Unity Gain Settings for ZWO Cameras?

james1ca

Can ZWO provide a list of the unity gain settings for each of the ZWO cameras? I'm most interested in the ASI120MC and ASI174MM with the latest ASCOM drivers. I think the unity gain on the ASI174 is 180, but I'd like that confirmed (and also, if possible, the values for the other ZWO cameras).

ndb

Unity gain for the ASI224MC is 76.

Nicolas.

Sam@ZWO

we added a "high gain" button in our newest ASCOM driver

the setting is Unity Gain if you click it

http://zwoug.org/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=2124

james1ca

Thanks for the update.

So, the "High" and "Low" gain buttons can be used with all ZWO cameras? Also, if the "High" gain is unity what is the "Low" gain. I thought unity gain meant the analog gain where one electron is output as one ADU without any digital multiplication, which I guess could be considered "high" but it certainly isn't the maximum ADU that can be output at any given input signal level.

james1ca

Maybe I can answer at least part of my own question. Over on the CN forums it was reported that the "Low Gain" option sets the gain and brightness to optimize the dynamic range of the camera, while the "High Gain" setting produces a 12-bit (for ASI224) output at 1e/ADU.

I guess one remaining question is whether this is implemented for all of ZWO's cameras, including the ASI120MC and ASI120MM (not the "S" versions, the original USB2 cameras).

Also, is the so-called "brightness" value the same as the ASCOM offset value (perhaps both are just a bias or pedestal value added to the base signals).

Sam@ZWO

you are right, it can apply to all ZWO ASI cameras include ASI120 cameras

james1ca

And I guess "brightness" is the same as the ASCOM offset parameter (i.e. they are the same thing, just different names).

Sam@ZWO

james1ca wrote:
And I guess "brightness" is the same as the ASCOM offset parameter (i.e. they are the same thing, just different names).

you are correct, brightness is more easy to understand

but offset is more accurate