Enhanced Vision Systems MAX... any potential here?

Hello all,

Here's a funny one for you... it proves that even astronomy can become
a depraved, selfish hobby. Maybe it depends on the astronomer...

Well anyways, a member of my family has low vision, and aquired a
Enhanced Vision Systems MAX CCD maginifier unit as part of an
assistance for the blind program. She never used it, and eventually we
forgot it existed. To make a long story short, I have been dissecting
every CCD camera I own looking for potential astrocams, and all of a
sudden I remembered! The MAX!

The unit is made by Enhanced Vision Systems, and is basically a
computer mouse shaped roller color CCD camera used to look at print or
photos. I opened it up, uncovered the CCD itself, and shot some
video... Wowza! The shutter opens so far in the dark that a couple of
hot pixels show up! It looks to me like the CCD is quite sensitive
with a regular webcam/security cam lens, and I *think* it might outdo
my Remmington bullet cam which is already pretty sensitive.

The CCD itself must certainly be a "camera on a chip" style unit, as
it is a 48 pin device with support electronics consisting only of a
handful of 8 to 16 pin smt chips, transistors, and some resistors and
capacitors. It's drop dead simple as a design. I *did* look at the CCD
under a microscope, and found a VERY tiny 3 digit number I can't quite
remember preceded by an "OV". After this number are two symbols that
resemble upside down "U"s and then a circle with an "M" inside it.

I feel like this bugger has vast potential, but I need to know more
about the CCD and support circuitry before I can explore this. 

I may find time in the next day or two to get that number again, and
also I may shoot some pictures of the guts. In the meantime, does
anyone know what company has it's logo as a rather unfancy looking M
inside a circle? It doesn't look like Motorola's logo to me, although
it could be I guess. Also, and perhaps much better, does anyone know
more about this unit?

Thanks, and more later!

 - NR


"The usual approach of science of constructing a mathematical
model cannot answer the questions of why there should be a
universe for the model to describe. Why does the universe go
to all the bother of existing?"

 - Stephen Hawking

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