ASI1600MM-Cool Vibration Problem

[kkara4]

So last night i had my first test with the ASI1600MM and powering up the cooler.

Unfortunately it exhibits a severe vibration problem, where with the cooler plugged in, everything is smeared due to vibration by about 100 pixels. The moment i unplug the cooler, textbook stars. The framerate i think was 10 fps when i recorded videos which i was going to post here but forgot to copy them to my flash drive :lol:, basically they were just smears at that framerate, no discernable oscillation as such. Also tested on multiple stars.

Just wondering if anyone has experienced this and if there was a simple check/fix? i have done an extensive search for similar experiences on ZWO/IIS/CN forums but couldnt find any. There is no abnormal sound or vibration that i can feel with my hand. Everything is screwed together (not overly tight), there are no barrels/holders, nothing is under undue tension or stress.

thought i would ask just in case, before i give Bintel a call for warranty replacement.

As an aside i have not disassembled the camera in any way, simply took it out the box and screwed it onto the filter wheel t threads (please let me know if there is some initial prep i needed to do before doing this though which may be causing the problem!)

TIA

[glend]

Get Bintel to replace it, that is abnormal.

[Atmos]

I haven't noticed a vibration problem so I assume it may just be a faulty product for whatever reason.

[kkara4]

thanks Glen/Colin i will call Bintel shortly. Hopefully they agree to send me one prior to returning the old (they have done that in the past for me when my Atik EFW2 was DOA), a very helpful mob there :)

[lazjen]

Sounds like there's an issue with the fan I'd say - but, yeah, I'd look into getting that replaced/fixed as that's quite unusual.

[kkara4]

Thanks Chris, yes it must be, although i am now very suspicious of the whole camera. It is now completely unusable. The first night of testing i was able to pull 300 second subs no worries. second night i had a couple of lockups where i had to restart the computer. indoor testing on the third day, and now i can no longer even start firecapture, it cannot initialise the camera. after about 10 restarts, i finally got it to initialise, and as soon as i changed the gain in firecapture, the preview came up with "capture failed", which were its final moments before being put back in the box lol.

Attached are 2 second (21 frame) stacks of a defocused star taken 5 seconds apart, one with the cooler plugged in and one without. (yes i was as horrified as you can imagine). i thought i would leave these here for anyone else that may experience similar problems.

As an aside, this is the version of the camera with the USB hub on the back but no dessicant port on the side. on the plus side, at least ill receive the port version as a replacement. :sadeyes:

[Atmos]

So you have V2, same one I've got. Sounds like the camera is defective.

[kkara4]

that's the one Colin :). yes hopefully i get a replacement this week, the bad weather will allow me to do indoor testing that i can actually use it prior to the weather (hopefully) coming good again the week after!

[glend]

It could be a very simple problem with an unbalanced fan blade or the blade striking something during rotation. However that should have been picked up in factory testing. Get is replaced under warranty. I can't comment on your other issue as the fan section is not anywhere near the sensor board and TEC circuit. Any of the capture software choices have configuration choice that can affect downloads, don't rush to judgement there yet. Just get it replaced and start from square one.

As a note for other ASI1600NM-C owners, i have noticed a buildup of dust on the blades of my fan and on the motor itself. This is not unusual i believe as all PC fans suffer from the same issue over time. I use my camera a lot, and it would now have over 100 running hours on it, so dust build up can be expected over time. It can be easily cleaned with a soft artist paint brush and a puffer bulb. If left it may produce out of balance vibration or reduced cooling effectiveness.

[kkara4]

Certainly could Glen, it looks to be very simple by the way to remove the cover and unplug the fan for you to clean it. i am certainly not doing that when i can get it sorted under warranty though of course! but something you may want to try if yours is out of warranty. also there is zero sound, the blade is free to rotate 100%, nothing comes close to the blades. i also inspected them with a torch and cant see anything stuck to them, though of course i cant see the other side of the blades very well.

very true Glen, i am just frustrated a little and suspicious given it started out on the first night just fine. regarding capture choices, i have discussed with Dunk a little but i have only used firecapture thus far, and have yet to install SGP (i bought it a few days back). what do you use for image acquisition for deep sky for your ASI1600? if FC continues to give me issues when i get the new one im happy to give other things a try.

[glend]

I use SGP all the time. I use Sharpcap when i need to do field polar alignment quickly, but for image capture i always use SGP. Re the fan, when at rest it could be fine, but when powered up it may rise on its bearing and strike something or be out of balance due to uneven plastic casting tags. Like a propeller it will dig into the air and want to draw itself forward so it is entirely feasible it would appear fine when you spin it by hand at low rpm.