Episode 6 : Add Some Cooling to your PlayerOne Uranus-C
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 жов 2024
- EP6 Description
I did a simple modification to my PlayerOne Uranus C 'planetary' colour camera to see if I could get the sensor temperature down a bit on hot nights. It works. Does not involve modifying the camera at all
Does it reduce the thermal noise significantly? I don't know a good test to show that but I try. What I can measure is the sensor temperature reduction and I can get 10 to 12 degrees C below the normal operating temperature of the sensor with this simple hardware hack.
As I mention in the video this modification does not include anything to deal with condensation in the camera if it is cooled below dew point. It is not intended to be a substitute for a dedicated cooled camera. The main idea is to reduce the noise a bit if you are at a dark sky site.
If you do try this modification and have not used peltier devices before make sure you power up the peltier cooler via the 5V supply before you attach it to the camera. Run it for about 20 seconds. One side of the peltier device will get hot and the other side will get cold. The cold side goes to the back of the camera and the hot side to the PlayerOne ACS heatsink. Don't forget to use heatsink compound to maximise the heat transfer.
Check the measurements for the Peltier device before you buy. The 30mm x 30mm x 5mm one I used (link below) fits flat on the back of the Uranus-C camera. A bigger one will have a gap under it due to the design of the camera back and won't work. I thicker one may need longer screws.
The 'Y' cable that splits the DC from the power box to the PlayerOne ACS and the 5v Peltier power supply came with the PlayerOne ACS. The long screws also came with the ACS so you don't need to source those.
The temperature switch should be the NC or Normally Closed type. Don't get NO or Normally Open or the peltier device will never turn on.
Links
5V Peltier - core-electroni...
Heatsink Compound
www.jaycar.com...
www.altronics....
DC Converter 12V to 5V
core-electroni...
www.altronics....
PlayerOne Active Cooling System (ACS) for uncooled Cameras
player-one-ast...
The DC power 'Y' cable I use to power the ACS and Peltier DC converter came with the PlayerOne ACS.
Temperature Switch - 50C Normally Closed (Don't get NO\Normally Open)
www.amazon.com...
I live in Perth and I am about to build my first guided astro set up. How would this camera stack up against an astro modified crop sensor mirrorless camera? Price wise just the sensor modification is going to cost me $500 + the cost of a 2nd hand camera as I don't want to modify my existing photography camera.
It can be fairly noisy image wise in this warm weather so I'm not using it much at the moment for deep sky. If you have no camera at all, think about just getting a pre loved dslr/ mirrorless that you can use a T ring and adapter to hook up to a telescope and start with that. It's the cheapest option and you can get the experience you need to decide if you want to spend more on a dedicated astro camera later. If I had the choice between buying a dslr type camera and having modified for astrophotography and buying a dedicated cooled camera I'd go the dedicated camera cooled camera route. Easier to use and probably better value in the end. You can get the cooled version of the Uranus-C for probably $1000 AUD. That was not available when I did that peltier hack and the Uranus C pro has condensation mitigation which solves the condensation problem I can get with my modified one.
@@givemespace2742 Thanks. I'm leaning towards the Uranus c pro and the Ares c pro
I'm currently using a new macbook so can't use NINA as a software control option, so will need to look at other options. Just picked up my HEQ5 equatorial today
Hello i am using the cooler and its not performing well
The sensor at high load while the room is at 23 c uncooled its 29.80c
But when cooled
28.50c why the little jump
Are you just using the fan unit or did you add the peltier cooler as well?
Hi, fantastic work! I'm planning to go for a Player One camera, and was wondering if we could add some more cooling on it. Their website says that using the active cooler the temperature remains 7°C ABOVE ambient temperature, and you got 12°C below, so it is a reduction of almost 20°C!
BTW, did you feel too much noite on this camera, even on short captures?
The default add-on active cooler is just a heat sink and a fan, so it won't cool as much as active cooling which normally adds a solid state peltier cooler and some way of preventing condensation forming in the camera. I have been using the Uranus-C as a deep sky camera and it does OK. Not especially noisy given it has a decent sensor.
On cool nights in my home location, you can't take long enough exposures for thermal noise to be a big problem due to the light pollution (I am about bortle 4). In summer we have the best weather for astrophotography, but the ambience temperature can be in the high 20C range which starts to be a small problem. It is also not a problem to find bortle 2 sites within an hours drive and bortle 1 a little further out. That gives you long enough exposures that the add on active cooling makes a difference. Not huge but worth the small cost in money and time. It's not as good as a dedicated cooled camera, but the difference in thermal noise, especially in an urban area compared to the cost difference between a cooled and uncooled camera, is not a lot.
The PlayerOne cameras seem OK. I have two, a Ceres M I use for guiding and the Uranus C. Both well built and work well. I now have a ZWO cooled camera but it has a different sensor so it's hard to compare the performance. I don't think it is better built but the ZWO had some nice accessories.
If you are going to do astrophotography mainly from an urban area and a cooled camera is beyond or at the edge of your budget then an uncooled 'planetary' camera should be OK. PlayerOne have cooled cameras now so there is almost too much choice.
Oh I do mention in the video but one of the down sides of my modification is the risk of cooling the camera below dew point and getting condensation forming. Luckily I live in a dry climate and it has not been a problem. I watch the outside housing of the camera and if I see condensation there I monitor my frames to see if they are getting a it blurry.
Hope this info has helped. Good luck with your camera purchase.
Are you using the Uranus-C for Deep Space by any chance? Do you like it?
Yes I used it last night for a quick session on the Trifid Nebula. Cuiv has a video on his channel about a new camera he tested which has the same sensor but is cooled and more expensive. I have no regrets about buying it for a starter camera. Build quality is good and so is the price.