Something has gone amiss with this AC2020 camera. Suddenly, it will image almost nothing. No discrete stars can be seen in a 16" shots of M11 taken with a 14.5" f6.7 AGO scope with the camera operating in the high gain stack mode, while an image of Vega produces an oddly distorted image. I don't see a way to attach the images here. Please advise. Bruce McMath
We'll need to see sample images. Have a look down the nose of the camera - is the shutter open? Do some alternating dark and light frames - does the shutter close for the darks, and open properly for the lights? Power off the camera. Let it sit for 2 minutes. Power on again. Launch DL Config Utility. What firmware and driver versions are shown? Use the [Upload a File] button at the lower right to attach an image. You may wish to Zip/Compress the files first.
Colin, the cause of the problem has been revealed, but it raises a concern. It occurred to me that perhaps there was some kind of mechanical issue, so I switched filters from Luminance to V and bingo - stars. However, switching back to Luminance also produced stars. That implies that the filter wheel had failed to function properly. Can you explain this? Since it is working now, I hate to spend the money to send this in a second time but I also hate to sit on a defective product while the warranty lapses. Not sure it is of use, but here are the images I referred to before.
Which model of filter wheel is it? a) FW7-STX seven position, 50mm square b) AFW-10-50SQ ten position, 50mm square c) AFW-12-50R twelve position, 50mm round d) AFW-16-36R sixteen position, 36mm round
Hi Bruce, We're pretty sure that it's a problem with the carousel bearings - and we did a re-design on later serial numbered units to prevent this from happening. We're going to cover this under "extended warranty", so you will just need to ship it to us. Please complete the following request for a return merchandise authorization, and we will send you info on shipping the filter wheel in. https://diffractionlimited.com/request-rma/ Make sure to remove the filters before sending it - we don't need the filters, and don't want to risk damage.
Colin, I was looking for the thread on the chip residue problem from last week to fill out the RMA request and found this. I attempted to fill out the form listing both problems, but not sure it went through because I got a contact salesman form when I attempted to submit the RMA request. Please let me know if it went through and also if I need to fill out two forms. Thanks. Bruce McMath
