My trusty 40D arrived back from Central DS in South Korea yesterday reincarnated as an Astro 40D - cooled and UV/IR filter modded.
Service was really very quick - 4 weeks from posting to receiving it back.
Haven't had a chance to take any images under the stars or grab dark frames yet but I'll post comparisons etc when I do.
Ran the unit last night to test it out and was surprised to see how efficient it was. The supplied digital thermometer showed an air temp of 28deg C with the CMOS temp eventually stabilising at -2deg C after about 2-3mins operation time!!!
A drop of -30degs - way more than the-18deg +/-2 quoted by Central DS.
One minor heart-stopping drama - out of the box, the fan didn't work.
The temp would drop by about 20degs then gradually rise back to ambient.
The case of the cooling unit became very very hot (almost too hot to touch!!) Something was way wrong - the fan!!!!
Contacted Yun by email and was offered a new fan to install myself or send DSLR back for repair.
The description of the fan repair (see image) made me think that the fault may have been as simple as a loose/broken connection in the wiring, which thankfully it was - resoldered and repaired...Phew!!!!
Hey, looking good Doug. Bonus that the cooling is greater than spec. Noticeable difference in the darks with the cooling on, as it should be. Just need the weather to co-operate.
Hey, looking good Doug. Bonus that the cooling is greater than spec. Noticeable difference in the darks with the cooling on, as it should be. Just need the weather to co-operate.
Cheers Craig - yes, I hope this bonus efficiency continues and doesn't diminish with prolonged use of the unit.
The crappy weather will allow a start on a library of master darks so that I can hopefully reproduce the lack of noise as seen in the final image without using ICNR.
Doug
Congratulations. This is going to be such a big help for you during summer.
I remember earlier this year, I was out at JohnG's place. It was midnight, and 26 degrees. Trying to image Orion in 10-minute exposures through the 40D and 127ED; the noise was so unbearable it was depressing.
Congratulations. This is going to be such a big help for you during summer.
I remember earlier this year, I was out at JohnG's place. It was midnight, and 26 degrees. Trying to image Orion in 10-minute exposures through the 40D and 127ED; the noise was so unbearable it was depressing.
H
Cheers H
The dark frame comparisons (in another thread) look promising.
Know what you mean about iso1600 imaging in summer
Way to go DOUG ,GOOD TO SEE YOUR REPAIRS WORKED OK,YOU WILL LOVE YOUR ASTRO 40D,I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH MINE SINCE GOING BACK TO YUN IT TAKES A LOVELY COOLED SHOT ISO800 WAY TO GO
AL
Way to go DOUG ,GOOD TO SEE YOUR REPAIRS WORKED OK,YOU WILL LOVE YOUR ASTRO 40D,I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH MINE SINCE GOING BACK TO YUN IT TAKES A LOVELY COOLED SHOT ISO800 WAY TO GO
AL
Good to hear your problems were all sorted out - I recall reading your post with dread at the time - Cheers
Quote:
Originally Posted by apaulo
Hey Doug!
Nothing like a new toy that brings joy to the user, and better still a little bonus in the shape of extra cooling.
Looking forward to viewing your "cool" pictures, excuse the pun!.
It is a shame that we don't have someone in Australia who can do the mod and supply the filters too!.
Have fun Doug.
apaulo (overheated dlsr user).
Thanks Paul - hope to grab some subs tonight if weather plays ball.
Eric Lo used to do the mods around these parts! Not sure if he still does.
My 40D was originally modded in Hong Kong, and now has been cooled in South Korea - it gets around!
Doug
Congrats on the new toy Doug, I'm just wondering why you went down this route instead of a cooled ccd ?
Hi Robin - Just suits the way I prefer to image...LiveView v's computer focusing, no special/custom adapters needed for EF lenses, easier framing of objects through viewfinder - Laziness really!!