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500 Series User Guide
Revision 1.7
December, 2008
Disclaimer:
The specifications in this document are subject to change without notice.
All trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners,
and are used herein for informational purposes only.
2007-2008 Quantum Scientific Imaging
Phone 888-QSI-4CCD • www.QSImaging.com
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Table of Contents
Related Manuals for QSI 500 Series
Summary of Contents for QSI 500 Series
- Page 1 500 Series User Guide Revision 1.7 December, 2008 Disclaimer: The specifications in this document are subject to change without notice. All trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners, and are used herein for informational purposes only.
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
Table of Contents G E T T I N G S T A R T E D What’s In the Box? Camera Selection Get to Know Your Camera Status Indicators Install Software and Drivers Imaging Options Confirm Installation and Camera Operation Status and Notification Launch MaxIm LE Camera Status Indication... - Page 3 Autoguider support in MaxIm LE Camera Control Window Using an AutoGuider Cool the CCD Using a QSI Camera as an AutoGuider Focusing with MaxIm LE Take a single image A C C E S S O R I E S...
- Page 4 Please refer to the full User Guide a nd the online help provid ed with M LE fo r complete instructions The QSI 500 Series Camera Family Showing Different Body Styles...
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Page 5: What's In The Box
U S E R G U I D E What’s In the Box? Your QSI 500 Series camera was shipped in a water-tight Pelican case with custom-cut foam to provide the ultimate in protection. Please take a few minutes to... -
Page 6: Get To Know Your Camera
Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the external connections and features of your camera. The image above shows the major external features of a typical QSI 500 Series camera. The depth of the Camera Cover on your camera may differ depending on the internal options installed. -
Page 7: Install Software And Drivers
: Do not connect your camera to your computer until instru cted to do so durin g the camera installation process. Refer to the QSI 500 Series Camera Installation Guide for complete software and hardware ins tallation instructions. Confir m Installation and Camera Operation... -
Page 8: Connect The Camera
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Connect the camera Select “Camera Control Window” from the View menu to open the Camera Control Window. MaxIm will open the Camera Control window and display the Setup tab. After MaxIm is installed it must be told which camera to use. - Page 9 Select “QSI Universal” from the Camera Model list box. Click OK. That will take you back to the Camera Control Window. If you have a QSI camera with an internal color filter wheel you’ll also need to tell MaxIm about that by clicking “Setup” under “Filter Wheel”...
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Page 10: Take An Image
Camera Control window will look like this: Note: This example assumes the camera does not have a color filter wheel. If you setup a filter wheel, “QSI Universal” will be displayed under Filter Wheel in the dialog above. Take an image Click the “Expose”... -
Page 11: View The Image
For all users, but especially if you’re new to CCD imaging with MaxIm LE, we suggest you read the entire QSI 500 Series Camera User Guide to familiarize yourself with all of the features and capabilities of your new QSI camera. -
Page 12: Camera Features And Operation
Section Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Camera Features and Operation Camera Attachment Options The camera can be attached to your telescope or lens in a variety of ways. The image bove shows the industry standard T-Adapter with an attached 2"... -
Page 13: Using Slr Lenses
Attach the camera to your telescope The picture below shows a QSI 500 Series camera with 2" nosepiece being fitted to the 2" focusing tube of a refracting telescope. Always use the largest nosepiece that your telescope will allow to minimize any vignetting of your image. -
Page 14: Electrical Connections
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Electrical Connections The image at the left is a close- up of the bottom of the camera body. All electrical connections to the camera are made through the three connectors located on this connector panel. -
Page 15: Usb Connector
This means that your camera is ready and is listenin g for commands to be sent over the USB connection. Note: QSI 500 Series cameras do not draw power from the USB bus. Powered hubs are not necessary for operation. -
Page 16: Guider Control Port
. 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 co nfigured MaxIm to send guider correction signals through the main camera. See MaxIm o nline help for details. -
Page 17: Cooling The Camera
Standard Air Cooling The back of a QSI 500 Series camera acts as a large heatsink with cooling fins machined directly into the body. Two automatically controlled cooling fans force air through these fins. -
Page 18: How Much Cooling Is Enough
This is easy to achieve with forced air cooling when the ambient air is at 25ºC (77ºF). For most CCDs used in QSI 500 Series cameras, dark current is reduced by half for every 6ºC drop in the temperature of the CCD. Cooling from 26C to -10ºC results in a 64- fold decrease in CCD dark current. -
Page 19: Controlling The Cooler
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E that the surrounding environment. If the relative humidity is high enough, this action cou drop the camera below the dew/frost point and condensation will fo Caution: Do not allow excessive dew or frost to collect in or on the camera. - Page 20 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Note: Depending on the ambient temperature and Cooler setpoint, the time to reach the setpoint temperature can take as long as 15 minutes. Once the CCD temperature has stabilized at the setpoint value, it is recommended to allow the entire camera an additional 5 to 10 minutes to reach thermal equilibrium.
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Page 21: Internal Color Filter Wheel
G U I D E Internal Color Filter Wheel A five position filter wheel is available for some models of QSI 500 Series cameras. The filter wheel is designed to hold five standard 1.25" filters. Ordinarily, the filter wheel is supplied with an LRGB filter set as illustrated in the following image with filter positions 1-4 occupied by red, green, blue and luminance filters respectively. -
Page 22: Advanced Setup Options
If necessary, click the Disconnect button. Click the Setup button in the upper left corner under “Main CCD Camera” to open the Setup QSI Universal dialog box for the Main camera. If the Camera Model list box does not indicate QSI Universal, select it now. -
Page 23: Camera Selection
G U I D E 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. -
Page 24: Status Indicators
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Note: If only one camera is connected to the computer, the computer will always select that camera by default. You do not need to make the selection here. If two or more cameras are available and they match the serial numbers of the last camera(s) used for the Main and/or Guider camera, the computer will automatically reconnect to them in the same roles. -
Page 25: Imaging Options
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 you'll be returned to the Setup tab in the Camera Control window. -
Page 26: Status And Notification
S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Status and Notification 500 Series cam era u tilizes a variety of methods to inform the operator of the camera operation, status and othe r events. A built-in LED Status Indicator and audible Beeper provide notification at the camera. - Page 27 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Camera Soft Error State Indication Flash Red: The camera is over-temperature. Camera has exceeded the Flash Yellow: 40°C maximum recommended operating temperature for the internal electronics and enclosure.
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Page 28: Audible Beeper
Othe rs messages may include only a numeric code. If you get a message indicating an error, record the text message or numeric code in the event that you need to contact QSI Customer Support. -
Page 29: Ccd Ima Ging Overview
A CCD is organized in a two-dimensional array of pixels. The CCDs used in the QSI 500 Series cameras at the time of printing range from roughly 400,000 pixels (768H x 512W) to 4.2 million pixels (2048H x 2048W). -
Page 30: Interline Transfer Ccds
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E prevent light from falling on the CCD surface while the image is being sh ifted out of the CCD. Interline Transfer CCDs Interline transfer CCDs work somewhat differently. -
Page 31: Microlenses
Adding microlenses to a front-illuminated CCD will raise the quantum efficiency of the CCD. Typical peak QE values for the CCDs used in QSI 500 Series cameras range from 35% to over 80%. Microlens models tend to have the highest QE, while anti-blooming gate models tend to have the lowest QE. -
Page 32: Signal Versus Noise
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Single-shot color CCDs, like those found in almost all general use digital cameras, are made by placing red, green and blue filters over adjacent pixels in the CCD. The image processing program then has to separate the three different color images and recombine them into a single color image. -
Page 33: Reducing Noise In Ccd Images
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Reducing noise in CCD images CCD imagers have developed a standard set of calibration techniques to reduce or eliminate different types of noise from CCD images. Calibrating CCD images requires taking some special kinds of exposures that are then applied to the “light frames”... - Page 34 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E 6-minute Dark Frame Above is a 6-minute dark frame taken during the same imaging session with the above image of M78. Notice the brighter pixels scattered randomly around the image. Note: The pixel values in this image have been stretched significantly to show the variations in the dark frame.
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Page 35: Flat Fields
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Original image Original image minus dark frame Look at the two images above. The top image is the original image as it came out of the camera. - Page 36 Image Processing for additional details on this technique. Good flat fields require an exposure time such that the pixel wells are filled to approximate half their full capacity. With a QSI 500 Series camera you should strive to achieve av erage pixel values between 20,000 and 30,000 out of a total of roughly 65,000.
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Page 37: Bias Frames
Bias frames can also be used to analyze the read noise in a CCD camera. You can le more about that process on the QSI web site at http://www.qsimaging.com/ccd_noise.h Taking bias frames is easy and takes only a couple of minutes. -
Page 38: Stacking Images
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Stacking Images After calibrating each of your raw images with dark frames, flat fields and bias frames, combining or “stacking” multiple sub-exposures can be used to further reduce the noise in your images. -
Page 39: Color Images
With at least 5 images, a median combine completely eliminates extreme pixel values that occur in individual frames. Color images Unless you’re using a single-shot color camera such as the QSI 520ci, producing color images requires taking separate exposures through different colored filters and then electronically combining the separate color channels. -
Page 40: Launch Maxim Le
U S E R G U I D E Taking Images with your QSI 500 Series Camera Launch MaxIm LE Note: This section uses MaxIm LE as the camera control application. If you use a different camera control application, it will support similar operations. -
Page 41: Camera Control Window
MaxIm should open the window and display the Setup tab. If another tab is displayed, click the Setup tab. MaxIm may recognize your QSI camera and automatically show it as the default camera in the Main CCD Camera field. If so, the Camera Control Window will look... - Page 42 Select “QSI Universal” from the pop-up menu. Click OK. That will take you back to the Camera Control Window. Click the “Connect” button to establish communication between MaxIm and your QSI camera. If MaxIm connects properly the Camera Control window will look like this: Note that the current temperature of the CCD is displayed in the “Main CCD Camera”...
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Page 43: Cool The Ccd
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Cool the CCD To set the CCD cooling temperature you must first turn Cooling on by clicking the “Coole On”... -
Page 44: Focusing With Maxim Le
G U I D E Note: Please refer to the Cooling the Camera discussion in Section 2 Camera Features and Controls for in-depth information on cooling your 500 Series camera and the available cooling options. Focusing with MaxIm LE Achieving precise focus is critical for producing high quality astronomical photos. This seemingly simple task is surprisingly difficult when using the long focal lengths typical of astronomical telescopes. -
Page 45: Take A Single Image
Click “Light” under the “Type” to select a “light frame.” If you have a camera with a color filter wheel, select the filter that you wish to use for this exposure. On a QSI 500 Series “ws” model with internal color filter wheel, Filter 4 by default contains the “L” or luminance filter. -
Page 46: View The Image In Maxim Le
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E View the image in MaxIm LE When an exposure has completed, MaxIm will automatically download and display the image in a new window. After downloading the image, examine it to see if the target is properly framed and the exposure time is appropriate. - Page 47 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E minute image. Tracking errors, improper polar alignm ent, airplanes, satellites, and cosmic rays all conspire to make it difficult to be successful wi th very long exposures.
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Page 48: Image Calibration
The “Suffix” field will be appended to each image filename along with a sequence number. So the full filename of the first light frame taken through the red filter would be “M78 QSI 0C-001-R360.fit”. This name identifies the target (M78) the camera model (QSI), the CCD temperature (0C), the sequence number (001) and the filter and exposure length (R360). -
Page 49: Dark Frames
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E The above numbers represent the minimum of each type of frame you should use. Takin more of each type of frame will further reduce the noise present in each calibration master image and improve your final results. -
Page 50: Flat Darks
Setup your telescope and possibly your light box to take your preferred style of flats. Adjust the exposure so the average pixel is filled to approximately half its full well depth. With QS 500 Series cameras you should strive for pixel values of roughly 30,000 ADUs. As with... - Page 51 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Dark frame showing two cosmic ray hits in lower right hand quadrant Inspect your dark frames for cosmic ray strikes or other anomalous pixel groupings. The dark frame above shows two cosmi c ray hits in the lower right quadrant of the image.
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Page 52: Scale By Flat Fields
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Screenshot showing Pixel Math command ready to subtract a master dark frame. Select your light frame for Image A at the top and your master dark for Image B. Select “Subtract”... -
Page 53: Automatic Calibrati On In Maxim Le
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E 1. Produce a master dark flat following the steps above for creating a master dark frame. 2. Subtract the master dark flat from each of the flat fields. 3. - Page 54 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Launch MaxIm LE. Choose “Set Calibration” from the Process menu. That will open the Set Calibration window. By default, MaxIm expects to calibrate images with bias frames, dark frames and flat fields. For this example we’re only going to show calibrating with bias frames and dark frames.
- Page 55 In this example the images are contained in: My Documents\QSI\Astro Images\M78 QSI 504 060924\ Click the checkbox next to “Include Subfolders” if you’ve organized the images and calibration frames into subfolders within the main folder.
- Page 56 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E The upper panel lists the groups of calibration frames that MaxIm identified. The first calibration group should be selected. The lower “Group Properties” panel lists the files in the selected calibration group.
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Page 57: Calibrate Images In Maxim Le
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E If MaxIm correctly identified all the calibration groups you created, you can click OK to close the Set Calibration window. Optionally you can click the “Replace w/Masters” button next to the Auto-Generate button. -
Page 58: Combine Frames In Maxim Le
Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E MaxIm will apply each of the calibration groups you specified in the Set Calibration step to each of the open images. You can then choose to save the calibrated images or just leave them open in MaxIm. - Page 59 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E The dialog box above will open showing a list of all currently open files on the left. Select individual image files and then click the “>>” button to add them to the list of Selected Images or click the “Add All”...
- Page 60 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E The first image file is again the top window in MaxIm. Select a second alignment star near the opposite edge of the image.
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Page 61: Binning
The standard binning mode is 1x1 meaning that each logical pixel is equa l to one physical pixel. The QSI 500 Series supports symmetrical and asymmetrical binn ing up to 3 pixels in either axis. Larger... - Page 62 MaxIm automatically adjusts the Width and Height fields to represent the size of the resulting image. In the example above 2x2 binning has been selected. This reduces the size of the resulting image of the QSI 504 from 768x512 to 384x256.
- Page 63 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Note: When using binning other than 1x1, the pixels are combined inside the CCD before reading and converting the combined pixel charge to a numeric value.
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Page 64: Using The Internal Color Filter Wheel
5 is shown empty over the shutter opening. Note that the dichroic filters supplied with 500 Series cameras reflect the light not passed by the filter (e.g. the red filter reflects cyan). Specify which filter to use for a single exposure in the Expose tab of the Camera Control window by selecting the filter in the pop-up menu In a sequence of images, you can specify a different filter for each sequence group. -
Page 65: Shutting Down Your Camera
G U I D E Shutting down your camera QSI cameras can safely be turned off by removing the power cable at any time, however it is best to let the temperature of the CCD rise close to the air temperature before removing power. -
Page 66: Guiding
G U I D E Guiding The QSI 500 Series camera can be used as you main imaging camera or as an autoguider. MaxIm LE supports the following cameras as autoguiders. Other camera control software, such as MaxIm DL support additional autoguiders with a QSI camera. -
Page 67: Using An Autoguider
U S E R G U I D E Using an AutoGuider This section provides basic instructions on how to use your QSI 500 Se ries camera as your main imaging camera and set up a separate camera on a guide scope f or guiding. - Page 68 Q S I 5 0 0 S E R I E S U S E R G U I D E Click the “Guide” tab to the left of the Setup tab. The Start button will be enabled if the autoguider camera was setup correctly.
- Page 69 Autoguider Output. This instructs MaxIm to send the autoguider control signals through the Guider port on the QSI 500 Series camera. If your autoguider camera also has a guider port, you can select “Guider Relays” to send th signals through the autoguider camera.
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Page 70: Using A Qsi Camera As An Autoguider
Using a QSI 500 Series Camera as an AutoGuide Your QSI 500 Series can be used as an autoguider with another camera as your main imaging camera. If using MaxIm LE, the main CCD camera must be set as a QSI camera or “No Camera.”... - Page 71 Autoguider Output. This instructs MaxIm to send the autoguider control signals through the Guider port on the QSI 500 Series camera now being used as the autoguider. Click OK to close the Guider Settings window and return to the Guide tab of the Camera Control Window.
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Page 72: Accessories
Accessories T-mount adapter The T-mount adapter plate attaches to the front of the camera body It comes standard on all QSI 500 Series cameras. The T-mount adapter is threaded with standard T-mount threads, 42mm diameter by 0.75mm pitch. 2” nosepiece The 2”... -
Page 73: Slr Lens Adapter
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 Series camera us ing four screws. Refer to the camera... -
Page 74: Care & Maintenance
G U I D E Care & Maintenance Cleaning the exterior The QSI 500 Series cameras are machined from military grade 6061 aluminum with a very durable anodized finish that resists most scratches and fingerprints. Use a soft cloth to remove dirt or spots fro m the exterior surface of the camera. -
Page 75: Cleaning The Color Filters
For the standard LRGB filters shipped with your QSI 500 Series camera , it is best to clean the filters infrequently and use the least intrusive of the methods below t o remove any dust or fingerprints. -
Page 76: Technical Support
Note: Your camera can also be returned to QSI to have the environmental chamber purged and refilled with UHP argon gas and the desiccant recharged. Argon has better thermal insulating properties than air and provides the best results but the camera will work extremely well in most conditions with just air in the chamber and an active desiccant plug. -
Page 77: Appendix A - 500 Series Specifications
Appendix A – 500 Series Specifications General Camera Specifications Feature QSI 500i Models QSI 500s Models QSI 500ws Models Electronic Shutter 100µsec to 240 minutes 100µsec to 240 minutes 100µsec to 240 minutes (Interline transfer CCDs only) 0.03 seconds to 240 Mechanical Shutter 0.03 seconds to 240 minutes... - Page 78 Model 504 CCD Specifications Feature Standard Optional Optional Model 532 CCD Options dak KAF-0402ME Kodak KAF-0402E Kodak KAF-0401LE CCD Architecture Full Frame Full Frame Full Frame Blue Enha nced Microlens Anti-blooming Yes, 300x suppression Imager Size: (WxH) 6.91mm x 4.6mm .91mm x 4.6mm 6.91mm x 4.6mm...
- Page 79 Model 532 CCD Specifications Feature Standard Optional Model 532 CCD Options Kodak KAF-3200ME Kodak KAF-3200E CCD Architecture Full Frame Full Frame Blue Enhanced Microlens Anti-blooming Imager Size: (WxH) 14.85mm x 10.26mm 85mm x 10.26mm 2254x1510 t otal pixe 2254x 1510 total pixels, Pixel Array (WxH): 2184x1472 activ...
- Page 80 Model 540 CCD Specifications Feature 540c CCD Manufacturer & Model Kodak KAI-04022 Kodak KAI-04022 (Color) CCD Architecture Interline Transfer Microlens Anti-blooming Yes - 300x s uppr ession Yes - Internal RGB on CCD; Bayer Color Filters color filter mask Imager Size: (WxH) 15.15mm x 15.15mm Pixel Array (WxH): 2112x2072 to...
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Page 81: Appendix B - Warranty
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. - Page 82 Shipping Costs The customer is responsible for all costs in shipping to QSI. QSI will pay shipping costs when returning a prod uct to the customer. All replacement/repaired products are shipped via UPS Ground unle ss a rush is requested. The cost of such a shipping upgrade is to be paid by the customer prior to shipment.
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