Well the latest update is that QHY didn't send a replacement nosepiece and gasket. Theo says he doesn't think the new front ends will fit on my camera and I need to send the camera back to China. This is a bit of a surprise given what's been said in previous threads.
http://qhyccd.com/ccdbbs/index.php?topic=3010.0
I suspect I have a similar issue as you can see a gap in the glue that holds the front window in place at the bottom of the attached image.
Having spent a week on the QHY help site I have experienced the huge language barrier. Their recommended fix for the leak was that I should apply vaseline to the threads on the nosepiece before assembling. If the new front ends don't fit my camera I'm now not feeling very confident that QHY will resolve this properly. I don't need to send it to China to put vaseline on threads.
I can wrap a dew heater around the front end of the camera and block the cooling fan inlets and glue bits of dessicant inside the nosepiece and put vaseline on threads to try to make up for the seal not working properly however these are all "ghetto" patches and should not be necessary on a camera that is advertised as having an argon filled sealed chamber no matter how much it cost.
Reducing the peltier cooling fan efficiency by blocking it with velcro sounds like a recipe for disaster. You are effectively transferring that heat back into the back of the camera which it the very thing the peltier is trying to cool. Peltier units can easily be damaged and replacing them is not going to be a small job. If you watch the peltier output % reading I'm certain you will see and increase when you block the fan inlet as it tries to keep the temperature setpoint - I see this with the dew heater on the front of the camera.
So I'm left contemplating my options. I'm pretty disappointed and feel like I'm back to square one.
