Re: ATM Richard Berry's CCD Cookbook.

["Michael P. Lindner" <mikel@att.net>]

See

        http://wvi.com/~rberry/cookbook.htm
        http://home.fuse.net/cbparts/index.htm

Pete1958@aol.com wrote:
> 
> What CCD chip do they use in the Richard Berry's CCD Cookbook?

Richard Berry writes (in the Cookbook camera FAQ):

"The Cookbook CCD camera is actually two CCD cameras described in a book
titled The CCD Camera Cookbook by Viekko Kanto, John Munger, and Richard
Berry. One camera uses the inexpensive TC211 CCD chip so it is called
the Cookbook 211. The other camera uses the larger and more sensitive
Texas Instruments TC245 CCD chip and is called the Cookbook 245. Both
CCDs are made by Texas Instruments."

> How does this CCD camera compare to some of the SBIG cameras?

Richard Berry writes (in the Cookbook camera FAQ):

"The Cookbook CCD camera is comparable in performance to commercial
units on the market. Figures for well capacity (150,000 electrons),
readout noise (~20 electrons r.m.s.), and dynamic range (72 dB) equal or
exceed specifications for comparable commercial units. The Cookbook CCD
camera's thermoelectric cooling system attains -30 Celsius, permitting
exposure times over 60 minutes. The Cookbook CCD camera is inexpensive
because the owner builds the camera.

"The Cookbook 211, using the inexpensive TC211 CCD with 192x165 pixels,
is an excellent option for those who cannot afford a larger CCD camera.
With the upgrade option of correlated double sampling and amplifier
blanking, the Cookbook 211 rivals 14-bit cameras based on the same chip. 

"The Cookbook 245, with a count of 378x242 pixels, is a full-fledged
imaging camera offering a higher pixel count than the ST5 or ST6, and
virtually the same pixel count as the Kodak KAF-400 chip in 2x2 binned
mode. Physically, the TC245 is an advantageously large CCD, with
17x20-micron pixels on a 6.4x4.8-millimeter CCD chip. With correlated
double sampling built into the CCD, the TC245 is an excellent CCD imager
for amateur astronomers."

--
Mike Lindner