I am finalizing a new rotating camera for accentuated sky observations. It will replace the previous one, with which I usually shoot Auroras, Silver Clouds and comets. The sensor is the same as the one on the All-Sky, Sony's IMX585. I've been looking for a lens for it for a long time. In the depths of the Internet found the catalog number and photo. It is produced for security cameras by the company YTOT, but in free sale in Ali-Express not found. I sent out a chat to a dozen vendors with information about the lens I needed and only one vendor volunteered. He agreed to find it in his home market and resell it to me. The deal was that I would place an order for any item from his store, he would adjust the price and send what I needed. That's what we did. I can't not mention him: “Shop409940 Store” https://aliexpress.ru/store/409940?spm=a2g2w.detail.0.0.a0d748496bLYNn&page=1

Company Card:

https://shoprenderview.aliexpress.com/credential/showcredential.htm?spm=a2g2w.stores.0.0.4f2e53ccLNx0dV&storeNum=409940&_ga=2.102150665.967448802.1741561981-1204563413.1737476144

The catalog number may be YT0X1A01 or 10140A:

This is what the holder looks like. It also holds the camera module:

Lens with a specialized mount for a specific CCTV housing, which did not fit my module. I had to make a holder for it on a 3D printer. And on the holder attached the lens, it turned out well. In the case I placed the camera itself and the module heating/cooler, which is powered by 12 volts. 12 volts are taken from the POE splitter. Power consumption of the fan at a current of 0.20A - 2.4W, and the heater - is not known, no data and did not measure, but the module is designed for such systems. The camera consumes no more than 3W, the splitter gives a current up to 2A (24W), POE-switch is able to give a little more than 50W, this is more than enough for the entire system with a rotary mechanism.

The only thing left to do is to make a bracket to mount it on the roof.

I almost forgot, here are the lens specs

Due to the fact that the sensor size is larger than the former Hikvision 1/1.8“ Progressive Scan CMOS, the clarity and light sensitivity of IMX585 1/1.2” is an order of magnitude better. Of course, for Northern Lights and Silver Clouds the Hikvision is quite enough, but the IMX585 can still record images with better quality and clarity.

That's it, no celestial event can escape me now. I have successfully finished assembling the rotating camera, now I am lying on the couch and using my smartphone to point the camera, which is on the roof, at different areas of the sky.

Here is the first video: https://rutube.ru/video/f71589f9943839d9e0e8b79e03b99370/

However, there are some disadvantages: the angle of rotation is 270 degrees, so there is a dead zone, but I chose the most unremarkable side of the south; the rotating mechanism has a noticeable backlash and in strong winds the picture can twitch. By default, the camera will face north because that's where all the most interesting things are: the Northern Lights and the Silver Clouds. In the west and east you can shoot comets, in the zenith and other areas of the sky you can shoot meteor streams.

This is what the construction looks like. The platform was made from what I found under my feet.

Very cool! Literally and figuratively! Clearly ya have either a latitude advantage or an elevation advantage or both! Looks like a lot of risky work went into that construction. Hopefully it bears the fruit intended. Good luck!

Now there is a task of cooling the IMX585 sensor, because with the onset of warm weather there are hot pixels in the form of light dots like stars and spoil the image, especially it is noticeable on the All-Sky camera. There is no possibility for direct installation of the cooling radiator on the sensor, so first I will try to install the cooling radiator on the back side of the sensor PCB through a soft heat-conductive gasket. If this does not solve the problem, I will do the cooling using a semiconductor thermoelectric cooling Peltier. If someone already has experience, please share.

I don't know how I didn't notice this awesome topic earlier! Thanks @Samrau et al for all of your information. I am currently taking notes and creating an Aurora Camera shopping list :)

Edited May 7May 7 by Carrington45X

1 minute ago, Carrington45X said:

I don't know how I didn't notice this awesome topic earlier! Thanks @Samrau for all of your information. I am currently taking notes and creating an Aurora Camera shopping list :)

For me it is convenient to use a solution based on IP cameras, how for you I don't know. But IP is very convenient and reliable for continuous operation. Since I already had it as part of the security system, it was not so difficult for me to assemble two cameras and connect to the DVR of the security system. If you stop on this system, I will tell you how to put together cheaply. I am now as a gesture of good will to collect young guys passionate about astronomy simple solutions based on IP NVR and cameras. In Ali-Express you can buy NVR board XMeye for 15-20 dollars, which can handle 2 cameras 4K or 8 cameras up to 2K. A camera with a light-sensitive sensor 1080i can be found for 25-30 dollars, 2K - 50-60 dollars, 4K - will be more expensive, 120-230 dollars. You'll also need a hard drive, cable, and other consumables.

Took a video of the milky way last night. I turned off the infrared filter beforehand, because with it the Milky Way is not visible yet. In August the Milky Way will rise even higher and the nights will be longer, I think it should be even better. So far it is mostly visible in the constellation Cygnus, but in August a part of the constellation Sagittarius, a brighter region of the galaxy, will appear low above the horizon. The problem of glare from street lights remains in place.

I wanted to share a solution that significantly reduced the number and brightness of hot pixels. Since there is no possibility for direct installation of a cooling heatsink on the sensor, I installed it on the back of the module board through a 3mm elastic thermally conductive gasket. Since there are electronic components on the board, I made pits in the thermal pad for small components and cutouts for larger ones. From what was at hand I made a clamp for the heatsink. On the side of the assembled module I installed a small fan. If earlier against dome misting I had enough heat of the sensor, now it does not warm up - I had to install a separate small heater under the dome. I used an electro-mechanical thermostat to automatically turn on the fan and heat the dome.

before

after

An even better result can be achieved by using a Peltier Thermoelectric Cooler. A minus temperature can be achieved.

There is also such a Peltier element, the size of the cutout corresponds to the size of the sensor. The problem of using it would be to find or make a heatsink, the design of which should facilitate efficient heat dissipation and lens mounting.

On 6/7/2025 at 9:52 AM, Samrau said:

There is also such a Peltier element, the size of the cutout corresponds to the size of the sensor. The problem of using it would be to find or make a heatsink, the design of which should facilitate efficient heat dissipation and lens mounting.

Just be aware the Peltier element requires a large temperature differential to be efficient, and you'll need a much larger heatsink than you normally would if you're going to have it air-cooled. Then on top of that you have to keep condensation in mind, granted you could probably hermetically seal it to mitigate that.

There's with good reason it never really took off for cooling CPU's 15-20 years ago. For extreme users liquid nitrogen was better, and water was better for advanced users.

I'd try proper copper heatsink(s) + a static pressure fan, maybe even a water loop, before considering a Peltier element.

On 6/12/2025 at 8:40 PM, Rudolph said:

Just be aware the Peltier element requires a large temperature differential to be efficient, and you'll need a much larger heatsink than you normally would if you're going to have it air-cooled. Then on top of that you have to keep condensation in mind, granted you could probably hermetically seal it to mitigate that.

There's with good reason it never really took off for cooling CPU's 15-20 years ago. For extreme users liquid nitrogen was better, and water was better for advanced users.

I'd try proper copper heatsink(s) + a static pressure fan, maybe even a water loop, before considering a Peltier element.

Oh, I didn't notice your comment. I certainly agree that there will be difficulties with this element. But they are also solvable. The problem is that it is impossible to fix the heatsink directly to the matrix, and the PCB is an obstacle for effective heat dissipation, that's why I suggested such an exotic way. The problem may not only be the large heatsink, but also the power supply. Peltier elements can draw a lot of current depending on their power, so if it is an IP system, the POE power supply should allow it.

I have already purchased this peltier element. As soon as I get the opportunity, I will use it. We'll see what happens, but for now I'm too lazy to do it.

As protection against condensation, you can either heat the lens or create a vacuum or inject gas as in window glazing, but this is even more complicated 😄. It is easier to experimentally set the optimum minimum cooling temperature.

Do you have AI movement detection via your DVR?

I want to get a system so that I can monitor the my land, house and the sky. Also to alert me if y anyone comes near my cameras when I have them out snapping away during auroras.

I also want to go with the open source solution and host my own DVR

All the rest send your data to foreign severs and are giant security risks

On 8/9/2025 at 6:30 AM, Cations said:

Do you have AI movement detection via your DVR?

I want to get a system so that I can monitor the my land, house and the sky. Also to alert me if y anyone comes near my cameras when I have them out snapping away during auroras.

I also want to go with the open source solution and host my own DVR

All the rest send your data to foreign severs and are giant security risks

oops, i didn't see your message here. yes, it's all there. as i wrote, its main function is to guard my chambers, at the same time it stores the records from my astronomical cameras.

https://www.hikvision.com/cis/products/IP-Products/Network-Video-Recorders/Pro-Series/ds-7608nxi-k2-8p/

This NVR is already outdated, there are better offers now, but I can’t tell you, because I haven’t studied this issue.

I want to lay a separate Internet line so that I can conduct online broadcasts from astrocameras. For now, I am broadcasting through OBD Studio with screen capture.