Features:
The DSO cooled camera line is the most advanced product line in Player One history. We started the project in 2021, and through a lot of modifications and rebuilds, we made this final version. It brings our newest technology and design to everyone, we are very proud to introduce this camera line.
Power Supply Not Included! - You can purchase here... https://www.microscopecameras.co.uk/player-one-12v-5a-power-supply-dc55-x-21mm
Drivers and software download: http://player-one-astronomy.com/service/software/
Manuals download: http://player-one-astronomy.com/service/manuals/
New Cutting-edge Design
Polygon like regular hexagons is very Player One, the DSO cooled cameras we want to make more beautiful and practical. After a lot of trying, we fixed the final style, which uses a scientific and technological octagon to construct the main body line and four sides are cambered surfaces, supplemented by round chamfers to achieve both rigidity and flexibility. The front piece is round to avoid diffraction on RASA. The positive red, similar to a summer fire, is matched with the low-key and steady black, and the super-fine frosting process on the entire surface makes the camera look elegant and cool and keeps Player One style.
Artemis-C Pro (IMX294) cooled camera is developed by Player One Astronomy, it is designed for advanced DSO imaging. It adopts Sony IMX294 4/3″ format color sensor. The 4.63um pixel size accommodates a good depth of 65.8Ke with a total of 11.7MP (the resolution is 4144*2824), and the diagonal is 23.2mm.
Rear Adjustment 4 Point Sensor Tilt Plate
When taking deep sky objects, using a sensor tilt plate can get a much smaller field curvature of the telescope. We adopt rear Adjustment and 4-point tilt plate, which has a lot of advantages in usage.
4 Point adjustment makes it easier to know which corner is needed to adjust. The built-in high-density sponge shading pad can block the light from the side slits without any side leakage.
To understand 4 point adjustment method, we made an example for users:
Deep Cooling
Player One cooled camera series uses 2-Stage TEC Cooling units, after improving the structure design to reject the heat back to the camera chamber, Camera Delta-T can reach over 40℃.
512MB DDR3 Cache
As an improvement, the DDR3 cache in cooled cameras is increased to 512MB. It helps stabilize and secure data transmission, effectively avoids frame dropping, and greatly reduces readout noise.
With the DDR3 cache, the camera does not have high demands on computing needs any longer, it will still have excellent performance even if it is connected to a USB 2.0 port.
STARVIS Technology
Artemis-C Pro (IMX294) cooled camera based on Sony STARVIS technology, it is back-illuminated pixel technology used in CMOS image sensors.
4/3″ Format
The Artemis-C Pro cooled camera has a 4/3″ format (19.2mm*13mm), this size is very popular for DSO imaging.
14bit ADC
IMX294 sensor has a 14-bit on-chip ADC. 14bit (16384 levels) provides higher sample resolution than 12bit (4096 levels).
Type-C Data port and Power port
The back piece of the cooled camera has 2 Type-C data ports and a 12V DC 5.5×2.1mm power port.
The main data port supports USB3.0 protocol, the camera can run 33fps under RAW8 mode. Type-C port is easier to plug in when assembling the imaging equipment at night.
When recording images, since the actual writing speed will be affected by the writing speed of the hard disk itself, when the hard disk writing speed is slow, the recording may not reach the theoretical speed. It is recommended that you use a high-quality solid-state drive to record data to give full play to the performance of the camera.
The camera has a 12V DC5.5*2.1mm port to provide enough power to the TEC cooling system. If you don’t need to power up cooling, only need to connect the main Type-C port, the camera will work as an uncooled camera.
Standard Cable Usage
Cooling System and Anti-Dew Heater
In the ASCOM window, we provide 3 adjustable parameters: Target temperature, Fan Speed, and Anti-Dew power.
Standard Delta-T: 40℃ (±2℃), when ambient temp 30℃, fan speed 100%, dew heater 10%.
Recommend Delta-T settings: 35℃ below ambient, fan speed 70%, dew heater 10%, power consumption 40- 60%.
The rotation speed of the cooling fan is also adjustable, the default value is 70% speed.
Dew problem is the biggest enemy in astro imaging, the camera integrated anti-dew heater in front of the camera. The heat power is adjustable.
Overvoltage and overcurrent protection mechanism
Player One cameras produced by us ensure the safety of your camera and other equipment through overvoltage and overcurrent protection mechanisms.
Performance
At gain=0, the camera has 13 13-stop dynamic range and 65.8Ke full well capacity, readout noise is 7.8e.
HCG opens at gain=120, the camera has 12.97 stops dynamic range and 14.5Ke full well, readout noise drops to only 1.8e.
Frame rate
Artemis-C Pro cooled camera can run 33FPS under RAW8 mode, that’s much faster than existing models on the market.
Readout Noise
Regarding readout noise, we solemnly promise that all values are obtained from actual tests. And for users, you could use Sharpcap 4 for testing. SC4 has a function called Sensor Analysis, which provides a very simple way to test readout noise.
Player One wrote a tutorial on thier website: https://player-one-astronomy.com/service/manuals/
If you are interested in readout noise testing, you may try it yourself, which is very simple.
Dark Frame
We provide the original dark frame of the Artemis-C PRO camera for check:
Dark frame 1: Gain=120, offset=50, exposure=300s, Temp=-10℃: Download Dark frame
Dark frame 2: Gain=0, offset=5, exposure=300s, Temp=-20℃: Download Dark frame
Preview of Dark frame 1: Exposure=300s, gain=120, offset=50, temp=-10℃ STF auto-Stretch in Pixinsight 1.86
Preview of Dark frame 2: Exposure=300s, gain=0, offset=5, temp=-20℃ STF auto-Stretch in Pixinsight 1.86
Dark Current
The dark current is only 0.0015 e/s/pix at -20℃ and 0.0086e/s/pix at 0℃. In the entire curve, the dark current is almost like a straight line, which can prove that the Artemis camera has very good quality.
QE Curve
This is the Relative QE curve from Sony, we estimate the QE peak of IMX294 is about 75%.
Mechanical Drawing
BFL Solutions
Package List
Specifications
Weight | 655 g |
Sensor | New SONY IMX294 4/3" CMOS (color) |
Diagonal | 23.2mm |
Total Pixels | 11.7 Mega Pixels |
Max Resolution | 4144×2824 |
Pixel Size | 4.63μm |
Bayer Matrix | RGGB |
Chip Size | 19.2mm×13mm |
Frame Rate | 33FPS(10bit) |
Shutter | Rolling shutter |
Exposure Range | 32μs-2000s |
Readout Noise | 7.8-1.2e |
Full Well | 65.8k e |
QE Peak | ≈76% |
ADC | 14 bit |
Cooling Syetem | High quality 2 stage TEC cooling Componet |
Cooler Power Consumption | 12V – 3A Max |
Delta T | 40℃ ± 2℃ (below ambient) |
Working Temperature and Humidity | Working Temperature: -10°C—60°C Working Relative Humidity: 0%—80% |
Protective Window | D46*2MM High Quality AR Plus (Anti Reflection) Multi-Layer Coating |
Data Port | Type-C USB3.0/USB2.0 |
Adapter | M48X0.75, 2", 1.25" |
Back Focal Length | 17.5mm, 12.5mm( without sensor tilt plate) |
Diameter | 90mm |
Weight | 650g |
Resolution and FPS | Under USB3.0 mode Resolution 10bit ADC 16bit ADC 4144×2824 33FPS 16.5FPS 3840×2160 47FPS 23.5FPS 2560×1440 97FPS 52.6FPS 1920×1080 160FPS 73.5FPS 1280×720 314FPS 107FPS 1024×768 340FPS 102FPS 800×600 429FPS 127FPS 640×480 525FPS 154FPS More resolution options could be setup in capture softewares! |
Artemis-C Purchase Options | Camera, Camera + Filter Drawer MAX + FHD-OAG MAX |