ASI 1600 mm cool pro and DEW

[Rodd]

For the first time ever I have moisture on the faceplate of the sensor chamber when I activate cooling.  Actually I don't know its on the faceplate because I am just looking down the scope (I don't want to take the camera off if I can avoid it).  The moisture does go away when cooling is turned off.  Not sure what I should do.  I am in the middle of some images and don't want to take the camera off as even with a CAA I can never find the same camera angle.  

Will leaving the rig uncovered in the day--a sunny cool day--help dry things out?  I thought the camera came with a heated window, but I can't find any mention of that feature..  If the moisture is NOT in the sensor chamber, changing the desiccant plugs will not help.

Please Help!!!! I am rudderless and without a compass on the Sargasso sea.  How to get rid of the moisture without taking off camera.  No dew on scope lenses or guide scope lens.  

Thanks,

Rodd

[spillage]

Oh! I hope its not the same issue I have had with mine. I ended up with moisture on the sensor that I could just not get rid of. Tried drying out the desiccants twice leaving it on both occasions for three days. When looking at the sensor it almost looked like a dark spot. Still waiting to get it back from repairs. I will say that the tablets were bone dry when taken out.

[Rodd]

9 minutes ago, spillage said:

Oh! I hope its not the same issue I have had with mine. I ended up with moisture on the sensor that I could just not get rid of. Tried drying out the desiccants twice leaving it on both occasions for three days. When looking at the sensor it almost looked like a dark spot. Still waiting to get it back from repairs. I will say that the tablets were bone dry when taken out.

Thanks Mark--you have brightened my day!  I don't think its that--the dew is visible when I look down the scope and it looks like its on top of the window--can't be sure though.  I would think it would be frost if it was inside the camber.   It did rain all night and as soon as it cleared I switched on the rig and activated cooling.  Everything was dew covered--but not the lenses!

Rodd

[spillage]

I do not think these have a heated window like the atik horizons but zwo do make a heater for them.

[Rodd]

9 minutes ago, spillage said:

I do not think these have a heated window like the atik horizons but zwo do make a heater for them.

Yes but it screws with the spacing 9slightly) and you need another power supply and cable.  Not a quick fix.

Rodd

[Rodd]

I see now that it has a dual power chord so that's good.  Not sure how effective it will be though--kind of far removed from the window

Rodd

[Rodd]

1 hour ago, spillage said:

I do not think these have a heated window like the atik horizons but zwo do make a heater for them.

I bought one--not completely confident that it will work--but for $19 its worth a try.  Now, for my immediate problem.  What to do.  Will leaving the rig out in the sun  to dry  help (its cool here now--not warm or cold--but sunny and humidity is dropping today)?

Rodd

[Adam J]

 

2 hours ago, spillage said:

I do not think these have a heated window like the atik horizons but zwo do make a heater for them.

I can confirm that the Atik Horizon does not have a heated window.

2 hours ago, Rodd said:

I see now that it has a dual power chord so that's good.  Not sure how effective it will be though--kind of far removed from the window

Rodd

Hi Rod, the ASI1600mm Pro heats its sensor window by using waste heat from the cooler, hence if its very cold and you maintain the same -20c set point that you would normally use in summer the cooler is not having to work hard enough to generate sufficient heat to clear the window in high humidity. The add on heater is more for the earlier models (V1 / V2) that did not use the waste heat in this way. 

I suggest that in conditions like last night when it was only +5c at my house that you switch to imaging at -30c to make the cooler work harder (35c differential) and allow the waste TEC heat to get to the window and warm it.  

I know it sounds counter intuitive but it should work...so long as we are talking about dew forming on the outer surface. If its internal that means drying the dessicant or the seal has gone. 

Adam 

[spillage]

I  would suggest leaving it in a warm room for a few hours.

[spillage]

I have the mk11 version so I do not have the ability to use waste heat.

[Rodd]

7 minutes ago, Adam J said:

 

I can confirm that the Atik Horizon does not have a heated window.

Hi Rod, the ASI1600mm Pro heats its sensor window by using waste heat from the cooler, hence if its very cold and you maintain the same -20c set point that you would normally use in summer the cooler is not having to work hard enough to generate sufficient heat to clear the window in high humidity. The add on heater is more for the earlier models (V1 / V2) that did not use the waste heat in this way. 

I suggest that in conditions like last night when it was only +5c at my house that you switch to imaging at -30c to make the cooler work harder (35c differential) and allow the waste TEC heat to get to the window and warm it.  

I know it sounds counter intuitive but it should work...so long as we are talking about dew forming on the outer surface. If its internal that means drying the dessicant or the seal has gone. 

Adam 

Wow--a ray of hope breaks through the gloom!  Now I regret spending 19 dollars on eth dew strip.  Worth a try though--your idea of amping up the cooling is ingenious if it works.  I did not know that the waste heat is channeled to the window.    You are correct in the camera not working very hard to maintain the -20--I don't think the fans even kicked on (29 percent).  I will try this in combination with letting the rig dry out on this sunny, dry breezy day.  Once the dew is gone (provided it works) I hope I can revert back to -20 so I do not have to take new darks and flats!

Thanks Adam.  I really hope you are right!

Rodd

[david_taurus83]

44 minutes ago, Adam J said:

 

I can confirm that the Atik Horizon does not have a heated window.

Hi Rod, the ASI1600mm Pro heats its sensor window by using waste heat from the cooler, hence if its very cold and you maintain the same -20c set point that you would normally use in summer the cooler is not having to work hard enough to generate sufficient heat to clear the window in high humidity. The add on heater is more for the earlier models (V1 / V2) that did not use the waste heat in this way. 

I suggest that in conditions like last night when it was only +5c at my house that you switch to imaging at -30c to make the cooler work harder (35c differential) and allow the waste TEC heat to get to the window and warm it.  

I know it sounds counter intuitive but it should work...so long as we are talking about dew forming on the outer surface. If its internal that means drying the dessicant or the seal has gone. 

Adam 

Is this by design or an imagers "trick"?

 

I received mine last weekend and the provided booklet is, predictably, poor. I've received no spare desicant tablets nor no instructions on how to change them when needed!

[Rodd]

5 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

Is this by design or an imagers "trick"?

If this is true--and I am hoping that it is (and have no reason to doubt Adam), then it is a tremendous design.  Simple, but ingenious.  Quite green in its application as well--using waste heat in a positive manner.  (Please be true!)

Rodd

[Adam J]

2 minutes ago, david_taurus83 said:

Is this by design or an imagers "trick"?

 

I received mine last weekend and the provided booklet is, predictably, poor. I've received no spare desicant tablets nor no instructions on how to change them when needed!

Its by design that the heating works that way on the camera, but in terms of needing a good amount of heat from the cooler for it to work thats not something specified by ZWO...it just makes sense. 

[whipdry]

Hi Rod,

l've had slight misting issues with most of the cooled camera I've owned, I found this tends to happen if the sensor window is horizontal (scope pointing up) during cool down.

Resolved by setting park with scopes horizontal & always cooling prior to unparking & imaging.

Have not owned a ZWO though!

Peter

[Rodd]

15 minutes ago, whipdry said:

Hi Rod,

l've had slight misting issues with most of the cooled camera I've owned, I found this tends to happen if the sensor window is horizontal (scope pointing up) during cool down.

Resolved by setting park with scopes horizontal & always cooling prior to unparking & imaging.

Have not owned a ZWO though!

Peter

Interesting.  I always park in position 3 (scope pointing like a howitzer at around 45 degrees toward Polaris).  I have been using the ASI 1600 for over 6 months and have never had this issue.  This was a particularly bad night with respect to dew though.  The first thing I do is turn on the camera and start cooling--then I connect to all other software (mount, PA, Focuser, Planetarium, I arrange my session and assign my filter and set up my file saving directories.  Then, I unpark and slew to focus star, check PA, zero in goto, focus, then it's off to the target.   This has NEVER happened.

Rodd

 

[Adam J]

On 07/11/2018 at 17:25, Rodd said:

 

 

Rodd I am curious as to if this worked for you in the end?

[Rodd]

15 minutes ago, Adam J said:

Rodd I am curious as to if this worked for you in the end?

No more dew!!!.  It went awa7y the next night.  To be fair to ZWO--I uncovered the scope immediately after a rather large storm event.  You could see the dark wall of clouds move slowly by with clear dark sky behind.  Everything still dripping, including the mount--which meant humidity was high beneath the shroud.  By the next day, things had dried out.  No dew since.  And I bought a dew strip made by ZWO for the camera--probably didn't need it.  Never opened the box.  $19 isn't too bad.  Supposedly it connects to the same power chord as the cooler through a V chord.  Maybe I will install in when I switch out the scope

Rodd