QHY16200A uses a 16 megapixels CCD sensor with an effective image area of 27mm x 21.6mm. Compared to the APS-C format (23.4 x 15.8mm), the APS-H sensor is 50% larger. The APS-H format is suitable for most telescopes, including SCT's that cannot fully illuminate a 35mm frame without some vignetting or distortion at the edges. It is also suitable for commonly available 2inch filters. The pixel size of this sensor is 6.0um x 6.0um, slightly bigger than the famous KAF-8300's 5.4um but, due to the larger size of the sensor, it has nearly twice as many pixels as the 8300. The QE is similar to or higher than 8300 and the 37ke- full well capacity is almost 50% greater than the 8300's 25.5ke-. Since the read noise is comparable to the 8300, the dynamic range can be calculated at about 1.5X greater than the 8300.

Internal USB hub

In addition to the filter wheel and OAG, the "A" series camera also offers an internal USB HUB(2.0) providing two USB host ports and a USB to dual RS232 converter. A guiding camera, mount and electric focuser can be connected directly to this camera instead of the computer to reduce cable clutter and the chance of signal loss due to the long cables. A single USB cable controls all of the peripherals.

Single 12V power socket

This camera uses a single 12V IN power port. The power socket is threaded for a solid connection that will not accidentally disconnect. There is another socket connected in parallel with the input that can be used to supply 12V OUT to other devices.

Butterfly Shutter - long life and uniform illumination

Although the sensor has electronic shutter, this camera also has a mechanical shutter. This makes it possible to automatically take dark frames, unattended. The shutter is directly driven by a motor with no other moving parts.