QSI 600 Series User Manual Download

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Install software and drivers

Note:

For the most up to date version of the software and guides please go to

https://qsimaging.com/drivers-software/

The QSI 600 series cameras include either a CD or a USB flash drive containing the drivers for

the cameras plus plug-in’s for Astroart and MaximDL.

Note:

Do not connect your camera to your computer until instructed to do so during the

camera installation process.

Either insert the supplied CD/flash drive or go to

https://qsimaging.com/drivers-software/

download the latest software. Navigate to the QSIinstaller.exe file and double click this file to

launch it. After a confirmation window, you will be presented with the window below.

Select all the tick boxes that you require and select

Next

. Once the installer has completed you

will be presented with the window below, select

Finish

and the installation is complete.

Summary of Contents for 600 Series

Page 1: ...019 Disclaimer The specification in this document are subject to change without notice All trademarks are properties of their respective owners and are used herein for informational purposes only Quantum Scientific Imaging Phone 441603 740397 ...

Page 2: ...lectrical connections DC power connector USB connector Guide port Cooling the camera Standard air cooling Liquid assisted cooling How much cooling is enough Controlling the cooler Internal colour filter wheel Advanced setup options Camera selection Status indicators Image options Others options Enable pixel masking Status and notification Camera status indicators Audible beeper Imaging application...

Page 3: ...ount adapter SLR lens adapter Liquid heat exchanger Recirculating pump Colour filter wheel 5 CARE AND MAINTENANCE page 42 Cleaning the exterior Installing or removing colour filters Installing or removing 31mm colour filters Installing the 8 position filters Cleaning the colour filters Cleaning the CCD cover glass Recharging the desiccant Technical support 6 Appendices page 48 Appendix A specifica...

Page 4: ...urry to try out your new camera and are familiar with the general operation of CCD cameras this Getting Started section provides the basic information you will need to setup your camera and take your first image The QSI 600 Series Camera Family Showing Different Body Configurations What s in the box Your QSI 600 Series camera was shipped in a soft travel case with custom cut foam to provide protec...

Page 5: ...t USB 2 0 cable Guider Cable 10 ft guider cable with modular connectors on each end Tools tool kit for camera maintenance Documentation envelope containing the following Quick Start Guide CD ROM or USB flash stick containing the Installation program the USB and camera drivers and the Installation Guide and this User Guide in PDF format A licence and download link for Sequence Generator Pro Take a ...

Page 6: ...he Camera Cover on your camera may differ depending on the internal options installed 8 position CFW models have a larger front cover See the QSI 600 Series WSG User Guide Supplement for additional details on WSG models with Integrated Guider Port Please note The liquid heat exchanger is not available for the larger body cameras such as the QSI 6162 ...

Page 7: ...our computer until instructed to do so during the camera installation process Either insert the supplied CD flash drive or go to https qsimaging com drivers software to download the latest software Navigate to the QSIinstaller exe file and double click this file to launch it After a confirmation window you will be presented with the window below Select all the tick boxes that you require and selec...

Page 8: ...ow Confirm installation and camera operation After the successful installation of the camera and the associated software is complete you can quickly test your camera with SGP or the software application of choice Please connect the power lead and the USB lead before turning the power on to the camera Alternatively insert the power connector and wait for the camera to boot before plugging in the US...

Page 9: ...gh ASCOM Download Sequence Generator Pro from the link on the card included with your camera register the software using the serial number included on the card Open SGP and you will be presented with the screen as shown below Select QSI Camera and QSI Filter Wheel as shown below and power your camera on if it isn t already on ...

Page 10: ... the settings icon You will be presented with the screen below Once the camera has been correctly identified it will be named as the connected camera in the pull down box Please select the camera and click on OK ...

Page 11: ...box and ensure there is a tick in the Run box on the first line of the sequencer set the exposure time and run the sequence This will then take your first image Sequence Generator Pro is a fully featured image acquisition software with may advance features to take full advantage of all of its many functions please see the Main Sequence Software website for tutorials and helpful video files http ma...

Page 12: ...ses lens mounting accessories and other equipment such as microscopes Note The T Adapter has industry standard 42mm diameter x 0 75 mm pitch threads The C Adapter has industry standard 1 x 32TPI threads Always make certain that any device you attempt to thread into either adapter has proper matching threads Some optical components have threads that look like they might work but have slightly diffe...

Page 13: ...included AC power adapter which plugs into the middle connector on the bottom of the camera The AC power adapter accepts any input voltage from 90v to 240v and 50 60 Hz It is supplied with a region specific AC power cord Shortly after power is applied to the camera the Camera Status Indicator on the back of the camera will start glowing yellow indicating that the camera is starting up The camera w...

Page 14: ...ution Because of the wide range of potential power sources especially with field operations that can employ batteries generators DC inverters etc there is a real possibility of damaging your camera and other equipment by creating unexpected ground loops and different ground reference potentials between your equipment It is highly recommended that the included AC adaptor be used to power the camera...

Page 15: ...used in conjunction with CCD imaging software to guide your telescope mount for long duration astro imaging Ordinarily the Port is only operational if the camera is being used as the Guider camera or if you re using the QSI camera as your main imaging camera and have configured your software to send guider correction signals through the Main Relays The Guider Port employs an RJ 25 6 conductor modu...

Page 16: ...cold and other side gets hot essentially pumping heat from the cold side to the hot side All QSI 600 Series cameras employ a two stage TEC to increase the differential cooling effect The more power applied to the TEC the greater the differential cooling and the colder the CCD can get The heat pumped from the CCD as well as the power dissipated by the TEC creates a significant amount of excess heat...

Page 17: ...y only a few degrees after a full night of imaging For additional details on the Liquid Heat Exchanger see the Accessories section below Note The fans can usually be turned off when using the LHX In fact the fans may actually decreases the cooling ability if the air is warmer than the liquid The cameras with the larger style body ie QSI 6162 do not support the LHX unit Caution It is generally advi...

Page 18: ...normal precautions that you would with any precision optical or electronic device Never use the LHX to drive the camera temperature so low that liquid water forms on or in the camera Under certain conditions excessive moisture can impair or damage the optical coatings and the electronics Controlling the Cooler The operation of the cooler is managed from your CCD imaging application When power is f...

Page 19: ...our filter wheel is available for some QSI 600 Series cameras The filter wheel is designed to hold five or eight standard 1 25 mounted filters or un mounted 31mm filters In the case of the QSI 6162 the filter wheel is designed to hold five or eight 2 mounted filters or 50 8 mm un mounted filters The following image shows a 5 position filter wheel with filter positions 1 4 occupied by red green blu...

Page 20: ...nd on and off fan mode gain Pre exposure flush Optimisation the filter wheel setup and Enabling pixel masking Note The very first time a QSI camera is connected to the computer It will set the relevant options shown above to default values based on the configuration of the specific camera From that point forward the settings are maintained in the Windows Registry All subsequent changes are made to...

Page 21: ...w camera that has never been connected to this computer before Ethernet Interface This function is disabled on QSI 600 series cameras Status Indicators LED Indicator On Uncheck to disable the Status Indicator LED on the back of the camera Only normal status indications are disabled Visual indication of errors cannot be disabled Sound on Uncheck to disable the Audible Beeper Sounds associated with ...

Page 22: ...s less stray charge between exposures When using full frame CCDs such as in the QSI 616 and 632 the Flush options correspond to 0 1 2 4 and 8 flush cycles respectively With interline transfer CCDs a variety of flushing techniques are used by the different Flush options to provide increasingly aggressive flushing of stray charge before beginning an exposure Show D L Progress Check this box to enabl...

Page 23: ...a way to setup and or control the filter wheel click the Setup button to assign names to the filter positions of your camera Enable pixel masking Enable Pixel Masking is an advanced function that does not need to be used under most normal circumstances Click the Enable Pixel Masking checkbox to expose a table of pixel X Y values see dialog box below Enter the X Y coordinates of a pixel that you wi...

Page 24: ... separate Mask Pixel tables will be automatically maintained for each camera Advanced dialog box showing the Mask Pixel table The current camera status is shown in the text field to the left of the OK and Cancel buttons Click the OK button to save your changes or the Cancel button to abort them This will return you to the Setup QSI Universal window Click OK again and youll be returned to the Setup...

Page 25: ...low solid Busy with internal operation Not ready to accept commands This state is seen while the camera is performing power up initialization moving the filter wheel or shutter or when uploading an image to the computer Yellow flashing Upgrading firmware The indicator will flash rapidly while downloading the camera firmware and then more slowly as it is validated Red slow flashing Exposing an imag...

Page 26: ... four seconds until the supply voltage is raised above this threshold Flash Red 1 Flash Yellow 4 The camera DC supply voltage is above the 14V maximum recommended operating level This sequence will repeat every four seconds until the supply voltage is lowered below this threshold Flash Red 1 Flash Yellow 5 The filter wheel has encountered a problem and is no longer operational The camera will stil...

Page 27: ...tification of various events Shortly after power is applied to the camera the Beeper will make a short chirp sound indicating that the camera is entering the Initialization mode Once the camera is fully operational the Beeper will make a chirp chirp sound At this point the camera is ready to communicate over the USB connection to the computer The Beeper is also sounded in sequence with the Status ...

Page 28: ...traits that make CCDs exceptionally well suited to astronomical imaging A subject that is twice as bright will build up twice as many electrons in the CCD After an exposure is complete the electrons in each pixel are shifted out of the CCD and converted to a number indicating how dark or light each particular pixel was Those brightness values for each pixel are then stored in the image file typica...

Page 29: ...hat some of the other brighter stars around the image also show varying amounts of blooming Blooming occurs when taking images of bright objects because when a pixel reaches its full well capacity say 100 000 electrons the electrons literally overflow into adjoining pixels eventually causing them to fill and overflow as well In a severely bloomed image the bright blooming trail can lead all the wa...

Page 30: ...t striking the surface of the CCD onto the photosensitive area away from the circuits The amount of the CCD surface covered in circuits is one factor in determining the quantum efficiency QE of the CCD QE is a measure of how efficiently the CCD converts photons striking the CCD into electrons stored in any given pixel QE varies by type of CCD and by the wavelength of light Adding microlenses to a ...

Page 31: ...s read into the camera control program and then processed on your computer This has the advantage that you can directly manipulate the raw image to for instance vary the colour balance Single shot colour models offer the easiest way to take colour images of the night sky The trade off is reduced QE and detail because of the mosaic removal and pixel interpolation Signal versus noise For an astronom...

Page 32: ...All the calibration frames should be collected during each imaging session with the CCD at the same temperature used for the light frames This will ensure the best possible calibration of the final images Many CCD imagers plan their night of observing to begin taking the calibration frames as dawn approaches That way you don t waste precious dark time The image above is a single raw 6 minute image...

Page 33: ...t of a possible 16 bit dynamic range of 0 65 535 Seeing an automatically scaled dark frame or bias frame can be a bit disconcerting for a new imager Fear not this noise will be almost completely eliminated by subtracting a dark frame from your images Dark frames are subtracted from a light frame to remove the dark current from the image This subtraction removes the slight differences in dark curre...

Page 34: ...background Flat fields Flat fields are used to correct for any irregularities in your optical system such as vignetting or dust motes and to adjust for any pixel non uniformity inherent in the CCD Pixels in a CCD all respond slightly differently to light typically within 1 to 2 across a CCD All optical systems have a signature which gets recorded on the CCD This unique signature is caused by how l...

Page 35: ... dome flat is created by aiming your telescope at a white card placed somewhere on the inside of the dome Sky flats Taking sky flats requires taking dozens or hundreds of images with the telescope pointed at the sky with tracking turned off All the images are combined into a master flat to remove the effect of any stars moving through the field Sky flats require more time than the other three opti...

Page 36: ... top of the CCD so pixels toward the bottom tend to have slightly higher pixel values than pixels closer to the top One common use of bias frames is for scaling dark frames By subtracting a bias frame from a dark frame you end up with a thermal frame A thermal frame contains pixel values showing just the effect of dark current Because dark current in any given pixel accumulates at a constant rate ...

Page 37: ... the signal to noise ratio SNR of the combined image This is because random variations in pixel values tend to cancel each other out when multiple images are combined resulting in a smooth background while non random pixels the bright objects in the night sky you re trying to take a picture of reinforce each other getting you closer to a true representation of the patch of sky you re imaging The b...

Page 38: ...frequencies of light that can t be seen by the human eye The luminance filter blocks the infrared IR and ultraviolet UV frequencies that fall outside the range of human vision The luminance filter transmits most of the visible light coming from the object Because the individual frames taken through the red green and blue filters block roughly of the total visible light the luminance image will oft...

Page 39: ...mount adapter plate The 1 nosepiece allows the camera to be mounted in any 1 eyepiece adapter The 1 nosepiece is threaded to accept a standard 1 filter C mount adapter The C mount adapter replaces the standard T mount adapter on the camera faceplate The C mount adapter is threaded with standard C mount threads 1 x 32tpi There are two different versions of the C mount adapter plate which provide th...

Page 40: ...d size bodies will require a 0 5 extension tube Slim bodies require a 0 825 extension tube Liquid heat exchanger The liquid heat exchanger LHX provides additional cooling of the CCD beyond what can be achieved using the standard air cooling The liquid heat exchanger attaches to the back of the QSI 500 600 Series camera excluding the QSI 6162 using four screws Refer to the camera specifications to ...

Page 41: ...l colour filter wheels you can load a second set of filters such as narrowband filters or photometric filters and easily replace the entire filter wheel See the Care Maintenance section below for instructions on removing and installing the colour filter wheel See the WSG User Guide Supplement for details on accessories specific to WSG models See the Accessories page on the QSI web site for complet...

Page 42: ...heel by unscrewing the screw in the centre of the filter wheel Carefully lift out the colour filter wheel The standard colour filter wheel is designed to hold 1 25 mounted 31 mm un mounted filters or in the case of the 6162 2 mounted or 50 8 mm un mounted Any filter can be screwed into any of the available positions To replace the colour filter wheel a slight pressure must be applied with the outs...

Page 43: ...the unmounted filters in place Different retaining screw washer combinations are used to hold different thickness filters Filters up to 3mm thick e g Astrodon Astronomik use the configuration shown above to the right 5mm thick IDAS filters use the configuration to the left Note A thin spacer or O ring may be required to be placed under unmounted filters that are less than 3 5 mm thick in order to ...

Page 44: ...ght up to expose the colour filter wheel Remove the colour filter wheel by unscrewing the screw in the centre of the filter wheel Carefully lift out the colour filter wheel To replace the colour filter wheel a slight pressure must be applied with the outside O ring against the capstan motor that drives the colour filter wheel Carefully line up the centre screw for the 8 position CFW shown above an...

Page 45: ...removed from your images with proper calibration techniques If you must clean the CCD cover glass 1 First try blowing off any dust off the filter with compressed air 2 If that doesn t work gently wipe off any remaining dust with a lens brush or microfiber cloth Note The CCD cover glass cannot be removed Recharging the desiccant The environmental chamber enclosing the CCD is filled with UHP argon d...

Page 46: ...ve out the accumulated water molecules recharging the desiccant Remove the desiccant canister from the oven and let it cool As soon as the canister leaves the oven it will begin absorbing moisture To minimize the impact on the effectiveness of the desiccant the canister should be returned to the camera as soon as it has cooled to nearly room temperature Place it back in the desiccant chamber with ...

Page 47: ... There you will find online help and instruction manuals technical articles and a searchable knowledge base with answers to common questions If you can t find the answer to your question on our web site please contact QSI technical support at shown below Email is preferred Internet https qsimaging com support technical support Email support qsimaging com Phone 441603 740397 ...

Page 48: ... 5 Position 1 25 std filters Camera Body Configuration Slim Cover Medium Cover Full Cover Dimensions W4 45 x H4 45 x D1 68 add 0 23 for T Mount W4 45 x H4 45 x D2 00 add 0 23 for T Mount W4 45 x H4 45 x D2 50 add 0 23 for T Mount Weight without Nosepiece 26 oz 740g 34 oz 950g 40 oz 1120g Optical Back Focus without Filters in path 0 61 w T mount adapter 0 68 w C mount adapter 0 39 w o mounting adap...

Page 49: ...25 AC watts with included 90 240V AC power supply 2 1 mm I d DC power connector o d 5 5 mm length 10 mm centre positive Operating Environment Temperature 20 degC to 30 degC Humidity 10 to 90 non condensing Computer Connectivity 600 series USB 2 0 High Speed USB1 1 compatible Other ports Optically isolated 4 channel control port for telescope guiding or other application specific control in some co...

Page 50: ...std filters Yes 8 position 1 25 std filters Camera Body Configuration WSG Cover Medium 8 position Cover WSG 8 position Cover Dimensions W4 45 x H4 45 x D3 08 add 0 23 for T Mount 0 35 for 2 156 Adaptor W5 86 x H5 56 x D2 5 add 0 23 for T Mount W5 86 x H5 56 x D2 50 add 0 23 for T Mount 0 35 for 2 156 Adaptor Weight without Nosepiece 46 oz 1300g 51 oz 1450g 56 oz 1600g Optical Back Focus without Fi...

Page 51: ...ed 90 240V AC power supply 2 1 mm I d DC power connector o d 5 5 mm length 10 mm centre positive Operating Environment Temperature 20 degC to 30 degC Humidity 10 to 90 non condensing Computer Connectivity 600 series USB 2 0 High Speed USB1 1 compatible Other ports Optically isolated 4 channel control port for telescope guiding or other application specific control in some configurations T Mounting...

Page 52: ...total pixels 1536x1024 active visible 1552x1032 total pixels 1536x1024 active visible Pixel size 9um x 9um 9um x 9um Typical Values Pixel Full Well Depth 100 000 electrons 100 000 electrons Quantum Efficiency Peak 77 400nm 45 Peak 65 400nm 30 Pixel Dark Current 1 0 electron per second at 0 degC 1 0 electron per second at 25 degC Dark current doubling 6 3 degC 6 3 degC Intrinsic read noise 15 elect...

Page 53: ...0 total pixels 2184x1472 active visible 2254x1510 total pixels 2184x1472 active visible Pixel size 6 8µm x 6 8µm 6 8µm x 6 8µm Typical Values Pixel Full Well Depth 55 000 electrons 55 000 electrons Quantum Efficiency Peak 82 400nm 55 Peak 65 400nm 30 Pixel Dark Current 1 0 electron per second at 0 degC 1 0 electron per second at 25 degC Dark current doubling 6 degC 6 degC Intrinsic read noise 7 el...

Page 54: ...5 15mm 15 15mm x 15 15mm Pixel Array W x H 2112x2072 total pixels 2048x2048 active visible 2112x2072 total pixels 2048x2048 active visible Pixel size 7 4µm x 7 4µm 7 4µm x 7 4µm Typical Values Pixel Full Well Depth 40 000 electrons 40 000 electrons Absolute Quantum Efficiency Peak 55 400nm 45 Blue Peak 45 Green Peak 42 Red Peak 35 Pixel Dark Current 1 0 electron per second at 0 degC 1 0 electron p...

Page 55: ...ter mask Imager Size W x H 17 96mm x 13 52mm 17 96mm x 13 52mm Pixel Array W x H 3348x2574 total pixels 3326x2504 active visible 3348x2574 total pixels 3326x2504 active visible Pixel size 5 4µm x 5 4µm 5 4µm x 5 4µm Typical Values Pixel Full Well Depth 25 500 electrons 25 500 electrons Absolute Quantum Efficiency Absolute Quantum Efficiency Peak 56 400nm 38 Blue Peak 33 Green Peak 41 Red Peak 33 P...

Page 56: ...ters No Yes Internal RGB on CCD Bayer colour filter mask Imager Size W x H 12 48mm x 9 98mm 12 48mm x 9 98mm Pixel Array W x H 2758 x 2208 active 6 1 megapixels 2758 x 2208 active 6 1 megapixels Pixel size 4 54µm x 4 54µm 4 54µm x 4 54µm Typical Values Absolute Quantum Efficiency Peak 75 at 560nm Blue 46 Green 62 Red 66 Pixel Dark Current 0 002 electrons per second at 10 C Intrinsic read noise 7 e...

Page 57: ...ers No Yes Internal RGB on CCD Bayer colour filter mask Imager Size W x H 12 48mm x 9 98mm 12 48mm x 9 98mm Pixel Array W x H 3388 x 2712 active 9 19 megapixels 3388 x 2712 active 9 19 megapixels Pixel size 3 69µm x 3 69µm 3 69µm x 3 69µm Typical Values Absolute Quantum Efficiency Peak 75 at 560nm Blue 46 Green 62 Red 66 Pixel Dark Current 0 002 electrons per second at 10 C Intrinsic read noise 7 ...

Page 58: ...00x suppression Colour Filters No Imager Size W x H 27 mm x 21 8 mm Pixel Array W x H 4499 x3599 active Pixel size 6 µm x 6µm Typical Values Pixel Full Well Depth 40 000 electrons Absolute Quantum Efficiency Peak 56 Pixel Dark Current 0 25 electron per second at 0 degC Intrinsic read noise 8 electrons RMS Dynamic Range 69db Charge transfer efficiency 0 999995 ...

Page 59: ...the imaging sensor will be presumed to have resulted from misuse abuse or failure to operate the QSI Scientific Camera as set forth in the operating instructions b Use of parts or supplies other than those sold by QSI that cause damage to the QSI Scientific Camera or cause abnormally frequent service calls or service problems c If the camera body has been opened and any parts inside have been alte...

Page 60: ...LASTS SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU QUANTUM SCIENTIFIC IMAGING SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR LOSS OF REVENUES OR PROFITS INCONVENIENCE EXPENSE FOR SUBSTITUTE EQUIPMENT OR SERVICE STORAGE CHARGES LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA OR ANY OTHER SPECIAL INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE USE OR MISUSE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE QSI SCIENTIFIC CAMERA REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY ON W...

Page 61: ... harmful interference to radio communications Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense Modifications not expressly approved by the manufacturer could void the users authority to operate the equipment under FCC rules EC Declaration of Conformity The QSI 600 RS Seri...

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