ZWO ASI2600MC Pro User manual

ASI2600MC DUO Manual
Thank you for purchasing ZWO ASI camera! Please make sure you’ve read this manual before you use the
product.
All materials related to this publication are subject to change without notice and its copyright totally belongs to
Suzhou ZWO CO.,LTD.

Table of contents
1 Product Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 3
2 Notice for Use ..................................................................................................................................7
3 Getting to Know Your Camera ........................................................................................................ 8
3.1 Appearance .............................................................................................................................8
3.2 Specification .......................................................................................................................... 9
3.3 Quantum Efficiency & Readout Noise ................................................................................10
3.4 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) .................................................................................... 12
3.5 Cooling System ....................................................................................................................13
3.6 Anti-Dew Heater .................................................................................................................. 13
3.7 Power Consumption .............................................................................................................14
3.8 High-speed Buffer ................................................................................................................15
4 What’s in the Box .......................................................................................................................... 16
5 Mechanical Drawing ......................................................................................................................17
6 Connection Methods ......................................................................................................................18
6.1 Connect Nikon/Canon Lenses ............................................................................................. 18
6.2 Solutions for 55mm back focus length ................................................................................ 18
7 Warranty Policy ............................................................................................................................. 19
8 After-sale Service ...........................................................................................................................21

1 Product Introduction
ASI2600MC Duo integrates a main sensor and a guide sensor into one camera.
The main Sensor: The main sensor is a Sony IMX571 CMOS equipped with STARVIS technology. It features an
APS-C format, a native 16bit ADC and a dynamic range of up to 14stops. The 3.76um small pixel accommodates a
large full depth of 50Ke. The readout noise can be as low as 0.9e, and what can be more surprising is that it has
absolutely no amp glow!
Note: The default full well capacity of ASI2600MC Duo is 50Ke. But at the gain value of -25, the full well
capacity will be expended to 73Ke.

Guide sensor: The guide sensor is a type 1/1.8 sensor SC2210 (7.68mm width by 4.32mm height). It has 4um x
4um pixels with an array of 1920x1080. As equipped with new technology, the guide sensor has a superb
near-infrared sensitivity. Its full well capacity reaches 8780e, and the peak QE reaches 92% at 500nm. The readout
noise is as low as 0.6e.
Two in One Design
Thanks to the compact design, the ASI2600MC Duo only needs one USB cable for control. It reduces potential
cabling issues and improves setup convenience. You don’t need a separate set of OAG and guide camera for your
guide system anymore.
Tilt Adjustment from Rear (Optional)
The 3 sets of the push and pull screws from the rear side make the camera tilt adjustment much easier without the
trouble of removing the camera from the whole assembly.

Performance Improvement
Let’s compare the specifications of ASI2600MC Pro and ASI2600MC Duo side by side.
Note: The default full well capacity of ASI2600MC Duo is 50Ke. But at the gain value of -25, it will be expended
to 73Ke.
STARVIS technology
The main sensir of ASI2600MC Duo is based on Sony STARVIS technology which reduces the amp glow. Sony’s
back-illuminated CMOS image sensor improves its sensitivity and noise reduction – these two are the key factors
in enhancing image quality.

Traditional CMOS sensors produce a weak infrared light source during exposure, which is quite often seen in the
corners of uncalibrated images. It is the tell-tale sign of amp glow. As the main sensor of ASI2600MC Duo uses
zero-amp glow design, you won’t have to worry about amp glow when taking images with high gains or long
exposure times.
Native 16bit ADC
The main sensor of ASI2600MC Duo has a native 16-bit ADC. It can really achieve a dynamic range output of
14stops with single frames, which will significantly improve the image sharpness and contrast, and also create
smoother and more natural color transitions.
Frame Rate
ASI2600MC Duo’s max FPS in RAW 8 high speed mode is 15FPS at full resolution, which is even quicker
compared to ASI2600MC Pro.

2 Notice for Use
Before you use the camera, please read the guide below.
All ASI DSO cameras need to be powered via DC12V@3A~5A power supply (D5.5x2.1mm,
center positive). Or you can also use a 11V~14V lithium battery. Please note the power supply
exceeding the range above will probably lead to irreversible damages to the camera.
Storage temperature
-10℃ ~ 60℃
Storage humidity
20% ~ 95%
Operating temperature
-5℃ ~ 50℃
Operating humidity
20% ~ 80%
Please do not use any corrosive solutions to clean the camera to avoid damaging the camera. Also don’t expose the
camera directly to the sun for long time to avoid surface discoloration.

3 Getting to Know Your Camera
3.1 Appearance
1. Heat sink
2. Focus knob for guide sensor
3. Sensor tilt adjustment plate: M54x0.75, 5mm thickness, removable.
4. Protective window: D60x2mm, UV/IR Cut filter glass
5. USB-B 2.0 port
6. USB-B 3.0 Hub
7. DC power port: D5.5x2.1mm, center positive. 12V 3A power supply is recommended.
8. Ultra-quite magnetic cooling fan.

3.2 Specification
Main Sensor
Guide Sensor
Sensor
SONY IMX571
SC2210_BW
Color & Mono
Color
Mono
Sensor format
APS-C
Type 1/1.8
Diagonal
28.3mm
8.81mm
Resolution
26MP 6248x4176
2.07MP 1920x1080
Pixel size
3.76μm
4μm
Sensor size
23.5mmx15.7mm
7.68mmx4.32mm
Max FPS at full resolution
15fps
16.9fps
Shutter
Rolling shutter
Rolling shutter
Exp range
32μs-2000s
32μs~10s
Readout noise
0.9-4.2e (1.3e@10db gain)
0.6-3.2e ([email protected] gain)
QE peak
80%
92% at 500nm
Full depth
73Ke*
8.78Ke
ADC
16bit
12bit
DDR3 buffer
512MB
\
USB port
USB-B 3.0
\
Adapter
M54x0.75
\
Protective window
UV/IR CUT
Camera diameter
90mm
Camera weight
715g
Back focus distance
17.5mm
Cooling
Two-stage TEC cooling
\
Delta T
30°~35°@30℃ ambient
temperature
\
Cooling power load
12V, peak current 3A
\
Supported OS
Windows, Linux & Mac OSX
Max power consumption
12V power: 27.48W
USB power: 0.46W
*Note: The default full well capacity of ASI2600MC Duo is 50Ke. But at the gain value of -25, it will be expended
to 73Ke.

3.3 Quantum Efficiency & Readout Noise
Quantum Efficiency
The QE peak value of ASI2600MC Duo is measured by ZWO to be about 80%.
Main sensor
Guide sensor

Readout Noise
Extended full well mode: The full well capacity of ASI2600MC Duo will be extended to 73Ke when the gain
value is set to -25. The image might not reach full saturation at the extreme case if the full well capacity exceeds
73Ke.

3.4 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
ASI2600MC Duo has a built-in 16bit ADC. It supports partial sensor readout mode of custom ROI. Faster frame
rate will be available at small ROI resolutions.
Below are the MAX frame rates of ASI2600MC Duo at different USB ports and different ADC modes.
HardwareBin2 12Bit-ADC
USB-B 3.0
USB-B 2.0
Resolution
RAW16
RAW8
RAW16
RAW8
3120×2088
6.1fps
6.1fps
0.83fps
1.71fps
HardwareBin3 12Bit-ADC
USB-B 3.0
USB-B 2.0
Resolution
RAW16
RAW8
RAW16
RAW8
2080×1392
6.1fps
6.1fps
0.83fps
1.72fps
ASI220MM Mini Frame Rates
USB-B 2.0
Normal mode: 12bit ADC
Resolution
RAW16
RAW8
1920×1080
8.5fps
16.9fps
1280×720
12.7fps
25.2fps
640×480
18.5fps
37fps
320×240
34.8fps
69.6fps
ASI2600MC Duo Frame Rates
USB-B 3.0
USB-B 2.0
Normal mode: 16bit
ADC
High speed mode:
12bit ADC
Normal mode: 16bit
ADC
High speed mode: 12bit
ADC
Resolution
RAW16
RAW8
RAW8
RAW16
RAW8
RAW8
6248x4176
6.1fps
6.1fps
15fps
0.85fps
1.64fps
1.70fps
4096x3072
8.2fps
8.2fps
30.2fps
1.79fps
2.75fps
3.44fps
4096×2160
11.6fps
11.6fps
42.8fps
1.96fps
4.89fps
4.89fps
3840×2160
11.6fps
11.6fps
42.8fps
2.61fps
5.2fps
5.2fps
1920×1080
22.8fps
22.8fps
83.7fps
10.4fps
20.9fps
20.9fps
1280×720
33.4fps
33.4fps
122.9fps
23.5fps
33.4fps
47fps
640×480
48.6fps
48.6fps
178.7fps
48.6fps
48.6fps
141.3fps
320×240
89.1fps
89.1fps
327.7fps
89.1fps
89.1fps
327.7fps

3.5 Cooling System
Two-stage TEC Cooling
The Cooling system of ASI2600MC Duo camera can precisely control the sensor temperature. It can cool the
CMOS sensor temperature to 30°~35°below ambient (Test result is achieved at 30℃environmental temperature),
which can greatly reduce dark current. Even the camera is used for long-time exposure imaging sessions, it still
gets low noise.
Note: The lower the environmental temperature is, the smaller the temperature difference value the camera will
get.
3.6 Anti-Dew Heater
Heater on the Glass
There is a polyimide heater completely fitting the protective window in the ASI2600MC Duo camera. It can help
avoid potential dew or icing issues. The power consumption of the heater is about 2.88W. You can turn it off in the
imaging software to save power.

3.7 Power Consumption
ASI2600MC Duo can be powered with a DC 12V@ 3A-5A adapter (D5.5x2.1mm, center pole positive), or a
11-14V lithium battery.
The cooling efficiency chart is as following figure shows:
Note: When the anti-dew heater is on, and the cooling temperature is at 22℃, the current of the heater is 240mA.

3.8 High-speed Buffer
With the match of USB 3.0 and 512MB DDR3 buffer, ASI2600MC Duo provides stable and secure data
transmission that can effectively avoid frame-dropping issues during long exposures.

4 What’s in the Box

5 Mechanical Drawing

6 Connection Methods
6.1 Connect Nikon/Canon Lenses
①Nikon-T2 Adapter ②EOS-T2 Adapter ③2” Filter ④Nikon Lenses ⑤Canon Lenses
6.2 Solutions for 55mm back focus length

7 Warranty Policy
1. ZWO provides Users with a warranty period of 2 years for ZWO branded products. The
warranty starts from the second day when the customer gets the product.
2. If a User encounters the following Dead on Arrival (DOA) and contacts ZWO within the
corresponding time limit to issue the Product purchase invoice and relevant evidence, ZWO will
provide door-to-door pick-up service and, as appropriate, after-sale replacement (or partial
replacement), repair or return (or partial return) service for the following Products:
1) Product quality problem
Provided that a User detects a quality problem and contacts ZWO within 30 days after receipt of
the Products, and ZWO support team confirms that the Products indeed have a quality problem or
defect after their inspection, ZWO will provide free replacement service towards such Products;
2) Product transportation problem
Provided that a User finds obvious signs of bubbling, serious overstocking, or deformation on the
outer package of the Products upon receipt of the Products, and provides ZWO with pictures of
the outer package and proof of receipt within 3 days after receipt of such Products, ZWO support
team will verify the actual shipper and determine the responsible party for such transportation
problem. In the event that ZWO is the actual shipper, ZWO will be responsible for providing the
relevant return or replacement service, however, if the Products are directly sold or transported to
the User by an agent of ZWO, the agent will be responsible for providing the relevant return or
replacement service.
3. If the Products are under the following circumstances, they are not within the scope of warranty
service, ZWO may provide maintenance services to the Users:
1) The Warranty Period of the Products has expired; or
2) The Products are injected into liquid or affected by moisture or corrosion; or
3) The Products are damaged by an external force (such as the broken of the camera protection
window glass, the deformation of the product shell, the broken of the USB port, etc.); or
4) Disassembling, repairing by a third party, refurbishment of the Products (such as downloading
erroneous firmware) without the written authorization of ZWO; or

5) The product system is modified, or the maintenance notice is lost or changed; or
6) Product quality problem caused by installation not following the requirements or instructions
for the Products; or
7) Physical damage or failure of the Products caused by the force majeure (such as strong
vibration or extrusion such as flood, fire, earthquake, or thunder stroke); or
8) Damage caused by the improper Customer operation during the period of shooting or use, such
as using without the equipment protection or direct shooting of the sun; or
9) No valid purchase invoice or warranty certificate; or
10) The Products are second-hand products.