Hello, a few days ago, we noticed that the cooling regulation is not working anymore. Symptoms are: when cooling is enabled, it starts cooling, but after reaching a certain (cooler) power, it automatically stops (power down to 0). Did you already have this issue? It is an urgent matter since we currently are in the middle of an observing session (I'm working at Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, France). Best regards and happpy new year to the support team. Lyu ABE
Usually that is the result of the camera protecting itself from an undervoltage situation. As the cooler power ramps up, it draws more power from the 12V supply. If the voltage drops too much as a result it will power down the cooler to prevent excessive current flow. Are you using the power supply and cabling that came with the camera? What is the camera serial number?
Hello Doug, thank you for your reply. We are using the camera since 2011 and did not make any change since then (the camera sensor had a chip/socket problem and was repaired by SBIG in 2013). The serial number is X12100143. Best regards. Lyu
Another comment: we noticed that de fan noise slightly increased recently. We haven't checked yet, but could it be due to a fan system malfunction preventing heat to be extracted properly?
Possibly; you should inspect the fan and make sure it is working properly. Also check the voltage indicator lights on the side of the camera.
I am having a similar issue with my STXL-11002. I haven't caught it at the moment that it is happening, but when I check the camera everything appears normal, except that the red status light remains off. The voltage indicator is still green. If the voltage drops temporarily, would the cooler re-engage when the voltage returns to normal? Or would it be left in the state that I am seeing? I updated the firmware and drivers, and am running with the original power supply and cables.
Hi there. My colleague just reported that the cooling has definitely failed. We'll hand it to our reseller for a first diagnostic then probably send it for repair to DL.
To answer your first question, yes it is possible. Once the cooler's emergency shutdown has been triggered you need to power cycle the camera to restore cooling. It is best to watch the status lights while you ramp up cooler power.
