
Atik ATK 16 HR

The new Atik 16 line of cooled CCD
cameras has been specifically designed with the amateur imager in mind. With a
groundbreaking price-performance ratio, quality and ease of use, the new ATK-16
line brings advanced features within reach of everyone.
The ATK-16HR camera is the flagship camera of the Atik Instruments line. The 1.4
Mega Pixels of the Sony ICX-285AL ExView CCD, with enhanced response in the
H-alpha region, vertical anti-blooming, and very low dark noise, make this one
of the finer cameras out there, in its price range. The CCD area is nearly 4
times that of a ATK-2HS
A 16 Bit Analog to Digital Converter is now standard, meaning that over 65500
levels of grayscale are available, compared with the 256 levels on the ATK-1 and
ATK-2 lines.

Peltier thermo-electric cooling is
used, maintaining the CCD at 25ºC below ambient temperature, which means that
much lower thermal noise is generated on the CCD. Exposures of over 20 minutes
are now possible, and the need of dark frames is greatly reduced. A very high
quality BK7 optical window is used, with very high transmission coatings.
Basically, the window “disappears” when looked at.
A few engineering improvements have also been made. For example, power
requirements have been maintained to a minimum, with only 800mA of consumption,
and 12V input has been used, eliminating the need of extra power supplies in the
field. Also, a Magnetic Levitating fan is used, to minimize any residual
vibration.
A guider port allows the camera to be used as an AutoGuider,
and it’s compatible with the ST4 type pin out.
Another interesting feature is the
communications port. This port enables the camera to communicate with external
peripherals, such as a motorized filter wheel, focuser, etc. Some of those
accessories are already under development.
What’s included in the box?
Camera body with 1.25” adapter
3 meter USB cable
1.8 meter battery power connector (Car lighter plug)
CD-ROM with drivers, software and User’s manual (PDF)
Quickstart guide (paper)
High quality Pelican carry case
Both cameras include proprietary software for capture, but Maxim DL and AstroArt
plug-ins are also supplied.
An optional mains Power supply unit is also available.
System requirements: Pentium II class PC, with 64MB RAM, Windows 98 or later,
CD-ROM drive and USB port.
ATK16HR Technical Specifications
|
Sensor Type |
CCD - Sony ICX-285AQ |
| Horizontal Resolution | 1392 pixels |
| Vertical Resolution | 1040 pixels |
| Pixel Size | 6.45 uM x 6.45 uM |
| ADC | 16 bit |
| Readout Noise | 8 e- |
| Interface | USB |
| Power | 12v DC 0.8A |
| Maximum Exposure Length | Unlimited |
| Minimum Exposure Length | 1/1000 s |
| Guide Port | ST-4 compatible |
| Cooling | Thermoelectric with ΔT=-25°C |
| Weight | approx. 500 gr |