I have an STXL-6303 that I am controlling through MaxIm DL. Since I am often sitting right next to the camera in my small observatory, I'd like to keep the fan noise low. I noticed that it can be dialed down in MaxIm, and have set it to 60%. I am cooling to about 50C below ambient, so the cooler is only running at 75% or so. Does it harm the camera if I turn the fan down to a lower setting, as long as I'm mindful of the cooling? A related question: when shutting the camera down, I press the Warmup button in MaxIm, and watch the camera temperature until it cools to within about 10C of ambient. Is that a necessary step? Again, is any harm done if I just disconnect the camera and power down? Intuitively, it seems like this would create quite a thermal shock. Thanks. Tom
Tom, I think what you're doing is fine. While I can't recall having a formal discussion on the subject, I think it's a good idea to let the camera warm up a bit before shutting it down. Even if I'm moving quickly between cameras, I like to at least let the cooling get to 0% before I remove power. -Bill
No problem with backing the fan down, as long as you're not approaching maximum cooling power. MaxIm DL will ramp the power down gradually on SBIG cameras. We introduced that feature mainly to prevent people from complaining about the power going to zero immediately! It really doesn't matter - when you cut the power the CCD temperature comes up gradually anyway. There's really no risk of thermal shock. That said, I also usually warm my camera up to within 10 degrees of ambient before I shut it down. Certainly doesn't hurt.
