Importance Of Dew Heaters

[Carlz (Carly)]

between all the companies, are the connections all universal? say if i bought a kendrick controller, will the heater bands from bintel or thousand oaks still fit it?

[Rick Petrie]

Originally Posted by Carlz

between all the companies, are the connections all universal? say if i bought a kendrick controller, will the heater bands from bintel or thousand oaks still fit it?

Hi Carly
I have just fitted a Kendrick Dew Controller to my new scope.
Most of the dew straps, secondary heaters and Telrad dew heaters and others should have a standard RCA jack connection to the Dew Controller.
If you or Michael or someone you know is handy with soldering connections you can add whatever you like. Jaycar and other electronics stores have all sorts of fittings.
I have modified mine by this method as I had to adjust the lengths of cords to suit my scope and make tidy.
If you need help just call.
Cheers Rick

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

not a prob, certainly for Kendrick and TO

[Keshdogga (Casey)]

Originally Posted by Liz

What path are you going down Casey?

Hey Liz. I've kinda taken to the idea of buying all the dew equipment from the same place in particular Optcorp. Controler's looking to be Thousand Oaks and Kendrik Firefly's are looking like the go for the heaters =] I was wondering if there was a 12V AC to DC converter available with the cigerette lighter attatchment too?

[erick (Eric)]

Originally Posted by Keshdogga

......I was wondering if there was a 12V AC to DC converter available with the cigerette lighter attatchment too?

Errr.... ? Explain than question a bit more, please? Just describe what you want to do. There'll be a solution.

[Keshdogga (Casey)]

Haha sorry Maybe I asked for too many things in one. Forget i said AC to DC . Just a 12V power pack or something with a cigerette lighter socket. I don't actually own a car and all the Dew controllers look like the only source of power they get is from the car battery via the cigerette lighter socket. I was just hoping the controller would just plug into an AC power port but seeing as it doesn't appear that way I'd be quite stuck if I wanted to use the Dew system at home. Am i completely wrong here?

EDIT: Realised I didn't answer the question haha. I want to use the Dew control system with an AC power supply or a battery. Hope that answers it =]

[Carlz (Carly)]

Thanks Rick I am looking at buying dew accessories for mine, but was worried about if i got different parts from different manufacturers that it wont fit/work. same with Michael, he got a controller and a couple of bands but now needs more so hes worried too. Thanks heaps for your help

[erick (Eric)]

Yes, they all seem to come with a "cigarette lighter" plug to connect to a 12V DC source. That plug could be cut off and replaced with some other form of plug to connect to a 12V DC source, but the controller might be relying on a fuse in the "cigarette lighter" plug for over-current protection. Hopefully not, but that is worth investigating.

The question is - how much "power" are you going to need? Both measured as amps (A) to be drawn and, if you are going to use a battery to supply it, the total amp x hours (AHr) to be supplied.

A couple of small heater straps won't draw many A. See:-

http://www.dew-not.com/specifications.htm

The small ones typically draw no more than 0.5A at full blast.

So let's allow for a total current draw of 2A. Work out what yours will be. Playing safe would be to work out your maximum likely, then double it!

Most people would use a small sealed lead acid rechargeable battery, such as this 7.2Ahr one sold by Jaycar:-

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView...T&SUBCATID=250

You'll need a charger for it:-

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView...T&SUBCATID=250

And you will need a cable to connect it to the cigarette lighter plug:-

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView...r&form=KEYWORD

You didn't think of all these extras, did you - this hobby is like that! Sigh!

You''l probably get a good 5-7 hours power from that battery running a couple of small heater straps at 1/2 to 3/4 power.

But you want to draw power from mains 240V AC? You need a power supply, mains operated, 12V DC out. In that case, you forget about AHr and concentrate on the A that the power supply can deliver.

There are neat ones that have a cigarette lighter socket already and supply more than enough power for your needs. Eg:-

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView...T&SUBCATID=381

BUT, you should be careful not to let it get wet outside - try to cover it with a box to keep dew off it.

[Keshdogga (Casey)]

Thanks for the fantastic advice Eric, I think the Mains 240V to 12V DC Out ( http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView...T&SUBCATID=381 ) looks like the way to go for me It'd save buying in 3 parts as well. And yes "You didn't think of all these extras, did you - this hobby is like that! Sigh!" Truer words were never spoken

So just an overview:

Controller: Thousand Oaks
Straps: Kendrick Firefly Range (not sure on quantity) Need to buy straps for the SW ED80 and my Williams Optics 72mm
Power supply: http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView...T&SUBCATID=381

[erick (Eric)]

Let me just check with the more expert electronics guys out there. Do you all agree with the power supply I am recommending - for up to four heater straps - perhaps 2-3A max current draw from the dew controller?

And that it is kept under cover - doesn't get rained on, or excessive dew on it?