ASTREL AST16200-B-C-FW - Stand alone CCD Camera with KAF-16200 Color Sensor

Astrel Instruments AST16200-B-M-FW - COLOR CCD Camera independent from a PC

Combine the advantages of a cooled CCD camera with the more flexible handling of a DSLR camera. The Astrel AST16200 combines the best of both worlds and furthermore convinces through very interesting product features.

Easy like a DSLR

Don´t need a PC to be operated, as a DSLR. Can be used via smartphone or the optional 5" touch display.

You have 16 GB internal memory for your valuable raw exposures (expandable to up to 64 GB).

Fast, high sensitive live-view for easy focusing

Few, easy and self-explanatory apps for comfortable operation

Powerful like a professional CCD camera

The proven Kodak KAF16200 COLOR sensor is the heart of the camera.

Cooling down to -40 °C below ambient reduces noise.

Integrated 4-position filter wheel for 2" filters

Binning from 2x2 to 10x10 (for testing) is possible.

With the hand pump, you generate a low vacuum for avoiding efficiently frost and dew.

Smart like a PC

Autoguiding and telescope control by the camera

Planetarium program, post-processing and more included

Many apps provide more possibilities

WiFi, Gbit-Ethernet, 2x USB, I/O Ports

Optional keyboard and display enhance the stand-alone abilities

The hardware features of the AST16200B cameras:

KAF-16200: The KAF-16200 Sensor is a proven high-quality CCD chip used in many astro cameras. With a 36.4 mm digonal and 6 µm pixels, it is perfectly suited for astronomical telescopes. The field can still be fully corrected and illuminated by 2" correctors.

The sensor has an anti-blooming gate, so even bright stars stay round.

The sensor has extremly low noise. Only a few exposure sequences are already sufficient for achieving a good image.

Filter wheel:] The AST16200B offers an internal filter wheel for up to 4 filters in cell for 2" eyepieces. We recommend ASTRONOMIK filters.

Choose a fitting selection, like L-RGB filters for conventional colour images or nebula filters for narrow band exposures. Of course, you can freely combine the filters.

Every filter position is approached with pinpoint accuracy and checked by optical sensors. Via the internal program, you can specify when wich filter is approached. Thus you can plan a complete exposure sequence with different filters and the camera will run through every step automatically.

Cooling and vacuum chamber: The AST16200B series cameras feature a power consumption of only 2.5 A @ 12 V in fully operative state with 100% peltier on. In spite of this very low power consumption, an efficient 2 stages peltier cooling system can lower the regulated CCD temperature by up to 40 °C below ambient.

The sensor and the cooling chain are contained in a vacuum proof chamber: using the included vacuum pump connected to the valve on the rear of the camera body, in less than a minute the air can be pumped-out. This has 2 fundamental effects: it eliminates the possibility of frost forming inside the chamber and minimizes the convective up and down heat transfer inside the chamber, optimizing the heat removal via the cold finger and avoiding cooling of the optical window that could lead to fogging.

Every camera is tested to maintain a proper vacuum level for at least 3 days (most cameras can hold the vacuum for several weeks). For customers running remote observatories, it is possible to fill the chamber with inert gas like Argon or Krypton, which will stay in the camera for months. The vacuum level can be controlled through the manometer incorporated in the vacuum pump.

No desiccant is needed.

On camera smart software suite

This suite of applications has been developed to make the Astrel Instruments cameras really easy and intuitive to use.

No complicated software: use this apps connecting with your smartphone, tablet, PC or using the integrated 5" display + wireless keyboard, and a few minutes and clicks are enough to start taking pictures.

Live View: When in liveview mode, the camera is put in 10x10 binning. In opposite to the dark DSLR display, you can really SEE the object on the screen, allowing a quick and easy framing of the target. Even weak objects can be positioned exactly. With this, you can, for example, skilfully present several deep-sky objects.

Focus Mode: Focus mode for easy, intuitive and above all exact focusing. A small area is shown highly magnified, the camera starts downloading this area as fast as 2-3 frames per second.

You can see LIVE how the star becomes smaller and sharper. If you have reached optimum sharpness, you can instantly start the exposure.

Temperature control: Effective temperatur control with an accuracy of 0.1 °C allows for reproducible results. The dark frames match precisely.

The effective temperature of the sensor is always in view.

Take Photos: Start with imaging. Decide whether it should be a single image or a whole sequence. Via the program, you can set the exposure time, the number of imges or the binning mode - shown simply and clear.

The exposures are stored internally and are at your disposal for late image processing.

Monitoring: View the raw image on your monitor or the optional display. You can see directly whether everything worked out and can correct and take countermeasures.

All relevant exposure date are displayed and can be checked.

Guider: The camera also has an autoguider function, based on the popular Lin_guider Linux program. This software is compatible with cameras which feature an autoguiding port. Guiding is made by an off-axis guider or via a guiding scope.

On camera advanced software

Thanks to the powerful integrated microprocessor and large memory, any Astrel Instruments camera is by any means a PC, running the Ubuntu OS with hundreds of available applications, including many astrophotography related ones. The cameras come with several pre-installed astronomy applications including:

Planetarium software: The camera comes with planetarium software, based on KStars/Ekos and Cartes du Ciel. With this programs, you can control GoTo mounts and approach the object with pinpoint accuracy.

Image analysing software: SAOImage DS9 is a powerful software for for image review and analysis.