Starlight Xpress Oculus User Manual

Oculus handbook Issue 2 January 2013

Handbook for the SX ‘Oculus’ high resolution all-sky camera

Thank you for purchasing a Starlight Xpress ‘Oculus’ all-sky camera. We hope that you will be very
pleased with the performance of this product.

The Oculus is a high resolution, very compact wide-field camera assembly, which is powered and
operated via a single USB2.0 computer connection. It is intended for full-sky monitoring of weather,
meteors, satellites etc. and will provide high quality images and video files, while operating unattended
for long periods. The ‘megapixel’ resolution F/2 fish-eye lens provides horizon to horizon coverage
with very little star image distortion across the entire field.

The Oculus utilises a sensitive Sony ‘SuperHAD’ CCD (the ICX205AL) with an array of 1392 x 1040
pixels in a ‘half-inch’ format. Although the chip is not cooled, it has a very low dark signal and very
little readout noise, so it can be used to image faint stars with a very short exposure time. The small
pixel size and high resolution lens give excellent definition and a good sized screen image format.
A strong polycarbonate hemispherical dome houses the lens assembly and this dome is easily removed
for cleaning, when necessary. A 12v DC input socket is also provided to permit an internal heating
resistor to be powered up to prevent dewing of the lens and dome on humid nights. The entire assembly
comes equipped with a standard tripod bracket for mounting.

The Oculus specification:

 CCD type: ICX205AL Sony SuperHAD interline CCD with low dark current and vertical

anti-blooming.

 CCD Full resolution pixel data: Pixel size: 4.65uM x 4.65uM, Image format: 1392 x 1040

pixels

 CCD Image area: 6.4mm (Horizontal) x 4.75mm (Vertical).
 CCD quality: Grade 1
 Spectral Response: QE max at 520nM (~50%), 30% at 420nM and 670nM.
 Readout Noise: Less than 10 electrons RMS - typically only 7 electrons.
 Full-well capacity: Greater than 15,000 e- (unbinned)

Oculus handbook Issue 2 January 2013

 Anti-blooming: Overload margin greater than 1000x.
 Dark current: Less than 0.1 electrons/second @ + 10C ambient.
 Data format: 16 bits.
 System gain: 0.3 electrons per ADU
 Lens details: 1.55mm FL F/2 180 degree ‘Fish Eye’
 Computer Interface: Built-in USB 2.0 compatible interface.
 Image download time: Typically 0.6 seconds at full resolution using USB 2.0.
 Power requirements: Camera is USB powered, dew heater requires 12v at 1 amp max.
 Input connection: ‘Mini B’ USB socket for USB2.0 and a 2.1mm jack for +12v heater supply.
 Cooling system: Ambient air cooling.
 Viewing dome: High quality polycarbonate hemisphere (replaceable)
 Overall size: 150mm tall x 95mm diameter

Installing the Oculus:

A new 32 bit XP installation will require the driver files SXVIO.sys and Generic.sys, plus the
SXVIO_Oculus.inf file. A 64 bit machine will require our 64 bit driver package ‘BlockIO64.zip’ or the
new Windows 8 version. I recommend using the new ‘signed’ Windows 8 drivers for any machine
running Windows 7, or above (32 bit versions are included in the download). All are available from our
web pages, if required (http://www.sxccd.com/drivers-downloads ).

Running the ‘Setup.exe’ file on the supplied CD, will install the drivers and operating software
automatically. If you are installing manually, copy the appropriate files into a convenient folder on
drive C and then connect the USB cable to the Oculus. Point the installer at this folder when it asks for
the location of the drivers and you should see it set up the hardware as a ‘BlockIOClass’ device in
Device Manager.

The Oculus control software is Oculus_USB.exe and the latest version may be downloaded from the
Starlight Xpress web site http://www.sxccd.com/drivers-downloads , if necessary. Copy the exe file
and dlls into a folder on drive C and run the exe file to start the software. You need Oculue_USB.exe,
bwcc32.dll and wsc32.dll to run the program. If any files are missing, you can find them on our
downloads web page. Alternatively, ‘PHD’, ‘AstroArt’ and ‘MaximDL’ support the Oculus (as the H9
or SuperStar) and may be preferred. Note that the Oculus may show up as an ‘SXV-H9’ or as
‘Unknown’ in some software, but it should still work OK.

Setting up and using the Oculus:

The best site for your Oculus camera will depend to a great degree on your surroundings and nearby
sources of artificial light. An all-sky lens will image everything in your area and the reflections of
artificial lights in the dome and lens can be objectionable. Try to locate it in a shadowed area with as

Oculus handbook Issue 2 January 2013

good a view of the sky as possible. If you cannot avoid stray light getting into the field of view, then
raising the effective horizon is an option. Starlight can supply a ‘horizon ring’ which slips over the
dome retaining ring and which cuts off light from below about 15 degrees above the true horizon.
Alternatively, you can construct your own from lightweight metal or plastic sheet. I recommend
making the horizon ring at least 300mm in diameter to minimise the lost field, while still blocking stray
light from the dome. If available, a high location on a roof or tall pole will minimise stray light
problems and improve your low altitude view.

Mounting the camera assembly is usually done by using the ¼ Whitworth tripod screw hole in the
attached bracket. A camera tripod will provide an adequate mounting for temporary use, or a suitable
mast and fixing screw can be erected to permanently mount the Oculus several feet above the ground.
It is wise to mount the unit as high as possible, so that the effects of low-hanging fog and dew are
reduced and stray light is minimised. It is also helpful if the camera is positioned above a source of
warmth, such as a house roof, to help keep the dew at bay.

A simple setup with the Oculus mounted on an old tripod

The minimum setup requires only a USB cable to the monitoring computer. This should be as short as
is practical, but it will probably be necessary to have a fairly long lead if the Oculus is mounted high on