[Shiraz (Ray)]

Hi - the following just for info if you have a starlight express camera.

The main fan on my SXH694 camera started making very worrying noises -happened at the start of a beautiful clear moonless period of course. After checking with SX to make sure I could not stuff anything up, I removed the 35mm fan. Didn't have a suitable drop-in replacement, so I drilled and tapped a couple of holes to allow a 40mm from my junk box to be fitted temporarily on the outside of the case - that worked well enough to get me back under the stars, until I could get a real one.

The internal 35x35x7 5v Sunon maglev fan turned out to be no longer in production, but I found a 35x35x10 12v Sunon maglev that was available locally and that had similar airflow. That fan didn't fit internally but works fine on the outside of the case and powered from the outrigger fan supply - and it looks much neater than the nondescript 40mm did.

While I was at it, I ordered a new fan for the outrigger - and just as well, since one of the lead contacts on the original had corroded and crumbled when I touched it.

The camera has now been running fine for a few months - it doesn't look quite as pretty as it once did, but it works just as well as ever and I can't see it in the dark anyway. Regards Ray