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Old 30-03-2017, 05:49 PM
Kunama
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Cooling a Mewlon.......

Another little DIY project from Kunama Industries Inc.

A little bit of active cooling for Phil's M300 (he thinks this will make it as good as my "Guinevere" )

Spent an hour installing the 6 fans Phil sourced from the USofA.....
Using a 3mm-35mm Step drill, I made a few 35mm holes in the backing plate of the Mewlon.

These 25mm fans can push more than 18 cubic feet of cooling air onto the back of the primary mirror every minute. Should help the views
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  #2  
Old 30-03-2017, 06:27 PM
issdaol (Phil)
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Nice Job Matt :-)

Secretly though ......I was looking for either a flying saucer or to convert the M300 into a Hair Dryer
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Old 30-03-2017, 06:28 PM
glend (Glen)
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Drilling holes in a TAK? There goes the investment value! Seriously, isn't it an open tube, does it really need that much ventilation? Where does the air exit, out the front?
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Old 30-03-2017, 06:51 PM
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The only real investment value in telescopes is getting those magnificent views. These fans will probably add an hour of viewing at ambient to each observing session, that sounds like a pretty good investment to me......

(but to address your concern, this backing plate is Phil's spare one, the original is safely tucked away ..... )

Yes the air exits out the front.
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Old 30-03-2017, 07:07 PM
glend (Glen)
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An old trick used on newts is to put a rim of weather stripping around the inside of the tube just above the surface of the mirror - this diverts the airflow from rear mounted pusher fans over the surface of the mirror, ie boundary air flow. Can also be used as a quick way to remove any mirror fogging.
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Old 30-03-2017, 07:08 PM
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Atmos (Colin)
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Considering that the Mewlon-250 has fans I would have thought that the Mewlow-300 did, unless that is only the brand new ones
Little bit of Kunama Industries Inc. in Phil's observatory.
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Old 30-03-2017, 07:10 PM
issdaol (Phil)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glend View Post
Drilling holes in a TAK? There goes the investment value! Seriously, isn't it an open tube, does it really need that much ventilation? Where does the air exit, out the front?

Tak kindly supplied me with a brand new Mewlon 300 backplate from their new warranty spares......its not usually a separate order-able item so IMO they are to be commended for their flexibility in supplying it.

The original backplate is stashed away in spotless as new condition with the original model and serial number identification plate attached.

So there is no loss of value/investment in the scope as an original fit out

Open tubes also have issues with cooling and currents during acclimation which any open tube owner will recognise.

The Mewlon 300 Mirror and Mirror Cell are heavily over engineered by Tak and the mirror is reasonably thick so increasing Airflow to the rear of the mirror will significantly improve cool down time.

Air is drawn into the tube through the fans which are fitted with filters to remove incoming particulates and is blown directly against the rear of the mirror and mirror cell and vented out the front of the tube.

The Mewlon 300 puts up outstanding views when the mirrors are properly acclimated but it still takes time.

As Matt suggests I should gain a minimum of 1 hour or viewing time but with the mirrors being at optimised acclimation instead of half way there.

IMO money well spent on getting more time with better views
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Old 30-03-2017, 07:13 PM
issdaol (Phil)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Atmos View Post
Considering that the Mewlon-250 has fans I would have thought that the Mewlow-300 did, unless that is only the brand new ones
Little bit of Kunama Industries Inc. in Phil's observatory.

Only the newest CRS versions of the M250 and M300 have cooling.

Tak only have 3 fans which should work but I want extra airflow cause I like big hair driers
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Old 30-03-2017, 08:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Kunama View Post
Should help the views
Shame Phil's eyesight won't!
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Old 30-03-2017, 08:43 PM
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Looks like a Tak drone
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  #11  
Old 31-03-2017, 09:45 AM
issdaol (Phil)
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Looks like a Tak drone
Watch Out !!
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Old 31-03-2017, 11:28 AM
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See, this is where I love true craftsmen like Matt. A lot of lazy-butt fiddlers would have just whacked the fans in there, wires wherever held together with electrickem tape, and not even bother having the fan screws line up perfectly.

Do the job once, and do it right. Don't make shoddy sheet.

Kudos, as usual to Matt and for Phil seeking out a craftsman.
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Old 31-03-2017, 12:31 PM
AnakChan (Sean)
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Great job Matt! Phil, lucky that Tak was dishing out breakfix spares. The 300CRS has only 3 fans but this mod has 6.

Out of curiosity though I thought the 300 had side venting for cooling? Or is the side window for some other purpose? I also thought the 300 was like the 250 with a removable back to expedite cooling? Or keeping it closed but cooling via fans is more appropriate?
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Old 31-03-2017, 12:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AnakChan View Post
Great job Matt! Phil, lucky that Tak was dishing out breakfix spares. The 300CRS has only 3 fans but this mod has 6.

Out of curiosity though I thought the 300 had side venting for cooling? Or is the side window for some other purpose? I also thought the 300 was like the 250 with a removable back to expedite cooling? Or keeping it closed but cooling via fans is more appropriate?
Hello Sean,
Yes there are side vents and the backing plate is removable though once viewing I think it is better to close the sides to prevent any reflections or light from iPad screens etc reflecting off internal tube surfaces.

I think the end plan is to also include a pot to vary the fan speed to keep the scope as near to ambient as possible.

It could also turn out to be an unnecessary modification that's why it's good to practice on Phil's scope at the moment I am removing the filter screens to test the change in airflow.....
(maybe someone will volunteer their refractor for me to cut into to test active cooling in one..... )
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Old 31-03-2017, 01:47 PM
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Phil's TOA150 should be a prime candidate for cooling experiments...
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Old 31-03-2017, 02:40 PM
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Phil's TOA150 should be a prime candidate for cooling experiments...
Ageee, it's always sitting around not being used, just begging to be experimented with!
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  #17  
Old 31-03-2017, 03:18 PM
thebonz (John)
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mewlon cooling

My cooling device is made from plywood that has 4 fans mounted that plugs into a variable output voltage adjustment. It definitely helps. Not as refined as a genuine Tak back but it still works.
John
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Old 01-04-2017, 07:54 AM
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My cooling device is made from plywood that has 4 fans mounted that plugs into a variable output voltage adjustment. It definitely helps. Not as refined as a genuine Tak back but it still works.
John
That's the main thing John
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Old 01-04-2017, 10:47 AM
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I'll leave the full report to Phil, but it works

Noisier than expected, but it def. works.
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  #20  
Old 06-04-2017, 07:35 AM
issdaol (Phil)
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Went out and fitted the replacement Mewlon 300 Back Plate with the TEMPEST fans to the OTA.

This was very quick because the backplate was exactly the same as the original, so all that was required was to remove the retaining ring, take off the original plate and position the new cooling plate in its place.

Made sure that the fans were all signed up roughly centre to the gaps in the mirror cell and tightened up the retaining ring.

All done in one or 2 minutes

Powering was just a matter of plugging in the external 12v cigarette lighter plug lead into the jack Matt mounted in the plate.

All the fans powered up fine and were a little bit noisier than expected but when one remembers I now have 6 fans installed into a aluminium backplate its nor that bad.

Let the fans run for an hour and there was definitely good airflow.....as we could feel slightly warm air being pushed out of the front of the OTA so they were doing their job (the hairdryer effect )

Based on my usual experience, running the fans effectively reduced acclimation time and gave me back an hour extra of viewing.

Im planning on making a small control box with a potentiometer so I can run the fans while viewing at reduced speed and have a on/off switch rather than just the plug

Added some pics of the build and final product:
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