QuickAudine: A USB Interface for the Audine CCD Camera
The QuickAudine system can be used to connect an Audine camera to a PC-type computer through the USB interface (Universal Serial Bus). The QuickAudine system comes in the form of a little casing that is to be placed between the Audine and the computer.It is NOT necessary to modify the camera in any way. Setting-up the QuickAudine interface in very easy due to the Plug&Play characteristic of the USB interface.
The QuickAudine interface in action. It is placed in a little casing that you see here connected to the camera by a short parallel cable. The initial parallel cable of the Audine camera can be used for that purpose. On the other side of the casing, the USB cable goes to the computer.
Compared to the initial parallel interface of the Audine, QuickAudine has the following advantages:
- The camera can be operated with recent computers on which the parallel interface is less and less used.
- A trouble-free and easy operation with OS such as Windows 98, Millenium, 2000, XP. Clearly, 32-bit systems are no longer an issue.
- The reading time is divided by two (9 seconds in 1x1 binning with a KAF-400 Audine and 4.5 seconds in 2x2 binning). QuickAudine can drive KAF-0400 Audines as well as KAF-1600 Audines and supports the shutter command.
- The cable linking the camera to the computer is much lighter that the former flat, fragile parallel cable that was not always reliable when used over a long distance.
- The maximum allowable length of a single USB cable is 5 meters only. However, you can connect amplified USB extensions together in order to increase this length (cost: about 35 Euros for a 5-meter repeater). QuickAudine was tested using a 20-meter long USB cable (using 4 repeaters) and operated without a hitch.
- A thorough technical documentation is available on the Web. QuickAudine can currently be used with the software program Pisco (as well as Iris to carry out tests) but a free, open-source DLL can be used to easily implement this interface in all acquisition software programs.
Technical information about the QuickAudine system (diagram, program source) are available on the site of Thierry Maciaszek, the developer of the system.
Other information about the installation and operation of the QuickAudine interface can be found at http://astrosurf.com/buil/quicka/quicka.htm. You can download from this address the latest version of Pisco that can be used to control the Audine camera though the QuickAudine interface.
You can also visit the site of the Audine camera for the latest news about this project.
Click here to download the driver that will be requested when you first connect the QuickAudine interface to the computer (unzip the 250 Kb file "DRIVERS.ZIP" and copy the extracted files on a floppy or a CD-ROM).
Minimum Requirements to Use QuickAudine
- The operating system must be Windows 98, Windows Millenium, Windows 2000, or Windows XP.
- The computer must be fitted with an available USB plug.
- A clock rate greater than 500Mhz is recommended for best performance (if you use a slow PC or one that runs many background tasks you might see a few interference lines that will disappear when the CCD chip is cooled).
- An acquisition software compatible with QuickAudine must be installed on the computer.
The board of the QuickAudine interface. You can see the FT245 chip (little square at the top) that is connected to the heart of the system, as well as the 16F876 controller mounted on a socket so that reprogramming is possible. Two LEDs show the operating status of the system.
Cost
Our products are now sold by our partner La clef des Etoiles. Please visit their website to know the prices.
Note: The USB cable (with amplifiers or without) can be bought in a department store or a specialty shop.
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