Specifications

Camera Maintenance
The G2 CCD camera is a precision optical and mechanical instrument, so it
should be handled with care. Camera should be protected from moisture and
dust. Always cover the telescope adapter when the camera is removed from the
telescope or put the whole camera into protective plastic bag.
Desiccant exchange
The G2 CCD cooling is designed to be resistant to humidity inside the CCD
chamber. When the temperature decreases, the copper cold finger crosses
freezing point earlier than the CCD chip itself, so the water vapor inside the
CCD chamber freezes on the cold finger surface first. Although this mechanism
works very reliably in majority of cases, it has some limitations, especially
when the humidity level inside the CCD chamber is high or the chip is cooled
to very low temperatures.
This is why a small cylindrical chamber, filled with silica-gel desiccant, is
placed inside the G2 CCD camera head. This cylindrical chamber is screwed to
the insulated cooled CCD chamber itself.
Warning:
High level of moisture in the CCD chip chamber can cause camera malfunction
or even damage to the CCD chip. Even if the frost does not create on the
detector when the CCD is cooled below freezing point, the moisture can be still
present. It is necessary to keep the CCD chamber interior dry by the regular
exchange of the silica-gel. The frequency of necessary silica-gel exchanges
depends on the camera usage. If the camera is used regularly, it is necessary to
dry the CCD chamber every few months.
G2 cameras revision 3 and higher have three times bigger silica-gel container
capacity compared to previous versions and also better CCD chamber
insulation. So the silica-gel should be exchanged less frequently.
It is also possible bake the wet silica-gel in the oven (not the microvawe one!)
to dry it again. The silica-gel used in G2 cameras changes its color according to
50