MallinCam
  • Home
  • Our Story
    • What is Video Astronomy?
    • How It's Made
    • Awards
    • Reviews
  • Our Products
    • OutReach Program Kit
    • Cameras >
      • Deep Sky >
        • SkyRaider DS287 Dob
        • Micro Series
        • Junior Pro
        • Xtreme
        • Xterminator
        • SkyRaider-DS
        • StarVision
        • SkyRaider DS287
        • SkyRaider DS2.3 PLUS
        • SkyRaider DS432cTEC
        • SkyRaider DS10c
        • SkyRaider DS10cTEC
        • SkyRaider DS16c / DS16m
        • SkyRaider DS16cTEC / DS16mTEC
        • SkyRaider DS26cTEC
        • SkyRaider DS24CTEC / DS62CTEC
        • Universe
      • Solar Lunar Planetary >
        • SkyRaider SolarCam
        • MALLINCAM HD-10 II
        • Signature
        • MallinCam SDI
        • Solar System Imager (SSI Series)
        • SkyRaider-SLP
      • Other Cameras >
        • All Sky Camera
    • Optical Tubes >
      • VRC-6
      • VRC-8
      • VRC-10
      • VRC-10T Truss Tube
      • VRC-12
      • VRC-12 Truss Tube
      • VRC-16 Truss Tube
    • Accessories >
      • Optical Accessories
      • Miscellaneous Accessories
    • New & Upcoming Products
    • Specials
  • Our Community
    • User Gallery >
      • Older Camera Model Gallery
    • User Websites
    • Customer Testimonials
    • Video Star Parties
    • LiveSkies.org
    • Myths and Truths
  • Support
    • Software Downloads
    • Manuals & Guides
    • Instructional Videos
    • Background Tech Data
    • Video CCD Explained
    • Servicing / Upgrades
    • Contact Us
    • Where To Buy
  • Light Pollution
BACKGROUND TECH DATA

For anyone interested in digging into the technical details about our cameras, you may find some of the data sheets and other material below useful.  Additional technical material can be found in the FILES area of the MALLINCAM YAHOO GROUP.

 Camera Views and Sensor Comparative Information  Click Here


  • CCD Sensor Data Sheets
-  SONY ICX413AQ (datasheet for AQ-S model not publicly available), 1.8" color Super HAD.  PDF1  PDF2
-  SONY ICX418AKL, 1/2" color non-EXview HAD.  PDF

-  SONY ICX428ALL, 1/2" monochrome EXview HAD.  PDF
-  SONY ICX428AKL, 1/2" color EXview HAD.  PDF

-  SONY ICX672AK, 1/3" color EXview HAD II.  PDF
-  SONY ICX810AKA, 1/3" color Super HAD II  PDF
-  SONY IMX035LQR, 1/3" color Exmor sCMOS.  PDF
-  SONY ICX828-829, 1/2" EXview HAD II Sensor,  PDF
-  SONY IMX287 CMOS Sensor PDF
-  SONY IMX432, 1.1" Sensor  PDF
-  SENSOR SIZE, TYPE and SENSITIVITY CHART PDF

-  SENSOR SIZE COMPARATIVE IMAGES IMX294 vs IMX183 Click Here
-  SENSOR SIZE COMPARATIVE; DS10c, 20mp sensor, DS2.3+ Click Here
-  Sony IMX294CJK, 10.7 MP CMOS sensor. Click Here
- Spectral Range of the IMX294. Click Here

  • Cable Wiring Schematics
-  Red LED MallinCam control cable pin-outs.  JPG
-  Mallincam Micro control cable pin-outs.  TXT
- 

  • Miscellaneous Background Material
-  Astro-video camera design whitepaper by Jim Thompson titled:  "What's In an Astro-Video Camera?".  PDF
-  Instructions on how to build your own RS485 to USB adapter.  PDF


CCD Sensor Classification and Testing


CCD sensors classification is done by the following:

On a brand new video camera, Boot the camera and set it to SENS 128X, 2 seconds integration with AGC set to OFF. Run the camera for 3 minutes from cold start.

3 hot pixels or less = class 0, no column defect
5 hot pixels or less= class1, no column defect
10 hot pixels or less= class2 no column defect
All our sensor are hand picked for each camera to have no column defect.

International agreement on ccd classification is as followed:

5 hot pixels= class 0, no column defect
10 hot pixels= class 1, with column defect
20 hot pixels= class 2, with column defect

Our own classification is more strict than the industry standard.

What is column defect? See this image taken from a $10,000.00 popular CCD camera.
The camera was running at -45C below ambient with Peltier cooler on. Click Here

Class 0 will also have a smoother background and better image with zero column defect

Hot pixels are the bright ones. Faint ones are warm pixels and are not hot pixels, they build up with heat as the camera is running. Not the same. As soon you boot the camera and you see  bright lite pixels, that's a hot pixel. They are permanent. A normal occurrence in all CCD sensors made on this planet.

NEVER- test the camera at more than 2 seconds integration on a bench. You have no image entering thus the video processor can't lower the pixels count against a image or signal coming it. This is no way to determine hot pixels on a true video ccd camera. Also, over heating of the camera will occur causing more permanent hot pixels and resulting in damage to cooling system. You need to have the camera mounted in a  metal focuser to dissipate the heat. This applies to MallinCam Hyper, Hyper PLUS, VSS, VSS+  Xtreme and Xterminator only.

You need a live image to determine remaining hot pixels and warm pixels.



                PRO-COM Electronics and MallinCam reserves the right to change product specifications or to discontinue products without notice.
                                                                                               MallinCam Copyright 2002 -2022
​