Our technical team has discovered the possibility that our FireWire cameras might output image data with a low frame rate on Windows 7. And here is their solution:

This problem is caused by a 1394 bus driver issue. You  need to install the legacy driver for your 1394 bus. Then the DFG/1394-1e  will work fine.  You can load the legacy 1394 bus driver with the following steps:

1. In  Device Manager, select the properties for the 1394 controller.

2. Select the ‘Driver’ page and ‘Update Driver’ button.

3. Click ‘Browse my computer for driver software.’

4. Select ‘Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.’

5. In the list you will see a device with ‘(Legacy).’  This is the 1394 bus driver shipped with Windows previously. Select  this device and click ‘Next.’  This will install the legacy 1394 bus driver on Windows 7.

You can take the same steps to change the device you selected in step 5 back to the new 1394 bus driver.

Despite of the advantages like longer cable and broader bandwidth, GigE astronomy cameras‘ setup is a little more complicated than those of the FireWire or USB cameras, which are basically nothing but driver installation. This post will illustrate how to configure the PC’s IP options after you install the driver of GigE camera.

Note that GigE astro cameras work on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7. The following steps only apply to the scenario in which the camera is directly connected to the PC’s network card. If the camera and your computer are connected via a router, ignore this post, because the IP stuffs will be set up in the router.

1. Go to “Control Panel” and double click “Network Connections”.

2. Right click your LAN and select its “Properties”.

3. Select “Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)” in the items list box and click “Properties” button.

4. Deactivate the DHCP by setting up the IP options as in the image below.

As you have probably read in our Newsletter, The Imaging Source officially released its new line of GigE astronomy cameras last month. Now you see three categories at the astronomy cameras’ official web – USB, FireWire and GigE. There are only three things different with the new models:

1. A 10-meter Cat 6 Ethernet cable is shipped with camera. In fact, the GigE protocol allows you to extend the length up to 100 meters without a repeater, if you really want to.
2. A power supply is shipped with the camera. Since the Ethernet cable does not provide power to its connected device, you will need this unit to get camera working.
3. The YGB0 format allows you to have 10-bit grayscale image data at the output of a GigE astronomy camera. This is only possible for GigE cameras! It could be a good news for stacking processing. **

The rest of GigE camera, like parameters control, image acquisition and exposure …, are all the same as its USB and FireWire counterparts.

Feel free to contact us should you have any question on the GigE cameras or the setup. You can reach us by replying this post or sending emails to info@theimagingsource.com.

Clear Sky!

** Please note that IC Capture.AS is only a video recording tool. It does not perform any complicated image processing functions. You will be able to capture YGB0 (10-bit) AVI by selecting AVI Codec to “Unspecified” in IC Capture.AS.

Moreover, the framerate under YGB0 could be halved compared with Y800, because every pixel takes two Bytes under YGB0, instead of one Byte at Y800.

We are often asked how to best clean the surface of the CCD chip. Below, for example, is a close-up of the front plate of a DMK 21AF04.AS, showing the CCD chip behind the cameras’ C/CS mount. Accessing the CCD chip can be tricky.

Following is a list of the preferred methods to clean the surface of the cameras’ CCD chip:

1) Compressed Air From Air-Blower

Compressed air is usually sufficient to remove most foreign bodies from the surface of the CCD chip. We recommend using an air-blower, such as from Edmund Optics, and not compressed air from an aerosol. Compressed air from an aerosol may contain other chemicals (propellant, water, oil etc.) which could damage the surface of the CCD.

For details, see www.edmundoptics.com.

2) Hama Lenspen MiniPro II

A company called Hama manufactures a product, which is ideally suited to the task: Lenspen MiniPro II. It is available online and from most well-stocked photography stores. One side of the pen has a brush on it, while the other, a small cleaning surface. The later is suited to efficiently removing dirt and fingerprints.

For details, see www.amazon.co.uk.

3) Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

Although a microfiber cleaning cloth is a very viable option, it can be tricky to get the cloth onto the surface of the CCD chip through the camera’s mount opening. A cotton swab (UK: Q-Tip) can help here.

4) Pure Alcohol (at least 90%)

This can be purchased from most chemists. Never use Isopropanol, as it draws moisture from the air, which results in streaks on the surface of the CCD.

5) Alcohol Substitute

Instead of pure alcohol, Methanol or a liquid called Eclipse can be used (Eclipse is essentially Methanol). However, we do not recommend this approach, as Methanol is highly poisonous.

6) Combination Of All The Above

Of course, all approaches can be combined!

Do not worry about touching the glass in front of the CCD chip. It is pretty robust. Only by rubbing glass, sand or diamond on the surface can it be scratched.

If you have any questions about cleaning your astronomy camera’s CCD chip, please do not hesitate to contact us.

My colleagues in the Support Department asked me to write about how to capture colored RAW image data to an uncompressed Y800 AVI file with IC Capture.AS and then import it to RegiStax 4. They tell me they have at least two customers every day who need assistance on figuring out how to do this.

For the purpose of this mini-tutorial, a DFK 21AF04.AS camera will be used to generate the AVI file. The resulting file will be imported into RegiStax 4, in which the color calculation will take place.

Step #1: Setup the DFK 21AF04.AS in IC Capture

Start IC Capture.AS and open the camera, as described in the documentation. Set the video format to Y800, as illustrated in the following screenshot:

Step #2: Get Ready For AVI Capture

First of all, a filename and the AVI format must be specified. The AVI file format must be uncompressed Y800. This can be set up by opening the Record Video File dialog, which is activated by clicking on the button marked in the following screenshot:

The following dialog box should open. Proceed by clicking on the indicated button:

The following dialog should appear:

Check the radio button next to Uncompressed and select Y800 from the selection list. You can also specify further properties, such as the filename and number of frames to be captured.

To proceed, click the OK button. The dialog box will close.

Step #3: Capture The AVI File

The Record Video File dialog box should now look as follows:

You can start AVI capture by clicking on the red record button The black pause and stop buttons pause and stop AVI capture respectively.

Once you have finished capturing, you can close IC Capture.AS.

Step #4: Import Into RegiStax

Now start RegiStax and import the AVI file, which you have just captured. Then, click on Additional Options, as shown in the following screenshot:

Proceed, by clicking on Use Debayer and select GB from the radio buttons:

And that is all there is to it – the image is now colored.

If you need any help with this mini-tutorial, please do not hesitate to contact our Support Department. Please do not forget, when you purchase an astronomy cameras, manufactured by The Imaging Source, you are not only getting the hardware, but an all-encompassing support package as well. All customers can contact the Support Department by telephone, e-mail and fax.