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Handbook for the SXVR-H16
Issue 1 June 2009
SXVR-H16
CCD camera user manual
Thank you for purchasing a Starlight Xpress CCD camera. We hope that you will be
very satisfied with its performance. The SXVR-H16 is a large format, high-resolution
cooled CCD camera, especially designed for astronomical imaging. The SXVR-H16
uses a Kodak KAI4022 Interline CCD, with 2048(H) X 2048(V) pixels in a 15mm x
15mm active area. The use of high performance microlenses on the CCD surface
gives the greatest possible throughput of light to the pixels and the resulting QE is
very good over the entire visible spectrum. Our new 'R' type USB2 interface
hardware gives an exceptionally fast download speed of about 2 megapixels per
second, and so the SXVR-H16 can download a full resolution 16 bit image in only 2.5
seconds.
Please take a few minutes to study the contents of this manual, which will help you to
get the camera into operation quickly and without problems. I am sure that you want
1
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Summary of Contents for Starlight Xpress SXVR-H16
- Page 1 Our new ‘R’ type USB2 interface hardware gives an exceptionally fast download speed of about 2 megapixels per second, and so the SXVR-H16 can download a full resolution 16 bit image in only 2.5 seconds.
- Page 2 1600 x 1200 pixels and 32 bit colour. A medium specification Pentium with between 1GHz and 3GHz processor speed is ideal. Please note that the SXVR-H16 is not designed for USB1.1 operation and will give inferior results if used on USB1.1.
- Page 3 ‘BlockIOClass’ and clicking on the ‘+’ sign will reveal it to be a ‘Starlight Xpress USB 2.0 SXV-H16 camera driver’. If this device shows as faulty, try clicking on it and selecting ‘properties’ and then...
- Page 4 Handbook for the SXVR-H16 Issue 1 June 2009 ‘update driver’. Following the on screen instructions will allow you to re-select the correct inf file (SXVIO_H16_126.inf) and driver files (SXVIO.sys and generic.sys), which should fix the problem. Now connect up the power supply and switch it on. The supply is a very efficient ‘switch mode’...
- Page 5 Handbook for the SXVR-H16 Issue 1 June 2009 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.
- Page 6 There are two simple options, one of which is available to everyone: 1) Attach a standard ‘M42’ SLR camera lens to the SXVR-H16, using the 27mm spacer/adaptor to achieve approximately the correct focal distance.
- Page 7 Handbook for the SXVR-H16 Issue 1 June 2009 If you use a normal lens, then stop it down to the smallest aperture number possible (usually F22) as this will minimise focus problems and keep the light level reasonable for daytime testing. The pin hole needs no such adjustments and will work immediately, although somewhat fuzzily.
- Page 8 One potential problem with taking daylight images is the strong infrared response of the SXVR-H16 as this will cause ‘soft focus’ with camera lenses. Soft focus is much reduced by keeping the aperture setting below F8. Also, IR blocking filters are available from various suppliers (True Technology, Edmunds etc.) and are...
- Page 9 F = Pixel size * 205920 / Resolution (in arc seconds) In the case of the SXVR-H16 and a 2 arc seconds per pixel resolution, we get F = 0.0074 * 205920 / 2...
- Page 10 Handbook for the SXVR-H16 Issue 1 June 2009 adjustable degree of automatic contrast stretching (for focusing on faint stars). To use this mode, start up the software and select the H16 camera interface (File menu). Set the camera mode to ‘Bin 1x1’ and select an exposure time of 1 second. Press ‘Take Picture’...
- Page 11 The SXVR-H16 generates relatively little dark signal and so dark frames are not essential for short exposures of less than a few minutes, but it is a good idea to record at least one for each exposure time used during an imaging session.
- Page 12 Handbook for the SXVR-H16 Issue 1 June 2009 A 5 minute exposure – many warm pixels are visible (see the magnified view below)
- Page 13 Issue 1 June 2009 Warm pixels in a small portion of the raw image The isolated nature of the warm pixels in an SXVR-H16 image permits you to use several different methods of removing them from your raw images. Subtracting a dark frame is the most commonly used means of removing the warm pixels, but is not necessarily the best or most effective method.
- Page 14 Handbook for the SXVR-H16 Issue 1 June 2009 adjacent to it. The isolated nature of the warm pixels allows the median filter to work very well and most imagers will be quite happy with the results of this simple procedure.
- Page 15 Taking pictures of the Moon and planets: The SXVR-H16 is not intended for planetary imaging, as a much smaller CCD is in many ways much better for this. However, lunar imaging is a different matter and the...
- Page 16 Other features of SXV_H16 ‘Slew & Sum’ imaging: The SXVR-H16 can be used in an automatic image-stacking mode, called ‘Slew & Sum’. The camera is set to take several sequential exposures, which are automatically ‘slewed’ into alignment and then summed together by the software. This mode can...
- Page 17 Handbook for the SXVR-H16 Issue 1 June 2009 help to overcome a poor RA drive by summing images that have exposure times shorter than the drive error period. The resulting image has more noise than a single exposure of the same total length, but this method of imaging is still an effective way of making long exposures.
- Page 18 5mA per output. This socket may be used for telescope control if the SXVR-H16 is employed as an autoguider, but is primarily intended to be the control output for the optional add-on autoguider...
- Page 19 If ‘active high’ inputs are needed, or a very low control voltage drop is essential, then you will need to add a Starlight Xpress ‘relay box’ between the guider output and the input to the mount. Please contact your local distributor if a relay box is required.
- Page 20 The autoguider installed on a 80mm refractor guide ‘scope in the author’s garden To use the autoguider, please proceed as follows: 1) Having started the SXVR-H16 software, open the autoguider control panel by clicking on the autoguider menu button. The autoguider control panel with a guide star selected...
- Page 21 Handbook for the SXVR-H16 Issue 1 June 2009 2) Press the ‘Start’ button and a series of 1 second exposure guider images will begin to appear in the picture frame. If the images look too dim, use the ‘Stretch Image’ slider to increase its contrast and brightness until the noise begins to be visible.
- Page 22 ********************************************************************* Camera maintenance: Very little maintenance is needed to keep the SXVR-H16 in excellent operating order, however two problems, which are common to all CCD equipment, are likely to show up on occasion. These are dust and condensation.
- Page 23 7) Replace all the camera parts in reverse order and the job is done. Dealing with condensation: The SXVR-H16 is designed to avoid condensation by minimising the volume of air trapped within the CCD cavity. This normally works well, but storage of the camera in a humid location can lead to the trapped air becoming moist by diffusion through the optical window mounting thread etc.
- Page 24 CCD field, this may indicate that the CCD plane needs to be adjusted. The front plate of the SXVR-H16 incorporates three sets of antagonistic screws that allow the plate to be tilted by up to about +/- 1 degree relative to the CCD surface.
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Page 25: Conditions Of Guarantee
Issue 1 June 2009 Dear User, Thank you for purchasing a Starlight Xpress CCD Imaging System. We are confident that you will gain much satisfaction from this equipment, but please read carefully the accompanying instruction manual to ensure that you achieve the best performance that is capable of providing.
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