QHY6060 Pro

QHY6060 Pro is a scientific CMOS camera with 37.7 Megapixels, 61mm square (89mm diagonal) sensor, 10um pixel size, 14bit ADC and 6K*6K resolution. It has both back-illuminated version and front-illuminated versions. The BSI version has 95% peak QE and has soft X-ray response. QHY6060 Pro supports both air and liquid cooling.

In order to use it in a full vacuum environment. The camera needs to be put into a vacuum environment. QHYCCD can offer a special customized design of the full vacuum version. Please contact QHYCCD if you need this version.

*Please contact QHYCCD about the price.

Specifications

Model	QHY6060 Pro
Image Sensor	Gpixel GSENSE6060
Sensor Type	Mono Only
FSI/BSI	Both Available
Pixel Size	10μm*10μm
Effective Pixels	37.6 Megapixels
Effective Image Area	61.34mm*61.34mm
Effective Pixel Area	6134*6134
Total Pixel Area	7936*6134 (Include the optic black area on left side and right side)
A/D	14-bit A/D
Full Well Capacity (1×1, 2×2, 3×3)	QHY6060FSI 70ke- QHY6060BSI TBD
Read Noise	4.7e- (at max analog gain in high gain channel)
Dark Current	FSI: 0.2e-/pixel/sec @-15℃ BSI: TBD
Exposure Time Range	20μs-300sec
Shutter Type	Electronic Rolling Shutter
Computer Interface	USB3.0 2*10Gigabit Fiber
Filter Wheel Interface	4PIN QHYCCD CFW Port
Trigger Port	Programmable TrigOut, High Speed Sync Port / GPS interface Port
Full Frame Rates	USB3.0: 5.6FPS@8bit 4.0FPS@16bit PCIE Mode: 5.6FPS@8bit 5.6FPS@16bit speed3(still in development): 11FPS@8bit
ROI Frame Rates	USB3.0: 2048lines, 16.8FPS@8bit,12.1FPS@16bit 1080lines, 30.6FPS@8bit, 23.1FPS@16bit 768lines, 35.2FPS@8bit, 32.1FPS@16bit 480lines, 66.3FPS@8bit, 49.1FPS@16bit PCIE Mode: 2048lines, 16.8FPS@8bit, 16.8FPS@16bit 1080lines, 30.6FPS@8bit,30.6FPS@16bit 768lines, 35.2FPS@8bit,35.2FPS@16bit 480lines, 66.3FPS@8bit, 66.3FPS@16bit
Built-in Image Buffer	2GB DDR3 Memory Buffer
Air Cooling System	Dual Stage TEC cooler: -25℃ below ambient (Test temperature 20℃)
Liquid Cooling	Available. -35℃ to -37℃ below ambient temperature (water temperature 26℃, test temperature +20℃) -45℃ to -47℃ below ambient temperature (water temperature 10℃, test temperature +20℃)
Recommended Flow Rates	12ml/s
Anti-Dew Heater	Available
Humidity Sensor	Available
Firmware/FPGA remote Upgrade	Available via Camera USB port
Optic Window Type	AR+AR High Quality Multi-Layer Anti-Reflection Coating
Back Focal Length	TBD
Adapters	Customization
Weight	TBD
Power	TBD

Definition of Gsense Sensor Grade*

*This definition is from the developer of Gsense sensors , not from QHYCCD. Please contact us if any question.

Maximum allowed defect numbers are indicated below*.

Item	Grade 0	Grade 1	Grade 2
Total Defect Pixel	800	1200	2000
Total Defect Column and Defect Row	2	6	10

*Any Defects on the glass lid are excluded.

Curves

Mechanical dimentions

Latest Version

Previous Version

Reference Paper & Document

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0168900222000985?via%3Dihub#!

User Guide

Install “All-In-One” Driver&SDK Pack

Before Start: Input Voltage Requirements

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.

Install "All-In-One" System Pack

All-in-one Pack supports most QHYCCD models only except PoleMaster and several discontinued CCD cameras.

Download Page: https://www.qhyccd.com/download/

Video Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/embed/mZDxIK0GZRc?start=1

Since most of the contents of All-in-one package are plug-ins that support third-party software, the third-party capturing software that you want to use must be installed before the All-in-one package. Otherwise the program will report an error.
ALL-IN-ONE Pack contains:
- System Driver, which is necessary for the camera operation and must be installed.
- WDM Broadcast Driver, which can provide a live signal to Obs and other live software, you can install it if you have such needs like opeing a live show.
- EZCAP_QT , which is developed by QHYCCD and can be used in QHY devices tests, and management of updates. So even if you won’t use EZCAP_QT for capturing, we suggest you install it.
- Ascom driver, which is necessary for the camera used in Ascom (the latest version of Ascom is 6.6).
- The two sorts of Ascom CFW Drivers correspond to two methods of controling the filter wheel: USB control and camera serial control. It is recommended that both drivers should be installed if you have a filter wheel.
- CP210X_VCP is a serial driver. Some computers come with the driver, but the computer without the driver may be failed of controling the filter wheel.
- SDKs for Third-party Software: Just pick and install the corresponding SDK according to the software you want to use. Don’t forget to check whether the software you are using is 32-bit or 64-bit and select the right SDKs.
- SHARPCAP is also included in the pack, you can choose 32-bit or 64-bit to install. This is authorized by SHARPCAP.
- QT LIB is a plug-in to ensure that 64-bit software can exeuate normally on some computers with poor compatibility.
Difference between Stable version and Beta Version: Beta version is the latest version, which gives priority to support for the latest products (the stable version may not be compatible with those yet), and has some of the latest optimized ,but experimental features. The stable version is older than the beta version but more stable, so it is recommended for beginners who are not using the latest products.
Don’t let the camera connect to the computer during the All-in-one pack installation process; connect it to the computer after all the installation is complete.

Connect DSO Imaging Software (e.g. NINA)

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 an uncooled camera, 12V power is not needed. We recommend 64-bit Software, like SharpCAP x64 , N.I.N.A x64. etc., especially when you’re using 16bit cameras.

In NINA, you can select the device to connect to QHY Camera directly without ASCOM driver.

If connecting to the camera via ASCOM is desired, first make sure you have installed both the QHYCCD ASCOM Drivers and ASCOM Platform. Then you would select the appropriate camera driver under the ASCOM section. Then click the Connect icon. Here we take NINA as an example, but it’s similar to other software packages supporting ASCOM, like MaxDL, The SkyX, etc.

Connect Planetary Imaging Software (e.g. SharpCap)

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.

QHY6060 Pro external drying system instructions

Since QHY6060 Pro is usually connected to a large telescope, especially the main focus of a large telescope, it is not convenient to disassemble it at this time. Therefore, QHY6060 Pro has designed an external drying system to facilitate maintenance work and solve the maintenance-free problem of long-term use.

QHY6060 Pro has built-in CMOS sealed cavity humidity sensor and built-in circulating pump. The real-time humidity value of the sealed cavity can be read through API. When the humidity is high, the maintenance personnel should start the circulating pump built in the camera to dehumidify the air in the sealed cavity. Since the sensor and pump are built-in cameras and controlled by QHYCCD API, this design is very suitable for remote operation.

Instructions

1. Take out the drying tube, filter valve and connecting tube, and prepare the desiccant.

2. Connect the drying tube and the air filter, paying attention to the connection sequence. (The yellow part of the air filter faces the air outlet and the black part faces the drying tube)

3. Put the effective desiccant into the drying tube. (Blue desiccant, pink after failure. Orange desiccant, green after failure. Please pay attention to the color of the desiccant to judge whether the desiccant is effective)

4. Open the drying hole on the camera and remove the sealing screw and rubber sealing ring.

5. Connect the drying pipe, pay attention to check the air tightness of the joints to ensure that there is no air leakage. (Pay attention to the connection direction of the drying pipe, connect as shown in the figure, the left side is the air outlet, and the right side is the air inlet.)

6. Use EZCAP_QT software to turn off the camera cooling (TEC OFF), and observe the humidity display curve (RH) of EZCAP_QT. The cyclic dehumidification function in the software is added on 2020-11-27, please use 20-11-27 or later versions.

EZCAP-QT software download

7. Start the camera built-in air circulation pump (click SensorChamberCyclePUMP)

8. The displayed value of the humidity display curve drops. After about 5 minutes, the software automatically turns off the air circulation pump to complete the camera drying process (If the humidity curve is still not ideal, please restart the air circulation pump in the software.)

The drying tube and the air filter can consider adding an extension tube, which is installed on the telescope for a long time, so that the above drying process can be started when the drying is required. Pay attention to check the color of the desiccant regularly. If the color becomes an invalid color, you should replace the desiccant in the drying tube.

Description of the api function of the switch pump:

uint32_t SetQHYCCDParam(qhyccd_handle *handle, CONTROL_ID controlId, double value)

Usage:

SetQHYCCDParam(camhandle，CONTROL_SensorChamberCycle_PUMP,value)

value=1:pump on

value=0:pump off

QHYCCD BURST Mode

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:

1.EnableQHYCCDBurstMode