The ALFA instrument will be equipped in 2000 with a new tip-tilt tracker camera. The new camera will be 1.5-2 magnitudes more sensitive than the current one.

OMEGA-Cass got the missing grism! Grism #2 was installed by Peter Bizenberger in November 1999. For more details about this grism please go to the OMEGA-Cass Observer's Manual.

A new slit, 850 microns wide, has been installed by U. Thiele during August 1999 in the OMEGA-Cass aperture wheel. The slit is 5 arcsec wide for the wide-field optics (i.e. 0.3''/pix).

OMEGA-Prime got a new readout electronics. A new readout mode was implemented (called rrr-fmpia) for higher efficiency at short integration times (see OMEGA-Cass and OMEGA-Prime Observer's Manuals).

The most important upgrade was the installation of a new CCD (SITe#16a). The new CCD is 2x4 k with 15 micron pixels and has much less interference fringes than the previously used LORAL CCD.

A new grism has been ordered, which has its peak efficiency at 850nm. It should become available in April 2000.

A new set of Johnson filters (B,V,R,I) with a diameter of 100 mm is available for the CCD-Camera at the 1.23m telescope. The filters are mounted on a wheel with four positions. Reduction mountings allow the use of standard 50mm filters too.

The field of view is thus 17".2 (square) with a 2k 24 micron detector or 10".7 with a 15 micron one.

For more details about bias level, readout noise, etc, for the listed and currently available CCDs please visit our CCD web page

New analogic cables for every CCD adquisition electronics (except for the TWIN CCDs) have been installed. These cables improve the readout noise and decrease distortions.

New cables for the CCD shutters have been installed to avoid mechanical backlash when is closing.