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It looks like my Atik 383L+ may not have survived the move. On the old computer (old drivers), I can talk to the cooler and lower the temperature, but the "image" has totally uniform ADU values: all 251 on one test, all 65535 on another, with no noise whatsoever. On the new computer (new drivers), I can't even connect to it. I'll beat on it some more before I give up altogether, but it is not looking good.
Assuming I need to replace it, what would you recommend to replace it with? Cost is most definitely a factor. My objective is LRGB and narrowband imaging of DSOs. I have seen the ASI533MM recommended. Would that be a good replacement for the Atik 383? I see it has smaller pixels and a smaller frame, neither of which is a bad thing.
[EDIT:] Looks like I'd be looking for the Pro (cooled) version of the ASI533.
Any other lowish-cost recommendations?
DSO AP:Orion 200mm f/4 Newtonian Astrograph; ATIK 383L+; EFW2 filter wheel; Astrodon Ha,Oiii,LRGB filters; KWIQ/QHY5 guide scope; Planetary AP:Celestron C-11; ZWO ASI120MC; Portable: Celestron C-8 on HEQ5 pro; C-90 on wedge; 20x80 binos; Etc: Canon 350D; Various EPs, etc. Obs: 8' Exploradome; iOptron CEM60 (pier); Helena Observatory (H2O)Astrobin
I have no idea what to look for for electronic repairs for astro cameras, theres very little electronics in them and also understanding the signs of the imaging chip it'self going kaput . try emailing atik for a repair ,they still sell this camera even given it's age . i've had my asi 1600 repaired 3 times and the cost were very minimal .
btw heres the imaging res for your f4 scope
atik383l= 5.4um *res 1.39/pixel (a tiny bit undersampled but still good resolution,no problem in post processing)
533= 3.76 um *res 0.97/pixel (looks pretty good for resolution ,chip is alot smaller)
294= 2.31um *res 0.6/pixel (not ideal in my opinion but still manageable ,good size chip)
scopes :gso/bintel f4 12"truss tube, bresser messier ar127s /skywatcher 10'' dob,meade 12'' f10 lx200 sct
cameras : asi 1600mm-c/asi1600mm-c,asi120mc,prostar lp guidecam, nikkon d60, sony a7,asi 290 mm
mounts : eq6 pro/eq8/mesu 200 v2
filters : 2'' astronomik lp/badder lrgb h-a,sII,oIII,h-b,Baader Solar Continuum, chroma 3nm ha,sii,oiii,nii,rgb,lowglow,uv/ir,Thousand Oaks Solar Filter,1.25'' #47 violet,pro planet 742 ir,pro planet 807 ir,pro planet 642 bp ir.
extras : skywatcher f4 aplanatic cc, Baader MPCC MKIII Coma Corrector,Orion Field Flattener,zwo 1.25''adc.starlight maxi 2" 9x filter wheel,tele vue 2x barlow .
In term of sensor, the IMX533 is great. If you want something with a diagonal close to the KAF8300, the IMX492 is closer (a tiny bit bigger).
I would recommend Player One camera for the quality and support (hardware and software):
Ares-M Pro cooled, IMX533, 16mm diagonal, sensor is the latest generation IMX533 with a deeper full well capacity (better quality than the on found in ZWO camera) : https://player-one-astronomy.com/produc ... ra-imx533/
With the Artemis-M Pro in hardware bin 2x2 you get a pixels size closer to the KAF8300 (4.630um vs 5.6um for the KAF8300, but smaller pixels are good too ).
As a replacement for a KAF8300 based camera these would be my choices. If you want to go higher, the IMX571 based camera are great (Player One Poseidon-M Pro being one of them, which I have tested and love) and still allows you to use 36mm filters (the diagonal is 28.3mm)
Rodolphe
Paramount MX+ / CFF250 F8 RC / Stellarvue SVQ100 / Stellarvue SV80ST
FLI ML-16200 / FLI CFW2-7 / Astrodon Gen II LRGB filters & Ha 5nm filter / Chroma LoGlow & RGB filters
ZWO ASI 174MC-Cool , ASI 294MC PRO, ASI 290MM & ASI120MM Mini / Pegasus Astro Falcon rotator / TheSkyX Pro (macOS, Linux) http://www.rti-zone.org/astro.php
ohh, something i found out is that the asi 294 stock settings is bin 2x2 , hmm which is 4.6um at 14 bit and for some reason this new cmos chip has a function called ''bin 1x1 unlock'' which gives you more resulution and sets at bin 1x1 at 2.3um but you loose 2 bit stops down to 12 bit . totaly different compaired to old cmos chips where bin 2x2 mode losses bit stops , so it seems it's native mode 2x2 at 4.6 um might be a good candidate for your scope , there are a few chips with this feature aswell if you are looking for a different camera .
scopes :gso/bintel f4 12"truss tube, bresser messier ar127s /skywatcher 10'' dob,meade 12'' f10 lx200 sct
cameras : asi 1600mm-c/asi1600mm-c,asi120mc,prostar lp guidecam, nikkon d60, sony a7,asi 290 mm
mounts : eq6 pro/eq8/mesu 200 v2
filters : 2'' astronomik lp/badder lrgb h-a,sII,oIII,h-b,Baader Solar Continuum, chroma 3nm ha,sii,oiii,nii,rgb,lowglow,uv/ir,Thousand Oaks Solar Filter,1.25'' #47 violet,pro planet 742 ir,pro planet 807 ir,pro planet 642 bp ir.
extras : skywatcher f4 aplanatic cc, Baader MPCC MKIII Coma Corrector,Orion Field Flattener,zwo 1.25''adc.starlight maxi 2" 9x filter wheel,tele vue 2x barlow .