The QHY11 uses the TrueSense KAI-11002 35mm format (36mm x 24mm) CCD with 11 megapixels at 9 microns. It offers a wide field of view, good sensitivity and anti-blooming to prevent bright stars from causing streaks in long exposures. This CCD is well established over the years as the workhorse for many of the best astro-imagers in the world and numerous APODs have been taken with cameras using this sensor.
Design
Small Diameter Cylinder Shape Design
The circular design with a small diameter makes it ideal for use in telescope systems such as Hyperstar or other focal plane configurations without unnecessary occlusion by the camera body.
The typical cooling performance of the QHY11 is -45 degrees Celsius below ambient temperature. Compared to similar cameras using the KAI11002 or KAI11000, the QHY11 has greater cooling, so the thermal noise or dark current noise in long exposures will be lower than these other models.
Technology
Anti-Dew Measures Two-Pronged Approach
The QHY11 has a sealed CCD chamber with a desiccant tube connection for moisture control in the chamber. In addition, the camera has an external heating plate on the chamber window to prevent moisture from the atmosphere from settling on the window as dew.
The QHY11 has our standard 4-pin filter wheel port for automatic control of a QHY filter wheel. The camera is compatible with both the CFW2 and new CFW3 filters wheels holding up to seven 50mm round unmounted filters. The large OAG and guide camera can be attached to create a complete self-guiding system.
Sensor Type
The KAI-11002 is a progressive scan interline transfer CCD with anti-blooming protection.
The QHY11 has an internal 32MByte SDRAM image buffer.
If you have a camera with a KAI-11002 CCD and want to install it in a new QHY11 body, contact QHYCCD for details.