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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Support for USB 3.0 cameras based on Sony IMX178 sensor in INDI

  • Posts: 21
  • Thank you received: 1
Hello,

I'd like to know which vendor provides an USB 3.0 camera based on Sony IMX178 sensor that works best with INDI (e.g., support for: sensor temperature reading, ROI, hardware binning, faster frame rates, 16-bit depth output, ADC bit depth adjustment).
The QHY5III178M is not described in the compatibility list for the QHY driver, and the old USB 2.0 ZWO cameras had many issues with "broken frames" (fixed with USB 3.0?).

Thanks,
Andre
5 years 2 weeks ago #36252

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I have ZWO ASI178MC and that works well. This model doesn't have a cooler, but temperature reading works as do all the other things you asked about. There is a mono model 178MM and also cooled versions of both. I've run this with both a Intel laptop with USB 3 and Raspberry Pi 3 with USB 2 without issues. The only issue with the camera has been its over-compensating dark current compensation which makes long exposures have lower ADU values than shorter ones which makes calibrating the frames a bit more involving (need to use exactly the same length darks, also for flats) and needs offset value raised to prevent clipping to black. I had a discussion with ZWO support about this at bbs.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8426 and it seems it's implemented in the Sony part already, so other IMX178 cameras might have the same issue too.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Andre Kovacs
5 years 2 weeks ago #36258

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This offset issue with ASI178MM reminds me of the noise reduction done by Canon DSLRs, where the dark current behavior is odd .
It looks like all Sony EXMOR sensors have this non-linearity issue (due to the noise reduction they implemented?), requiring raising the offset value, according to this Cloudy Nights thread . But, they also suggest disabling the ampglow reduction feature, that I only found references for the QHY5III178M.
Do you know if the ZWO/ASI INDI driver has this ampglow reduction toggle?
5 years 2 weeks ago #36278

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