New line of USB 2.0 astronomy cameras

[I love Astromart and which I consider a lifesaver for us Europeans.

Agreed!

Something you may be able to explain to me Anthony...

I thought about getting the DFK 21AU04.AS (640x480; 60fps; colour) but am wondering what exactly does the camera come with? Does it include all the cables I need to plug into my USB2.0 port? Can I simply plug it into the PC or do I need other hardware also?

Cheers,

Michael,

It is good that you are asking since many people are somewhat disappointed once they pursue the acquisition of this fine camera.

The prices you see are solely for the camera itself which measures around 2"x2" ... and nothing else.

You must acquire the USB or IEEE cable as well as a power supply cable. For the IEEE cable, we have two choices (4-pin and 6-pin) since computers seem to vary on the port they have (my laptop has the 4-pin) and the price varies from $15 (6-pin) to $35 (4-pin). For USB, the camera will only work with USB2.0 since it seems it is not recognized by the computer when connected via USB1.1.

As for the power supply, there should some careful thought. For me, I want a truly portable setup so that I can, for example, take my setup a few kilometers away so as to capture an ISS transit against the sun. To this end, I require a cable suitable for a 12v battery (similar to those offered by LIDL). Fortunately I had such a cable from a previous purchase of a LIDL battery with a cigarette type connector on one end and small cylindrical connector on the other end. If you prefer AC power, you will need a rather expensive cable which goes for about 40 euro (last time I checked).

Here are a couple of links since a photo is a thousand words:

www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=10108&kw=IEEE&st=1
www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=10109&kw=IEEE&st=1

www.optcorp.com/product.aspx?pid=10107

PS. Since these cameras have as their objective to capture the most realistic possible image, they do NOT include any sort of IR-blocking capability. To this end, we must also purchase (or use our existing) Baader IR-blocker.

Thanks Anthony for the detailed explanation. I had a feeling they were somewhat "bare" but didn't know the extent for sure.
Cheers,

Was looking at getting this camera also.
(although by rights I should be thinking about getting a bigger scope!)
Pete Lawrence gave it a great review in the Dec issue of The Sky at Night.
He also mentioned firewire ends up being faster than USB.

I must keep my eyes on Astromart!
The bargains you got Anthony are too good to be missed!