Accessories For Your Ccd Camera; Water Cooling; Tri-Color Imaging - Santa Barbara Instrument Group STL-1001E Operating Manual

6.

Accessories for your CCD Camera

This section briefly describes the different accessories available for your CCD camera.
6.1.

Water Cooling

The Research Series cameras are equipped with two-stage cooling and a new heat
exchanger design that is ready to accept water circulation for additional cooling efficiency, if
needed in warm climates.
The camera can be used either with or without flowing water. Water-cooling is
probably not necessary for most users when the air temperature is below 10 degrees C (50
degrees F), since the dark current is fairly low already. Think of it as a summertime accessory!
We do not recommend use of water cooling below freezing temperatures, where antifreeze
must be added to the water. It is simply not necessary then.
There is no problem using the camera at any time without water circulation. Adding
water circulation simply improves the cooling performance.
You may supply your own pump and tubing or use the optional pump and tubing
available from SBIG. To operate the camera with water circulation using the optional pump
available from SBIG, start with the camera at the same level as the water reservoir. Connect all
the hoses, and make sure the water return goes back into the reservoir. Turn on the pump, and
let the flow establish itself through the hoses. Be sure to check for leaks!
Once you have established water circulation, turn on the TE cooler to 100% by giving it
a target temperature of –50 degrees. Wait for about 10 to 20 minutes for the system to stabilize
at the lowest temperature it can achieve. Examine the camera temperature, and reset the set
point to 3 degrees C above the current temperature. This 3 degree temperature margin will
enable the camera to regulate the temperature accurately.
When using water cooling, avoid the temptation to put ice in the water to get the
camera even colder. If colder water is used, the head may fog or frost up, depending on the
dew point. At the end of the evening, stop the pump, and raise the outlet hose above the
camera to let all the water drain out of the system. Blowing it out with gently pressure helps
clear the water. You can leave the hoses full of water, but if a leak occurs while you're not there
you may have a problem.
When packing the camera for a long time, or at the end of summer, disconnect the hoses
and blow out the heat sink to allow the enclosed spaces to dry out and minimize long term
corrosion.
6.2.

Tri-color Imaging

You can make splendid color images with your CCD camera by installing the optional color
filters into the filter carousel. The LRGBC filter set allows you to take images in red, green and
blue light as well as UV and IR blocked or unblocked clear (luminance) images of the same
object. When these images are aligned and processed a full color image results.
Section 6 – Accessories for your CCD Camera
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