Available
Sensors
These sensors are all of the Kodak KAF series. Aside from the KAF-1602A, which I have been told is clocked differently, all of these sensors should work in a variant of a camera that supports the KAF-400 and KAF-1600 series of sensors (i.e. the Audine). The cameras would have to be modified for pin-out and voltage levels in addition to software or hardware mods for clocking and pixel counts. The KAF-1601C I have below is a direct replacement for any other 1600 series sensor after the pin-out has been verified. The Yankee Robotics Trifid supports ALL of these sensors (with the exception of the KAF-1602A).
If any of these sensors interests
you, email me. I am willing to sell
them outright, or trade for them. I can
pull them off of the imaging boards they come in and test them, or you can
purchase them in the original board set for the same price. I have yet to experience a bad sensor after
it has been pulled from the board set so I am quite sure if you purchase the
board set you will get a good sensor.
Note that sensors purchased outside of a Trifid camera cannot be
guaranteed and are sold AS-IS, even though I may have tested them. These are VERY DELICATE devices and will not
tolerate any kind of mishandling or ESD.
Datasheets are available in the FTP section!
All color sensors have an IR
blocking coating on them (that makes them TRULY ONE SHOT!), however I can have
this coating polished off, if you desire, for an additional $75.
If one catches your interest, email me at glupien@rochester.rr.com
I have the following sensor types
available and I am testing them and qualifying them for sale as time permits:
KAF-1602A, CLASS 3 (not for
astrophotography due to aperture grill)
Price: $50 each (brand new and untested)
This sensor is not appropriate for
astronomy, however it might be interesting as a curiosity. You may even be able to get it working. I have been told that it has somewhat
different timing from the KAF-1602E/LE/CE and I know for a fact that it has an
aperture grid over the active area.
This means that each pixel in the sensor has aluminum deposited over it
that only exposes ¼ of the pixel area to light. The intent was to make a high resolution imager by moving the
sensor and re-imaging 4 times.
These sensors are Class-3, and are
brand new.
KAF-1601C, Class 2
Price: $75 each
(limited untested quantity)
This is a color sensor with a
resolution of 1536 X 1024. The pixels
are 9 micron square, each with a color filter over it. The filter pattern is the Bayer
pattern. The QE of this sensor is not
very good. It is one of Kodak’s earlier
generations and it has color filters over the array. I don’t doubt that it can be used for astronomy, but it will be a
one-shot color camera that demands a longer integration time.
None have been tested at this
time, and they have glue remnants around the edges (doesn’t matter for normal
operation).
KAF-2002CE, Class 2
Price: $950 each,
fully tested and qualified Class 2
This is a color sensor with a
resolution of 1732 X 1172 and a larger pixel size. The pixels are 12 micron square, each with a color filter over
it. The filter pattern is the Bayer
pattern and is not RGB. This is a CMY
sensor. The QE of this sensor is
excellent for a color sensor as the pixels are quite large versus the gate
structures and the CMY filters have a high transmission factor. In addition, the wells are deeper. This sensor is ABG, so it has an
anti-blooming gate. This reduces its
efficiency somewhat, but at the same time prevents ugly blooming. It can be
ordered in the Trifid camera for use as a one-shot color camera with excellent
characteristics equivalent to the most recent SBIG and Yankee Robotics (future)
offerings. I have a software utility
that converts the output files to full frame RGB images.
Click here to download some Dark Frames!
KAF-3000CE, Class 2
Price: $650 each,
fully qualified and tested Class 2
This is a color sensor with a
resolution of 2016 X 1512. The pixels
are 9 micron square, each with a color filter over it. The filter pattern is the RGB Bayer pattern. The QE of this sensor is low as the pixels
are covered with color filters. This
sensor is ABG, so it has an anti-blooming gate. This reduces its quantum efficiency somewhat, but at the same
time prevents ugly blooming. It can be used as a one-shot color
astrophotography camera.
Some of these sensors have been
tested.
Click here to download some Dark Frames!
KAF-6302CE
Price: $800 (a
BARGAIN! See the Trifid Review for
images.)
This is a color sensor with a resolution of 3052 X 2016. The pixels are 9 micron square, each with a color filter over it. The filter pattern is the Bayer pattern. The QE of this sensor is low as the pixels are covered with color filters. This sensor is ABG, so it has an anti-blooming gate. This reduces its quantum efficiency somewhat, but at the same time prevents ugly blooming. It can easily be used as a good large format, one-shot color astrophotography camera. These have an IR blocking coating on their surface that I can have polished off, if you desire it.
Click
here to download some Dark Frames!
KAF-6302LE, Class 2
Price: $1,800 each, fully
qualified and tested Class 2 (See the
Trifid Review for
images.)
This is a monochrome sensor with a
resolution of 3052 X 2016. The pixels
are 9 micron square. The QE of this
sensor is relatively high and is EQUIVALENT to the QE of the current KAF-6303LE
sensor used in ABG SBIG large format Research cameras. The QE is about 2/3 of the current KAF-6303E
(non-ABG). This sensor is ABG, so it
has an anti-blooming gate. This reduces
its quantum efficiency somewhat, but at the same time prevents ugly blooming.
This sensor is perfect for astrophotography as it allows for binning and external
filter use. If you are looking for
higher QE, consider the vast size of this sensor and the fact that you can bin
it for 2X the QE (roughly equivalent to a KAF-1603E).
I have only a few of these sensors remaining!
Click
here to download some Dark Frames!
KAF-16801CE, Class 2
Price $??? (contact me
with offers if you must have one)
This is a color sensor with a
resolution of 4080 X 4080 (16 Megapixels).
The pixels are 9 micron square, each with a color filter over it. The filter pattern is the RGB Bayer
pattern. The QE of this sensor is low
as the pixels are covered with color filters, but is better than the
KAF-6302CE. This sensor is ABG, so it
has an anti-blooming gate. This reduces
its quantum efficiency somewhat, but at the same time prevents ugly blooming.
It can definitely be used as a full 36mm X 36mm one-shot color astrophotography
camera.
The Trifid camera for this sensor is
currently in the design phase as it requires an additional signal along with a
new camera design for a larger aperture shutter and optical window.
If you are
interested in any of the sensors listed here, please contact me at
for more
details.