Will an ASI120 upgrade bring USB trouble?

[Tempusfugit]

I am running my Nikon D5100 (with DSUS  and USB cables)  and a Starshoot autoguider from a USB hub  to my Asus notebook  without any issue.

They are connected right next to a wireless mouse.  It is more than likely that everything is on the same USB hub.    All is running smoothly.    I only have 2 USB connectors on the notebook.

 

I want to upgrade the autoguider camera to a ZWO ASI120 so I can use SharpCap for polar alignment.      Am I likely to generate USB issues with this autoguider camera?

 

thanks!

[admin]

I am running my Nikon D5100 (with DSUS  and USB cables)  and a Starshoot autoguider from a USB hub  to my Asus notebook  without any issue.

They are connected right next to a wireless mouse.  It is more than likely that everything is on the same USB hub.    All is running smoothly.    I only have 2 USB connectors on the notebook.

 

I want to upgrade the autoguider camera to a ZWO ASI120 so I can use SharpCap for polar alignment.      Am I likely to generate USB issues with this autoguider camera?

 

thanks!

 

The ASI120 or the ASI120-S?

 

The ASI120 is a usb2 camera with up to 30fps.  I'd say you should be fine but one never knows with 100% certainty.

 

The ASI120-S is a usb3 camera with up to 60fps.  This could lead to usb data saturation issues.

[Tempusfugit]

The ASI120 or the ASI120-S?

 

The ASI120 is a usb2 camera with up to 30fps.  I'd say you should be fine but one never knows with 100% certainty.

 

The ASI120-S is a usb3 camera with up to 60fps.  This could lead to usb data saturation issues.

It is the ASI120MM.    Not the  -S model.

Can the frame rate be toned down on that camera to reduce the chances of over-saturating the USB connection?

[admin]

It is the ASI120MM.    Not the  -S model.

Can the frame rate be toned down on that camera to reduce the chances of over-saturating the USB connection?

 

I don't know, that is a question for whatever software you will be using with your ASI camera.

 

However, for PHD you set the guide rate... which drives the number of images per seconds.. or the number of seconds per image so you should be fine there.

[astroman133]

Most likely you are not using high speed frames for guiding. Unless your skies are very good (excellent seeing), guiding is improved with 4-5 second exposures, since the longer exposures give a steadier star position.

 

Also, I am very happy with PHD2's drift align tool. I am not sure what benefit you would get from SharpCap in this regard.

 

What other benefits would you would expect to get from using the 120 as a guide camera over the Starshoot?

 

Now, using the 120 as a planetary camera may be a different story! There, the high frame rate would be an advantage, especially with the USB3 version connected to a USB3 port on the PC. In fact, you can connect a USB3 version of the ASI120 to a USB2 port and it will work just fine at USB2 speeds. And if your next computer has USB3 ports, that camera is ready to go. I would recommend purchasing the USB3 version of the camera, should you decide to proceed with the purchase..

[Tempusfugit]

I don't know, that is a question for whatever software you will be using with your ASI camera.

 

However, for PHD you set the guide rate... which drives the number of images per seconds.. or the number of seconds per image so you should be fine there.

Awesome!  thanks!

[Tempusfugit]

Most likely you are not using high speed frames for guiding. Unless your skies are very good (excellent seeing), guiding is improved with 4-5 second exposures, since the longer exposures give a steadier star position.

 

Also, I am very happy with PHD2's drift align tool. I am not sure what benefit you would get from SharpCap in this regard.

 

What other benefits would you would expect to get from using the 120 as a guide camera over the Starshoot?

 

Now, using the 120 as a planetary camera may be a different story! There, the high frame rate would be an advantage, especially with the USB3 version connected to a USB3 port on the PC. In fact, you can connect a USB3 version of the ASI120 to a USB2 port and it will work just fine at USB2 speeds. And if your next computer has USB3 ports, that camera is ready to go. I would recommend purchasing the USB3 version of the camera, should you decide to proceed with the purchase..

PA with SharpCap is a 2 minute business and it is very good!

The Starshoot is unfortunately not compatible with SharCap.  The ASI120 is   ;-)

[astroman133]

I would be curious to see the results of doing a polar alignment in SharpCap and then do a drift align in PHD2 to see how much drift there is after 5 minutes in PHD.

 

I recently tweaked the polar alignment of my observatory mount with PHD2. It took about 45 minutes but ended up with about an arc-second of drift in 5 minutes when pointed at the intersection of the meridian and the celestial equator and about the same when pointed near the celestial equator and 25 degrees above the eastern horizon. The changes were so small, that I don't think that it can be nailed like that in 2 minutes, especially when I let it drift for 5 minutes before making my final adjustment.