#21  
Old 25-04-2012, 01:51 PM
Tandum's Avatar
Tandum (Robin)
Registered User

Tandum is offline
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Wynnum West, Brisbane.
Posts: 4,161
Quote:
Originally Posted by multiweb View Post
That's terrible. I'm going to have to open mine and check the pins just to be on the safe side.
Those are images of RobF's camera. He was running it without the nosepiece for some time so that may have contributed to it. I've not seen anything like that in mine.
Reply With Quote
  #22  
Old 25-04-2012, 02:57 PM
allan gould's Avatar
allan gould
Registered User

allan gould is offline
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 4,485
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmitchell82 View Post
Ive never seen that before and I know that the QHY9M has a dual sealed chamber set up. The primary chamber is around the sensor itself is fully sealed, the secondary chamber isn't so sealed but like Marc said they provide 2 options, dry air nipple to circulate dry air though the secondary chamber and a desiccant plug. There is also a inbuilt heater.
Brendan
You state that the primary chamber of the QHY9 is full sealed - this is not correct as I managed to chase down the post from Theo when replying to the QHY9 problems mentioned by Ratas in their post. Even with a dual seal the primary leaks over time in the qhy9. See this thread http://qhyccd.com/ccdbbs/index.php?P...6&topic=2996.0
I just think the QHY cameras need better design in this area as it has been a continuing problem from day one as shown by a large number of posts and the need for dessicants either in the camera or air tight cases. I went to great lengths with my QHY8 to remove moisture etc and do the same with my qhy10.
I never had to bother with my Starlight Xpress camera or my SBig ST7 nor do I currently with my QSI583 camera as these are far better sealed cameras. If the qhy cameras were better sealed there would not be so many postings re dewing on the front glass or at the CCD chip surface. The other cameras I mentioned do have provision for moisture management but are not needed for quite some considerable period of time and you would be hard pressed to find a posting on dew management problems with these cameras.
Reply With Quote
  #23  
Old 25-04-2012, 03:29 PM
bmitchell82's Avatar
bmitchell82 (Brendan)
Newtonian power! Love it!

bmitchell82 is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Mandurah
Posts: 2,597
Well noted Allan,

but it comes down to my closing statement. you can pick up a qhy9 mono + FW with filters for under 2k...

you cannot pick up qsi, sbig and the like for the same. Cheap means they have scrimped on something pay your dollars, get higher quality.
Reply With Quote
  #24  
Old 25-04-2012, 03:44 PM
allan gould's Avatar
allan gould
Registered User

allan gould is offline
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 4,485
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmitchell82 View Post
Well noted Allan,

but it comes down to my closing statement. you can pick up a qhy9 mono + FW with filters for under 2k...

you cannot pick up qsi, sbig and the like for the same. Cheap means they have scrimped on something pay your dollars, get higher quality.
Can't argue with that Brendan, but I still argue that better design can alleviate the main problem with these cameras. An air tight, purgeable cavity for the ccd chip is not rocket science. I loved/love my qhy8 and qhy10 cameras and found the cooling etc excellent. It gave/gives great images but it's this one continuing problem that really needs addressing in my opinion. They have made the right choice in the chips they use and obviously altered the design of the qhy8 cameras to separate the chip from the pcb to minimize induced noise but still have this issue. A paper clip is an excellent design and cheap at the same time. Good design doesn't have to be expensive.
Just my 2c
Allan
Reply With Quote
  #25  
Old 25-04-2012, 03:50 PM
mill's Avatar
mill (Martin)
sword collector

mill is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Mount Evelyn
Posts: 2,922
While you are at it, check for black residue between the pins of the ccd chip.
I have had black pictures a couple of times with a value of the pedestal setting (100 for me).
After cleaning with a brush and acetone i had normal pictures again.
One tip, when finished cleaning, look at the wires of the temperature sensor.
When the wires touch each other you will have a VERY low temperature reading that even Hubble would be jealous of
It is easy to move those wires when cleaning the pins in the left hand bottom corner of the chip.

I am now designing a way to fill the ccd chamber with Argon from the outside thru a one way fill design.
Also having double sided tape in the chamber will keep a lot of dust off the chip because it will get stuck on the tape.
Double sided tape is also a good way to stick a small desiccant strip in the chamber.
Just some tips to think about.
When i have found a easy way to flush the chamber i will publish this here in a separate post.

Martin.

Martin.



Quote:
Originally Posted by multiweb View Post
That's terrible. I'm going to have to open mine and check the pins just to be on the safe side.
Reply With Quote
  #26  
Old 25-04-2012, 03:53 PM
multiweb's Avatar
multiweb (Marc)
ze frogginator

multiweb is offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Sydney
Posts: 22,060
The only thing that really worries me about removing the top chamber cover is breaking the TEC wire or bugger the seal. Is it straight forward to remove? Do you need to change the seal or is it just a rubber gasket? Got any pics? How to?
Reply With Quote
  #27  
Old 25-04-2012, 04:09 PM
peter_4059's Avatar
peter_4059 (Peter)
Big Scopes are Cool

peter_4059 is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SE Tasmania
Posts: 4,532
Quote:
Originally Posted by Poita View Post
I have the ring before the nosepiece.
You can't fit it under the nosepiece on the QHY8pro - the 2" part of the nosepiece does not come off like it does with the QHY8.
Reply With Quote
  #28  
Old 25-04-2012, 04:12 PM
peter_4059's Avatar
peter_4059 (Peter)
Big Scopes are Cool

peter_4059 is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SE Tasmania
Posts: 4,532
Quote:
Originally Posted by mill View Post
While you are at it, check for black residue between the pins of the ccd chip.
I have had black pictures a couple of times with a value of the pedestal setting (100 for me).
After cleaning with a brush and acetone i had normal pictures again.
One tip, when finished cleaning, look at the wires of the temperature sensor.
When the wires touch each other you will have a VERY low temperature reading that even Hubble would be jealous of
It is easy to move those wires when cleaning the pins in the left hand bottom corner of the chip.

I am now designing a way to fill the ccd chamber with Argon from the outside thru a one way fill design.
Also having double sided tape in the chamber will keep a lot of dust off the chip because it will get stuck on the tape.
Double sided tape is also a good way to stick a small desiccant strip in the chamber.
Just some tips to think about.
When i have found a easy way to flush the chamber i will publish this here in a separate post.

Martin.

Martin.
Martin,

Does your camera have the dessicant port? I believe this will be the answer to my problems if Theo is able to source a replacement nosepiece with the dessicant port as this will allow argon purging without removing the nosepiece and failing that I can fit an external dessicant chamber and regularly recharge it.
Reply With Quote
  #29  
Old 25-04-2012, 04:39 PM
RobF's Avatar
RobF (Rob)
Mostly harmless...

RobF is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 5,716
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tandum View Post
Those are images of RobF's camera. He was running it without the nosepiece for some time so that may have contributed to it. I've not seen anything like that in mine.
No, this was someone else's that was in much worse state than mine Robin.
Pics of mine here http://qhyccd.com/ccdbbs/index.php?topic=2996.0

Even though I thought I was being pedantic storing my whole camera in a bag with dessicants, there was no doubt moisture in there from the month or two I ran it without a nosepiece as you say. Theo believes always a good idea to have dessicant inside the camera. I should probably get around to setting up the screw-on chamber for mine too. Must go looking.
Reply With Quote
  #30  
Old 25-04-2012, 05:05 PM
allan gould's Avatar
allan gould
Registered User

allan gould is offline
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 4,485
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobF View Post
No, this was someone else's that was in much worse state than mine Robin.
Pics of mine here http://qhyccd.com/ccdbbs/index.php?topic=2996.0

Even though I thought I was being pedantic storing my whole camera in a bag with dessicants, there was no doubt moisture in there from the month or two I ran it without a nosepiece as you say. Theo believes always a good idea to have dessicant inside the camera. I should probably get around to setting up the screw-on chamber for mine too. Must go looking.
So even though the qhy9 is a double sealed system it can still get corrosion from entrapped moisture around the ccd while stored in the presence of a desiccant. Hmmm,m must pay even more close attention to this than in the past
Reply With Quote
  #31  
Old 25-04-2012, 06:09 PM
troypiggo's Avatar
troypiggo (Troy)
Bust Duster

troypiggo is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 4,846
Seems like a lot of reports of dew/moisture issues. You'd hope that QHY would do something serious about it. Double sided tape fixing dessicant inside it sounds a bit ghetto rather than a professional response.
Reply With Quote
  #32  
Old 25-04-2012, 06:30 PM
Gama's Avatar
Gama
Registered User

Gama is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 1,121
There seems to be quite a bit of misconception out there.
What most dont know is that most of the issues of corrosion was due to the owners opening up their camera to either clean, or inspect the ccd close up, as most of us like to do, (Especially if theres a dust molt) but dont follow the righ procedure to make sure to dry it out properly before closing it up.
Others, as mentiond, didnt run the nose piece in front, or the rubber gasket of the chamber was cut/torn, not lined up correctly, allowing air in.
Then, theres where they bought the camera from.
There are some "Unauthorized" sellers, like one in "Hong Kong" that sell either reconditioned, older, or second hand cameras as new. So trying to buy it on the cheap has its potential issues.
Then the complaints surface as mentioned, and then attempts to blame evrything on the manufacturer, so as to get a warranty claim.
I see this all the time here, especially when attempting a claim on grey imports.
The image of the moisture damage shows what can happen, but not how it happened. If this was the norm, you would have thousands of posts with these issues. But we only have the odd issue here and there.

Posting images without true accounts as to how it occured can be misleading. QHY has been here for over 5 years, yet hear of sporadic issues, which says something.
As most out there have stated, they dont have these issues like described earlier. As long as basic procedures are followed, there wont be an issue.
Anyone can always give me an email, or call with any details, or concerns.
Lastly, the factory warranty for the QHY cameras is 3 years, so you have a long, long time to see if any issues arise with your gear. So owners with the above claims would have their gear repaired free, even if they were the cause of the problem in the first place.

Theo
Reply With Quote
  #33  
Old 25-04-2012, 06:56 PM
peter_4059's Avatar
peter_4059 (Peter)
Big Scopes are Cool

peter_4059 is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SE Tasmania
Posts: 4,532
Theo, It's good to know you and QHY are standing by the three year factory warranty for cameras like mine that were purchased from you.

I'm looking forward to hearing how you go with the replacement nosepiece and new gasket that we have already discussed.
Reply With Quote
  #34  
Old 26-04-2012, 12:09 AM
alistairsam's Avatar
alistairsam
Registered User

alistairsam is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Box Hill North, Vic
Posts: 1,837
I have the old QHY8 that I bought second hand here, and I do like its performance. I used a normal kendrick heat strap around the nose piece and the spacer for the coma corrector and haven't had condensation issues. That, I'm guessing is because I haven't opened the nose piece.
But I have now had to open it as the CCD was tilted by almost 2.5mm or so.
I've used Al foil on the TEC plate to adjust the tilt.

what I found very surprising was to see the white plastic spacer bolt pressing directly on the pins of a chip. I had to shim off a mm from the end of the bolt to reduce stress on the chip.
That I find could have been designed better by repositioning the plastic bolt or the chip on the pcb as they should have known where the bolt would have been relative to the pcb.
anyways, I've kept the camera with the nosepiece open in an airtight bag with the dessicant and plan to close the nosepiece in the bag. I just hope the chamber still remains airtight.
Drivers for XP and EZcap were pretty unreliable, it would download the first image, but then timeout on the second one.
but it was a lot more stable with win7, same usb leads, same setup.
They are very good value for money though.
Reply With Quote
  #35  
Old 26-04-2012, 03:11 PM
peter_4059's Avatar
peter_4059 (Peter)
Big Scopes are Cool

peter_4059 is offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SE Tasmania
Posts: 4,532
I'm really excited to report that Theo has been in touch today to say that QHY are sending out a replacement front end for the camera.

As others have said the local support Theo provides is second to none (he has also offered to loan me a QHY8 to keep me going while this issue is getting resolved).

This goes to show it is definately worth purchasing QHY gear from him rather than from O/S.

Thanks Theo
Reply With Quote
  #36  
Old 26-04-2012, 03:35 PM
coldlegs's Avatar
coldlegs (Stephen)
Chopped its rear end off!

coldlegs is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: adelaide, sth aust
Posts: 331
I originally purchased a QHY9mono and could run it down to -30C no problems but I always seemed to manage to screw the nose piece off when removing it from the filter wheel. I bought 0.5Kg bag of desiccant on eBay for about $30 and now chuck it in the oven at 97C for 6 hours then throw the lot in a large sealed plastic bag overnight. Screw the nose piece back on the next afternoon whilst the bag is still sealed and it's done. No dewing problems whatsoever. Only other problem was finding enough nights with clear skies to do LRGB captures. Simply couldn't get enough so bought a QHY10C which is overkill for a 10” sct but at least I'm future proofed a bit.
Cheers
Stephen
Reply With Quote
  #37  
Old 26-04-2012, 05:23 PM
allan gould's Avatar
allan gould
Registered User

allan gould is offline
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 4,485
Quote:
Originally Posted by peter_4059 View Post
I'm really excited to report that Theo has been in touch today to say that QHY are sending out a replacement front end for the camera.

As others have said the local support Theo provides is second to none (he has also offered to loan me a QHY8 to keep me going while this issue is getting resolved).

This goes to show it is definately worth purchasing QHY gear from him rather than from O/S.

Thanks Theo
Once again Theo steps up to the plate.
There have been several threads in IIS about Theo's service and attention to problems of his customers with never a bad word. Theo has been exemplary in my dealings with him and I wholeheartedly recommend buying from him as I see that's number of US dealers have gone by the wayside for QHY cameras - I don't want to see that happen here in Australia.
Prompt and intelligent service should be supported.
Reply With Quote
  #38  
Old 26-04-2012, 07:13 PM
RobF's Avatar
RobF (Rob)
Mostly harmless...

RobF is offline
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 5,716
Yes, we're pretty spoiled having Theo as the local rep for QHY. It's nice to be spoiled though.
Reply With Quote
  #39  
Old 26-04-2012, 08:20 PM
Gama's Avatar
Gama
Registered User

Gama is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 1,121
Quote:
Originally Posted by alistairsam View Post
what I found very surprising was to see the white plastic spacer bolt pressing directly on the pins of a chip. I had to shim off a mm from the end of the bolt to reduce stress on the chip.
That I find could have been designed better by repositioning the plastic bolt or the chip on the pcb as they should have known where the bolt would have been relative to the pcb..
The older QHY-8 had the Whole CCD with mounted PCB taken right out of the Nikon D40 cameras. This was a Nikon issue, and again, the belief is its QHY design.
QHY design of the QHY-8 (Original) was from "After" the CCD ribbon cable. So tilt, and plastic lifts, etc was as it was right out of the Nikon camera body.

Back in those days, there were alot of D40 cameras selling without CCD's.
Im sure you'll find that suprizing too.

Theo
Reply With Quote
  #40  
Old 02-05-2012, 02:49 PM
alistairsam's Avatar
alistairsam
Registered User

alistairsam is offline
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Box Hill North, Vic
Posts: 1,837
Hi,

if there is no condensation noted when running the camera indoors where its warmer, is it possible that there can be condensation when used outdoors where its cooler?
Initially, I used the qhy8 with just its UV/IR nosepiece on and noticed condensation on the outside of the nosepiece which went away with a dew heater strap.

Now I've added an mpcc with an extension tube and I assembled it in an air tight bag with dessicants and have not noticed any condensation yet on indoor tests for over an hour.
Assuming there is no moisture in both cavities (camera to nosepiece and nosepiece to mpcc), is there still likely to be condensation at cooler temperatures?
I don't suppose the air in the mpcc<->nosepiece area can get cooled by the glass on the nosepiece as that would be cooled on the inside with the air in the ccd area.
I'm hoping the mpcc/extension tube will maintain an air tight seal preventing moisture laden air from contacting the surface of the nosepiece glass.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +10. The time is now 08:12 PM.

Powered by vBulletin Version 3.8.7 | Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement
Bintel
Advertisement
Testar
Advertisement