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My home built ASI 120mc based all sky camera


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Hi,

Thought I would share the details and pictures of my home built ASI120mc based all sky camera

The whole project cost around £25 not including the camera obviously.......

The dome is covered in cling film for protection against scratches while building it

The dome is 140mm diameter 100mm with 20mm flange all round

The waterproof electrical box is 190mm x 140mm x 70mm

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All the bits,

waterproof electrical box, Acrylic dome of optical quality, ASI120mc with 150 degree lens, old computer fan, red led to show power on, bracket to hold camera in place.

Holes were drilled first to secure dome to the base, along with the hole for the camera lens.

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Holes drilled in dome and box top cover

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Bolted together and sealed with clear silicon sealant

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Tripod mount fitted to bottom

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Fan mounted slightly raised from the base

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Camera held in place, using two of the dome securing bolts, the hole for the camera has been cut so that the first tier of the camera fits through, but not the main body, I will be fitting a rubber seal around the inside of the hole in the lid to fit against the step on the camera when lid is on.

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Four extra holes drilled for air flow to keep the dome from fogging up when in use

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Cables in place, 12v power for fan and USB cable for camera

More pics tomorrow of the finished project

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Hi,

The dome came from ebay £12 delivered, they do different sizes this one is 140mm overall, 100mm dome with 20 mm flange all the way round, the box is 190mm by 140 mm by 70mm depth.

Regards

Olly

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Very neat :)  Now I've moved on to monochrome planetary imaging, and moved on again from my original ASI120MM to the USB3 model, I'm seriously thinking about using one of the USB2 versions for exactly this sort of thing.

James

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Nice, is that using the lens that comes with the camera?

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

Yes exactly, not sure how good the lens is, but will soon find out

Olly

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Very neat :)  Now I've moved on to monochrome planetary imaging, and moved on again from my original ASI120MM to the USB3 model, I'm seriously thinking about using one of the USB2 versions for exactly this sort of thing.

James

Yes I am still using this one for planetary imaging, that's why I have had to make the camera removable, otherwise it could have been fitted permanently.

I might upgrade to the USB 3 version if this works well.

Olly

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Yes exactly, not sure how good the lens is, but will soon find out

Olly

I think it's quite an acceptable lens.  Good lenses with shorter focal lengths and wider fields of view seem to get rather expensive very quickly.

James

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Pictures of the finished project, also I have put a bag of silica gel inside for, the removal of any moisture

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5m USB and power cable fitted

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Decided to use a waterproof rubber P shape door seal under the dome, instead of silicon so it can be removed easily, also same seal used around top of camera, underside of lid, to seal against the lid to stop any movement of the camera

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Plenty of room to add a bigger lens if needed in the future

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LED added to show power on, and cables secured

Hope you like, just need to test now

Olly

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Do you plan to just take it out at night, or do you have some further cunning plan for shading it from the Sun during the day?

James

Hi,

No this is just for nighttime use, don't plan on any daytime imaging with it.

Regards

Olly

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Do you plan to just take it out at night, or do you have some further cunning plan for shading it from the Sun during the day?

James

With such a small lens would it actually be in any danger from the sun?

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

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I think that in bright sunlight there would definitely be a chance of heat damage to the sensor.

James

It will not be used in daylight, so no chance of damage, will just be putting put out at night when needed, I have no,intention of imaging in daylight, I am building a bracket to mount on my garage, using a tripod mount, so easily put up and down.

Regards

Olly

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Ok just thinking how these sensors are designed for CCTV they should be designed to expect the chance of direct sunlight when used with that type of lens. I think the MC has IR cut built into the glass too so that should help.

Not that I plan on leaving mine out in the sun anytime soon though ;)

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

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You'd probably find that if they're used as CCTV cameras then the daytime ones have very restricted apertures.

James

Most of my CCTV cameras have a clear warning not to put them in any position where they could be in direct sunlight.

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The ones I work with don't, but then the main problem they face is complete submersion in water, it's amazing how IP ratings never hold up to spec when you test term for real.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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This is the dome I'm using External Enclosure Housing Case for CCTV CCD Dome Camera  The light grey inner shield is loose and easily removed leaving a clear full dome of about 80mm diameter.

Details of my efforts are in the other all-sky cam thread but I guess I should start my own thread :D

Hi,

I looked at those, but wondered whether they were optical quality, after a few emails I cam to the conclusion that they should be, but I went for a dedicated one for optical purposes, £6.50 plus £6 delivery which was a bit annoying, but it is 3mm thick and with the flange that's why I went for this one, as I wanted to be able to fix to the flat surface.

But maybe I paid over the odds who,knows.......lol

Olly

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Olly, I was wondering how you are cooling your camera? There doesn't seem to be any inlet/exhaust holes in your box? As far as I can make out the fan will just be moving the contained volume of air around inside the box and not actually exhausting the warm/hot air or drawing in cool air, or am I missing something very obvious? :undecided:

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Olly, I was wondering how you are cooling your camera? There doesn't seem to be any inlet/exhaust holes in your box? As far as I can make out the fan will just be moving the contained volume of air around inside the box and not actually exhausting the warm/hot air or drawing in cool air, or am I missing something very obvious? :undecided:

Hi,

There are four holes in the bottom of the box in the far corners, at the bottom of the lid screw hole chambers, they may not have been drilled on the photos, as I did that as a last job when pictures had been taken.

So there is a circulation of air, albeit not a massive amount, Besides I do want some heat to stop any fogging of the dome in the colder coming months.

I am trying the camera at the moment, but not very good with the full moon out, but had to try it, the fan seems to be keeping the camera about 3 degrees lower than without it, so it is working.

Regards

Olly

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Tried the new all sky camera out last night, and worked good, apart from the full moon....lol

Bit realised that the camera does not generate enough heat to stop the outside of the dome dewing up, so added a heater today in the way of nichrome wire, in 4 layers of shrink tube, so it is well insulated, powered from the 12v supply, using a 12v PWM control board, to limit the heat to a low trickle so as not to get too hot.

Fitted inside dome using existing holes and twist ties to secure.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I think that in bright sunlight there would definitely be a chance of heat damage to the sensor.

James

I am currently replacing and Orion AllSky camera with a similar setup like this one here utilising the ASI120MC. I have had some discussions with the manufacturer and ASI

do not have any issues with sunlight damage to the sensor if the camera is used during the day in a 24/7 mode. I have done this with the Orion as well without any problems.

I am looking forward to running the ASI as it is the by far superior camera.

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