The cooler on our AC455 seems to sometimes struggle to get to our set point (-15C) even though ambient temperature is around 10 C or lower (as was the case last night, when cooler only cooled down to -10 C). At other times, the cooler will get down to the set point and then seemingly "forget" how to do it, with the temperature drifting up to as high as -6 C before starting to decrease again. Two nights ago it worked very well, but last night the cooler struggled for some reason. If we operate the telescope and camera manually, this isn't an issue, but we're part of the Skynet system, which won't take exposures (lights, darks or flats) unless the cooler temperature is within +/- 2 C of the set point. As a result last night no light exposures in the queue were taken and no dawn flats. I often will manually tweak the "cooler at set point" temperature in Terminator (the local software linking to Skynet and which takes images through Maxim) so that we start taking darks and flats in a timely manner, but my hope would be to set things and go to sleep and have things run during the night. Terminator switches on the cooler when the sun altitude is 25 degrees. The dome opens at sun altitude 5 degrees. We cool the dome on hot days to keep the ambient temperature no higher than around 30 C (and we understand that on such days, the cooler will start off near 0 C). Any suggestions? Thanks!
A couple of months after you purchased your camera, we released an improved version called the Aluma AC455ME - "E" for enhanced cooling. This replaced the single fan with two smaller but much more powerful fans, plus a new fan shroud. Since we released the upgraded version shortly after shipping your unit, we would be willing to offer a free upgrade. The camera can either be returned for the upgrade, or if you are technically inclined (or have access to someone who is), we can provide an upgrade kit plus detailed instructions. Installation involves removing the camera's outer shell, removing the main board, replacing the fan assembly, and then reassembling the camera.
We would prefer the upgrade kit - pretty sure we can handle the procedure you describe. How do we facilitate acquiring the upgrade kit? Thanks so much!
Hi Bill. Could you please submit the following contact form including the address you would like the kit shipped to: http://diffractionlimited.com/request-rma
Wow! What a difference the new cooler makes - quick response and rock solid set temperature! It's working wonderfully! Thanks!
I have a AC455M, serial 24100204. Is this serial number in the range where I should consider replacing the cooler? I live in southeast Texas where cooling can be an issue in the warmer months. Mike
