ZWO ASI385 User manual

ASI385 Manual
Revision 1.2
Aug, 2021
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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ASI385 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:............................................................................................................9
6.3 Cooling system.................................................................................... 错误!未定义书签。
6.5 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)..................................................................................10
6.6 Binning..............................................................................................................................10
7. How to use your camera..........................................................................................................11
8. Cleaning..................................................................................................................................13
9. Mechanical drawing................................................................................................................14
10. Servicing.................................................................................................................................15
11. Warranty .................................................................................................................................15

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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 read it thoroughly. If
you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us. [e-mail]
ASI385 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
Model
Mono or Color
Regulated TEC Cooling
Sensor
ASI385MC
Color
No
IMX385
ASI385MC-COOL
(Discontinued)
Color
Yes
IMX385
Why do I choose ASI385?
ASI385 cameras are designed for astronomical photography. The slightly larger sensor, extremely
low read noise, high sensitivity and high frame rates make this new camera a very good choice for
planetary imaging, it also comes with a 2.5mm all sky lens which can provide a nearly 170°view
of the sky. The excellent performance and multifunctional usage will impress you a lot!
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?
ASI385MC

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4. Camera technical specifications
Sensor
1/1.9” CMOS IMX385
Diagonal
8.35mm
Resolution
2.12 Mega Pixels
1936X1096
Pixel Size
3.75µm
Image area
7.3mm*4.1mm
Max FPS at full resolution
120fps (10bitADC)
Shutter
Rolling shutter
Exposure Range
32μs-2000s
Read Noise
0.75e @30db gain
QE peak
>80%
Full well
18.7Ke
ADC
12bit
Interface
USB3.0/USB2.0
Adapters
2″ / 1.25″ / M42X0.75
Protect window
AR window
Dimensions
62mm
Weight
120g
Back Focus Distance
12.5mm
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 parts to measure the performance of a camera.
Higher QE and Lower read noise are needed to improve the SNR of an image.
Color 385 Sensor Relative QE
Read Noise includes pixel diode noise, circuit noise and ADC quantization error noise, and
the lower the better.
The Read Noise of the ASI385 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
6.2 Power consumption
ASI cameras are designed to have very low power consumption which is around 180ma@5V.
You only need the USB cable to power up the camera.
6.3 Protect Window
Our ASI385MC comes with the D21 AR window, thickness is 1.1 mm
Transmission chart of theAR filter.
Protect and sealed window
AR coated, D21*1.1mm
1/4”screw
You can mount to tripod
ST4 guide port
USB3.0&USB2.0 IN

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6.4 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
The ASI385 camera records in 10bit ADC and 12bit 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 of ASI385 running at 10bit ADC and 10bit ADC.
Resolution
USB3.0
10BitADC
12BitADC
1944x1224
108fps
54fps
1920x1080
120fps
60fps
1024x768
170.5fps
85.2fps
800x800
163.8fps
81.9fps
640x480
268.4fps
134.2fps
320x240
515.3fps
257.6fps
6.5 Binning
The ASI385 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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8. Cleaning
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/How_to_clean_ASI_camera_and_redry_the_desi
ccant.pdf

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9. Mechanical drawing
ASI385MC

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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/
For repairs and consultation:
https://support.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/
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.