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About
About
Saskatoon Skies
Building the Camera
Introduction

When I started this project I searched the internet for ideas and was inspired by Thomas Jaquin's All-Sky Camera.  Thomas used a Raspberry Pi (and copious quantities of software talent) at the heart of his project.  That wasn't going to work for me.  The last time I did any serious programming, 8-bit microprocessors were king.  And just the thought of working with a linux-based system gives me a headache.  It pains me to admit it but Windows is my comfort zone.  Fortunately, Michael Poelzl makes the awesome AllSkEye software available for free download, taking all the hard work out of it for me.

One of the limitations of my design is that I need to run a USB cable from the camera to the PC.  I was able to find a 50' USB cable with an active repeater in the middle that works for my setup, but it might not be long enough for other layouts.  YMMV.

Another consideration is accessability for cleaning the dome and mainenance.  Birds will find your camera dome!  Once we moved to our current home I no longer had easy access to the roof, and climbing a 20' ladder just didn't appeal to me.  So I devised a shuttle that would run up and down a rail by means of a pulley system.
Components

Camera

You will need a dedicated planetary (astronomy) camera.  In my case I was planning to upgrade the camera for my telescope, so I had the ZWO ASI224MC just looking for a new purpose in life.  The ZWO ASI120MC is a good choice as well.  Monochrome cameras will work just fine too.

Lens

The ZWO ASI224MC comes with a 2.1mm 150deg lens.  I elected to replace it with an Arecont Vision MPL1.55 1.55mm 180deg lens for a wider field of view.

Waterproof Housing

The housing is pretty simple and the bits are available at any hardware store.  It consists of:

  • a 4" ABS pipe of arbitrary length (mine is about 8")
  • a solid end-cap (drilled for the camera)
  • a clean-out cap (with removeable plate or plug for assembly and maintenance)

Acrylic Dome

4" Acrylic Dome

Mounting Brackets

Shop-made from 1" x 1/8" aluminum flat.

USB "A" to USB "B" Cable

50' with an active repeater in the middle.  I'm using a USB 3.0 cable but I'm pretty sure USB 2.0 would work for this application.

USB "B" 90 Degreee Extension Cable

Without a 90 degree adapter the cable would have to exit the side of the housing, which would be more difficult to make waterproof and would make assembly a bit more complicated.

PC

Just about any old PC will do, but considering this thing is running 24/7 I elected to use an inexpensive dedicated mini PC.  The one I chose is the Terryza AK3V.  This model features 6GB RAM, 120GB internal flash drive, and Windows 10 Pro pre-installed.  I added a 500GB SSD drive for temporary image storage just because I had one kicking around, but you can use its internal flash drive, a USB flash drive, or a network drive.

Heater

After running the camera for a few weeks in the winter I realized I would need a heater to keep the dome from frosting up. Even though I'm not using it for its intended purpose, the ZWO Anti-dew heater is the perfect form-factor for my needs. The 12V power supply is plugged into a smart switch programmed to turn on at night when the outside temperature is below 0C.

Assembly
  • Drill the end-cap and tap threaded holes for the camera mounting bracket and dome
  • Assemble the housing using ABS cement
  • Secure the dome heater (not shown) to the top surface of the housing.  I attached mine to a shop-made steel ring to give it some thermal mass and a better adhesion surface
  • Be sure to clean the inside of the housing and dome before attaching the dome!
  • Seal the dome to the end-cap with silicone sealant and secure with 4 screws
  • Drill a hole in the clean-out cover/plug for the USB cable
  • Attach camera and cable mounting brackets using M4 screws to the threaded holes on the back of the camera, and attache the 90 degree adapter cable
  • Be sure to focus, lock, and clean the lens before mounting the camera assembly!
  • Mount the camera assembly into the housing
  • Mark the housing with the camera "north" position to aid alignment with compass cardinal points
  • Align the camera housing assembly with north and mount it to a suitable post or mast
  • Run the USB and heater cables and attach them to the camera
  • Attach the clean-out plate/plug to the housing and seal the cable entry with silicone sealant