SBIG ST-402ME Operating Manual Download Page 16

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SBIG ST-402 Operating Manual

Page 28

Appendix C – Camera Specifications

The table below lists the specifications for the ST-402 camera.
Specifications are typical and can vary from camera to camera and are
subject to change without notice.

CCD Options

Microlensed CCD
Non-Microlensed
ABG Protected

Kodak KAF-0402ME
Kodak KAF-0402E
Kodak KAF-0401LE

Pixel Array

756 x 510 pixels, 6.9 x 4.6mm

Total Pixels

390,150

Pixel Size

9 x 9 microns

Full Well Capacity

Non-ABG CCDs
ABG CCDs

100,000 electrons
50,000 electrons

Dark Current

1 e-/pixel/sec at 0°C

Shutter

Electromechanical

Exposure

0.04 to 3600 seconds, 10ms resolution

A/D Converter

16-bit with Correlated Double Sampling

Read Noise

17e- RMS

Binning Modes

1x1, 2x2, 3x3

Full Frame Download

USB 2

USB 1.1

Up to 1,200,000 pixels per second
Up to 400,000 pixels per second

Cooling

Single Stage TE, Active Fan, ~25C Delta

Temperature Regulation

Closed Loop,

0.1°C

Power Requirements

10 – 14.5 Volts DC at 1 Amp, Center-Positive

Backfocus

Same as C-Mount, 0.690 inches

Dimensions

4 x 5 x 2 inches

Summary of Contents for ST-402ME

Page 1: ...ion which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna Increase the separation between the receiver and the equipment Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected Consult the dealer or an e...

Page 2: ...ith internal shutter allowing exposures down to 40 milliseconds that makes taking dark frames a trivial task USB 2 interface yielding up to 1 2 megapixels per second download rates but full backward compatibility with USB 1 1 computers at 400 kilopixels per second Input power requirements of 10 0 14 5 Volts DC at 1 Amp through the new center positive locking power jack Telescope interface with fou...

Page 3: ...e first time you MUST install the software as described below SBIG ST 402 Operating Manual Page 3 2 Installing the Software Installing USB drivers on a Windows system can be a difficult task if you don t follow the instructions to the letter Please don t plug the camera into the computer until instructed to do so below and please follow the instructions carefully 1 Disable Driver Signing Windows X...

Page 4: ... copying the SBIG ST 402 Loader driver then show you the Completing the Found New Hardware Wizard page Click Finish At this point the Red LED on the back of the camera should be on and if you had been watching it you would have seen it blink several times while the PC was booting the camera SBIG ST 402 Operating Manual Page 5 11 After booting the camera Windows will bring up another copy of the Wi...

Page 5: ...he Exposure Time was 1 0 second Spend some time inspecting the data then click in the dialog to close it Data like this is always attached to saved images and you can show it using the Parameters command in the Display menu After the Image Parameters dialog has gone you ll see the image displayed in its own window and the Contrast dialog will appear The image is shown below SBIG ST 402 Operating M...

Page 6: ...open light frame and another of equal exposure with the shutter closed dark frame You then subtract the dark frame from the light frame and because the hot pixels and the readout glow repeat from one image to another they are removed by the subtraction Let s see how this works Close Image 2 and Open Image 3 which is a 10 second light frame where you can get a hint of the object but the hot SBIG ST...

Page 7: ...mages Clicking Smooth can reduce the noise in underexposed images Clicking Sharpen reveals additional detail in well exposed images Establishing a Link It s time to actually connect up to your camera and take some images If you haven t installed the drivers already go back to Section 2 and do so now If you ve taken a break from the tutorial and the camera isn t powered up and attached to the compu...

Page 8: ... the TE cooler We recommend choosing a temperature that is 20 to 23 degrees below the ambient temperature Choosing a lower temperature won t hurt the camera but you ll notice in the Link Status field bottom of screen that the CCD never attains the temperature and the TE stays at 100 It can take several minutes for the temperature to settle in but if you see the TE stuck at 100 simply increase the ...

Page 9: ...our telescope would drive you crazy taking a single image at a time tweaking the telescope etc Instead we use the Focus command which is like Grab but it takes image after image SBIG ST 402 Operating Manual Page 15 automatically Use the Focus command in the Camera menu and set it up in the Focus Setup dialog as shown below Click OK and the camera will go into Focus mode You ll see image after imag...

Page 10: ...e Setpoint it will jump back and forth by about 0 5 degrees This is normal The ST 402 regulates the CCD temperature by dithering back and forth across the Setpoint At this point we re ready to hook up to the telescope Focusing a CCD camera at the telescope can be a tedious operation so a few hints should be followed Before using the software to focus the camera the first time you should place a di...

Page 11: ...rate If you have difficulty finding an object after obtaining good focus check to be sure that the head is seated at best focus then remove the head and insert a medium or low power eyepiece Being careful not to adjust the focus knob on the telescope slide the eyepiece in or out until the image appears in good focus Then visually find and center the object if it is visible to the eye If not use yo...

Page 12: ...ooming Kodak CCDs like the KAF 0402LE with the antiblooming option can be used to help stop or at least reduce blooming when the brighter parts of the image saturate Astrometry Astrometry is the study of stellar positions with respect to a given coordinate system Autoguider All SBIG CCD cameras have auto guiding or Star Tracker functions This is accomplished by using the telescope drive motors to ...

Page 13: ...ut Noise Readout noise is associated with errors generated by the actual interrogation and readout of each of the CCD pixels at the end of an exposure This is the result of fixed pattern noise in the CCD residual charge in the readout capacitors and to a small extent the noise from the A D converter and preamplifier Resolution Mode The resolution of a CCD camera is determined by pixel size Pixel s...

Page 14: ...les Power Jack The Power Jack is used to supply 10 0 14 5 Volts DC at 1 amp to the camera The jack is locking and center positive The mating plug is the locking model Switchcraft S760K with 0 218 inch outer diameter and 0 080 inch inner diameter 5 5 2 0 mm Telescope Jack The Telescope Jack is used to provide tracking signals to the telescope Viewed from outside the camera looking in it has the fol...

Page 15: ...with a cotton swab or Q tip and a little isopropyl alcohol Use one end of the Q tip to swab it with alcohol and the other to dry it Never re use a Q tip and do not scrub use gentle pressure 7 Replace the front lid 8 If you have a few small dust specs don t worry it is almost impossible to get them all and a flat field will take care of them well 9 Filters are cleaned the same way Replacing the Des...

Page 16: ... Size 9 x 9 microns Full Well Capacity Non ABG CCDs ABG CCDs 100 000 electrons 50 000 electrons Dark Current 1 e pixel sec at 0 C Shutter Electromechanical Exposure 0 04 to 3600 seconds 10ms resolution A D Converter 16 bit with Correlated Double Sampling Read Noise 17e RMS Binning Modes 1x1 2x2 3x3 Full Frame Download USB 2 USB 1 1 Up to 1 200 000 pixels per second Up to 400 000 pixels per second ...

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