ZWO ASI290MM Mini User manual

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ASI290 Manual
Revision 1.2
Mar, 2018
All materials related to this publication are subject to change without notice
and its copyright totally belongs to Suzhou ZWO CO.,LTD.

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Table of Contents
ASI290 Manual...............................................................................................................................1
1. Instruction.................................................................................................................................3
2. Camera Models and Sensor Type .............................................................................................4
3. What's in the box?.....................................................................................................................5
4. Camera technical specifications................................................................................................6
5. QE Graph & Read Noise...........................................................................................................7
6. Getting to know your camera....................................................................................................9
6.1 External View......................................................................................................................9
6.2 Power consumption:..........................................................................................................10
6.3 Cooling system..................................................................................................................10
6.4 Protect Window.................................................................................................................11
6.5 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)..................................................................................11
6.6 Binning..............................................................................................................................11
7. How to use your camera..........................................................................................................12
8. Clean the camera and redry desiccant.....................................................................................15
9. Mechanical drawing................................................................................................................16
10. Servicing.................................................................................................................................17
11. Warranty .................................................................................................................................17

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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 read it thoroughly. If you
have any other questions, please feel free to contact us. [e-mail]
ASI290 Cameras are designed for astronomical photography.
Its excellent performance and multifunctional usage will impress you a lot!
For software installation instructions and other technical information please refer to
“Support”on our official website.
https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/

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2. Camera Models and Sensor Type
There are 4 types ofASI290 models:
Model
Mono or Color
Regulated TEC Cooling
Sensor
ASI290MM
Mono
No
IMX290LQR
ASI290MC
Color
No
IMX291LQR
ASI290MM-COOL
Mono
Yes
IMX290LQR
ASI290MC-COOL
Color
Yes
IMX291LQR
Which camera to choose:
Monochrome camera sensors are capable of higher details and sensitivity than color sensors, but
you need additional accessories such as filter wheel and filters. The post-processing is more
complicated too. So color camera is often recommended for 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.

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3. What's in the box?
ASI290MM or ASI290MC
ASI290MM-COOL or ASI290MC-COOL

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4. Camera technical specifications
Sensor
1 / 2.8″ CMOS
Diagonal
6.5mm
Resolution
2.1Mega Pixels 1936×1096
Pixel Size
2.9μm
Image area
5.6mm*3.2mm
Max FPS at full resolution
170FPS
Shutter
Rolling shutter
Exposure Range
32μs-2000s
Read Noise
1.0~3.2e
QE peak
TBD
Full well
14.6k e
ADC
12 bit
Interface
USB3.0/USB2.0
Adapters
2″ / 1.25″ / M42X0.75
Protect window
AR window
Dimensions
Uncooled 62mm/Cooled 78mm
Weight
Uncooled 120g/Cooled 410g
Back Focus Distance
Uncooled 12.5mm/Cooled 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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5. QE Graph & Read Noise
QE and Read Noise are the most important parameters to measure the performance of a camera.
Higher QE and lower Read Noise are needed to improve the SNR of an image.
Mono 290 sensor Relative QE Curve
Color 290 sensor Relative QE Curve

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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 ASI290 cameras is extremely lower when compared with traditional CCD
cameras. It is even lower when the camera is set 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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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
USB3.0 or USB2.0 IN
Protect and sealed window
AR coated
D25*3mm
ST4 Guide Port
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
1/4”screw
You can mount to tripod
Heat Sink

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You can order the holder ring from us or our dealer to mount the cooled camera to tripod.
There is 1/4″ screw under the holder
6.2 Power consumption:
ASI cameras are designed to have very low power consumption which is around 160ma@5V. You
only need the USB cable to power up the camera. However, you will need a separate power supply
to activate the cooler. We recommend 12V at 3A or more AC-DC adapter for cooler power supply
(2.1mm*5.5mm, center positive). You may also use a battery supply from 9V to 15V to power the
cooler.
Here is a test result of the cooler power consumption of our cooled camera. It only needs 0.5A to
cool the camera to 30 degree below ambient.
6.3 Cooling system
The cooled ASI290 cameras have 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

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exposure or lucky DSO imaging, unlike the traditional CCD cameras which need very long
exposures for each frame. However, keep in mind that cooling won’t help with very short
exposures such as less than 100ms. The lowest temperature that can be set is -30℃.
6.4 Protect Window
There is a protect window before the sensor ofASI290 camera.
Our ASI290MM andASI290MC comes with the D21 AR window, thickness is 1.1 mm.
WhileASI290MM-COOL and ASI290MC-COOL has the D25AR window, thickness is 3 mm.
6.5 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
The ASI290 camera records in 12bit ADC and 10bit ADC. You can image at a faster fps rate if you
choose to use 10bit ADC (high speed mode). This camera also supports ROI (region of interest)
shooting, and this smaller ROI has faster fps.
Here is the maximum speed ofASI290 running at 10bit ADC and 12bitADC.
Resolution
USB3.0
10BitADC
12BitADC
1936×1096
82.2 FPS
170 FPS
1280×960
93.6 FPS
193.9 FPS
640×480
184 FPS
381.2 FPS
320×240
355.9 FPS
737.5 FPS
2X2Bin 968×548
82.2 FPS
170 FPS
6.6 Binning
The ASI290 camera supports software bin2 mode. You should use 10bit ADC. We recommend
customer to use software binning if you don’t care speed.

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7. How to use your camera
There are many adapters available for this camera for connecting to your scope or lens. Some are
included with the camera and others you can order from our site:
Color camera connecting drawing:
1. 1.25” T-Mount
2. 1.25”filter(optional)
1. M43-T2 adapter
2. EOS-T2 adapter
3. 2”Filter (optional)
4. 1.25” T-Mount
5. 1.25” Filter (optional)
6. M42-1.25” Filter (optional)
7. T2 extender 11mm

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Mono camera connecting drawing:
1. 1.25” T-Mount
2. 1.25” filter(optional)
3. M42-1.25” adapter
4. M42-M42（Male screw thread）
1. M43-T2 adapter
2. EOS-T2 adapter
3. 2”Filter (optional)
4. 1.25” T-Mount
5. 1.25” Filter (optional)
6. M42-1.25” Filter (optional)
7. T2 extender 11mm
8. M42-M48 extender 16.5mm
9. T2-T2 adapter
10. EFW mini
11. EOS adapter for EFW

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8. Clean the camera and redry desiccant
The camera comes with an AR protect window, which can protect the sensor from dust and
humidity. Should you need to clean the sensor, it’s better to do so during the daytime. To see the
dust, you just need to setup your telescope and point it to a bright place. A Barlow is required to
see these dusts clear. Then attach the camera and adjust the exposure to make sure not over
exposed. You can see an image like below if it’s dirty.
The big dim spot on the image (at right ) are the shadows of dust on the protect window.
The very small but very dark spot in the image (at left) are the shadows of the dusts on the sensor.
The suggested way to clean them is try to blow them away with a manual air pump. To clean the
dust on the sensor you will need to open the camera chamber.
We have a very detailed instruction on our website:
https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/manuals/

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9. Mechanical drawing
ASI290MM/ASI290MC
ASI290MM-COOL/ASI290MC-COOL

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10. Servicing
For software upgrades please refer to “Support-manual and software”on our official website.
https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/
Repairs and servicing are available by emailing [e-mail]
For customers who bought the camera from your local dealer, dealer is responsible for the
customer service.
11. Warranty
We provide 2-year warranty for our products. We offer repair service or replacement for free if the
camera doesn’t work within warranty period.
After the warranty period, we continue to provide repair support and service on a charged basis.
This warranty does not apply to damage that occurred as a result of abuse or misuse, or
caused by a fall or any other transportation failures after purchase.
Customer must pay for shipping when shipping the camera back for repair or replacement.