Hi The RGH attached to my STL11000 stopped working last night. Camera responds to take an image, but nothing shows up on the display (MaximDL 6.19). This happened suddenly; the camera was guiding and then I got the guide star lost message. The RGH is located in my remote observatory about 180 miles away; are there any tests I can do to determine the cause of the problem? If I need to send it in for repair, I assume that I need to send in the STL11000 as well - correct? Please advise...
Okay, here’s an email. Any suggestions to analyze what’s going on from my remote location? I had the on-site personnel at the observatory check to make sure that the remote guide head had not slipped and caused it to lose focus. Last night when guiding failed the signal looked like background sky, noise but no stars. Today with the scope parked in the observatory, a 3 second exposure showed ADUs around 30k when pointed at the observatory wall. I’m planning to check it again tonight; do you need any sample images?
Gregg, If the desiccant plug hasn't been recharged regularly, it's possible that the ccd has become corroded, it could be the cable... it's hard to guess. Other than checking the connections and insuring that the RGH is responding properly, I'm not sure what else you can do. My email address is bill@sbig.com. -Bill
Bill: I power cycled the camera a couple of times last night and the RGH started working again...worked all night. So, I will sit on it to see if this was a one time glitch or a worsening problem. I was thinking of sending the camera in this summer for a tune-up. The camera is about 11 years old and has a few problems that I suspect are related to age. Do you still repair STL series cameras?
