SBIG STT 8300M Basic

• A new full frame transfer camera in succession to the ST-8300 and STF-8300 - more features, improved cooling
• ♦ Sensor: full frame transfer Kodak KAF 8300 chip with anti-blooming and micro lenses
• ♦ Number of pixels: 3326 x 2504 pixels (8.3 megapixels)
• ♦ Download rate < 1 sec
• ♦ Imaging area 18 x 13.5 mm, 22.5 mm diagonal
• ♦ Pixel size: 5.4 µm x 5.4 µm
• ♦ Quantum efficiency (440 nm): 54%
• ♦ Power 12 V DC @ 3.5 A
• ♦ 1.22 kg weight (2.7 lb.)

SBIG STT-8300M Basic camera

New camera from SBIG with the successful sensor Kodak KAF-8300.The STT represents the culmination of everything that the amateur has asked for in an imaging system, packed into a 4.9 x 4.9 x 2.9 inch body.

♦ Standard features include: Two-stage cooling with a temperature delta greater than -50 °C with air only; water cooling ready; USB 2.0 and Ethernet on every camera; full frame buffer; fast low-noise readout of an 8.3Mp CCD in less than one second; MAR coated sapphire chamber window; internal user selectable automatic image processing; self-guiding in front of filters; remote guide head support; optional adaptive optics; and more.

♦ Even-Illumination Shutter: A mechanical shutter is included to facilitate dark frames. This is a necessity for anyone operating remotely; even if remotely means a few feet away from the telescope. Since the early days of the original ST-7 camera, SBIG has been providing even-illumination shutters in our cameras, something not found in the majority of other cameras made for astrophotography. "Even-illumination" means that the shutter mechanism is designed to open and close in such a manner that it does not change the proportion of light falling on the sensor due to the shape or motion of the shutter itself. This is what one finds for instance with an iris type of shutter that opens-up starting at the center and closes over the center last. The STT-8300 shutter sweeps over the CCD without leaving any area of the sensor exposed for a different period of time than any other area.

♦ The STT uses two-stage TE cooling, twin variable-speed fans and a highly efficient pin fin array heat sink that has proven itself in the STX design. Pin fin heat sinks are more expensive than typical parallel fin type heat sinks, but offer more efficient heat dissipation in a given space. In our tests of prototype models, the cameras reached an average delta greater than -50 °C in five minutes and an average maximum delta of -57 °C in less than 10 minutes using air cooling only. And, while is should not be necessary to use water cooling in most circumstances, if it should be desired, the STT series cameras include water cooling capability as standard equipment. It is not necessary to buy an expensive add-on or separate back. Simply supply water to the adjustable fixtures on the side of the camera body to obtain further cooling or to run the TE cooler without the fans.

♦ The KAF-8300 CCD has very low dark current, even at room temperature. Cooling the CCD reduces the dark current by 50% for every drop of 5.8 degrees C of cooling that is applied. Kodak specifies a dark current of less than 200 electrons per pixel per second at +60 degrees C. Extrapolating we calculate that at -15 °C the dark current is approximately 0.02e-. Tests of the 8300 CCD in production cameras confirm this extraordinarily low dark current at typical operating temperatures.

♦ Another desirable characteristic of the KAF-8300 CCD is its relatively high Quantum Efficiency (QE). Microlens technology is used to focus more light on the sensitive area of each pixel, increasing the effective QE of the 8300. Many nebulas emit a great portion of their light in the red portion of the spectrum, particularly at 656nm, the wavelength of H-alpha light. Other objects such as stars and galaxies emit a great deal of energy in the near IR. According to the KAF-8300 spectral characteristics, this CCD´s sensitivity is spread well across the visible portion of the spectrum and into the near IR with a peak of nearly 60% at 550 nm and still 50% at 656 nm. It is as sensitive at 850 nm as it is at 350 nm. This is quite a broad range and explains the CCDs popularity (and success) in astro-imaging.

♦ Standard (ST-4 pin compatible) Autoguider Output Port: The guider port on the STT-8300 is the same as on our other cameras, using a modular telephone type 6-pin jack to connect the STT-8300 to the user´s mount when using the camera as an autoguider. The internal relays used in the STT-8300 design are opto-isolated, so that no external relay box is required with any mount if the camera is being used as an autoguider or if it is being used to control the telescope in Track & Accumulate mode.

♦ 12VDC Operation: The STT Series cameras come with its own universal AC power supply. This supply will operate from 100-240 V AC and provides 12 V DC at 3.5 A to the camera. The STT-8300 also has a built-in voltage regulator and can be powered directly from any unregulated 12 V (10 - 14 volts) source such as a battery for operation in the field.

Technical Data

Detector: Kodak KAF-8300M single-shot monochrome with anti-blooming and microlenses
Sensor Size: 18 x 13.5 mm, 22,5 mm diagonal
Pixel Array: 3326 x 2504 pixels
Pixel Size: 5.4 x 5.4 microns
Total Pixels: 8.3 megapixels
Full Well Capacity: ~25,500 e-
Dark Current: ~0.02 e-/pixel/second at -15 degrees C
Anti-blooming: 1000x
Shutter: mechanical, even illuminated
Exposure: 0.12 to 3600 seconds
Correlated Double Sampling: yes
A/D conversion: 16 bits
A/D gain: 0.37 e-/ADU
Read noise: ~9.3 e- RMS
Binning modes: 1x1, 2x2, 3x3 . . . 15x15
Pixel digitization rate: 10 megapixels per second
Full frame download: <1 second
Standard cooling: dual stage thermoelectric, active fan, -55 °C from ambient maximum, air cooling only
Temperature regulation: +/-0.1 degree C
Power requirements: 12 VDC, 3.5 amps maximum, power supply included. Build-in voltage regulator for using batteries
Computer interface: USB 2.0
Computer compatibility: all Windows 32 and 64 bit O/S, plus Mac OSX
Optical head: measures 4.9 x 4.9 x 2.9 in. 124 x 124 x 74mm; weighs approximately 2.7 pounds / 1.2kg
Supplied mounting methods: T-thread, 2" nosepiece
Back focus needed: 0.69"/17.5 mm