MX716 High Sensitivity Monochrome Imager With a larger active area and a more sensitive response than ALL of the KAF0400 CCD cameras, at half the price, or less. Suitable for use with our Patented STAR2000 'Self-guiding' software. 752 x 580 pixels on a ½" format CCD Fast USB1 Interface

The MX716 is a brand-new introduction to the Starlight Xpress product line and offers both a substantial increase in imaging area and resolution, combined with an exceptionally high QE and STAR 2000 self-guiding capability.

The ICX429AL, as used in the MX716, is a new kind of Sony interline imager - the 'EXview' CCD, which has the greatest quantum efficiency yet offered in an interline device and which significantly exceeds that of the Kodak 'Blue plus' process used for the KAF series of CCDs throughout the visible and infrared spectrum. The fundamental QE is of the order of 70% from 650nm to 470nm, and compares well with the 40-50% of earlier devices (see graph below).

The MX716 camera specification:
CCD type:	Sony ICX429AL EXview CCD with ultra low dark current and vertical anti-blooming.
Pixel size:	8.6µm (horizontal) x 8.3µm (vertical)
CCD image format:	752 (horizontal) x 582 pixels (vertical) 779 (horizontal) x 582 pixels (vertical) squared
CCD size:	Imaging area: 6.47mm (horizontal) x 4.83mm (vertical).
Quantum Efficiency:	Peak response at 590nm, 30% at 400nm (violet) and 70% at 670nm (near infra-red).
Full-well capacity:	Greater than 70,000 e-.
Readout noise:	Less than 8 electrons RMS
Anti-blooming:	Overload margin greater than 800x.
Dark current:	Dark frame saturation time greater than 100 hours. Less than 0.1 electrons/ second at +10C ambient.
Output Data:	Full 16 bits (65536 gray levels).
Computer interface:	USB1.1
Power requirements:	120VAC @ 12VA, or 12VDC @ 750 milliamps.
Cooling system:	Regulated constant-current cooling supply built-in. Single-stage thermoelectric cooler to give a CCD temperature of approximately 30C below ambient.
Size:	50 x 100mm black anodised aluminium barrel with M42 thread at CCD window end and 15 way 'D' style input plug at rear.
Included Software:	Compatible with Windows 3.1 or higher. Windows 98/Me/2000/XP required for USB interface. PC 486 66MHz or higher recommended (Pentium for STAR2000).
Image download time:	Typically 12 seconds with a 200MHz PC and 'Fast Interface' module. USB version approximately 3.5 seconds.
Cooling system:	Regulated constant-current cooling supply built-in. Single-stage thermoelectric cooler to give a CCD temperature of approximately -30C below ambient.
Weight:	200g.
Sample Images:	NGC 7662 | NGC7635 | M15 | NGC 6946 | M27 Note: These open in a new browser window.
Documentation:	MX7 User Manual (1.1MB zipped MS Word file) MX7 User Manual (1162k PDF)