Apollo 428M MAX Pro Camera
The Apollo 428M MAX Pro Camera is a professional-grade solar imaging camera featuring Sony's 1.1" monochrome IMX428 sensor, designed to offer unrivalled clarity, performance, and cooling technology. Developed by Player One Astronomy, it is ideal for both professionals and serious enthusiasts.
Key Features:
- Sony IMX428 Sensor: A 7.1MP sensor with 4.5μm pixel size for high-resolution imaging.
- Revolutionary Cooling System: Achieves 40°C below ambient temperature with 2-stage TEC cooling.
- Global Shutter: Ensures distortion-free images with 3rd Gen Pregius technology.
- High-Speed Imaging: 51 FPS capture for dynamic solar events.
- Lightweight & Durable: Carbon fibre body for reduced weight, just 420g.
Advanced Features:
- 512MB DDR3 Cache: Ensures smooth data transmission without frame drops.
- Anti-Dew System: Fully integrated to eliminate moisture during imaging.
- Multiple BIN Modes: Offers hardware and software binning options for versatile performance.
Features:
DSO cooled camera line is the most advanced product line in Player One history. We start the project from 2021, through a lot of modify and rebuild we made this final version. It brings our newest technology and design to everyone, we are very proud to introduce this camera line.
Power supply is not include in camera package, high quality 12V 5A power supply link: https://player-one-astronomy.com/product/12v-5a-power-supply-dc5-5-x-2-1mm/
Drivers and softwares download: http://player-one-astronomy.com/service/software/
Manuals download: http://player-one-astronomy.com/service/manuals/
Setup tutorial (Demonstrate with Ares-C Pro):
Product Description
Apollo 428M MAX Pro camera is developed by Player One Astronomy, a real cooled camera for solar imaging. Apollo-M MAX Pro camera, which adopts Sony IMX428 1.1” format monochrome sensor. The 4.5um pixel size accommodates a well depth of 25.3ke with a total of 7.1MP (the resolution is 3216*2208), and the diagonal is 17.5mm.
Pregius Technology
Apollo 428M MAX Pro based on Sony Pregius 3rd Gen technology, it is global shutter technology used in CMOS sensors.
Format
Apollo 428M MAX Pro has 1.1″ format, it is the biggest sensor in entire solar camera series currently, this size is quite big for imaging.
Pixel size
4.5um pixel size is half of IMX432 camera, which means it will have 4X resolution than classic Apollo-M MAX camera.
Interesting BIN Mode
As we know Apollo 428M MAX Pro has 4.5um pixel size, half size of Apollo-M MAX. If we use bin2, it will more like an Apollo-M MAX, and 3 conbination bin mode will have some advantages:
MONO8 hardware BIN2 mode: full well up to 4x (100Ke), 10bit ADC, FPS will up to 135FPS.
MONO16 hardware BIN2 mode: full well up to 4x (100Ke), 12bit ADC, FPS will up to 109FPS.
MONO16 Software BIN2 mode (sum mode): full well up to 4x (100Ke), date bit depth up to 14bit, FPS will stay at 27FPS.
Highlights
Cutting-edge Design
The Apollo 428M MAX Pro cooled camera using same design as Ares cooled series, but a little difference! With a round body, a golden and black color scheme, and using carbon fiber to keep weight down and cutting-edge outlook. We also integrated the sensor tilter plate and anti-dew PCB board. This series of designs makes the camera not only light and cool, but also functional!
Front 3P and Rear 4P tilter plate
When shooting deep sky objects, the sensor tilt plate can be used to adjust the sensor tilt angle to make the stars at the corners more rounded. Apollo 428M MAX Pro camera provide both front and Rear tilter plate fulfill all usage scenarios.
Front 3P tilter plate is the default part on camera, we believe most users has experience with this before. it works well in a lot of basic scenarios.
Rear 4P tilter plate is an alternate part for camera, when use filter wheel/filter drawer and OAG with fixed angel, it is necessary. And it is also convenient for RASA users to adjust the sensor tilt angel.
The built-in high-density sponge shading pad can block the light from the side slits without any side leakage.
Carbon fiber and light weight
The Apollo 428M MAX Pro uses a carbon fiber in camera hausing and has been optimized for weight reduction in its structural design. The camera weighs only 420 grams, making it one of the lightest models on the market.
Deep Cooling
Player One cooled camera series use 2 Stage TEC Cooling unit, after improved the structure design to reject the heat back to camera chamber, Camera Delta-T can reach 35-40℃.
Anti-Dew heater
In the design of lightweight cooled cameras, Player One still pursuing the perfection, any necessary features must have, especially anti-dew system, is the problem that a lot of small cooled cameras ignored.
HCG and Noise
HCG mode will automatic open when Gain ≥70, readout noise will drop to 2.4e. And dynamic range will rise to 12 drops again.
At 450 gain, readout noise of Apollo 428M MAX Pro camera is 1.4e, it is lower than IMX432.
Amp-Glow performance
Apollo 428M MAX Pro is not a non-amp-glow camera, but it’s amp-glow is very smooth, we believe it will be easier to be calibrated. In solar imaging, it won’t be a problem at all.
300s@gain=0, -10 degree, Dark frame of Apollo 428M MAX Pro camera: DOWNLOAD
Preview of Dark frame: Exposure=300s, gain=0, temp=-10℃ STF auto-Stretch in Pixinsight 1.86
512MB DDR3 Cache
As an improvement, DDR3 cache in cooled cameras are increased to 512MB. It helps stabilize and secure data transmission, it effectively avoids frame dropping and greatly reduces readout noise.
With the DDR3 cache, the camera does not have high demands on computing needs any longer, it will still has excellent performance even if it is connected to a USB 2.0 port.
Type-C Data port and Power port
Back piece of cooled camera has 2 Type-C data port and 12V DC 5.5×2.1mm power port.
Main data port support USB3.0 protocol, type-C port is easier to plug in when assemble the imaging equipment in night. When the camera is connected to the USB3.0 interface and full-resolution preview is used, it can reach 51FPS at 10bit(RAW8) mode and 27FPS at 12bit (RAW16) .
When recording images, since the actual writing speed will be affected by the writing speed of the hard disk itself, when the hard disk writing speed is slow, the recording may not reach the theoretical speed. It is recommended that you use a high-quality solid state drive to record data to give full play to the performance of the camera.
The camera has 12V DC5.5*2.1mm port to provide enough power to TEC cooling system. If you don’t need to power up cooling, only need to connect the main Type-C port, the camera will works as a uncooled camera.
Standard Cable Usage
Cooling System and Anti-Dew Heater
In ASCOM window, we provide 3 adjustable parameters: Target temperature, Fan Speed and Anti-Dew power.
Standard Delta-T : 35℃-40℃(Long exposure mode）, 30℃(Video mode）, when ambient temp 30℃, fan speed 100%, dew heater 1%.
Recommend Delta-T settings: 30℃-35℃ below ambient, fan speed 50-70%, dew heater 10%, power consumption 40- 60%.
The rotation speed of cooling fan is also adjustable, the default value is 50% speed.
Dew problem is the biggest enemy in astro imaging, the camera integrated anti-dew heater in front of the camera. The heat power is adjustable.
Overvoltage and overcurrent protection mechanism
Player One cameras produced by the number one player ensures the safety of your camera and other equipment through overvoltage and overcurrent protection mechanisms.
Performance
HCG open at gain=70.
Readout Noise
Regarding readout noise, we solemnly promise that all values are obtained from actual tests. And for users, you could use Sharpcap 4 for testing. SC4 has a function called Sensor Analysis, provide a very simple way to test readout noise.
We wrote a tutorial on our website: https://player-one-astronomy.com/service/manuals/
If you are interested in readout noise testing, you may try it yourself, which is very simple.
Dark current
The dark current is 0.08e/s/pix at -20℃, and 0.1e/s/pix at 0℃.
Relative QE Curve
Mechanical Drawing
BFL Solutions
Following is some recommend 55mm BFL solution for this camera. If don’t consider about BFL, the connection way is various.
Notice: Some BFL solution is 56mm (Compensate light path differences which caused by filters)
Package List
