Creating Flats with a SBIG STL-11K

[wysiwyg (Mark)]

Hi Guys,

I'll be needing to calculate an appropriate saturation level for the STL-11K for creating flats.

I will be using a Flip-Flat http://www.alnitakastro.com/
which will provide me with very even illumination. I can control the brightness on the flip flat giving me greater control to acquire the optimum ADU.

However, I am just wanting to confirm my calculations and gauge other peoples experiences.

According to Ron Wodaski you need to know two things to calculate this:
1. The chip's full well capacity (50000 as per manual)
2. The gain in the A/D (Analog to Digital) Converter (0.8e/ADU as per manual)

Then divide the two.

50000/0.8 = 62500

So the saturation level for the STL is 62500

It is recommended that for a flat field, you aim at an average brightness that is about 35%-50% of the saturation level.

In this case a value between 21875 (35%) and 31250 (50%)

Any feedback is appreciated.

Cheers
Mark