Many users of The Imaging Source cameras have recently phoned, emailed, and even faxed what seems to be a most relevant question concerning the new USB models. Tom Ferraro of Melbourne, FL writes:

[...] the humidity here in Florida is just deadly no matter what time of year it is! Can I extend the USB connection from my laptop to my DMK 21AU04.AS so that I can stay cool while sipping a tasty beverage?

Good news Tom. I’ve purchased a few long USB cables and extension cables from a local electronics shop and tested The Imaging Source DMK 21AU04.AS (and its siblings) up to 10 meters! One note: buy good quality cables!

Have a Great Day,

profjohn

The Imaging Source FireWire astronomy cameras can be connected with 10 meter (30+ feet) cables without signal loss or the aid of any type of repeater. Additionally, due to numerous requests from stargazers with remote observatories, The Imaging Source is now offering inexpensive electrical repeaters for the DMK 21AF04.AS (and its siblings).

Although the USB are as of yet untested, it is now possible to connect up to 5 repeaters with our 10 meter FireWire cables enabling stargazers to reach out 60 meters (197 feet) to their computing station.

With the new electrical repeaters from The Imaging Source, it is now easier to stay indoors, free from mosquitoes in the summer and warm and toasty in the winter, while remotely operating all of your imaging equipment. Stay tuned for the USB solution…

Many astronomy customers of The Imaging Source have recently asked if it is possible to power their DMK 21AF04.AS without the use of the AC power supply, or “Mainy” as we call them. Because the DMK 21AF04.AS and its siblings must be an extremely versatile family of FireWire cameras, we have built them such that they can be powered with a supply voltage between 8 and 30 dc volts while drawing less than 200mA.

Field application can be a breeze with the use of a 12 volt automobile battery, a 12 volt motorcycle battery, or generic power pack. Radio Shack sells an inexpensive “AA” battery pack and the 5mm plug adapter that will fit nicely into the PJ2 cable.

Personally, I much prefer the “Dynamo” from Orion so that I’m certain I can start my truck after a night in the wild! Besides that, the Dynamo is rechargeable, useful in numerous circumstances, and doubles as a great flashlight! The battery packs do have their advantages including a price under $5.00 (plus the 8 “AA” batteries) and they easily fit into your jeans pocket whereas the Dynamo and car batteries weigh A LOT!You can count on at least 2 hours continuous use of your DMK 21AF04.AS from The Imaging Source with 8 fresh “AA” batteries or about 2 years with the Dynamo… the decision is yours! In the end, the power supply is a personal decision that must be weighed against the circumstance of your stargazing situation. The key is… The Imaging Source DMK 21AF04.AS (and its siblings) will function in all situations listed above!

Because I’ve been asked this question numerous times from members of The Imaging Source community, I thought I’d share the answer previously posted on the Forum:

Does IC Capture.AS have a night vision mode?”

Sensei Stefan writes:

I was asked for a night vision (red color) skin for IC Capture.AS. Since we do not plan to extend IC Capture.AS at this point of time, I found another solution. Simply create a new theme for Windows XP, select “Windows Classic” style and set your own wanted colors.

You may download a sample from this post. Copy it into the “C:\windows\resources\themes” directory. Then perform a right mouse click on the desktop, select “Properties”. Now you can select this theme. Please keep in mind, it is only a sample, based on my personal settings. But it looks nice red in IC Capture.AS.

You may search the internet for more Windows XP themes.

You can see many more FAQ’s for your DMK 21AF04.AS (or siblings) at the address listed below:

http://www.astronomycameras.com/en/support/faq/

Since so many customers call with questions regarding the DBK versus DFK cameras from The Imaging Source, I thought I’d devote an entire article on the differences, as well as, the similarities between the three camera siblings available from The Imaging Source!

Mostly unknown to the general public, the alphanumeric labels of our Astronomy Cameras do have significance. The fact that they are built in Germany governs the first few characters of their names and CCD chip standards provides the rest.

Below I have listed the alphanumeric characters, the German translations, and finally the (English) translation in parentheses if a difference exists. Let us first look at the best seller in the astronomy world, the ever popular DMK 21AF04.AS:

• D = Digital, M = Monochrome, K = Kamera (Camera)

• The “21A” is a series name and nothing else.

• F = FireWire, 04 = 1/4″ CCD Chip, .AS = Astronomy

This should give you an idea of how the names have been “assigned” from their German origins, sort of like the infamous over-engineered automobiles from BMW. Question:

1. What does BMW stands for?

Now, if Farbe means color in German and we sell cameras with 1/3″ and 1/2″ format CCD chips, can you decipher the following camera line?

2. DFK 31AF03.AS

Finally, the most frequently asked question from soon-to-be users of The Imaging Source cameras is:

What is the difference between the color camera and the Bayer color camera?

This term is derived from the name of its inventor, Dr. Bryce E. Bayer of Eastman Kodak, and refers to a particular arrangement of color filters used in most single-chip digital image sensors. Both The Imaging Source color and Bayer cameras use this technique to interpolate the color which leads us to the answer of the FAQ of the year. The primary difference between the two color cameras is:

• the DFK 41AF02.AS cuts out the IR region of the spectrum

• the DBK 41AF02.AS does NOT cut out the IR region of the light spectrum.

Which leads us to the final quiz question, what type of camera is this?

3. DBK 41AF02.AS

Hopefully this blog post will not only shed light on the method for the naming procedures at The Imaging Source, but also, will give you a little insight to why the DBK 21AF04.AS is the color camera preferred by most astrophotographers!

Answers:
1. Die Bayerischen Motoren Werke AG (Bavarian Motor Works)
2. DFK 31AF03.AS = 1/3″ Color Camera with IR Filter
3. DBK 41AF02.AS = 1/2″ Color Camera with no IR Filter