STL CFW

Announcement
FW8-STL, 8-Position, 50mm Filter Wheel for
the STL Series of Cameras Is Now Shipping
Update: September 19, 2006

The new FW8-STL for the STL series cameras is now shipping. It is a single carousel design that is thinner but wider than a double carousel design. The existing accessory plate and bolt pattern on the front cover of the camera are brought to the front of the filter wheel so that any existing custom accessories made to fit the camera will also fit the new filter wheel. Compared to the existing filter wheel and cover, there is an increase of approximately 0.35" in backfocus with the new filter wheel installed. The FW8 adds approximately 1.2 kg to the STL camera when it is used in place of the standard front cover. The drawing below shows the approximate dimensions of the new cover with internal carousel.

The new filter wheel is a simple replacement cover for the camera. It holds eight 50mm drop-in filters (or 48mm threaded filter cells). It picks up the existing connector and bolt pattern in the main body and is controlled through the I2C port. A short jumper cable to the I2C port is the only external cabling required. All power and commands come from the camera and can be controlled remotely via software without any other external cable running to the computer or power supply. The FW8-STL also has its own ROM and electronics so the camera does not have to be returned to SBIG for re-programming to control the different filter wheels. Once the camera drivers are updated by free download from our web site, the user can simply remove the existing cover and replace it with the new one.

The renderings above show the filter wheel installed on an STL body with the telescope side cover removed. The final version is slightly longer to accommodate the built-in electronics. The new filter wheel is compatible with the large format AO.

Update September 19, 2006: The first units have been produced and we are accepting orders for future deliveries.


Filter Wheel Housing	Connectors for camera control or for stand-alone operation independent of camera

The photos show the filter wheel for STL cameras. The small notch seen just above the aperture in the photo of the housing is for the AO-L. A short pigtail with DB9 connector will be attached through the I²C "IN" port on the left. By using the I²C port on the STL cameras, no other power supply or computer connection is required. The filter wheel receives all its commands and power directly from the camera. The I²C "AUX OUT" port allows other accessories such as the Large Format AO-L to be connected to the camera at the same time.

In the alternative, this filter wheel may be controlled in "stand-alone" mode by attaching an external 12VDC power supply and serial cable to the RS-232 port for control commands directly from a computer.


STL with 5-position filter wheel	STL with 5-position filter wheel and AO	STL with 8-position filter wheel	STL with 8 position filter wheel and AO

List price for the new FW8-STL is $1195 as of the date of this announcement. For the current price, please check our official price list by clicking on the link below to conform the actual price at the time of your order.