The ZWO ASIAir Plus 256G Astrophotography Controller (version 2024) is the latest addition to the third generation of the device. A new, faster and more efficient CPU, significantly increased 256 GB of internal storage, external storage management are the main changes.
The ZWO ASIAir Plus 256G is a compact, modern minicomputer for almost any astrophotography task, a "Swiss Army knife" for the true astrophotographer. It supports a wide range of ZWO hardware such as motorized focusing (EAF), filter changer, ZWO guide and astro cameras. It can also control a wide range of Canon, Nikon and SONY digital cameras (lists of compatible cameras are included in the images.) So it's not just for exposure, but for all the functions you would use a ZWO camera for.
With no PC or laptop needed to use it, just a smartphone or tablet with WiFi, you can save yourself a lot of those pesky cables that have plagued the lives of field observers. The ASIAir requires orders of magnitude less power than, say, a laptop.
Premium design
The housing is made entirely of CNC-machined aluminium, which guarantees perfect protection and a stylish appearance. Its low weight does not put unnecessary strain on the mechanics. The device measures 102.5 x 70 x 26.5 mm, with M4 and 1/4" (photo tripod thread) threads on the sides and bottom, and a prism rail for a wide range of mounting options.
The ZWO ASIAir Plus 256G has 2 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports for connecting various cameras or the ZWO EAF focus controller or filter shifter. Here you will find the 2.5 mm camera exposure control, for which you will need to purchase a 2.5 jack plug shutter cable separately. With 4 12 V power outlets, it also allows powering external units (e.g. cooling fan, flatbox, mechanics, focus motor), with a total 3 A power supply. Powering higher power mechanics such as the HEQ-5, EQ-6R, and powering cooled ASI camerasis not recommended to be implemented via the ASIair.
A much larger 256 Gb of memory has been integrated into the new ASIair Plus 256G, as the name suggests. Sky Atlas and installed firmware occupy about 12 GB, the rest is free to use. Unlike the previous device, the new one does not include a micro SD card slot. For image storage, an external hard drive or thumb drive can be connected via USB up to 1TB.
The CPU of the new device supports 30% better fps in video mode, and EAA (electronic astronomy) efficiency has also been increased by 26%.
The resulting images can be quickly downloaded to a computer via the USB-C port, or optionally, data can be transferred via WiFi connection.
The ZWO ASIAir Plus 256G requires 12 V power, which can be supplied from a battery or a 230 V mains adapter. In the latter case, a minimum 2 A mains adapter is required, but 5 A is recommended if the 4 power outputs of the unit are to be used. All four 12 V outputs are equipped with status lights to monitor their operation in real time.
Software features
The ZWO ASIAir Plus 256G user interface is accessible via WiFi from mobile devices running iOS 10.0.2 or later or Android (min 5.0) with at least 4 GB of RAM. The ASIAir Plus 256G uses an external WiFi signal booster antenna for highly efficient WiFi signal transmission, allowing it to be controlled with a range of up to 20 meters at fast data transmission speeds.
The user interface of the ASIAir Plus is highly intuitive and user-friendly, supporting a wide range of features:
- Focus Assist: helps you to accurately adjust focus using a brightness graph or even using the ZWO EAF
- polar alignment: using an efficient plate-solving function, it allows you to align the mechanics to within arc-seconds, even when the North Star is not visible from the observation site
- goto function: simply move the mechanics to the selected target
- autoguiding: allows precise guidance to multiple stars
- Preview image: simply view a "live image"
- image summarizer function: stacks the image live, improving the quality of the "live image"
- Planning mode: simply specify the objects you want to photograph and the tool will set and shoot them in sequence
With Windows, you can only connect via an Android emulator, such as Bluestack. The manufacturer does not guarantee flawless operation through the emulator.
Contents of the package:
- ZWO ASIAir Plus 256G camera/mechanics controller unit
- 2x 0.5 m DC plug cable
- 2x 1 m DC plug cable
- 1.5 m DC 1.5 m male-to-female extension cable
- USB 3.0 0.75 m type B data cable
