Detailed information about this product's features  Single-Shot Color
 Interline CCD
 Microlens
 Self-Guiding
 Remote Guide Head
The ST-4000XCM is a very large array (4.2 megapixel) self-guided dual-detector color CCD camera that provides an attractively-priced alternative to a digital SLR camera for wide field deep space imaging, particularly with high quality short and medium focal ratio refractors in the 4" to 5" range. The sensitivity of the ST-4000XCM is higher than a DSLR in the blue and green wavelengths, and significantly higher in the red and H-alpha, making for markedly better imaging of emission nebulas. The ST-4000XCM is thermoelectrically cooled, allowing significantly longer exposures to record very faint objects (up to an hour duration, compared to the 10 minute maximum exposure typical of a DSLR). And the ST-4000XCM is self-guided, saving the cost of having to buy a separate guide scope and CCD guider to avoid blurred long-exposure images with a DSLR.
The ST-4000XCM uses two CCD detectors. One is a 657 x 495 pixel detector for guiding. The other is a 2048 x 2048 pixel (4.2 megapixel) KAI-4022CM detector with built-in anti-blooming for collecting the image. The KAI-4022CM has a permanent RBG filter matrix over its pixel array, This lets you take full-color CCD images with only a single exposure, rather than the three or more separate exposures through different color filters needed for tri-color imaging with a conventional monochrome CCD camera. For more details, click on the “Single-Shot" icon above. The KAI-4022CM imaging detector uses an interline-transfer system to collect and download the image, and microlens technology to improve its light-gathering efficiency. For more details, click on the “Interline" and “Microlens" icons above.
The guiding and imaging detectors are mounted in close proximity to each other within the camera body and are focused at the same image plane. This patented guiding method allows you to focus both taking and guiding detectors simultaneously. Click on the “Self-Guiding" icon above for more information.
The large 4.2 megapixel KAI-4022CM color CCD detector twice the size as the KAI-2020 used in the ST-2000XCM camera, and approximately 50% larger than the KAF-3200ME CCD used in the ST-10XME. With a diagonal measurement of ~21.5mm, it is the largest CCD currently available in the ST series camera body.
The ST-4000XCM comes with a built-in multicoated UV+IR blocking filter for optimum color balance in astronomical imaging and improved performance with camera lenses and short fast refractors. Since no external UV/IR blocking filter is required, using a camera lens is a simple matter of attaching a lens adapter. The built-in UV+IR filter helps shape the red cut-off but does not significantly attenuate the important wavelengths of H-alpha and ionized sulfur (SII). The UV+IR filter has better than 97% transmission at H-alpha.
Additionally, the transmission curves of the RGB filters on the CCD detector place the mostly unwanted wavelength of sodium light pollution in the minimum gap between the red and green filters while passing H-alpha and SII. The peak red transmission is around 525nm. By way of comparison, typical unmodified DSLR cameras tend to have peak red transmission around 600nm with a significant fall off at H-alpha and almost no response to SII. This means that the typical DSLR is roughly twice as sensitive to the sodium light pollution of city lights as it is to the H-alpha glow of emission nebulas. The opposite is true for the ST-4000XCM, where the curve of the red filter attenuates the unwanted sodium line and transmits twice as much light near H-alpha.
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 of this website. Here's a quick link to those definitions. The “single class" chip of the ST-4000XCM has no more than 40 major dark pixels or 400 minor dark pixels in its entire 4,194,304 pixel imaging area, a maximum of 40 hot pixels, no more than 8 cluster defects, and no column defects. The point and cluster defects of the ST-4000XCM are easily removed from an image by software during processing.
Self-guided exposures up to one hour are possible with the ST-4000XCM. The imaging camera includes an electromechanical shutter allowing exposures of 0.001 seconds to 3600 seconds (one hour), a 16-bit analog to digital (A/D) converter, regulated thermoelectric 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 425,000 pixels per second, allowing a full frame download in about 10 seconds.
The standard cooling configuration is a single stage thermoelectric cooler with a software-controlled 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. A circulating water pump and tubing are available as optional accessories. Typical cooling without water assist is -30° C from ambient. With water assist, the cooling increases to a typical -40° C. Even without water cooling, the new single-stage cooling design offers similar performance to previous 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.
There’s a new I²C accessory port that adds bi-directional communication capability for "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 CFW9 color filter wheel, AO-8 adaptive optics system, and relay adapter box for telescopes that do not have a dedicated CCD guider input.
There is also a remote guide head port for using an optional external guider instead of the built-in guiding chip. Click on the “Remote Guide Head" icon above for more information.
The camera body has rack handles that make for easier and safer handling of the camera, particularly in cold weather when wearing gloves (as well as providing a place to attach a safety tether); a high speed USB 1.1 interface port; 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 1.25" nosepiece is optional); a T-thread ring for attaching to T-mount photo accessories; a 1/4"-20 thread side plate for tripod mounting; a 15-foot USB cable (third party USB extenders with a CAT5 cable are available for cable runs up to 300 feet); an adapter plug for the telescope interface cable; a telescope interface cable for autoguiding; and a universal 90-240VAC power supply with a remote on/off switch. You also get a CD-ROM containing full working versions of SBIG's CCDOPS version 5 camera control software; Software Bisque's CCDSoft Version 5 image processing/camera control software; Software Bisque's TheSky Version 5, level II, with telescope control for Windows; CCDStack, CCDAutopilot. And other free trial software from CCDWARE.. All operating manuals are on the CD-ROM. A custom designed hard carrying case with pre-cut foam is standard.
While the software supplied with this camera is designed for use with a Windows-based PC (including Vista 32 bit), 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 KAI-4022CM, single class.
Pixel Array: 2048 x 2048 pixels.
Pixel Size: 7.4 x 7.4 microns.
Total Pixels: 4,194,304 (4.2 megapixels).
Full Well Capacity: ~40,000e- unbinned; ~80,000e- binned.
Dark Current: <0.1e-/pixel/second at 0° C.
Antiblooming: standard.
Guiding Detector: Texas Instruments TC-237.
Pixel Array: 657 x 495 pixels.
Pixel Size: ~ 7.4 x 7.4 microns.
Total Pixels: 325,215.
Readout specifications are as follows: Shutter: electromechanical.
Exposure: 0.001 to 3600 seconds,
Correlated Double Sampling: yes.
A/D conversion: 16 bits.
A/D gain: >0.6e-/ADU unbinned; 0.9e-/ADU binned.
Read noise: 7.9e- RMS.
Binning modes: Color, 1x1; monochrome, 1x1, 2x2, 3x3.
Pixel digitization rate: up to 425,000 pixels per second.
Full frame acquisition: ~10 seconds.
System specifications are as follows: Standard cooling: single stage thermoelectric, active fan, water assist ready, -30° C from ambient typical (-40° C from ambient typical 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 1.1.
Computer compatibility: Windows 98/2000/Me/XP, Mac OS-X, Vista 32 bit.
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 pounds/0.9 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.
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