|
Thernal shock concept is something Apogee is usually very concerned about. At least that is the PR line hence their slow cooling rate (30mins to cooldown a U16M camera). By the way that slow cool down can cost you doing your dusk flats if you are running a tad late and start up the camera as dusk is starting. You have to start up that camera say a hour before.
I've read posts by CCD engineers that they have never seen an instance of thermal shock wrecking a CCD.
As pointed out severe temperature shifts may be another story but -35 to 10C or so over 5 minutes does not seem to hurt it. I have my FLI cameras running at -30C all year round so in summer that could be -30C to 25C warm up in 5 minutes. I have not noticed any problems.
The need to slowly cool is false data spread by Apogee. Its obviously false as they don't provide for a slow warm up on their camera. So if you can't make something cool fast like other cameras then you make up some plausible line. Contractors are usually very good at doing that!
Greg.
|