Another brand new, yet defective, ZWO camera

[Martin Pugh]

I ditched the idea of buying QHY cameras well over a year ago with their shocking support, drivers and build quality.

Last week I purchased another ZWO camera (2600MM Pro), this time from Testar, and defective on receipt….looks like a power problem as it works for a while then camera downloads stop and camera reports 0.0degs temp. Not even cycling the power or USB fixes it. I have asked for a refund from Testar …good luck with that I hear you say.

Bottom line…dont buy this Chinese crap.

My Moravian cameras are absolutely rock solid.

Martin

[Adox]

Hello from Testar,

Martin, you sent to us a message on Saturday at 8PM thinking the camera to be defective. On Monday we sent you a label for the return of the camera, Tuesday you shipped it back demanding a refund. It is now Thursday and the camera has not arrived to us yet. We need inspect the camera it first, this is a the standard procedure for any faulty equipment.


Adriano

[Nikolas]

Under Australian consumer law if the camera is proven defective you are entitled to a refund. I will watch this thread and see what the outcome will be.

[Adox]

Certainly, we will happy to issue a refund if the camera is defective. But we need the camera first.

[JA]

Hi Martin,

Did you try another power supply (>= 3 Amps) and/or the supplied ZWO cable or another USB cable, to help with diagnosis, just in case ?

Best
JA

[Nikolas]

Thanks for that
Never had an issue with Testar service just wish your postage was free to Victoria seems an unfair advantage for those in Sydney as we don't have anyone else that sell some of the equipment you stock, considering the astronomical prices of gear sometimes postage may be the tipping point where someone says Nope.

[Adox]

We received the camera yesterday, we tested it over and over and we could not find any issue.

To revolve this situation, we have refunded the camera.

[Zuts]

I have purchased 5 ZWO cameras over the years and never had an issue with them.

[ReidG]

One of the major causes of problems in any computing equipment is inadequate power supply capability.


In this case not all USB sockets can be counted on to supply adequate current at all times.


The same apples to many 12V supplies, they need to be properly sized to work with the load.


Manufacturers often tend to be a bit optimistic about the ratings of their products.


I have three ZWO cameras and have had no problems with them.



Having designed some power supplies for large scale production in the past and been aware of the performance problem I recommend being safe and use supplies rated for greater power output than you need.


The transient load (a short peak at start up say) can cause say a perfectly good camera to appear to fail.

[gregmc]

I’d support the possibility of power supply but would add some comments:

Looking at the voltage specifications for astro systems, they are designed for 12v battery systems (usually about 11.5/12 to 15 or so volts)
I note that many think exactly 12v regulated is necessary and I think you are setting yourself up for issues.

Many people use cables that are too thin and/or too long as well as use inadequate connectors. Voltage drop on cabling/connections (under load) can be the cause of issues. If in doubt, measure your voltage at the device (make yourself a short test cable to put in series with your power cable and measure the voltage). Same goes for USB. Use a USB device to measure the voltage at your device. Some USB cables use wire that is too thin. Some computer ports or hubs (particularly unpowered hubs) just don’t have the correct voltage or can deliver enough current.

Re 12v, if selecting a MAINS powered brick that puts out at least 12.8v and possibly better, 13.5v will help with any voltage drop.

Re MAINS bricks, I suspect that a max current spec is more for marketing and not the advisable normal running current. Ripple on the power is more likely to increase at the supplies limits as well as the voltage drop. If in doubt, measure it at load.

[Peter Ward]

So..tell us how you really feel about made in the ROC cameras Martin :)

I've had a QHY600M for a couple of years now, and sure it's not SBIG level engineering, but has worked very reliably with no driver issues. Their machining is a bit hit and miss, but the latest production generation has many welcome refinements.

If there are some specific aspects you'd like to see improved, please send me a PM as I do have a QHY contact who can pass this on/make improvements.

[Addos]

Shocking. A camera at half the price of its competitor may have some QA issues.


You dont often have issues with any Australian astro retailer and returns given our statutory landscape... unless of course they're 3nm filters ;)


FYI alot of these issues with power/readout drops with ZWO cameras trace to the wiring loom attaching to the sensor separating slightly. Easily fixable by the amateur in 5 minutes. Whilst I'm not suggesting you should have to, you're absolutely entitled to a brand new unit / refund; but it is by no means indicative of systemic design flaws leading to a conclusion that all ZWO (or perhaps the 'Chinese' reference was the focus) cameras are bunk.


They're a market leader for a reason.

[TrevorW]

QHY can't fault their camera :)

[Wilsil]

Would be nice if the OP comes back and say sorry?

I have a QHY camera, was working great fr over 2 years then had an error, most likely created by the user.
I send it back to them, it was repaired very quickly.
Can't fault their customer service.
Thumbs up from me.

[AdamJL]

I've had a defective ZWO camera (oil leak) and a defective QHY camera (intermittent power issues).
The latter has caused me a lot of grief because it was happening over a long period of time. It went back and forth to both Testar and QHY (and gosh, QHY are shockingly slow), but in the end I got a replacement from Testar and so far it's been great.

I want to say how awesome it was to deal with the Testar team. They are sooo friendly and professional. I go back to them all the time because of the level of service they've given me over the years (and they're great to chat to in the store!).

I'm sorry you had issues, but boy it doesn't marry with the service experience I've had from them. Adriano and the team are A1 with product support (and yeah, they need to inspect the camera first, that's totally fair).

[Startrek]

I bought my ZWO 2600MC in August 2020 and in March 2021 it decided to bleed thermal pad grease across the sensor. Returned the camera to Bintel and it was cleaned , tested and returned to me in a week. I was very impressed with their customer service. Haven’t had any issue since March 2021. Bought my ZWO 2600MM in August 2023 and it’s worked flawlessly since then.
Also use both ZWO 120MM and ZWO 290MM as guide cameras , again no issue at all in over 5 years.
Happy ZWO user

Martin

[Nikolas]

Happy ZWO user here owned the 294mc Pro for 5 years still going strong

[multiweb]

My QHY5 is 17 years old and my QHY9 14 years old. I have had good experience with QHY. Although my QHY9 had a faulty TEC so Theo replaced it on the spot. Agree Q.A. might not be the best with budget cameras but they're still pretty reliable. No issues with all my ZWO either.

[Premordial]

I've always had positive experience doing business with Testar.

[TrevorW]

Privileged complaining to the detriment of us minions, I have seen several APODS where people have used both ZWO and QHY cameras, like golf its not the equipment but the ability of the user :)