Handbook for the SXVR-H18
Issue 1 March 2010
5
Now click on the camera icon at the top of the screen. If the USB connection is OK, a
message box will inform you of the ‘Handle’ number for the SXVIO interface and
various other version details etc. Click ‘OK’ and the main camera control panel will
now be seen.
As can be seen above, there is a CCD temperature monitoring window at the right
hand side of the panel. At switch-on, this will default to full power cooling with an
end point of -40C and, needless to say, this is rather extreme. I recommend changing
the set point to about -10C for normal use, but you can go much colder if you are
imaging during the winter months. Under indoor conditions, the low airflow will limit
the cooling capability, and you should use a set point of no lower than -5C for stable
cooling. You can determine the optimum settings for your camera and ambient
conditions when you have some experience of using the system, but do not try to
operate at extreme cooling when the air temperature is high. Remember that the
ultimate temperature that may be achieved will be related to the body temperature of
the camera and so a good airflow and good thermal contact to the telescope will
greatly assist in achieving a low operating temperature.
Recording your first image:
We now have the camera and computer set up to take pictures, but an optical system
is needed to project an image onto the CCD surface. You could use your telescope,
