Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
#4584518 - 05/16/11 07:36 AM Attachment (193 downloads)
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As we all know, CCD chips get hot, causing hot pixels and noise.
We attempt to control this by cooling the imaging chip in the camera.
Here is my own version of how I cooled my SCC-A2333 (also the SCB-4000).
I knew it was dangerous to cool the chip directly by placing a peltier cooler directly onto the chip, or even the back of the PCB that the chip is attached to, so the trick was to get the whole camera cool enough to make the chip colder without damage from Cold shock, excessive cold, or condensation.
I followed other peoples examples of placing the camera inside an Aluminum box and chilling the box. Then having a fan inside the box blowing the chilled air towards the chip.
Here's how I did mine:
1. I made an RF/Heat barrier doubling as a cold finger inside the camera. This way it blocks RF interference and heat from the lower and rear PCB's.
The cold finger attaches to the camera case at top so cold can conduct through the aluminum.
Then I placed a 5 volt micro-fan from an old Netbook onto it. I used the 12v power inside the camera to run this Micro-fan through a 5 volt 'voltage regulator' mounted near the back (to keep the extra heat away from the front).
This fan blows the cold off the Aluminum coldfinger onto the back of the chip.
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4584530 - 05/16/11 07:46 AM Attachment (145 downloads)
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Step 2:
Getting the Coldfinger cold is done by making the whole body of the camera cold using the Aluminum box idea.
I started with 2 pieces of Aluminum Channel made for a shower recess, cut to the length of the camera body.
With one upside down to the other they interlock to make a complete wrap-around casing with small voids each side for electrics to tuck into.
You can see in the pics where I mounted the power sockets for the peltier and the Heatsink fan (I kept these as seperate power lines as the peltier cuts off at 3c degrees but I want the fan to keep running).
The Parasite box for my remote control on the other side.
When all assembled it is a perfect fit around the body of the camera.
Note: I slightly bent a curved shape in the straight sides so they matched the curve of the camera sides. More contact means more effective cooling. 
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4584541 - 05/16/11 07:56 AM Attachment (146 downloads)
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Step 3:
Then I attached the Peltier cooler out of a $29 Car Fridge.
I didn't use the enormous fan or heatsink that came with the fridge. I grabbed a smaller heatsink and fan from a dead Computer in my shed.
I attached the Heatsink using 2 small blocks of wood (poor conducter) so no heat travelled back from the heatsink to the cooled side.
I ran 12 volts into the peltier to make sure all was working good. Once I was happy that it was very very cold, I covered all the external Aluminum surfaces in sticky-backed Flocking Felt as an Insulator.
Now with the peltier running and the Camera very cold, I can't feel any cold on the outside felt, letting me know that all the cold is going inside, not off into the outside air.
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4584545 - 05/16/11 08:02 AM Attachment (137 downloads)
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Step 4:
The switch.
I used the switchgear that came with the Peltier. It has a Hot or Cold selection but I doubt I will ever need the hot unless I want to thaw the ice off the camera at the end of a session 
I mounted the whole switch assembly into a project box and mounted it to the Scopes accessory plate along with my heater control box and laser.
Here you can see it all completely wired up and in use. I took this pic whilst testing it.
Well, that's it until I show you the test results.
Was this cooling Project worth all the work?
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4584553 - 05/16/11 08:12 AM Attachment (158 downloads)
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Well, lets have a look.
Here is a test done inside my house at 20c degrees ambient (68F) with the lens cap left on.
The sens-up is x128
Brightness at 10%, Contrast at 50% in both test frames (about where I have them for most DSO's).
This first frame is a screen grab at about 20 seconds after the camera was turned on:
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4584555 - 05/16/11 08:13 AM Attachment (133 downloads)
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Then another screen grab after the cooler had been running for 30 minutes:
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4584561 - 05/16/11 08:20 AM
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You may not be able to see much difference but I can when I flick back & forward between the two.
What makes it harder to see much difference is that from the moment the camera is turned on the little Micro-fan inside the camera comes on too, cooling the chip. I hard wired it in without a switch so that it comes on as soon as I start the camera.
I remember what it looked like without the Micro-fan running and it was a lot worse than the first pic above.
So this shows me that the Micro-fan alone makes a big difference. 
And the Peltier just adds that extra little bit of hot pixel and noise reduction.
So, my conclusion is, It is a success
Now, when the rain stops, I'll test it on the actual sky 
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mclewis1
Thread Killer
Reged: 02/25/06
Loc: New Brunswick, Canada
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4584803 - 05/16/11 11:02 AM
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Very nice Ken,
Glad to see each upgrade makes a difference. With the cooling working well you should now be able to get the most from that nice A2333. I'll keep checking NSN early in the morning (for me).
I know about the rain problem, no clear skies here until Thursday ... and it's been raining since last Thursday. At some point there's going to be lots of grass to cut ... sigh.
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: mclewis1]
#4584810 - 05/16/11 11:09 AM
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Thanks Mark.
Yeah, I gotta get this Samsung doing its best while I wait for the MCX to arrive.
Long Grass from the rains? Yep, I have 3.5 acres of jungle to mow down somehow 
Hopefully Chris will add this thread to the 'Best Q&A section' with the other tutorials
Please Chris
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greg
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 01/25/05
Loc: Central Ca.
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4585125 - 05/16/11 01:43 PM
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Looks great Ken,
I wonder what your tests would show with the camera at its max settings of High gain and at x512.
When I did my test I used these settings and let the camera run longer to let it build up heat, just like I use it when viewing, Also I did the test in a scope because some heat from the camera transfers to the focuser.
I think if you go high gain and x512 for longer and then turn on your cooler, your darks will show a big differance....
It's nice to see that all your hard work has paid off...
GregW
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robz
sage
Reged: 10/05/10
Loc: Perth West Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: greg]
#4585788 - 05/16/11 08:57 PM
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Hey Ken!............very, very, nice mate!
It now looks like some really serious astro gear, not just a CCTV cam eh?
Glad it works as planned pal. Keep us in the loop with further tests.
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: greg]
#4586143 - 05/17/11 01:34 AM
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Quote:
Looks great Ken,
I wonder what your tests would show with the camera at its max settings of High gain and at x512.
When I did my test I used these settings and let the camera run longer to let it build up heat, just like I use it when viewing, Also I did the test in a scope because some heat from the camera transfers to the focuser.
I think if you go high gain and x512 for longer and then turn on your cooler, your darks will show a big differance....
It's nice to see that all your hard work has paid off...
GregW
Thanks Greg,
yeah I'm waiting for the rain to stop so I can go out and actually test it in real conditions. Then I will post the results
Quote:
Hey Ken!............very, very, nice mate!
It now looks like some really serious astro gear, not just a CCTV cam eh?
Glad it works as planned pal. Keep us in the loop with further tests.
and here I am thinking it looks too big and bulky 
Yep Rob, I'll being posting test results.
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4592102 - 05/20/11 07:43 AM
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TWO MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROJECT
I have already made 2 major alterations to my cooling project even before I have had a chance to get outside and try it at night.
1. I have totally removed the camera's original case, and just use the wrap-around Aluminum cover (shown in my tutorial above) as the case.
This will allow ALL the coldness into the camera, not have it trying to work its way through the steel Samsung case.
2. I have added a 40mm PC fan through the side of the case. It collects the chilled air at the peltier and blows it directly across the electronics inside the camera.
If you look at the above images you'll see where the power sockets are mounted in a void area between the Peltier and the camera body.
This area is full of chilled air. This is the air the fan will blow into the inside.
I have tested it on the work bench and the inside of the camera now gets even colder.
So now the peltier is not only chilling the Aluminum body it is also supplying the chilled air being blown inside. Which also helps chill the RF/Heat coldfinger even further for the other micro-fan to blow colder air onto the back of the chip.
Wow! That's a mouthful!
The truth will be in the results when I get outside and test it in real circumstances.
(more rain forecast for another 4 or 5 days)
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ccs_hello
Postmaster
Reged: 07/03/04
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4593173 - 05/20/11 06:10 PM
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Ken,
It looks like you are getting into heavily modified department with forced cold air and new chassis. I would say the next natural step is to funnel the clod air into the front CCD chamber. That will be pretty effective in reducing CCD imager's temperature. Just a thought.
Clear Skies!
ccs_hello
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Mittag56
super member
Reged: 07/08/09
Loc: West Amboy, N.Y.
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: ccs_hello]
#4593248 - 05/20/11 06:58 PM
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Thats what i have been working on for my 4000. Making a fan shroud to direct the air into the nose area and exaust out the back of the camera,waiting for a proper sized fan to come postal right now..someday a TEC may find its way on it, but just the cool night air makes a heck of a difference and i am following the posts on this with great interest.
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: ccs_hello]
#4593768 - 05/21/11 03:17 AM
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Quote:
Ken,
It looks like you are getting into heavily modified department with forced cold air and new chassis. I would say the next natural step is to funnel the clod air into the front CCD chamber. That will be pretty effective in reducing CCD imager's temperature. Just a thought.
Clear Skies!
ccs_hello
Yeah, thought about that but I'm a bit worried about blowing dust onto the chip.
I'll see how it goes like it is first and if it still isn't good enough I'll see how I can get cold blowing across the front of the chip
I might have to test it tonight even though our forecast is for strong winds and heavy rain. I want to know how well it works and there is no clear sky forecast for a while 
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robz
sage
Reged: 10/05/10
Loc: Perth West Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4595246 - 05/21/11 11:20 PM
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Hang in there mate!...........it's only some soul destroying wind,rain, cloud, hail and sleet  
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Dragon Man
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 03/07/06
Loc: Snake Valley, Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: robz]
#4595498 - 05/22/11 03:07 AM
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Quote:
Hang in there mate!...........it's only some soul destroying wind,rain, cloud, hail and sleet
Yeah, I didn't go out and test it last night. It was a horrible night. And the wind and rain are still here.
I can wait
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robz
sage
Reged: 10/05/10
Loc: Perth West Australia
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: Dragon Man]
#4597437 - 05/23/11 12:54 AM
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We had the same last week...........lots of rain,a bit of wind.
Now we're back to bright blue skies again.........but it's a lot cooler outside now.
Where's me ''UGG BOOTS'',''TRACKY DAKS'' and ''WINDCHEATER''???
Edited by robz (05/23/11 12:58 AM)
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bill kramm
member
Reged: 04/20/09
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Re: Samsung SCC-A2333/SCB-4000 Cooling Project
[Re: robz]
#4597625 - 05/23/11 06:22 AM
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Ken, what is the size of the small fan you placed on the inside of the camera? The best I can find is 25mm which runs at 8000 rpms and I am thinking that might be too fast. I'm thinking of mounting on the top inside of the camera cover so it will blow onto a heat sink that is attached to the cold side of a tec cooler.
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