TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN UNIVERSE
Telescope: Askar FRA600
Mount: iOptron CEM40
Filters: Chroma 36mm LRGB Ha
QHY4040/QHY4040PRO is a scientific cooled CMOS camera with GSENSE4040 4K*4K sCMOS sensor. It has a 36.9mm x 36.9mm square sensor with 9.0um pixels in a 4k x 4k array. It has a 36.9*36.9mm big image area. 9um pixel size.
QHY4040/PRO has both the FSI version and BSI version. FSI version has a peak QE of 74%, 70ke full-well (at the lowest gain), 4e readout noise (at the highest gain). BSI version has a peak QE of 90%, 39ke full-well (at the lowest gain), 2.3e readout noise(at the highest gain), and a wide spectrum from UV to Near IR.
QHY4040 has only the FSI version, supports a single 12BIT channel readout (high gain channel only). QHY4040PRO has both FSI version and BSI version, supports selectable dual 12bit channel output (high gain, or low gain), and also supports the on-camera dual 12bit to 16bit data combination process.
The standard version is two-stage TEC cooling with air cooling. QHYCCD can provide the water cooling version as requested.
The typical application of this camera is astronomy imaging, spectrum, dynamic x-ray DR, satellite tracking, etc.
*Please contact QHYCCD about the price.
First Light of QHY4040Pro-BSL
Taken together with a 50cm telescope in Corona Borealis Observatory, Ali, Tibet, China
| Model | QHY4040 | QHY4040PRO-FSI | QHY4040PRO-BSI |
| CMOS Sensor | Gpixel Gense4040 FSI / BSI version | ||
| Pixel Size | 9.0um x 9.0um | ||
| CMOS Chamber Optic window glass | AR+AR multiple layer coating anti-reflection glass | ||
| Sensor Size | 36.9mm*36.9mm | ||
| Effective Pixel Area | 4096 x 4096 | ||
| Effective Pixels | 16.8 Megapixels | ||
| Effective Image Area | 36.9mm x 36.9mm | ||
| Fullwell | Only supports Low Gain channel 26ke- | High Gain Channel >70ke
Low Gain Channel 26ke. |
36ke- |
| AD Sample Depth | Dual 12bit ADC. Only output high gain channel. | Dual 12bit ADC (1)Dual Channel Output Together Mode. (2)Single Channel Mode (High Gain Channel and Low Gain Channel Seletable) (3)Dual 12bit Combine to 16BIT Image mode. |
Dual 12bit ADC (1)Dual Channel Output Together Mode. (2)Single Channel Mode (High Gain Channel and Low Gain Channel Seletable) (3)Dual 12bit Combine to 16BIT Image mode. |
| Full Frame Rate | 20FPS@4096*4096 8bit (Clock Speed 4) 18FPS@4096*4096 8bit (Clock Speed 3) 16FPS@4096*4096 8bit (Clock Speed 2) 12FPS@4096*4096 8bit (Clock Speed 1) 8FPS@4096*4096 8bit (Clock Speed 0) 8FPS@4096*4096 12bit (Clock Speed 0) |
USB3.0 Mode 20FPS@4096*4096 8bit 13FPS@4096*4096 8bit10FPS@4096*4096 16bit and 8bit 8FPS@4096*4096 16bit and 8bit2*10Gbps Fiber Mode 24FPS@4096*4096 16bit 20FPS@4096*4096 16bit 13FPS@4096*4096 16bit 10FPS@4096*4096 16bit 8FPS@4096*4096 16bit |
USB3.0 Mode 20FPS@4096*4096 8bit 13FPS@4096*4096 8bit10FPS@4096*4096 16bit and 8bit8FPS@4096*4096 16bit and 8bit2*10Gbps Fiber Mode 24FPS@4096*4096 16bit 20FPS@4096*4096 16bit 13FPS@4096*4096 16bit 10FPS@4096*4096 16bit 8FPS@4096*4096 16bit |
| Readout Noise | FSI version Typical 4e- @ Gain31 (16.5x） |
FSI version Typical 4e- @ Gain31 (16.5x） |
BSI version Typical 2.3e- @Maxium Analog Gain |
| Dark Current | FSI version 0.05e/pixel/sec @ -15C |
FSI version 0.05e/pixel/sec @ -15C |
BSI version TBD |
| Exposure Time Range | 20us – 600sec | ||
| Shutter Type | Electric Rolling Shutter | ||
| Computer Interface | USB3.0 ONLY | USB3.0 + 2*10Gbps Filber | USB3.0 + 2*10Gbps Filber |
| Built-in Image Buffer | QHY4040 128MB DDR2 Memory |
2GByte (16Gbit) DDR3 Memory | 2GByte (16Gbit) DDR3 Memory |
| Exposure Ending Hardware Pulse Output | Optional TrigOut and Shutter Measure waveform | ||
| GPIO | Four High Speed FPGA Controlled GPIO . Can be used for high precise GPS timestamp socket. Or the Electric Shutter on/off waveform output for GPS Card. Or Multiple Camera Synchronized Port and so on. | ||
| Cooling System | Dual Stage TE Cooler（-35C below ambient）(Test temperature +20°) The QHY4040 water-cooled customized version has a maximum temperature difference of -40 degrees in continuous mode and single frame mode with an exposure time greater than 1 second. |
||
| Cooling | Default setup is fan cooling. QHYCCD also supply the water cooling version. | ||
| Recommended flow rates for water-cooled versions | 1.6ml/s | ||
| Humidity Sensor | — | QHY4040PRO has the humidity Sensor in CMOS chamber | QHY4040PRO has the humidity Sensor in CMOS chamber |
| Anti-Dew Heater | Yes | ||
| Telescope Interface | M54/0.75 female thread on the fast installer/center adjust ring | ||
| Optic Window Type | AR+AR High Quality Multi-Layer Anti-Reflection Coating | ||
| Back Focal Length | 17mm（±0.2） | ||
| Weigth | 785g | 1.05kg | 1.05kg |
QHY4040 standard version is the single-channel ADC output version. It is using the High Gain Channel to output the low readout noise image. It supports both live video mode and single-frame mode. In single-frame mode. it works at a low CMOS-driven speed. The behavior of the noise performance is the same with the 8FPS@16BIT mode in Live video mode. In live video mode, it supports five different CMOS clocks. Max Frame rate from 8FPS to 20FPS.
The QHY4040 has zero amplifier glow. Please check the following dark frame for it.
Dark Frame Samples
Here is a dark frame of 10sec exposure and 30sec exposure @-7.5C. The QHY4040 can get about max 35C to 40C below ambient.
http://note.youdao.com/noteshare?id=ae2fabb24d1742f207ba75613648e7c4
A detailed Dark Frame Samples (Gain 0 and Gain 16. -15C, 0sec bias frame, 30, 60, 120, 300sec Dark Frame)
http://note.youdao.com/noteshare?id=848bca2fef982e0e6cf9b746b0f65ef3
About HDR mode support
QHY4040PRO support the dual 12bit convert to 16bit function. Users can input the combination factor and offset factor to the FPGA of the camera via an API interface. For different sensor temperatures, the offset factor needs to be calibrated.
Hardware Signal of Exposure End Time
QHY4040 supports hardware exposure ending signal output. Which can be used for high precise time-domain imaging. This signal can be measured by an external timing base and you will know the precise time of the starting and ending exposure time.
Multiple Working Mode
QH4040 supports the continuous live video mode, single-frame mode, and burst mode. In the live video mode, the camera is free-running to capture the images. In single-frame mode. The camera will start capture one frame when you send the start exposure command. In burst mode, The camera will be in idle status, you can define how many frame will be output and after you send the start exposure command, it will start to capture these frames and then stop output. In both single-frame mode and burst mode, the timing is in sync with the start exposure command. It is beneficial for the high precision timing record work when working with the hardware exposure ending signal.
This picture shows the hardware exposure ending signal with a burst mode that output from the camera. This is a four frames burst. Each falling edge indicates an exposure ending time.
All-In-One Pack （Driver, SDK and Software) for WINDOWS supports all QHYCCD USB3.0 devices only except PoleMaster and some discontinued CCD cameras. Please go to https://www.qhyccd.com/download/ and install it.
Note:
The camera requires an input voltage between 11V and 13.8V. If the input voltage is too low the camera will stop functioning or it may reboot when the TEC power percent is high, causing a drain on the power. Therefore, please make sure the input voltage arrived to the camera is adequate. 12V is the best but please note that a 12V cable that is very long or a cable with small conductor wire may exhibit enough resistance to cause a voltage drop between the power supply and the camera. The formular is: V(drop) = I * R (cable). It is advised that a very long 12V power cable not be used. It is better to place the 12V AC adapter closer to the camera.
First connect the 12V power supply, then connect the camera to your computer via the USB3.0 cable. Make sure the camera is plugged in before connecting the camera to the computer, otherwise the camera will not be recognized. When you connect the camera for the first time, the system discovers the new device and looks for drivers for it. You can skip the online search step by clicking “Skip obtaining the driver software from Windows Update” and the computer will automatically find the driver locally and install it. If we take the 5IIISeries driver as an example (shown below), after the driver software is successfully installed, you will see QHY5IIISeries_IO in the device manager.
Please note that the input voltage cannot be lower than 11.5v, otherwise the device will be unable to work normally.
Before using software, make sure you have connected the cooling camera to the 12V power supply and connected it to the computer with a USB3.0 data cable. If it’s a planetary/guiding camera, 12V power is not needed.
Note: We recommend 64-bit Software if possible, like SharpCAP x64 , N.I.N.A x64. etc., especially when you’re using 16bit cameras like QHY600.
EZCAP_QT is software developed by QHYCCD. This software has basic capture functions for QHYCCD deep sky cameras.
Run EZCAP_QT. Click “Connect” in Menu -> Camera. If the camera is successfully connected, the title line of EZCAP_QT will display the camera firmware version and the camera ID as shown below.
Click “Temperature Control” in “Camera Settings” to set the temperature of the CMOS sensor. You can turn on “Auto” to set the target temperature. For example, here we set the target temperature to -10C. The temperature of the CMOS sensor will drop quickly to this temperature (approximately 2-3 minutes). If you want to turn off cooling, you can choose Stop. If you just want to set the TEC power but not the temperature. You can select “Manual” and then set the percentage of the TEC power.
You can use the “preview tab” to preview and use the focus tool to focus. Then use the “capture tab” to capture the image.
Launch SharpCap. If the software and drivers mentioned above are installed successfully, the video image will appear automatically about 3 seconds after the software loads. You will also see the frame rate in the lower left corner of the software window as shown below.
If you have already started the SharpCap software before connecting the camera, in order to open the camera, click on the “camera” in the menu bar and then select the device.
Offset adjustment. When you completely block the camera (i.e., like taking a dark frame) you may find that the image is not really zero. Sometimes this will reduce the quality of the image contrast. You can get a better dark field by adjusting the offset. You can confirm this by opening the histogram as indicated in the figure below.
If you want to enter the 16-bit image mode, select the “RAW16” mode.
By selecting the “LX” mode you can expand the exposure setting range and take long exposures.
After cooling devices connected to the 12V power supply, the temperature control circuit will be activated. You can control the CMOS temperature by adjusting the settings in the figure below. Basically, you can control the temperature of CMOS by either adjusting “Cooler Power” or clicking “Auto” and setting “Target Temperature”. You can also see the CMOS temperature at the lower-left corner of the software window.
With ASCOM drivers, you can use the device with many software packages that support the ASCOM standard. We will use Maxim DL below as an example, but a similar procedure is used for The SkyX and other software packages supporting ASCOM.
First make sure you have not only loaded the ASCOM drivers but that you have also downloaded and installed the ASCOM platform from ASCOM. After both the drivers and platform are installed, start MAXIMDL. Follow the instructions shown below to finish the setup. Then Click Connect in and enter the software.
Open N.I.N.A. – Nighttime Imaging ‘N’ Astronomy. Drive connections via ASCOM. 
Turn on the TE cooler to set temperature. Then set the exposure time to capture the image.
QHYCCD BroadCast WDM Camera is a broadcast driver that supports QHYCCD cameras with video broadcast function, which can meet the needs of customers to send video images to other target software. For example, use sharpcap to connect a WDM-enabled camera, and the sharpcap display video image can be sent to other WDM-supported software for display, which is suitable for video online broadcast applications.
The installation process is over, right-click the computer to find the device manager, and check that the image device name is QHYCCD BroadCast WDM Camera, which means the installation is successful.
HANDYAVI test effect chart:
UFOCAPTURE test renderings:
QHYCCD, the world’s leading astronomical camera manufacturer, and Gpixel, a professional company specializing in the development of high-performance CMOS image sensors, have announced the successful performance of QHYCCD QHY4040PRO-BSI camera for astronomical imaging in the Corona Borealis Observatory, Ali, Tibet, China.
The QHY4040PRO-BSI has been set up in the Corona Borealis Observatory, Ali, Tibet, China at an altitude of up to 5100 meters. “When seeing the first light M13 with an exposure time of only 5 seconds, we were all very surprised by its extremely low readout noise and high quantum efficiency. Previous equipment needed tens of seconds to achieve such results. At the same time, the Gpixel GSENSE4040BSI chip has the advantage of ultra-high sensitivity compared with the 16803 and 09000 CCD chips.” Chen Tao, the director of the Corona Borealis Observatory, said, “The QHYCCD camera still works very stably under the high altitude of 5100 meters, with excellent image quality and uniform and clean background without any strip trouble. We believe that the QHY4040PRO-BSI camera will be of great help to our sky survey projects in the future”
Fig 1. First light M13 of 5-sec exposure
Fig 2. First light of QHY4040Pro-BSI with 50cm AllunaRC Telescope
exposure 60 sec, -20℃, no darkfield process
Fig 3. Image center 1:1 detail
QHY4040PRO has both the FSI version and BSI version. BSI version was tested for this time. It has a peak QE of 90%, 39ke full-well (at the lowest gain), 2.3e readout noise (at the highest gain). The camera is two-stage TEC cooling with air cooling. QHYCCD can provide the water cooling version as requested.
QHY4040 PRO-BSI supports selectable dual 12bit channel output (high gain, or low gain), and also supports the on-camera dual 12bit to 16bit data combination process. The camera has 2GByte DDR3 memory and supports USB3.0 data interface and 2*10Gbps optical interface for high-speed data transfer.
QHY4040PRO-BSI is equipped with a scientific cooled CMOS GSENSE4040BSI. It has a 36.9mm x 36.9mm square sensor with 9.0um pixels in a 4k x 4k array and 4096x4096resolution. With a resolution of 4096 x 4096 and a sensing area of 36.8mm x 36.8mm, the chip can meet the needs of astronomical imaging and high-end scientific imaging. Like other products in the GSENSE series, GSENSE4040BSI features a dual gain HDR design with a dynamic range of 85dB in a single frame; the chip uses 18 pairs of LVDS for data output, and the frame rate can reach 24fps at full resolution.
Fig 4. Astronomical Camera QHY4040PRO-BSI with GpixelGSENSE4040BSI
“We are proud to announce the launch of the QHY4040Pro BSI camera, which has the advantage of ultra-high sensitivity, high quantum efficiency and low readout noise.” said PhD. Hong-Yun Qiu, founder of QHYCCD. At the same time, the camera can achieve a high readout rate of 10 to 20 FPS, obtain a more excellent SNR in the same exposure time, so it can significantly improve the magnitude limit of astronomical telescope systems, and greatly enhance the observation efficiency, which is of extraordinary significance for time-domain astronomy research, space debris observation, etc.”
“We are proud to join hands with QHYCCD’s team to bring this scientific-grade astronomical camera to the market. GSENSE4040BSI is a scientific grade CMOS chip launched by Gpixel, QHY4040PRO-BSI is the first astronomical camera equipped with this chip, and we believe it will make an outstanding contribution to the study of astronomy. We are very much looking forward to its excellent performance.” Dr. Xinyang Wang, founder and Chairman of Gpixel, said, “QHYCCD is a valuable long-term partner for us, and we look forward to achieving more together and bringing more interesting solutions to astronomical imaging market.”
Fig 5. Full view of the M13 cluster at 4K*4K resolution
Fig 6.Corona Borealis Observatory (MPC CODE N56) at an altitude of 5100 meters in Ali, Tibet
QHYCCD
QHYCCD designs and manufactures high-performance scientific-grade CMOS and CCD cameras, including thermoelectrically cooled cameras, high-resolution scientific cameras, digital X-ray machine DR cameras, solar, industrial and laboratory cameras. Most of the company’s products are exported to the United States and Europe. The QHY products are renowned for excellent performance and reliable quality.
Gpixel
Founded in 2012 by experienced CMOS image sensor designers and semiconductor physicists, Gpixel works in close cooperation with our customers and business partners to produce state-of-art CMOS image sensors for use all over the world. From our offices in Changchun, China (headquarters), Antwerp, Belgium (European design center) and Tokyo, Japan (Japanese design center) we are committed to delivering innovative and specialized high-end CMOS image sensor solutions for industrial, professional, medical, and scientific applications.
GSENSE series are scientific CMOS chips with low noise, high dynamics, high sensitivity. The peak quantum efficiency can reach 95% through advanced BSI processing. This series is developed for high-end scientific imaging applications in the fields of astronomy, life sciences, medical imaging, spectroscopy, fluorescence imaging, high-energy physics, and soft X-rays, etc. This series includes GSENSE2020BSI, GSENSE400BSI, GSENSE4040BSI and GSENSE6060BSI, GSENSE6060BSI and GSENSE1516BSI. For more information, please visit www.gpixel.com.
Corona Borealis Observatory
The highest private remote observatory in the world, Corona Borealis Observatory, located in the Ali region of Tibet, the roof of the world, at an altitude of 5,100 meters, was built with investment from founder Chen Tao and Ma Huateng from Tencent. Corona Borealis Observatory has several domes and 600-square-meter super panning roofs, as well as a unique environment for observations. The Observatory has made several independent discoveries or assisted domestic and international professional observatories in their discovery confirmation work, and collaborated on several papers. The Observatory has been open to the public for airtime rental and space rental.
Added functions related to BURST mode in SDK. Currently, cameras that support Burst function include QHY600, QHY411, QHY461, QHY268, QHY6060, QHY4040, QHY4040PRO, QHY2020, QHY42PRO, QHY183A
This mode is a sub-mode of continuous mode. This function can only be used in continuous mode. When this function is enabled, the camera will stop outputting image data, and the software frame rate will be reduced to 0. At this time, send relevant commands to the camera, and the camera will Output the image data with the specified frame number according to the settings, for example, set Start End to 1 6, the camera will output the image data with the frame number 2 3 4 5 when receiving the command.
Note:
1. When using Burst mode in fiber mode, the first Burst shot will be one less. For example, if the start end is set to 1 6, the output of 2 3 4 5 is normal, but in fact, only 3 4 will be output during the first burst shot. 5, 2 will not be received, the second and subsequent shots can normally obtain Burst images 2 3 4 5. This problem will be fixed later.
2. QHY2020, QHY4040 found that the frame number that came out when the exposure time was short is [start+1,end-1] but the one that came out under long exposure was [start+2,end]
3. When the camera is just connected, if the set end value is relatively large, the camera will directly output the picture after entering the burst mode. Therefore, it is necessary to set the camera to enter the IDLE state and then set the start end and related burst operations.
The following is the usage of Burst mode related functions:
