Starlight Xpress Lodestar guider - Manual

Lodestar handbook Issue 1 September 2007
Handbook for the SX ‘Lodestar’ guide camera
Thank you for purchasing a Starlight Xpress ‘Lodestar’ guide camera. We hope that you will be very
pleased with the performance of this product.
The Lodestar is a very compact guider which is powered and operated via a single USB2.0 computer
connection. It also provides an opto-isolated output connection for direct control of most mounts, via
their ‘Autoguider’ sockets. This output is compatible with the ‘ST4’ style of RJ12 connection and
supplies 4 ‘pull down’ direction lines and a common return. Alternatively, you may send the mount
control signals via a serial connection from the guider control computer.
The Lodestar utilises a very sensitive Sony ‘ExView’ CCD (the ICX429AL) with an array of 752 x 580
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 guide on faint stars that are beyond the reach of webcams and
CMOS chip based guide cameras.
The Lodestar specification:
CCD
- Sony ICX429AL ExView monochrome CCD
Pixel count - 752(H) x 580(V)
Pixel size - 8.2 x 8.4uM
Barrel size - 32mm dia. x 72mm long (1.25 inch eyepiece push fit size)
Barrel thread - 25.4mm x 0.75mm ‘CS’ mount lens thread
Input connection - ‘Mini B’ USB socket for USB2.0
Output connection - 5 way JST ‘ZH’ style 1.5mm pitch plug to RJ12 autoguider plug
Output type - Opto-isolated 4 lines (N,S,E & W) pull down with common return line
Download rate - Approx. 10 frames per second in binned 2x2 mode (recommended)