DISCOVER NEW HORIZONS
C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)
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Imaging Camera QHY600
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Total Integration 12min
L: 450sec
R: 90sec
G: 90sec
B: 90sec
Astrophotographer
Michael Jäger,
Gerald Rhemann G00
QHY811 Pro (IMX811)
QHY811 Pro is a scientific CMOS camera with a 245-megapixel (64.84 mm diagonal) sensor, 2.81 μm pixel size, medium format, 16-bit ADC, and back illumination. It supports both air and liquid cooling as well as FD 2x2 binning mode.
*Please contact QHYCCD about the price.
*Please contact QHYCCD about the price.
Features
BSI
One benefit of the back-illuminated CMOS structure is improved sensitivity. In a typical front-illuminated sensor, photons from the target entering the photosensitive layer of the sensor must first pass through the metal wiring that is embedded just above the photosensitive layer. The wiring structure reflects some of the photons and reduces the efficiency of the sensor.
In the back- illuminated sensor the light is allowed to enter the photosensitive surface from the reverse side. In this case the sensor’s embedded wiring structure is below the photosensitive layer. As a result, more incoming photons strike the photosensitive layer and more electrons are generated and captured in the pixel well. This ratio of photon to electron production is called quantum efficiency. The higher the quantum efficiency the more efficient the sensor is at converting photons to electrons and hence the more sensitive the sensor is to capturing an image of something dim.
FD Binning
Unlike Most CMOS cameras, the camera supports charge-domain binning (FD Binning), which is the true hardware pixel binning similar to CCD cameras.
In the past, only CCD sensors were capable of hardware binning. Most CMOS cameras used digital binning, which relied on algorithms for binning. The disadvantage of this binning method (using 2*2 binning as an example) is that while the signal is amplified by 4 times, it also introduces twice the amount of noise, resulting in only a doubling of the signal-to-noise ratio, and then frame rate can not be improved. In contrast, hardware binning does not amplify additional noise, resulting in a direct 4-fold improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio. What’s more, the frame rate can increase a lot even the ROI function is not activited.
Specifications
| Model | QHY811 Pro |
| Image Sensor | Sony IMX811 |
| Sensor Type | Both Available |
| FSI/BSI | BSI |
| Pixel Size | 2.81 μm * 2.81 μm |
| Sensor Size | Typical 4.1-inch |
| Effective Pixels | 245 Megapixels |
| Effective Pixel Area | 19240*12840 |
| Total Pixel | 19776*13120 (include optical black area and overscan area) |
| A/D | Native 16-bit (0-65535 greyscale) A/D |
| Full Well Capacity | 28ke- |
| Read Noise | 1.2e- to 3.2e- |
| Dark Current | Apporx 0.00053e-/pixel/sec @ -30℃ |
| Exposure Time Range | 20 μs – 3600 sec |
| Shutter Type | Electronic Rolling Shutter |
| Computer Interface | USB 3.0
2*10 Gigabit Fiber |
| Filter Wheel Interface | 4-PIN QHYCCD CFW Port |
| Trigger Port | Programmable TrigOut, High Speed Sync Port / GPS interface Port |
| Full Frame Rates | USB3.0:
Normal Mode 1.5FPS@8bit 0.6FPS@16bit 2×2 FD Binning 5.6FPS@8bit 2.9FPS@16bit
PCIE Mode: Normal Mode 2FPS@8bit 1.5FPS@16bit 2×2 FD Binning 8.1FPS@8bit 5.7FPS@16bit |
| ROI Frame Rates
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USB3.0:
Normal Mode 8000lines, 2.4FPS@8bit, 1.3FPS@16bit 6000lines, 3.3FPS@8bit, 1.6FPS@16bit 2000lines, 8.9FPS@8bit, 4.6FPS@16bit 2×2 FD Binning 4000lines, 9FPS@8bit, 4.5FPS@16bit 2000lines, 17.8FPS@8bit, 8.9FPS@16bit 1000lines, 33.6FPS@8bit, 16.8FPS@16bit
PCIE Mode: Normal Mode 8000lines,3.1FPS@8bit, 2.4FPS@16bit 6000lines, 4FPS@8bit, 3.1FPS@16bit 2000lines, 11.3FPS@8bit, 8.6FPS@16bit 2×2 FD Binning 4000lines, 13.3FPS@8bit, 9.6FPS@16bit 2000lines, 25.9FPS@8bit, 18.8FPS@16bit 1000lines, 48.4FPS@8bit, 35.7FPS@16bit |
| Built-in Image Buffer | 2GB DDR3 Memory Buffer |
| Air Cooling System | Dual Stage TEC cooler |
| Liquid Cooling | Available |
| Recommended Flow Rates | 12 ml/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 |
| Adapters | Customization |
Curves
Basic User Menu
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.
Equipment maintenance
Drying the Camera CMOS Cavity
Since QHY411 is usually connected to a large telescope, especially the prime focus of a large telescope, it is not convenient to disassemble it at this time. Therefore, QHY411 is designed with a built-in drying system to facilitate maintenance work and solve the problem of maintenance-free long-term use.
QHY411 has a built-in CMOS sealed chamber humidity sensor and a built-in circulation pump. The real-time humidity value of the sealed chamber can be read through the API. When the humidity is high, the maintenance personnel should start the camera’s built-in circulation pump to dehumidify the air in the sealed chamber. Since the sensor and pump are both built-in to the camera and controlled by the QHYCCD API, this design is very suitable for remote operation.
EZCAP-QT can realize the functions of real-time humidity reading and control of the circulating drying pump as shown in the figure. (Note: Use EZCAP_QT software to turn off camera cooling (TEC OFF) and observe the humidity display curve (RH) of EZCAP_QT. The cyclic dehumidification function in the software was added on 2020-11-27. Please use the version on 20-11-27 or later.)
Start the camera’s built-in air circulation pump (click SensorChamberCyclePUMP)
The display value of the humidity display curve decreases. After about 5 minutes, the software automatically turns off the air circulation pump and completes the camera drying process (If the humidity curve is still not ideal, please restart the air circulation pump in the software.)
If you need secondary development, please refer to:
Instructions for the switch pump API function:
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
Preventing fogging on the optical windows of CMOS sealed chambers
If the ambient humidity is very high, the optical window of the CMOS sealed cavity may have condensation problems. QHY411 has a built-in heating plate to heat the lens to prevent fogging. In most cases, it works very well. If the fogging problem still exists, please try the following methods:
1. Avoid pointing the camera to the ground. The density of cold air is greater than that of hot air. If the camera is facing downward, cold air will more easily contact the glass, causing it to cool down and fog up.
2. Increase the temperature of the CMOS sensor. You can slightly increase the temperature of the CMOS sensor to prevent the glass from fogging.
3. Check whether the heating plate is working. If the heating plate is not working, the glass will fog up very easily. Normally, the temperature of the heating plate can reach 65-70℃ in an environment of 25℃. If it does not reach that hot, it may be because the heating plate is damaged. You can contact us to replace the heating plate.
Replace QHY811 desiccant
The cylindrical protrusion at the rear of the QHY411/461 camera is where the desiccant is stored. After long-term use, the internal desiccant will become ineffective and needs to be replaced to keep it dry. The replacement steps are as follows:
1. Open the 4 screws on the top of the drying cylinder.
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3. Remove the cover of the drying cylinder and replace the desiccant inside. (Blue desiccant turns pink after it expires. Orange desiccant turns green after it expires. Please pay attention to the color of the desiccant to determine whether the desiccant is effective.)
4. Seal the dryer cover.
