Player One Apollo-M MAX PRO (IMX432) 1.7MP Mono Camera Cooled Camera w/ 512MB DDR3 for Sun Deep Sky

Player One Apollo-M MAX PRO (IMX432) 1.7MP Mono Camera Cooled Camera w/ 512MB DDR3 for Sun Deep Sky



Features:
DSO cooled camera line is the most advanced product line in Player One history. We have been working on the project since 2021. After many revisions and rebuilds, we come up with 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 included in the camera package. A high quality 12V 5A power supply is recommended.

Download drivers and software: http://player-one-astronomy.com/service/software/

Download manuals: http://player-one-astronomy.com/service/manuals/

Product Description:
Apollo-M MAX Pro (IMX432) camera is developed by Player One Astronomy. It is a real cooled camera for solar imaging. Apollo-M MAX Pro camera adopts IMX432 1.1" format monochrome sensor for Sony. The 9um pixel size accommodates a well depth of 100Ke with a total of 1.7MP (the resolution is 1608*1104), and the diagonal is 17.5mm.


Technology for STARVIS
Apollo-M MAX Pro (IMX432) is based on the third generation technology for Sony Pregius. It is global shutter technology used in CMOS sensors.

Format
Apollo-M MAX Pro (IMX432) has 1.1" format. It is the biggest sensor in entire solar camera series currently. This size is quite big for imaging.


Pixel Size
With 9um pixel size, it has 1.5 times the pixel size of the IMX174 camera. This means that it can operate at longer focal ratios, such as the solar prominence filters (4.2X) for SCT + Daystar.


Highlights:
Cutting-edge Design
The Apollo-M MAX Pro cooled camera uses same design as Ares cooled series, but there is a little difference! With a round body and a golden and black color scheme, it uses a carbon fiber shell to keep weight down and cutting-edge outlook. We also add a sensor tilter plate and an anti-dew PCB board. The designs of this series make the camera not only light and cool, but also functional!


Front 3P and Rear 4P Tilter Plates
When you are taking photographs of deep sky objects, the sensor tilt plates can be used to adjust the sensor tilt angle to make the stars at the corners more rounded. Apollo-M MAX Pro camera provides both front and rear tilter plates to meet the needs of all use scenarios.


Front 3P tilter plate is the default part on the camera. We believe that most users have experienced this before. It works well in a lot of basic scenarios.

Rear 4P tilter plate is an alternate part for the camera. When you use a filter wheel/filter drawer and an OAG with fixed angel, it is necessary. And the 4P tilter plate makes it convenient for RASA users to adjust the sensor tilt angel.

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-M MAX Pro uses a carbon fiber housing 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 features a 2-stage semiconductor cooling unit with an improved structural design to prevent heat from being transferred back to the camera chamber. Camera Delta-T can reach 35-40℃.


Anti-Dew Heater
In the design of lightweight cooled cameras, Player One still pursues perfection. The camera series must have any necessary features, especially an anti-dew system which is ignored by a lot of small cooled cameras.


Full Well
The 100Ke full well is 3 times larger than the IMX174. This feature will open up some new possibilities for imaging. What we can imagine is photographing the bright surface of the Sun and the dim solar prominence, or the bright and dark sides of the Moon at the same time.


HCG and Noise
When the gain is greater than or equal to 145, the HCG mode will be automatically turned on and the readout noise will be reduced to 4.6e. The dynamic range will be increased to 12 stops again.

At 380 gain, the Apollo-M MAX PRO (IMX432) camera has a readout noise of 2.6e. The readout noise is lower than that of the IMX174. And the full well will still be bigger than that of the IMX174.


Glow Performance
The Apollo-M MAX Pro is not a non-glow camera. Its glow is very smooth, which is believed to be calibrated easily. In solar imaging, this is not a problem at all.

300s at gain=0, offset=10, -10 degrees, Apollo-M MAX Pro camera dark frame: Download https://player-one-astronomy.com/download/Dark%20Frames/Apollo-M%20MAX%20PRO_gain0_offset12_-10degree.zip


Dark frame preview: Exposure=300s, Gain=0, offset=10, temp=-10°C Pixinsight 1.86 STF auto-stretch
 
512MB DDR3 Cache
As an improvement, DDR3 cache in cooled cameras is increased to 512MB. It helps stabilize and secure data transmission, effectively avoids frame dropping and greatly reduces readout noise.

With the DDR3 cache, the camera does not have high demands on computing any longer. But it still has an excellent performance even if it is connected to a USB 2.0 port.

Type-C Data Ports and Power Port
The rear panel of the camera has two type-c data ports and a 12V DC 5.5x2.1mm power interface.

The main data port supports the USB3.0 protocol. The camera can run at 126fps in RAW8 mode. When users assemble devices at night, the type-c port supports double-sided plugging and unplugging, so it is easier to connect.

When you're recording video, the actual writing speed will be affected by the hard drive itself. When the hard disk writes slowly, the recording may not reach the theoretical speed. It is recommended that you use a good SSD to record data to get the most out of your camera.

The camera has a 12V DC5.5*2.1mm interface which provides enough power for the TEC cooling system. If you don't need to turn on cooling, you only need to connect the main type-c port to use the camera as an uncooled camera.

Use of Standard Sables


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), ambient temperature 30℃, fan speed 100%, and dew heater 1% preset settings.

Recommend Delta-T settings: 30℃-35℃ below ambient temperature, fan speed 50-70%, dew heater 10%, and power consumption 40-60%.

Speed of the cooling fan is also adjustable. The default value is 50% of the speed.

Dew is the biggest enemy in astro imaging. We have integrated a dew removal heating plate in front of the camera, and the power is adjustable.


Over-voltage and Over-current Protection Mechanisms
The camera ensures the safety of your camera and other equipment through over-voltage and over-current protection mechanisms.

Performance:
The HCG turns on with a gain of 145.


Readout Noise
Regarding readout noise, we solemnly promise that all values are obtained from actual tests. You can use the software for Sharpcap 4 for testing. SC4 has a function called Sensor Analysis, providing a very simple way to test readout noise.

We wrote a tutorial on website: https://player-one-astronomy.com/service/manuals/

If you are interested in readout noise testing, you can try it by yourselves because it is very simple.

Dark Current
The dark current is 0.3e/s/pix at -20℃, and 0.39e/s/pix at 0℃.


Relative QE Curve


Mechanical Drawing:


BFL Solutions:
There are some recommend 55mm BFL solutions for this camera. If you don't need to think about BFL for your telescope, there will be more connection ways.

Package List:


Users Work:
Apollo-M MAX original data is used for in-depth understanding of the photography effects of the camera.
https://player-one-astronomy.com/download/Dark%20Frames/2023-08-11-ES127%2BQUARK%2BApollo-M%20MAX%20PRO-gain145-0degree.zip

Packaging Details:
- G.W.: 1.5kg