ZWO ASI678 User manual

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ASI678 Manual
Revision 1.0
Aug, 2022
All materials related to this publication are subject to change without notice and its copyright
totally belongs to Suzhou ZWO CO.,LTD.
Please download the latest version from our Official website.

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Table of Contents
ASI678 Manual.................................................................................................................................1
1. Instruction.................................................................................................................................3
2. What’s in the box? ....................................................................................................................4
3. Camera technical specifications................................................................................................5
4. QE graph & Read noise ............................................................................................................6
5. No amp glow.............................................................................................................................8
6. Getting to know your camera....................................................................................................9
6.1 External View......................................................................................................................9
6.2 Structural dimension diagram...........................................................................................10
6.3 Power consumption...........................................................................................................10
6.4 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)..................................................................................10
6.5 Binning..............................................................................................................................11
7. How to use your camera..........................................................................................................11
Notice for use..........................................................................................................................12
8. Cleaning..................................................................................................................................13
9. Warranty ..................................................................................................................................14
10. Servicing...................................................................................................................................15

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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 take the time to read it thoroughly and if you have
any other questions, please feel free to submit it on the ZWO support site:
https://support.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/
The ASI678MC is one of the latest color planetary cameras released by ZWO in 2022. Packed
with Sony sensor IMX678, this camera has some very great highlights, including super low
readout noise, high dynamic range, and a surprisingly amazing characteristic of zero amp glow. It
is considered as the upgraded version ofASI178MC.
Model
Mono/Color
Sensor
ASI678MC
Color
SONY IMX678
For software installation instructions and other technical information, please refer to our official
website https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com/

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2. What’s in the box?
ASI678MC

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3. Camera technical specifications
Sensor
SONY IMX678AAQR1-C
Format
1/1.8”
Diagonal
8.86mm
Resolution
8.29 Mega Pixel, 3840*2160
Pixel size
2.0µm
Sensor size
7.68mm * 4.32mm
Max fps
47.5
Shutter
Rolling shutter
Exposure range
32µs-2000s
Readout noise
0.6 ~ 2.7e (1e@8db gain)
QE peak
83%
Full well
11.27ke
ADC
12bit
USB interface
USB 3.0 /USB 2.0 Type-B
Adapters
1.25″/2″/M42*0.75
Protect window
IR D21*1mm
Dimension
62mm
Weight
126g
Back focus length
12.5mm
Supported OS
Windows, Linux & Mac OSX

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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.
The following figure shows the QE curve of ASI678. According to our measurement, the QE peak
of ASI678 is 83%.
As you can see from the camera performance graph, the readout noise of ASI678 is very low. The
built-in HCG mode can even more reduce readout noise at high gain and keep the same wide
dynamic range for this camera as at low gain. When you set gain at 182, the HCG mode will be
automatically turned on. Readout noise in this case can be as low as 1.0e while the dynamic range
can still get close to 11bit.

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5. No amp glow
ASI678 exhibits zero amp glow, no matter how long the exposure and how high the gain value is.
Since it is implemented directly at the hardware level, it does not require software control.

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6. Getting to know your camera
6.1 External View
①USB 3.0 & USB 2.0 Input
②ST4 Guide port
③IR Protective window D21*1mm
④1/4” screw: allowing you mount the camera to tripod.

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6.2 Structural dimension diagram
6.3 Power consumption
ASI678 camera is built with low power consumption, max at 1.875W with USB power supply.
6.4 Analog to Digital Converter (ADC)
The ASI678 camera records in 12bit ADC and 10bit ADC. You can image at a faster fps rate if you
use 10bitADC (high speed mode). You can also set an ROI if you want even faster fps rate.
Below are the maximum speeds of ASI678 running at different ADC modes.
Resolution
USB3.0
USB2.0
12BIT ADC
10BIT ADC
12BIT ADC
10BIT ADC
RAW16
RAW8
RAW8
RAW16
RAW8
RAW8
3840*2160
23.7
47.5
47.5
2.61fps
5.2
5.2
1920*1080
94.9
102
102
10.4fps
20.9
20.9
1280*720
149.1
149.1
149.3
23.5fps
47
47
640*480
215.4
215.4
215.4
70.5fps
141.4
141.4
320*240
387.6
387.6
387.6
280.5fps
387.6
387.6

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6.5 Binning
ASI678 camera supports software bin2, bin3 and bin4 mode and hardware bin2, bin3 and bin4
mode.
The biggest benefit is a faster frame rate. If you don't care about speed, we suggest you use
software binning.
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:
https://astronomy-imaging-camera.com
①1.25”Nosepiece
②1.25”filter (optional)

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Notice for use
Below are the requirements for camera storage and working temperature. Please don’t use your
camera when the environment does not meet these requirements, otherwise the camera might get
damaged.
Working temperature
-5°C ~50°C
Working humidity
20% ~ 80%
Storage temperature
-20°C ~ 60°C
Storage humidity
20% ~ 95%
Do not use corrosive solutions to clean the camera, so as not to corrode the surface oxide layer and
not to damage the camera; Meanwhile, do not expose the camera to the sun for a long time, so as
not to discolor the appearance of the oxide layer.

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8. Cleaning
The camera is sealed and comes with an IR protect window to protect the sensor from dusts and
humidity.
To see the dusts, you just need to set up your telescope and point it to a bright place. A Barlow is
required to see these dusts clearly. Then attach the camera and adjust the exposure to make sure
not overly exposed. You can see an image like below if it’s dirty.
The big dim spot on the image (right side) are the shadows of dust on the protect window.
The very small but very dark spot on the image (at left) are the shadows of the dusts on the sensor.
If above situation occurs, it is recommended that the dust on the sensor surface be blew off with
air pump. If it cannot be blown off, it is recommended to use cotton swabs and 99% anhydrous
ethanol to gently wipe the sensor.
We have 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. Warranty
1. ZWO will provide a 2-year free warranty service (Warranty Period) for ZWO products
purchased by Users from ZWO (“Products”) in accordance with this Policy, commencing on the
day following receipt of the Products by Users. For ASIAIR Plus users, commencing on the day of
device activation.
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 User 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.

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Any quality problem with the accessories or other parts of the Products is not a condition for the
return or change of the Products, and the User may solely request to replace the accessories with
new ones, which shall be handled after verification by ZWO support team.
If the issue with your ZWO product was caused by certain damage (such as severe damage not
covered by the 2-year warranty), you might have to pay the replacement value.
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, you can visit here: https://support.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/
Note:
1. For the normal repair or replacement of the Products during the Warranty Period, the User will
bear the return cost. When returning the Products, Users shall specify the actual reasons for the
damage to the Products, and shall provide the corresponding valid certificates, such as pictures or
videos, etc.
For the Products that need to be replaced after being confirmed by ZWO in writing, the User shall
return the Products with the complete package, together with all accessories, manuals, etc., to the
address designated by ZWO.
By sending back the product to ZWO, the User agrees to pay out-of-warranty fees that may arise
during the repair process of the product. ZWO will send back the product after charging.
2. For the Products that need to be returned for after-sales service, ZWO will provide the
corresponding RMA code for reference.
ZWO will not accept any products having no RMA code that have been returned privately without
ZWO written confirmation.
3. If a User purchases the ZWO Products from a ZWO agent, the User may contact the ZWO
agent directly for the relevant after-sales service.