To install this plug-in extract the files d_SAC10.dll and SAC10.dll into the AstroArt directory
(typically c:\program files\AstroArt).
In addition to theinstallation of these driver DLL files in the AstroArt
directory, the FTDI USB drivers that come with the SAC10 camera need to be
installed on the system.
CAMERA SETUP
Start AstroArt and click CCD Camera from the menu
Tools / Plug-ins, then click "Check CCD"
This will show a list of options that can be used to use the camera in different operational modes
- Image Depth:
select how many bits/pixel the image will be sampled by the camera's
ADC.
16bit images will give a smoother image representation but will require twice as
long to download than an equivalent 8bit image. [default=16 bit]
-
Focus Depth: is similar to focus depth but is only used in focussing and
guiding modes. Setting this option to 8 bit will increase the refresh rate
of the image making this mode more useful for framing. For fine focussing
and guiding, 16bit depth will probably be preferred. [default=16bit]
-
VBE Correction: The SAC10 camera uses a sensor with interlaced frame readout facilities. This means that the odd
lines in the frame are read before the even lines in the frame. While the
odd lines are being read, the even lines are still exposed yielding slightly brighter
pixels in the even rows. VBE correction is a simple way to get rid of this
unevenness by smoothing out the difference in the two layers. The implemented
algorithm is designed for speed and other plugins might be available for AstroArt
to get better results. [default:OFF].
- Amplifier
Control: When turned on, the amplifier is switched off
during the exposure. This setting has no effect for exposures
under 2.5 seconds since the amplifier needs at least that time to power
up and stabilize. [default: ON]
- Exposure
Mode: As explained in the VBE section, the camera slightly adds exposure
time to the second frame being read from the camera. In two-exposure mode, the image is exposed twice and each time the other frame is read both frames end
up with the same exposure time. Setting the exposure mode to two-exposure
mode effectively doubles the expsore time in BW/RAW and 1x1 modes.
This setting has no effect on other modes [default: One Exposure/image]
- IO Speed: Lets
the user select the IO speed at which images are downloaded from the camera.
Low speed is slower than the High speed setting but results in a cleaner
image. [default: Lo speed]
- Gain Control:
User control for the camera gain. Higher settings will result in noisier images
[default=16, range=0-63]
- ADC offset control:
User control for the camera DC-component for the ADC [default=95,
range=0-255].
IMAGING SETTING
- 1x1: results in a color image of 2082x1548 pixels of 3.45µm² each.
This mode might require two exposures/image or VBE correction or a combination of
both to give better results.
- 4x4 BW: results in a 4x4 binned b/w image. the binning is
based upon the Red/Green Frame and is technically a 2x1 HW binning combined with
a 1x4 SW binning resulting in an image with correct image ratio. By adding
a lot of pixels, this mode can be used for fast light gathering when framing and
doing coarse focus.
- BW/RAW:
Will result in an image similar of the same size as a 1x1 image but will show the
raw data from the CCD sensor. To get a color image form this data, please use a
Astroart color synthesis. This mode might require two exposures/image or VBE correction or
a combination of both to give better results.
HISTORY
Document Change Log
|
Nov 1,2005 |
-
d_SAC10.dll version 1.0A
-
SAC10.dll version 1.0A
|
INITIAL RELEASE |
|
|
|
|
Copyright 2005: SAC IMAGING.
Questions/Remarks/Suggestions