 #...
·
 |
|---|
Bill Long - Dark Matters Astrophotography:John Hayes: First, don't open the seal to the drier tube port unless you definitively establish that fogging is the issue! And John's response seems to indicate that it is not. I have a QHY camera that works the same way and did not interpret the use instructions of this drying tube to be a permanent installation. First of all, my camera has never required that I dry it in the 3 years I have used it, and I live in the Pacific Northwest. Very much unlike my ZWO camera! Maybe I got lucky and the QHY is just better sealed than the ZWO. Maybe my QHY camera is also a rare such example. Installing the drier tube requires the breaking of a seal to remove the plug and then creating a new seal with the drier tube. Should be straight forward, but if fogging really is not the issue, the last thing I would do is break any seal on a camera that is dry, even a seal that is meant to be accessed. Working at high elevation in Chile, in one of the driest locations on the planet, I would not be looking at this issue as a problem, except as you (John) have quickly and simply done. The other thing is that just because these cameras can be cooled to 40-50 degrees below ambient, it just seems foolish to push the limit as seems to be so commonly done. I suppose its just cool to be "cool"! The most important issue is camera temperature stability. Maybe the holiest of astrophotographers just cannot get by without subs that are done at -40C, never mind that darks, etc. and software take care of these issues superbly. I could see leaving the drier tube installed if I had a remote observatory and I had a fogging problem and there was no one around to bump and bend the damn thing sticking out in a prime location for damage. Also, if your camera's seal is not great and actually needs a drying tube to be permanently attached, then it is likely the small amount of dessicant it holds will not last for very long and you will need to go and replace it. Also, most dessicants which have a decent capacity also are rather poor at dropping RH in the chamber to very low levels. Drierite, calcium sulfate, on the other hand is able to dry to very low partial pressure, but suffers from low capacity. It is also a dust generator, and I would never use it in such an installation without including a fine filter between the dessicant and the camera chamber. |
22.68
#...
·
·
1
like
|
|---|
Peter Goodhew: Peter, First, I had to buy a new camera so that I could keep the telescope running and to retrieve the broken one. I decided to replace it with a Moravian camera that I ordered in November of 2022. They kept delaying the shipment time after time after time, and I eventually got nervous that they wouldn't be able to get me a camera before I left for Chile on April 10, 2023--nearly 5 months after I ordered it. So, I had to order another QHY600 to take with me. The shipment from Moravian arrived literally one-hour before my flight to Chile so I picked it up and stuffed it in my bag without inspecting it. I got it to Chile and discovered that the 4-hole mounting adapter was missing and the folks at Moravian had the gaul to accuse me of losing it! So...that camera has been sitting unused in Chile for over a year since I ordered it. I've been running the replacement QHY600 since then without out any problems (knock on wood). I returned the broken camera for repair and they ultimately just swapped it out for another repaired camera. The repaired camera looks useable but it displays a very weak cosinusoidal pattern in its dark current data so I'll only use it for an emergency. Bottom line: The broken camera turned into a marginal spare...and it cost me a fortune to keep my scope running! Ironically, I'm heading back down to Chile in early March (2024) and I'm finally taking that repaired camera back with me. Hopefully since I think that I have all the proper adapters, I can get that Moravian camera working as well. That will leave me with two spare cameras for my two telescopes. Did I hear someone mention that remote imaging is really easy, stress free, and inexpensive? John |
4.13
#...
·
·
1
like
|
|---|
John Hayes:Peter Goodhew: Thanks John - you're absolutely right - this game isn't for the faint-hearted. It's massively rewarding WHEN it works - but so stressful when it doesn't. |
