Santa Barbara Instrument Group ccd camera Technical Information

Operating ManualCCD Camera ModelsST-7E, ST-8E, ST-9E, ST-10Eand ST-1001ESanta Barbara Instrument Group147A Castilian DriveSanta Barbara, CA 93117Phone

Section 2 - Introduction to CCD CamerasPage 6transports the charge packets in a serial manner to an on-chip amplifier. Thefinal operating step, charg

Section 2 - Introduction to CCD CamerasPage 7Host ComputerClock DriversPreamp16 Bit A/DMicro- controllerTracking CCDImaging CCDShutterTE CoolerPC Inte

Section 2 - Introduction to CCD CamerasPage 8The CCD is cooled with a solid-state a thermoelectric (TE) cooler. The TE cooler pumps heatout of the CC

Section 2 - Introduction to CCD CamerasPage 9current, which can cause each pixel to fill with electrons in only a few seconds at roomtemperature even

Section 2 - Introduction to CCD CamerasPage 10at the same temperature and for the same duration as the light frame with the source of light tothe CCD

Section 2 - Introduction to CCD CamerasPage 11people think that smaller pixels are a plus, you pay the price in sensitivity due to the fact thatsmalle

Section 2 - Introduction to CCD CamerasPage 12Track and Accumulate to co-add several shorter images. The dual CCD design allows theguiding CCD access

Section 2 - Introduction to CCD CamerasPage 13Of course, once the image is stored on a computer disk, it may be transferred to anothercomputer just li

Section 3 - At the Telescope with a CCD CameraPage 153. At the Telescope with a CCD CameraThis section describes what goes on the first time you take

Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digitaldevice pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limi

Section 3 - At the Telescope with a CCD CameraPage 16*DECRA Figure 3.1 Orientation of the Optical Head Viewed from Back.(Pixel 1,1 is at the upper le

Section 3 - At the Telescope with a CCD CameraPage 17This preliminary step will save you much time in initially finding focus. The approximatedistanc

Section 3 - At the Telescope with a CCD CameraPage 18eyepiece and slide it back and forth to find the best visual focus, and then scribe the outside o

Section 3 - At the Telescope with a CCD CameraPage 193.8. Processing the ImageIf not done already, images can be improved by subtracting off a dark fr

Section 3 - At the Telescope with a CCD CameraPage 20Another aspect of the Focus command and its various modes is the Camera Resolution4setting in the

Section 3 - At the Telescope with a CCD CameraPage 21One of the reasons that SBIG autoguiders are often better than human guiders is that,rather than

Section 3 - At the Telescope with a CCD CameraPage 22Color imaging places some interesting requirements on the user that bear mentioning.First, many c

Section 4 - Camera HardwarePage 234. Camera HardwareThis section describes the modular components that make up the CCD Camera System andhow they fit i

Section 4 - Camera HardwarePage 24Typically you would take ten 1 minute "snapshots" to produce an image that is comparable to asingle 10 min

Section 4 - Camera HardwarePage 25In our older camera models and in the optional relay adapter accessory, each of therelays has a Common, a Normally O

iTable of Contents1. Introduction...11.1

Section 4 - Camera HardwarePage 26used to attach to the wiper to either end of the potentiometer when the opposing relays areactivated.potentiometerAB

Section 4 - Camera HardwarePage 27software. Software developers can produce one package for the many users across the modelline instead of different

Section 4 - Camera HardwarePage 28CameraCCD Used Number ofPixelsPixelDims.ArrayDimensionReadNoiseFull WellCapacityTrackingCCDTC-211 192 x 164 13.75 x

Section 4 - Camera HardwarePage 29length is the focal length of the telescope or lens. Also remember that 1° = 3600arcseconds.Read Noise - The readou

Section 4 - Camera HardwarePage 30C8, 8" f/10LX200, 10" f/3614" f/11CameraField ofView(arcmins)PixelSize(arcsecs)Field ofView(arcmins)P

Section 4 - Camera HardwarePage 31ST-7E/8E/9E/10E head. The phone cable connection connects to the telescope drive to adjustthe telescope position wh

Section 5 - Advanced Imaging TechniquesPage 335. Advanced Imaging TechniquesWith practice, you will certainly develop methods of your own to get the m

Section 5 - Advanced Imaging TechniquesPage 34the twilight sky near the horizon or take an image of a blank wall or neutral grey card. TheKodak CCDs

Section 5 - Advanced Imaging TechniquesPage 35is best for critical focusing. Planet mode will result in fast digitization and download timessince onl

ii4.6 Connecting the older model CFW-6 filter wheel to the Camera...304.7 Battery Operation...

Section 5 - Advanced Imaging TechniquesPage 365. Repeat steps 3 and 4 as many times as desired for all the objects you wish toimage, each time choosin

Section 5 - Advanced Imaging TechniquesPage 37absolutely necessary. Finally, modern drive correctors with periodic error correction (PEC) orpermanent

Section 6 - Accessories for your CCD CameraPage 396. Accessories for your CCD CameraThis section briefly describes the different accessories available

Section 6 - Accessories for your CCD CameraPage 40reservoir from a significant height above it, such a 0.3 meter (12 inches). Lastly, check forleaks

Section 6 - Accessories for your CCD CameraPage 416.5. AO-7 and Lucy-Richardson SoftwareThe AO-7 is the world's only Adaptive Optics accessory fo

Section 6 - Accessories for your CCD CameraPage 42the screen, and use an exposure longer than 1/30th of a second to avoid the video refresh rateof you

Section 8 - GlossaryPage 437. Common ProblemsThis section discusses some of the more common problems others have encountered whileusing our CCD camera

Section 8 - GlossaryPage 44The easiest method of finding objects is to use a reticule eyepiece, if the object isbright enough to see. Pull the CCD op

Section 8 - GlossaryPage 458. GlossaryAntiblooming Gate - When a CCD pixel has reached its full well capacity, electrons caneffectively spill over int

Section 1 - IntroductionPage 11. IntroductionCongratulations and thank you for buying one of Santa Barbara Instrument Group's CCDcameras. The mo

Section 8 - GlossaryPage 46Flat Field - A Flat Field is a image with a uniform distribution of light entering the telescope.An image taken this way is

Section 8 - GlossaryPage 47Planet Mode - Planet Mode is the most useful way to achieve focus. When you select Planetmode, a full frame is exposed, dow

Section 8 - GlossaryPage 48Sky Background - The sky background illumination or brightness is the number of counts inthe image in areas free of stars o

Appendix A - Connector PinoutsPage 49A. Appendix A - Connector ad CablesThis appendix describes the various connectors and cables used with the ST-7E/

Appendix A - Connector PinoutsPage 50the Celestron Ultima, Losmandy CG11 and Meade LX-200. You can interface these telescopesto the Telescope port wi

Appendix B - File FormatsPage 51B. Appendix C - MaintenanceThis appendix describes the maintenance items you should know about with your CCDcamera sys

Appendix C - Capturing a Good Flat FieldPage 53C. Appendix C - Capturing a Good Flat FieldThis appendix describes how to take a good flat field. A g

Index55A/D converter, 8, 27accessories, 41adaptive optics, 40antiblooming, 29, 45Antiblooming Gate (def), 45AO-7, 40astrometric measurements, 45Astrom

Section 1 - IntroductionPage 21.2.1. CCDOPS SoftwareFollow the instructions below to run the CCDOPS software and display and process sampleimages incl

Index56focal reducer, 40Focal Reducer (def), 46focusDim mode, 18, 19fine, 17Full frame mode, 17Full Frame mode, 19peak, 17Planet mode, 17, 19, 46Focus

Index57shutter, 8signal to noise ratio, 22, 29sky background, 5, 20smoothing, 19snapshot, 23software, 26, 41spectral range, 5spectrograph, 41Status Wi

Section 1 - IntroductionPage 3• Load up the other sample images and display them using the photo displaymode.• If you find that the display is too dar

Section 2 - Introduction to CCD CamerasPage 52. Introduction to CCD CamerasThis section introduces new users to CCD (Charge Coupled Device) cameras an