S/H Trius SX-694C Camera

by None

Price: £1450.00


This camera has seen very little use and is excellent as new condition.

  • A Bayer matrix single-shot colour version of the PRO-694 mono camera.
  • Medium format, high resolution ‘Exview’ CCD chip with 6,050,000 x 4.54uM square pixels in a 15.98 mm diagonal array.
  • Exceptionally low dark signal – No dark frames necessary for most deep sky objects.
  • Excellent QE of 77% peak in yellow light, 65% at Hydrogen alpha (656 nm).
  • Three port powered USB hub built-in. Can drive a Lodestar PRO + any SX filter wheel.
  • High performance two stage cooling for better than -40C delta T
  • Dry Argon CCD chamber fill for improved cooling performance.
  • Exceptionally effective anti-blooming with minimal effect on linearity and no lost active area.
  • Back focal length 17mm +/-1mm

This camera has seen very little use and is excellent as new condition.


The Trius SX-694 features what is probably the best CCD ever released by Sony for astrophotography of this size, with a Quantum Efficiency of 77% which is extremely high for an interline sensor. Combined with extremely low thermal noise and a very fast electronic shutter (no need for mechanical shutters hence greater reliability) this is one of the most senstive cameras on the market. 

This camera is very well suited to short to medium focal length scopes such as the Altair Wave Series 80mm and 102mm Super ED triplet refractors and will perform incredibly well with these telescopes, with the small pixel size of 4.54uM enabling it to take full advantage of the razor-sharp optics at 6mb resolution. If "binned" by a factor of 2x (Mono camera only) the effective pixel size increases to 9 microns making this versatile camera quite suitable for longer focal length scopes too. Extremely low noise and heightened sensitivity in binned mode would even further enhance the suitability of this camera for longer focal length telescopes such as larger refractors or even Ritchey Chretien telescopes.

Major features:

  • Medium format, high resolution 'Exview' CCD chip, with 6,050,000 x 4.54uM square pixels in a 15.98mm diagonal array.
  • CCD Image area: 12.49mm (Horizontal) x 9.99mm (Vertical).
  • Exceptionally low dark signal - No dark frames necessary for most deep sky objects.
  • Exceptionally effective anti-blooming with minimal effect on linearity and no lost active area.
  • Very high sensitivity - 77% QE at peak of response in yellow light, 65% at Hydrogen alpha line (656 nM).
  • High speed USB 2.0 interface for approx. 5 second downloads.
  • Built-in autoguider interface and output - compatible with our optional dedicated external guide cameras.
  • 3x powered USB ports for guider and filter wheel control
  • Single USB cable control for all features for less cables in use overall
  • Very low power consumption. Less than 1 amp at 12v DC.
  • Compact and lightweight - only 75mm in diameter x 70mm long - less than 500 grams load on the telescope.

Specifications:

  • CCD type: ICX694AQG (colour) Exview CCD with ultra low dark current and vertical anti-blooming.
  • CCD Full resolution pixel data: Pixel size: 4.54uM x 4.54uM, Image format: 2750 x 2200 pixels
  • CCD Image area: 12.49mm (Horizontal) x 9.99mm (Vertical).
  • CCD quality: Grade 1 or better - No bad columns, no dead pixels, no more than 50 'hot' pixels (saturated in <10 seconds).
  • Spectral Response: QE max at 580nM (~77%), 50% roll-off at 360nM and 770nM. 
  • Readout Noise: Less than 7 electrons RMS - typically ONLY 5 electrons! 
  • Full-well capacity: Greater than 20,000 e- (unbinned)
  • Anti-blooming: Overload margin greater than 800x.
  • Dark current: Less than 0.002 electrons/second @ - 10C CCD temperature.
  • Data format: 16 bits.
  • System gain:  0.3 electrons per ADU
  • Computer Interface: Built-in USB 2.0 compatible interface.
  • Image download time: Typically 5 seconds at full resolution.
  • Power requirements: 115VAC / 240VAC @ 12VA, or 12VDC @ 900mA max.
  • Cooling system: Regulated set-point cooling supply with thermoelectric cooler to give a minimum CCD temperature of approximately -30C below ambient. 
  • Size: 75 x 70mm black anodised aluminium barrel with 42mm 'T2' thread at the CCD window end & input/output plugs at rear. CCD alignment screws are provided for setting the chip parallel to the focal plane.
  • Weight: approx. 400g.