SBIG STF Series Manuale utente

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

SBIG®STF Series

Imaging Cameras

User’s Manual

Version 1.03 - November 4, 2021

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device

pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable

protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates,

uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and if not installed and used in accordance with

the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no

guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause

harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the

equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of

the following measures:

•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•Increase the separation between the receiver and the equipment.

•Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver

is connected.

•Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

•Use shielded I/O cables when operating this equipment.

•You are also warned that any changes to this certified device will void your legal right to

operate it.

Industry Canada Compliance Statement

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

European Union - Compliance to the Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive

This product is in conformity with the protection requirements of EU Council Directive

2004/108/EC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to electromagnetic

compatibility. This product has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B

Information Technology Equipment according to European Standard EN 55022. The limits for

Class B equipment were derived for typical residential environments to provide reasonable

protection against interference with licensed communication devices.

Visit us at:

http://diffractionlimited.com

and

http://forum.diffractionlimited.com/

Diffraction Limited

59 Grenfell Crescent, Unit B, Ottawa, ON Canada, K2G 0G3

Telephone: 613-225-2732

Fax: 225-225-9688

of Diffraction Limited. ST-4, STF, MaxIm DL, MaxIm LT are trademarks of Diffraction Limited. ON

Semiconductor, product, and service names profiled herein are trademarks of Semiconductor Components

Industries, L.L.C. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Macintosh is a registered

trademark of Apple Corporation. The Linux trademark is owned by Linus Torvalds. Ubuntu and Canonical

are registered trademarks of Canonical Ltd. All other trademarks, service marks, and trade names

appearing in this guide are the property of their respective owners.

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

SBIG STF User’s Manual

Table of Contents

SBIG STF Imaging Cameras ...................................................... 5

Camera Features ........................................................................ 6

1 –Installation............................................................................. 7

1.1 Supplied Components ................................................................................ 7

1.2 Installing the Software................................................................................ 9

1.3 Installing the Hardware............................................................................. 10

1.4 Testing the Camera and Filter Wheel........................................................17

2 –Operating your STF camera with MaxIm LT ..................... 18

2.1 Connecting the STF Camera to MaxIm LT............................................... 18

2.2 Basic Imaging Procedure ......................................................................... 22

3 –Image Calibration ............................................................... 25

3.1 Bias Frame Calibration ............................................................................. 26

3.2 Dark Frame Calibration............................................................................. 28

3.3 Flat-Field Frame Calibration..................................................................... 31

3.4 Understanding Calibration Groups.......................................................... 33

3.5 Calibrating and Combining Images.......................................................... 34

4 –Accessories ........................................................................ 37

4.1 FW8-8300 Filter Wheel .............................................................................. 37

4.2 Other Accessories .................................................................................... 38

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

Appendix A: SBIG STF Camera Details ................................. 39

A-1 Connector pinouts ................................................................................... 39

A-2 Specifications........................................................................................... 41

Appendix B: Maintenance ...................................................... 47

B-1 Cleaning the sensor window .................................................................. 47

B-2 Regenerating the desiccant .................................................................... 48

B-3 Updating the camera drivers and firmware ........................................... 49

Appendix C: Troubleshooting ................................................ 51

Appendix D: Legacy STF camera models .............................. 52

Appendix E: Technical and Warranty Support ..............................53

Appendix F: Compatible software products ................................. 54

Appendix G: Concepts and Terminology ....................................... 55

IMPORTANT!

Please read this guide thoroughly before installing and

operating your new SBIG STF camera. It is important to fully

understand and follow all installation, operation, and

maintenance procedures as stated to ensure proper

functionality. Failure to do so may affect your warranty!

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

SBIG STF Imaging Cameras

The SBIG STF series of imaging cameras is an evolution of the previous

ST series, where the “F” stands for “Fast”, signifying the substantial

performance improvements of these cameras over their predecessors.

Indeed, the STF series provides a superior cost versus performance

ratio, with low noise and fast readout speeds. The family includes both

monochrome and colour sensors and supports filtered imaging with the

optional FW8-8300 filter wheel.

SBIG STF models include:

•STF-3200W is the ultimate in sensitivity, with 85% peak quantum

efficiency. The KAF-3200 is one of the most sensitive front-illuminated

Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) sensors available.

•STF-4070 and STF-8050 are interline cameras with very strong cooling,

and are capable of both very short and very long exposures. Both

cameras feature an all-electronic shutter and are available as either

monochrome imagers (STF-4070M and STF-8050M), one-shot colour

imagers with a standard Bayer filter pattern (STF-4070C and STF-

8050C), or as enhanced one-shot Luminance, Red, Green, Blue (LRGB)

imagers utilizing the Truesense Sparse Color Filter Pattern (STF-4070SC

and STF-8050SC).

•STF-8300M utilizes the large and very popular 8.3 megapixel KAF-8300

sensor. The camera boasts very good sensitivity along with low noise.

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

Camera Features

Our STF series cameras offer excellent performance, very low noise, and a rich

set of features. All STF camera models include the MaxIm LT application for

Windows for image acquisition and processing. The series features:

•Four different CCD imaging sensors by ON Semiconductor™

•Light-weight, compact design

•Centered optical axis for optimum instrument balance

•Support for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux

•USB 2.0 communications interface

•Full-frame image buffering eliminates readout artifacts

•Thermoelectric Peltier cooling with accurate temperature regulation

•Included 110V / 220V power supply and optional 12VDC operation

•User-rechargeable desiccant plug

•Built-in 1/4-20 tripod mount

•Support for 8-position filter wheel FW8-8300

Refer to Appendix A-2 Specifications for detailed camera specifications.

Multi-platform operation

The STF cameras are compatible with Windows (versions 7 through 10),

MacOS 10.14.4 (32-bit), and Canonical Ubuntu Linux 18.04LTS.

The STF camera interface specification is also fully documented, supporting

the development of custom interfaces.

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

1 - Installation

1.1 Supplied Components

Camera

Your STF camera and accessories are provided in a foam-lined hard shell

protective case. Observe proper handling procedures for sensitive electronic

equipment and unpack the contents carefully in a clean, dry, static-free area.

Inspect the contents to ensure all components are present and in good order.

You should find the following:

•STF main camera body, with desiccant plug installed

•Camera dust cap

•Power for models STF-4070 or STF-8050:

o+12V 6A Power supply (60012A)

oPower cable with US plug (51089), European plug (50392), or

Australia/New Zealand plug (50390) (type specified on ordering)

oPower extension cable

•Power for models STF-3200W or STF-8300M:

o+12V 3A Power supply (60013)

oPower cable with US plug (51089) or European plug (50392), or

Australia/New Zealand plug (50390) (type specified on ordering)

•+12 VDC Battery power cable (CA-ST402BATTERY). Note that this cable

is an option in lieu of the AC power supply and works with all STF

camera models.

•USB flash drive

•2” Nosepiece adapter

•Camera handles (qty 2) and 8-32 x 5/16" socket head cap screws (qty 4)

(STF-8300, STF-8050, STF-4070 only)

•Ferrite snap-on chokes to reduce radio frequency interference (qty 2)

(STF-8300, STF-8050, STF-4070 only)

•Guider-to-telescope mount interface cable (TIC) RJ11-RJ11.

NOTE: This cable has its pin connections flipped from one end to the

other –they are not straight-through connections.

•USB cable, 15 feet (4.6 meters)

•Allen key, 9/64”

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

FW8-8300 Filter Wheel

The optional FW8-8300 filter wheel is designed for use with the monochrome

STF cameras, including the STF-3200W, STF-8300M, STF-4070M, and STF-

8050M.

The one-shot colour cameras are not usually used with a filter wheel. However,

the FW8-8300 will mechanically fit and operate with the STF-4070C, STF-

4070SC, STF-8050C and STF-8050SC cameras. Since these cameras do not

employ a mechanical shutter, this is useful for customers who wish to capture

dark frames without having to manually cover the camera. With an FW8-8300

filter wheel in place, such captures can be performed remotely by using a

blackened filter slot as a mechanical shutter to cover the sensor.

Inspect the supplied contents to ensure all components are present and in

good order. You should find the following:

•FW8-8300 - 8-position filter wheel with I2C cable

•2” Nosepiece adapter with cap

•O-rings, 2-027 (qty 8) (41006)

•Allen key, 9/64”

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

1.2 Installing the Software

The MaxIm LT imaging application allows you to operate your STF camera

using a Windows computer. A MaxIm LT license is now included at no cost

with purchases made after October 1, 2019. CCDOPS software is available at

no cost for older cameras, or you can purchase a MaxIm LT license at a

discounted price. For previous purchases, refer to Appendix F: Compatible

software products. Drivers only are provided for the MacOS and Linux

operating systems.

System requirements

The following hardware and software is required for MaxIm LT:

•MS Windows (applicable versions: 7, 8, 8.1, 10)

•Recommended minimum memory size: 1 GB or larger.

Processing larger images or opening multiple images simultaneously will

require correspondingly more memory. 2 GB memory is recommended

for processing large arrays, including images larger than 6 megapixels.

•Disk space: 100 MB for program installation

•Video display: 1024x768, 16-bit color or higher

•Mouse

•Internet browser

Windows installation

1. Go to the Registration page on the Diffraction Limited website at:

https://diffractionlimited.com/maxim-lt-registration

2. Enter the requested information and serial number to register for the

MaxIm LT application. Use your camera’s serial number for this. If your

camera is authorized for a free license you will be automatically emailed

a license key.

3. Insert the supplied flash drive into an available USB port.

4. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the flash drive’s root folder.

5. Double-click Launcher.exe, then click Install SBIG to install the SBIG

Driver Checker. When the installation is completed, launch the SBIG

Driver Checker.

6. Click the Update button to install the drivers.

7. Return to the Launcher and click the Install MaxIm DL button. Follow

the onscreen instructions to install the Maxim LT application and then

enter the license key you received when prompted.

NOTE:

To enter your license key properly, you must select all the text from the

email you receive and copy it to the clipboard. You then start MaxIm LT

and open the Enter License dialog. The license key will be entered

automatically –there is no need to paste it since MaxIm LT finds it on

the clipboard and pastes it for you.

8. Click OK to finish. You can then proceed to the next section to install

your hardware.

SBIG STF SERIES - CAMERA USER’S MANUAL

1.3 Installing the Hardware

This section details the steps required to connect an STF camera and FW8-

8300 filter wheel. Diffraction Limited recommends that filters are installed as

part of this procedure when mating the filter wheel to the camera.

Note that these installation instructions are illustrated showing an STF-8300M

camera body but are also applicable to the STF-3200W, STF-4070M, and STF-

8050M cameras. However, most of this procedure is not applicable to the one-

shot colour camera models STF-4070C, STF-4070SC, STF-8050C and STF-

8050SC since these do not normally require the use of a filter wheel. For those

cameras you can proceed directly to step 15, unless you’ve chosen to install

the filter wheel for use in collecting dark frames.

CAUTION:

Do not touch the connectors, wires, or circuit board visible on the exposed

inner faces of the camera or filter wheel. Components on the circuit board

can be damaged by electro-static discharge. Use of an anti-static wrist-

strap and an anti-static mat with proper grounding is recommended.

1. Place the STF camera on a clean dry surface with the sensor side facing

up.

2. Remove the front cover plate of the camera by unscrewing the four cap

screws (use the supplied 3/32" Allen wrench) around the perimeter of

the plate and lifting it off the camera body.

The camera’s front plate is not used when a filter wheel is attached.

Retain this plate for possible future use and set the camera aside.

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