The ZWO ASIAir Mini astrophotography control unit is now in its fourth generation, retaining the reliability and proven capabilities of previous generations while introducing further enhancements for greater ease of use.
As its name suggests, it is truly compact! The new ZWO ASIAir Mini camera/mount control unit takes up nearly half the space of the ZWO ASIAir Plus version and is also more affordable. As a result, there are a few changes: for example, there is no power switch on the unit, although it can be shut down via the app. Some users may see the USB 2.0 ports replacing the previous USB 3.0 ports as a minor step backwards, perhaps justified by the need to keep the price low. However, user feedback confirms that this change does not represent a significant disadvantage. The Ethernet port has also been removed from the unit; instead, image files can be downloaded quickly and easily to a computer via the USB-C port if WiFi is considered too slow.
The ZWO ASIAir Mini camera/mount control unit is a modern mini-computer equipped for almost every astrophotography task—a true astrophotographer's Swiss Army knife. It supports a wide range of ZWO hardware, including motorized focusers, filter wheels, guide cameras and astro cameras, and can even control Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras. (However, it does not support cameras from other manufacturers.) Since it does not require a computer and can be operated using only a WiFi-enabled smartphone or tablet, it eliminates many of the annoying cables that have long made life difficult for travelling observers who do not use ASIAir.
Premium construction
The housing is entirely CNC-machined from aluminium, providing outstanding protection and an elegant appearance. It has been designed to be even smaller than its predecessors and weighs only 220 g. The unit measures 100 x 70 x 26.5 mm and features M4 and 1/4" threaded mounting holes on the bottom for easy installation anywhere.
The ZWO ASIAir Mini features 4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting various cameras, the ZWO EAF electronic focuser or a filter wheel. It also includes a 2.5 mm camera shutter control port, for which a separate shutter release cable with a 2.5 mm jack plug suitable for the specific camera brand must be purchased. Its 4 x 12 V power output ports also allow external devices such as cooling fans, flat boxes, mounts and focus motors to be powered. Larger-capacity mounts—such as the SkyWatcher NEQ-5 Pro, HEQ-5, EQ-6R, Wave 100i, 150i, ZWO AM3N and AM5N—as well as cooled ASI cameras must be powered from a separate power source; using them through the ASIAir is not recommended.)
The ZWO ASIAir Mini camera/mount control unit requires a 12 V power supply, which can be provided by a battery or a 230 V mains supply. In the latter case, a mains adapter rated at least 2 A is required; however, a 5 A adapter is recommended if you wish to use all 4 power outputs.
Software features
The ZWO ASIAir Mini user interface can be accessed via WiFi from mobile devices running iOS 10.0.2 or later, or Android 5.0 or later, with at least 4 GB of RAM. To ensure efficient WiFi signal transmission, the ASIAir Mini has been fitted with an external WiFi signal booster antenna, allowing it to be controlled from up to 20 metres away, while data transfer speeds have also increased significantly. The ASIAir Mini interface is highly intuitive and user-friendly, supporting numerous features:
- focus assistant: helps achieve precise focus using a brightness graph or the ZWO EAF
- polar alignment: enables arcsecond-accurate polar alignment of the mount using an efficient plate-solving function
- goto function: easily slews the mount to the selected target
- autoguiding: enables precise guiding, even using multiple stars
- preview image: easily view a live preview of the target you wish to photograph
- live stacking function: stacks images in real time to improve live-view quality
- planning mode: simply specify the objects you want to photograph, and the unit will automatically position and image them one after another
Windows devices can only connect via an Android emulator, such as BlueStacks.
Package contents:
- ZWO ASIAir Mini unit
- power cables: 2 x 0.5 m DC cables, 2 x 1 m DC cables, and a 1.5 m DC extension cable.
