1. Runcam night eagle Astro edition
A low-cost high-sensitivity camera for new observers and replacement of the PC164C-EX2
By:
Tony George
For the 2017 IOTA Conference

2. specifications Model RunCam Night Eagle Astro Edition Image Sensor
1/1.8" Black & White CMOS Sensor
Horizontal Resolution
800TVL
Lens
140° F2.0
Video Output
CVBS Composite Video Blanking and Sync. – NTSC/PAL switchable on OSD menu
OSD Set
Yes OSD Dongle provided
S/N Ratio
>50dB
Night Shutter Speed
NTSC: 2/59.94, 4/59.94, 8/59.94
PAL: 2/50, 4/50, 8/50   
Min.Illumination
Day/Night
Only Black & White
Power Input
5-17 VDC
Housing Material
Magnesium Alloy
Net Weight
14.5g
Dimensions
26mm * 26mm * 28mm

3. Osd menus

4. Good images with no hot pixels!
In the above UCAC4 catalog star chart, stars down to 14th magnitude are readily apparent as small dots without magnitude labels.
In a Registax stacked image of the same field of view, stars down to 13.8 magnitude are clearly apparent, as are many stars at 14.0 magnitude. Stars below 14.0 are visible with one 14.8 magnitude star visible.

5. Built-in zoom allows close examination of focus

6. Brightness and gain controls allow management of image brightness and contrast
Moon with max gain and max brightness
Moon with max gain and min brightness

7. RunCam Night Eagle Astro Edition Camera Scale Factor Determination
Field of view analysis
RunCam Night Eagle Astro Edition Camera Scale Factor Determination
Image Scale
Camera
Plate Scale between stars
Arc Seconds
Arc Minutes
WAT910HX 13
948
15.8
RunCam Night Eagle Astro Edition 14
881
14.7
PC164C-EX2
17.5
705
11.7
RunCam OWL Plus 12
1028
17.1

8. Camera limiting magnitude analysis
Estimate of Camera Limiting Magnitude vs. Telescope Aperture – RunCam Night Eagle Astro Edition (based on comparison testing to the RunCam Night Eagle)
Telescope Aperture assuming f3.3 (inches)
Limiting Magnitude Original Night Eagle
Limiting Magnitude Night Eagle Astro Night Shutter 1
Limiting Magnitude Night Eagle Astro Night Shutter 2
Limiting Magnitude Night Eagle Astro Night Shutter 3 12
13.0
13.5
14.0
14.5 10
12.6
13.1
13.6
14.1 8
12.1 6
11.5
12.0
12.5 4
10.6
11.1
11.6 2
9.2
9.7
10.2
10.7

9. Camera Linearity Analysis

10. Other factors Field phasing: Light Leak:
the stock RunCam Night Eagle Astro Edition does not sync the fields to a start-of-frame time.
Associated field may occur in two sequential frames
For highest timing accuracy, the video must be analyzed at the field level and the fields recombined via occultation timing extraction software such as Occular, R-OTE, AOTA, or PYOTE
Light Leak:
The chip is so sensitive, it can see the smallest light leak. Even though we use the camera in the dark, flashlights might affect critical observations at the wrong time. We recommend sealing the back of the camera and wiring areas with opaque tape, such as metal insulation tape.

11. Light leaks can be solved in three steps
Seal case edges with metal tape
Plug screw holes with mounting bracket and screws
Use metal tape to seal around wiring harness

12. Calculation of Camera Delay Correction (seconds)
Rolling shutter requires variable camera delay corrections based on ‘Y’ value of star position on camera chip
Calculation of Camera Delay Correction (seconds)
 PAL
NS1 Correction ->
=( ( * Y-POSITION)) * 0.001
NS2 Correction ->
=( ( * Y-POSITION)) * 0.001
NS3 Correction ->
=( ( * Y-POSITION)) * 0.001
NTSC
=( ( * Y-POSITION)) * 0.001
=( ( * Y-POSITION)) * 0.001
=( ( * Y-POSITION)) * 0.001

13. Cost (IOTA repackage)
Ted Blank will discuss the cost of the camera and/or kit package in his presentation

14. Where to purchase:
The RunCam Night Eagle Astro Edition is currently not in stock on the RunCam website. IOTA has arranged the bulk purchase of cameras as needed. Cameras are available for resale through Ted Blank.

15. References
ArtStar test results for: RunCam Owl Plus, Bob Anderson September , IOTAoccultations curve-analysis-papers/RunCamOwlPlus-report.pdf Test report: RunCam Night Eagle Astro (prototype), Bob Anderson, 20 April report.pdf Testing RunCam Night Eagle, Tony George, December 2016, The RunCam Night Eagle CCD Video Camera is tested against three other cameras: WAT910HX, PC164C-EX2, and RunCam OWL Plus Dunham Hyades Comparison, David Dunham, January 2017, Test of RunCam Night Eagle vs PC164C-EX2 on the Hyades star field without and with 0.5X focal reducers (two suppliers)