Astrolumina Alccd-QHY 174cool - cooled CMOS Monochrome Camera, USB3.0

Astrolumina Alccd-QHY 174 - fast monochrome CMOS Camera with Cooling

The ALccd-QHY 174 belongs to a new series of cooled USB 3.0 cameras. With its sensor, it is an excellent camera for the solar, lunar, planetary and meteor photography, but with the cooling, it works also also a low-noise and highly sensitive camera for deep sky photography.

The integrated DDRII cache of ALccd-QHY cameras 174, 178 and 290 has a memory size of 128MB and ensures that no image will be lost when downloading. It is also the prerequisite for even in low-performance PCs and USB2.0 to have no loss of picture or to download an image at all.

Sensor and shutter

In the ALccd-QHY 174, the built sensor uses technology in the "global shutter" mode (Pregius TM) combines high frame rates with high quality, CCD-like image results. Other highlights include lower noise level, higher quantum efficiencies and ways to set higher gain values to.

The global shutter prevents smearing / pixelizing of moving objects, for example, also artifacts caused by atmospheric movements at higher frame rates at the moon/sun/planetary photography.

The housing

The sensor chamber of the cooled ALccd-QHY cameras 174, 178 and 290 is largely sealed and is heated with a special heating. Thus, fogging is counteracted, particularly in application areas with high humidity.

The cameras are very compact, which takes effect especially for smaller, portable telescopes, but a small camera is also beneficial when used in special technical assemblies.

The ALccd-QHY 5III 174 camera is also available as color version.

Good storage is an important preventive measure against dew and also extends the service life

After use, put the camera straight into the TS Protect Case and add some silica gel. During storage, the silica gel absorbs the moisture from the camera. At the same time, the penetration of moist room air is prevented. Dry storage can even partially regenerate the small desiccant tablets in cooled cameras. Your camera or accessories are always ready for you in optimum condition. You can find the silica gel and the case in our product recommendations.

The cameras are not perfectly airtight, so if the camera remains on the telescope, it is exposed to moisture. The small amount of desiccant in the camera can protect the sensor and the inside of the protective glass from moisture for the duration of the exposure, but not for days on end. Moisture problems can be the result. A simple trick is to stretch a plastic bag around the focuser to which the camera is attached so that no air can get in. Silica gel is placed in a small cloth bag inside the plastic bag. This will also create a "dry climate zone" for the camera on the telescope. This allows you to leave the camera on the telescope for a few days for an imaging session lasting several days.

In the medium and long term, however, this is no substitute for proper storage in an airtight case with silica gel.

System requirements

The camera has an advanced electronics that makes a PC with USB 2.0 support necessary. The maximum performance can be reached only with a powerful USB 3.0 computer.

Included is the original recording software "EZCAP".

The operating software is Windows 7, 8 and 10 compatible and supported by 32- and 64-bit.

In addition, we recommend the ASCOM compatible software packages MSB AstroArt or MaxIm DL.

Note

The ALccd-QHY cameras 174, 178 and 290 cameras require an external power supply with 12V and min. 3A.

The power consumption is up to 27W (100% cooling) with minimum at 8W (cooling off).

Safety informations: PDF Download