Wanderer Light Panels/motorised or not

[TrevorW]

Are they any good ??? :)

[PRejto]

I can fill you in! But, not from my phone. I can write tomorrow in some detail. Standby.
Peter

[PRejto]

Trevor,

My experience with the Wanderer cover/flat panels has been mixed. However, I can only comment on V.3 products which have now been replaced with V.4 which the manufacturer claims is much improved. In fact, this is one of my major gripes. Early versions are deficient and when you complain you are offered the new product at a discount. my argument is that the original ought to have worked properly in the first place. It's an argument I have lost.

Anyway, on the positive side, the covers do produce what I think is decent light for flats. It is adjustable over a wide brightness range and I have no complaint. The covers come in a large number of sizes and their larger sizes have few competitors that I'm aware of at the price point. Also, fortunately the covers integrate nicely into Voyager automation software. Be cautious when buying! There are unauthorized shops on AliExpress and buying from them voids the warranty! In fact, the shop on AliExpress called Wanderer Shop is unauthotized. How would one know until it's too late? I found out the hard way...not happy, but I was able to work out a compromise with Frank, who seems quite reasonable and responsive to questions. I think he is the brain behind these products.

The V.3 caps have only a single power source through USB and this can cause a host of issues as most USB outlets do not supply sufficient power to run the cap! When I bought the first of two caps for my TEC-140 (the 2nd for my TEC-180) my Primaluce Eagle did not output sufficent power to run the cap. I had to buy a powered USB hub to solve the problem. There went some of the "savings." On my TEC-180 my FitPC would not provide sufficient USB power either. I was in the market for a USB/power controller and I bought the Wanderer Power Box pro V.3 to solve two needs. There are three other issues. 1. The Caps depend on the system remembering a memory for the stepper motor of the closed and open positions. This wouldn't be a big deal except for unknown reasons my caps will randomly forget. This has the potential to create a dangerous state! If the cap is opened or closed it will likely collide with the OTA. The motor will continue to run, though I understand it is supposed to stop before irreparably damaging itself. Ask me how I know this to be untrue! 2. The second problem is that the cap cannot report it's state (open or closed, or other) to the software.) If remote, only a camera can tell you the cap's state. 3. The software controlling the caps is called Wanderer Empire. It has the ability to run all Wanderer products.....I find it clunky, often slow, and sometimes prone to odd behavior such as vanishing from the taskbar when mininmized. Task Manager will say the software is running only I cannot find it or access it. I also sometimes have an odd issue where I will connect the software and open the cap, yet 5 min (or longer) later, will go to close the cap and get a warning of insufficient power. Yet if I disconnect the software and reconnect I can then close the cap without issue. This doesn't always happen, but to be safe, I now regularly disconnect after opening and reconnect when I need to close. This is annoying on top of everything else.

V.4 is supposed to fix most of these issues.

"The V4-EC version of the WandererCover improves on the previous design with the addition of a 12V DC input port, added power & USB indicator lights, soft pads to protect the telescope tube from scratches, plus a built-in encoder. This encoder provides real-time and accurate feedback on the position of the cover, allowing users to remotely monitor the status of the panel. This encoder also provides reliable automatic detection of the opened and closed position, as well as automatic detection of obstacles. Repeatable positioning accuracy is higher than ±0.25 degrees.

The V4-EC also features a new motor which increased the payload by more than 50%, ensuring durability and preventing gearbox damage. The new dimming controller increases the PWM dimming frequency by double, reducing the occurrence of banding. Also added are built-in heating elements with three levels of heating to keep the cover free from dew."

I have little doubt that V.4 is a big imrovement. I don't personally think V.3 customers should need to pay to get a product that is reliable. Consequently, I have very mixed feelings about this company. There isn't a lot of choice in this market. If the V.3 cap worked without the faults mentioned I would be quite happy. I can't help the feeling that I could invest further in an upgrade to V.4 only to find out that a year later there is a V.5 with yet another offer to upgrade at a discount. It's one thing to upgrade for additional features and quite another to upgrade because the original was not really fit for the market or operated without any degree of reliability.

I hope this helps with your decision!
Peter

[TrevorW]

I always wonder this if you buy a product from an Australian supplier consumer laws state it must be match advertised performance - thanks for the feedback well written - I have come across one called Gemini which is vastly cheaper but looks the same :)

[PRejto]

Trevor, thanks. Would you please post a link to that other product?

Thanks!
P

[TrevorW]

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807692597567.html?src=google&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

[PRejto]

I would be cautious with this model. It seems to only have a USB input so if it's anything like the Wanderer V.3 it will throw errors re USB power. Also, I saw one review that said that low light adjustment was lacking (i.e., not dim enough). If you've purchased this please write a review!

Thanks,

P

EDIT: To me these look like possibly rebranded Wanderer V.3 caps. Maybe they had a big surplus when V.4 came out?? Pure speculation, but they have an uncanny resemblance.

[TrevorW]

In all honesty I think the Wanderer and the Gitto by Prima Luce are somewhat overpriced :)

[PRejto]

I don't disagree, but if you end up with a product similar to V.3 you will regret spending any money whatsoever, unless all you want is a light source! The V3 motor/software combo is unworthy!

[AlexN]

I use the Wander non-motorised flat panel, thus far its been perfect for me - I've not had any issues calibrating my data from the IMX294 which is apparently 'notoriously difficult to calibrate with flats'...

I love it.

[PRejto]

I just want to add an additional comment. The motor on my TEC-180 Wanderer motorized cap broke 2 days ago trying to just lift the weight of the cap! I received a replacement motor under warranty and within a week it too died in a similar fashion! It will open and close only when the OTA is horizontal to the ground and the Cap positioned sideways. When the OTA is pointed up, forget it. It cannot reliably lift its own weight.

Now I'm between a rock and a hard place. Do I upgrade to V.4 or start over with some different solution? I am angry that I have to pay for an upgrade to a product that is completely unreliable. And wait, what happens if V.4 isn't so good and I'm offered a "deal" on V.5? Yikes.

P

[TrevorW]

Did you buy local ??? if so you'd be covered by consumer laws for a defective product under warranty etc :)

[PRejto]

Unfortunately not.....