Diffraction SBIG STC-428-OEM User Manual Download

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SBIG STC-428-OEM CAMERA

USER’S MANUAL

SBIG STC-428-OEM User

’s Manual

Table of Contents

SBIG STC-428-OEM Imaging Camera

........................................ 5

Camera Features

.......................................................................... 6

– Installation

............................................................................... 7

1.1 Supplied Components

................................................................................ 7

1.2 Installing the Software

................................................................................ 9

1.3 Installing the Hardware

............................................................................. 10

1.4 Testing the Camera

.................................................................................... 12

– Operating the SBIG STC camera with MaxIm LT

.............. 13

2.1 Connecting the STC Camera to MaxIm LT

............................................... 13

2.2 Basic Imaging Procedure

.......................................................................... 17

2.3 StackPro

Subexposure Function

.......................................................... 19

– Image Calibration

................................................................. 21

3.1 Dark Frame Calibration

............................................................................. 22

3.2 Flat-Field Frame Calibration

..................................................................... 24

3.3 Understanding Calibration Groups

.......................................................... 26

3.4 Calibrating and Combining Images

.......................................................... 27

– Accessories and Customization

........................................ 30

Summary of Contents for SBIG STC-428-OEM

Page 1: ...SBIG STC 428 OEM CAMERA USER S MANUAL 1 SBIG STC 428 OEM Imaging Camera User s Manual Version 1 04 October 9 2020...

Page 2: ...Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES 003 European Union Compliance to the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive This product is in conformity with the protection requirements of EU...

Page 3: ...nstalling the Hardware 10 1 4 Testing the Camera 12 2 Operating the SBIG STC camera with MaxIm LT 13 2 1 Connecting the STC Camera to MaxIm LT 13 2 2 Basic Imaging Procedure 17 2 3 StackProTM Subexpos...

Page 4: ...rivers and firmware 36 Appendix C Troubleshooting 38 Appendix D Technical and Warranty Support 39 Appendix E Compatible software products 40 Appendix F Concepts and Terminology 41 IMPORTANT Please rea...

Page 5: ...y lower read noise 2 5 e versus 9 3 e and 20X faster readout While a single exposure can equal CCD dynamic range the combination of fast readout and very low read noise allows for in camera stacking u...

Page 6: ...ature regulation to 0 1 degrees C for high calibration stability High speed USB 3 0 interface USB 2 0 compatible I2C and Trigger I O interface Centered optical axis for optimum instrument balance Mult...

Page 7: ...alled T Thread lens mount M42 x 0 75 4 40 front panel screw mounts 1 4 20 tripod mount Camera dust cap Power supply o Universal 12V DC supply 60014A o Power cable with USA European or Australian plug...

Page 8: ...e parts from the Evaluation Kit such as adapters cables and others Any standard SBIG adapters and cables that are compatible with the camera can also be included Custom adapters may also be available...

Page 9: ...quested information and serial number to register for the MaxIm LT application Use your camera s serial number for this If your camera is authorized for a free license you will be automatically emaile...

Page 10: ...ns along both the USB cable and the DC power cable preferably close to the camera ends of these cables Open a choke and lay the cable into the channel then snap the choke halves together 2 Attach the...

Page 11: ...n the POWER connector and the power supply The connector clicks into place in the camera body Pull on the shell to release the connector if required Do not turn the power supply on yet The camera is n...

Page 12: ...ble 12 VDC source using an appropriate cable The optional CA ALUMABATTERY cable is available for this purpose Refer to Appendix A 1 Connector pinouts for details on creating a custom power cable 3 Ope...

Page 13: ...detailed in that file will be enabled in MaxIm LT Full feature access requires MaxIm DL Pro The procedures in this chapter are intended as a basic introduction to connecting and operating the STC hard...

Page 14: ...Imaging form opens 3 Click the Camera Model drop down Select DL Imaging 4 Ensure that the AO selector parameter is set to Off 5 Click the Advanced button The DL Config form opens This form allows you...

Page 15: ...e and at https diffractionlimited com help maximdl SBIG_Gen_3 htm Click OK to confirm your camera selection and close the DL Config form 6 Click OK to accept the settings and close the Setup DL Imagin...

Page 16: ...ick the Cooler button under Camera 1 The Set Camera Cooler form opens 14 Set the desired cooler temperature in degrees Celsius and click OK The Set Camera Cooler form closes 15 The STC 428 OEM camera...

Page 17: ...click File then Settings Click on the Files tab and enable the TIFF checkbox All header information is maintained as TIFF flags so nothing else changes 1 Click the Expose tab The form displays the fo...

Page 18: ...onds You can use the scroll arrows or type in a value into the field Exposures of less than a second must be entered as decimal values 4 Click the Options arrow A list of choices is displayed This men...

Page 19: ...o 32 slots when setting up an Autosave sequence Click OK when you are finished configuring the sequence 8 To begin the custom sequence ensure that the Autosave radio button is selected and click Start...

Page 20: ...n then the total exposure time will be divided by 16 and 16 subexposures will be taken and stacked If the exposure time is an exact multiple of 2X to 16X the Subexposure Duration then the appropriate...

Page 21: ...ions can provide a huge improvement in the signal to noise ratio resulting in much greater sensitivity Normalizing these variations also provides a truer representation of the subject in the working i...

Page 22: ...random noise produced by the square root of 2 approximately 1 414 This means the hot pixels produce significantly more noise Since the noise is random and therefore unpredictable it cannot be removed...

Page 23: ...must be set to the same as your Light frames Repeat Set to the number of exposures you want Click OK when done 5 Click the Start button to begin the sequence NOTE Since the STC 428 OEM camera does not...

Page 24: ...y a uniform light source and an exposure is taken To avoid non linearity at the top and noise at the bottom of the camera s range the exposure is usually chosen to get an average value of 30 to 50 of...

Page 25: ...Click the Autosave radio button to configure a sequence of 10 to 20 identical exposures for each filter you used in your light exposures Configure one slot per filter with the required parameters and...

Page 26: ...2 would be another These groups can be automatically generated by scanning a folder or folder tree All image files with matching characteristics are grouped together based on the information in their...

Page 27: ...ixel to pixel variations in the average accumulation of dark current but it will also increase the random noise in the light frame by 41 If instead you averaged sixteen dark frames together prior to s...

Page 28: ...ally be saved in the same folder that contains the individual calibration files If you choose not to create such master calibration files MaxIm LT will stack the calibration automatically when you cal...

Page 29: ...actor of 0 5 and Number of Passes set to 3 The remaining Combine parameters and options are detailed in the Help file Set these as required g Click Go to start the stacking process This may take some...

Page 30: ...f your specific requirements Custom firmware note that firmware is field upgradable Custom mechanical mounting methods Housing changes Add built in mechanical shutter for dark frames Add filter wheel...

Page 31: ...tor 9 pin mini DIN The diagram shows the pin number identification when looking into the camera connector Pin 1 GND Pin 6 3 3V Out Pin 2 I2C SDA Pin 7 12V Out Pin 3 I2C SCL Pin 8 Trigger Out 0 Pin 4 T...

Page 32: ...nector Pins 1 3 5 12V Pins 2 4 6 GND NOTES The shell of the connector is connected to ground via 1 Megaohm in parallel with 100 pF and should be connected to the cable shield Power ground is connected...

Page 33: ...modes Exposure duration 0 001 to 3600 seconds Full frame download 50 msec Binning modes 1x1 2x2 Power 12 VDC at 4A maximum Power cable USA European Shutter Electronic Temperature regulation Yes Coolin...

Page 34: ...d with a cotton tipped swab and isopropyl alcohol Do not get alcohol on the other components Dust on the window should be blown off if possible Use alcohol only if necessary Use one end of the swab it...

Page 35: ...rled aluminum desiccant knob facing upwards 2 The container screws into the side of the camera body Use your fingers and turn it counter clockwise to extract it 3 Remove the O ring from the container...

Page 36: ...stc 428 oem Click the DOWNLOADS button for your specific camera There you will find a link to the latest version of the utility program Download and run the program New drivers are automatically inst...

Page 37: ...Confirm the upload process in any pop up dialogs 9 Wait until the process is completed Do not interrupt the process or it will revert to old firmware 10 When complete power down the camera and power i...

Page 38: ...re that the USB cable is undamaged and securely attached Avoid using a USB hub if possible If you do need a hub try to avoid putting two cameras on the same hub If you are operating in outdoor ambient...

Page 39: ...available here Technical Support Technical Support http forum diffractionlimited com Technical Support Phone 613 225 2732 Authorized Repair Center Bill Lynch SBIG Service Repair Center 554 Andromeda...

Page 40: ...dows computers only Refer to the Windows Installation section in this guide for details installation MaxIm DL MaxIm DL is a full featured camera control and image processing program available from Dif...

Page 41: ...rface When a pixel is displayed at the computer screen its displayed brightness is proportional to the number of electrons that had accumulated in the pixel during the exposure Color imaging with a mo...

Page 42: ...tion of light entering the optical system An image taken this way is called a flat field image and is used to correct images for vignetting and minor obscurations caused by dust particles on the senso...

Page 43: ...r A TE cooler is a thermoelectric cooling device used to cool the camera sensor down to a low operating temperature Every camera sensor produces a certain amount of dark current which accumulates in t...

Page 44: ...SBIG STC 428 OEM CAMERA USER S MANUAL 44...

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