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The ST-10XME uses two CCD detectors, one a 657 x 495 pixel detector for guiding and the other a high quantum efficiency 2184 x 1472 pixel Class 2 detector with microlens technology for collecting the image. The detectors are mounted in close proximity to each other within a single camera body. Both are focused at the same image plane. This patented guiding method allows you to focus both taking and guiding detectors simultaneously. Some competitive cameras have separate guiding and imaging detectors in separate housings that mount in an off-axis guider body. This two-housing system requires more setup time to focus each detector independently than the one-time focus of the ST-10XME. Still other cameras have one detector, but use a portion of that detector to guide while the balance of the detector collects the image. By using a separate internal CCD for guiding, the ST-10XME allows 100% of the primary CCD to be used to collect the image, an improvement over other single chip designs.

The telescope drive correction rate and limiting guide star magnitude can be independently selected. In SBIG tests performed under moderate light pollution with an 8” f/6.3 telescope, randomly pointing the telescope toward objects in relatively star-poor areas of the sky away from the Milky Way resulted in stars on the guiding detector being bright enough to be used for guiding 95% of the time. TheSky software from Software Bisque (supplied with the ST-10XME) can print finder charts showing the correct placement of the guiding detector’s field of view relative to the imaging CCD’s field of view. Using this software tool to plan your nights imaging will help you orient the camera for proper guide star acquisition in those few cases where a bright-enough guide star might not be immediately apparent.

In addition to the built-in guiding detector there is also a remote guide head port for using an optional external guider, such as the SBIG #RGH, instead of the built-in guiding detector. This is sometimes helpful during color imaging through a color filter wheel. In some areas of the sky that have few reasonably bright stars to use for guiding, the color filters will dim the only available guide stars to the point where guiding with the camera’s internal guiding chip may become erratic as seeing conditions fluctuate. The use of an optional separate external guiding head will eliminate any such issues.

The imaging CCD is the new Kodak enhanced quantum efficiency 3.2 megapixel KAF-3200ME without anti-blooming. This Class 2 detector uses a microlens assembly over the pixel array to focus the incoming light more precisely on the individual pixels. This raises the detector’s peak quantum efficiency to almost 85%, making it the most sensitive CCD camera in its class. The quantum efficiency for the blue wavelength of 400nm nearly doubles that of its predecessor, the KAF-3200E. It is 30% higher in the red spectrum at the H-alpha emission line (increasing from 65% to 85% efficiency). The resulting high quantum efficiency from UV to IR makes the ST-10XME perfect for imaging deep space objects such as dim galaxies and emission nebula. By fortunate circumstance, the peak quantum efficiency occurs very near the H-alpha emission line at 656 nm, making this camera extraordinarily sensitive at this important wavelength. It could be said that this camera was “made for” capturing H-alpha! Previously, this level of quantum efficiency was achievable only through the process of thinning the wafer and illuminating the image sensor from the backside. However, thinned, back-illuminated CCDs (SITe and Marconi arrays) are very expensive. The front-illuminated KAF-3200ME achieves similar performance to a back-illuminated CCD, but at a lower cost and with lower dark current specifications (dark current is up to 30 times higher with a back-illuminated Marconi detector than with the front-illuminated KAF-3200ME.)

Although the ST-10XME is a perfect match to high quality refractors in high resolution mode, with 3.2 million pixels the ST-10XME is easily adapted to a variety of focal lengths. The various binning modes allow you to match the pixel size to various focal length telescopes, ranging from long focal length refractors and SCT’s to short focal length camera lenses. Binning 1x1 yields 6.8 micron pixels. Binning 2x2 yields 13.6 micron pixels. Binning 3x3 yields 20.4 micron pixels. There are also half-frame and quarter-frame modes available for each resolution setting. Moreover, even when binned 2x2 or 3x3 the number of pixels is still comparable to the ST-7XE, ST-8XE and ST-9XE. For example, in addition to 2184 x 1472 pixels at 6.8 microns, the user can elect to image at 1092 x 736 with 6.8 micron pixels or 1092 x 736 with 13.6 micron pixels. In “low” resolution, full frame mode, the ST-10XME still operates much like a ST-9XE, but with 36% more pixels and 43% larger field of view! The various combinations of useable frame and pixel sizes make this an extremely versatile camera.

Because of the microlens technology used to increase the quantum efficiency of the detector, an antiblooming gate (ABG) cannot be used with the KAF-3200ME. Accordingly, the ST-10XME is available only in a non-antiblooming version. This makes it more suitable for accurate scientific measurements. It also presents the possibility of bright stars blooming when imaging, if care is not taken in selecting exposure times.

The KAF-3200ME detector is graded by Kodak as a Class 2 chip. Kodak classifies their imaging detectors according to the number and type of “defects” found on the chip. “CCD Point, Cluster, and Column Defects” are defined in the “Astronomical Terms” section above left. The Class 2 chip of the ST-10XME has no more than 5 “point” defects in its central 1544 x 1040 pixel area, and no more than 10 “point” defects over its entire 3,200,000 pixel imaging area. It has no more than 2 “cluster” defects in its central 1544 x 1040 pixel area, and no more than 4 “cluster” defects total. It has no column defects. The “point” and “cluster” defects of the ST-10XME are easily removed from an image during processing.

The imaging camera includes an electro-mechanical shutter, 16-bit analog to digital (A/D) converter, regulated temperature control, and has all of the electronics integrated into the CCD head. Communication to your PC is through new high-speed electronics and a high speed USB 1.1 interface. Data transfer rates are up to 420,000 pixels per second, allowing a full frame 3.2 megapixel download in 8.7 seconds. The standard cooling configuration is a single stage cooler with an active fan and a newly designed heat exchanger. It includes an inlet and outlet for water circulation should the user desire to maximize the cooling performance for hot climates. Typical cooling is -45° C from ambient with water assist (-35° C from ambient without water assist). The new design does not require an additional power supply and may be operated with or without water assist. Even without water cooling, the new design offers similar performance to two-stage cooling with much less current draw than a two-stage cooler. It is therefore less demanding on battery capacity when operating in the field. A circulating water pump and tubing are available as optional accessories.

The ST-10XME camera is a complete system. There is no need to pay extra for an interface or an autoguider or a nosepiece or better software to make this camera actually operate as it should, as is often typical with other CCD cameras. Everything that is needed to make the ST-10XME operational is included in the price. SBIG even includes some non-essential, but desirable, items such as a custom hard carrying case.

The ST-10XME includes a camera body with an imaging detector, a Texas Instruments TC-237 autoguider detector, new analog and digital electronics, and a cooling fan and new heat exchanger design with water-cooling capability. There’s a new I²C accessory port that adds bi-directional communication capability for the development of a new family of “smart” accessories. A standard accessory port is also provided to maintain compatibility with the customer’s existing telescope interface cables and backwards compatibility with SBIG’s existing accessories – such as the CFW8 color filter wheel, AO-7 adaptive optics system, and relay adapter box for telescopes that do not have a dedicated CCD guider input. There’s a remote guide head port for use when imaging through a color filter wheel.

The camera body has rack handles that make for easier and safer handling of the camera, particularly in cold weather when wearing gloves; a high-speed USB 1.1 interface port with a 15-foot USB cable (commonly available and relatively inexpensive third party USB extenders are available for cable runs up to several hundred feet, something not presently possible with a USB 2.0 interface); a user-rechargeable desiccant plug (there’s no need to return the camera to the factory for frosting problems); an internal shutter for automatic dark frames; a 2” nosepiece; a T-thread ring for attaching to T-mount photo accessories; a 1/4”-20 thread side plate for tripod mounting; a telescope interface cable for autoguiding; and a universal 90-240VAC power supply with a remote on/off switch.

A supplied CD-ROM has sample images and software for SBIG’s CCDOPS version 5 camera control software, and Software Bisque’s CCDSoft Version 5 image processing/camera control software and TheSky version 5, level II, with telescope control for Windows. Instruction manuals are provided on the CD-ROM. You also get a separate printed camera operating manual and a custom designed Pelican hard carrying case with pre-cut foam. The custom cut foam securely holds the camera and power supply with additional spots for accessories, cables, etc. The case is dust proof, water proof, crush proof, and carries a lifetime guarantee from the case manufacturer.

While the software supplied with this camera is designed for use with a Windows-based PC, SBIG can also supply software to let Apple Macintosh owners control the camera. The software is available free from SBIG upon request to any new SBIG camera purchaser with proof of purchase. Simply send SBIG a copy of your invoice with the camera serial number and request the EquinoX Planetarium Software with SBIG Camera Control. The EquinoX software requires a Apple Macintosh computer (G3, G4 or G5), OS X 10.2 or later, 30MB of free RAM, and 92MB of hard disk space. The software can control all SBIG ST-series cameras and Ethernet cameras. OS X drivers for the cameras are also required and can be downloaded from SBIG at no charge.

Detector specifications are as follows:

Imaging Detector: Kodak KAF-3200ME, Class 2.
Pixel Array: 2184 x 1472 pixels.
Pixel Size: 6.8 x 6.8 microns.
Total Pixels: 3,200,000.
Full Well Capacity: ~77,000e-.
Dark Current: 0.9e-/pixel/second at 0° C.

Guiding Detector: Texas Instruments TC-237.
Pixel Array: 657 x 495 pixels.
Pixel Size: 7.4 x 7.4 microns.
Total Pixels: 307,000.

Readout specifications are as follows:

Shutter: electromechanical.
Exposure: 0.11 to 3600 seconds, 10ms resolution.
Correlated Double Sampling: yes.
A/D conversion: 16 bits.
A/D gain: 1.5e-/ADU.
Read noise: 9e- RMS.
Binning modes: 1x1, 2x2, 3x3, 1 x N, 2 x N, 3 x N.
Pixel digitization rate: up to 420,000 pixels per second.
Full frame acquisition: 8.7 seconds.

Optical specifications with 8” f/10 (2000mm focal length) scope are as follows:

Field of view: 25 x 17 arc minutes.
Pixel size: 0.7 x 0.7 arc seconds.
Limiting magnitude: magnitude 14 in one second.
Limiting magnitude for 3 arc second FWHM stars: magnitude 18 in one minute.

System specifications are as follows:

Standard cooling: single stage thermoelectric, active fan, water assist ready, -35° C from ambient typical (-45° C with water assist).
Temperature regulation: +/-0.1° C.
Power requirements: 5 VDC at 1.5 amps, +/-12 VDC at 0.5 amp, desktop power supply included.
Computer interface: USB.
Computer compatibility: Windows 95/98/NT/2000/Me/XP.
Guiding: patented dual CCD self-guiding.

Physical specifications are as follows:

Optical head: measures 5 inches diameter x 3 inches deep (12.5 cm diameter x 7.5 cm deep), weighs 2.2 pounds/1 kg.
CPU: no separate CPU required, all electronics integrated into optical head.
Supplied mounting methods: T-thread, 2” nosepiece.
Back focus needed: 0.92”/2.3 cm.