEC
Delta T
40-45 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°
Working Relative Humidity
20%—80%
Storage Relative Humidity
20%—95%

ASI1600 Manual
8
5. 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.
For the Mono 1600 Sensor, the peak value for QE is around 60%
Relative QE
Color 1600 sensor

ASI1600 Manual
9
Read noise includes pixel diode noise, circuit noise and ADC quantization error noise, and the
lower the better.
The Read Noise of the ASI1600 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).

ASI1600 Manual
10
6. Getting to know your camera
6.1 External View
*The first generation of cooled camera we used a ST4 port instead of USB2.0 hub
T2 extender ring:
2” diameters
T2 screws inside
11mm thickness
Can be removed
Protect and sealed window
AR coated D32*2mm
Heat Sink
USB2.0 Hub*
USB3.0 or USB2.0 IN
Cooler power supply
5.5*2.1 DC socket
12V 3A AC-DC power
supply suggested
Cooler Maglev fan
Only on when cooler
power supply is there
Protect and sealed window
AR coated D32*2mm
1/4” screw
You can mount to tripod
USB3.0 or USB2.0 IN
ST4 Guide Port