I purchased my STF8300C last Fall, when I am taking photos and slewing my CDK telescope the camera power supply cuts on and off intermittently. Is this covered under warranty? How do I get this repaired? James Ross
Hi James - what's the serial number of the camera? Did you buy it directly from us, or a dealer? Usual causes and some solutions: - Cord should have strain relief. e.g. zip tie it to the camera handles and somewhere on the back of the scope so that cables don't drag on the ground. There are 4 connectors: 1. the female power socket in the camera body; 2. the male plug that goes into it on the DC extension cord; 3. the female socket on the DC extension cord; 4. the male plug on the short cord that comes out of the AC power supply. If the power cord is being tugged, the DC extension cable can break where it is pulled. Have you tried connecting the power pack (4) directly to the camera (1) ? Then we'd know if it's the DC extension cord, or the camera body socket (1). The female sockets have split center pin. If you use a magnifier, you'll see that the connector has two leaves. Sometimes these can be spread a bit using a jeweller's slot screwdriver, and that will make better contact. So, try swapping out the DC extension first; let us know what you learn. If the problem is internal to the camera body, @Bill can arrange for a repair - contact him: bill (at) sbig (dot) com If the problem is the DC extension, we have them here. If the problem is the power pack, we also have them here. Let us know what you learn, and we'll work on resolving.
I'd put 90% probability on the problem being camera's power connector split center pin. If the cable gets tugged laterally it tends to squish the two sides of the pin together, and once that happens it does not make good contact. It is unfortunately a common problem with this style of connector. It's an easy fix to gently spread them apart with a jeweler's screwdriver, as Colin suggested.
All, The serial number is : 83F210401, I purchased it from OPTCORP. Cord do have strain relief. The problem occurred with the direct connection and not when I added the extension. I examined the split center pin on the camera and saw there was no split. I examined the extension and saw a split. I used a micro screwdriver and opened the split on the camera center pin and now the problem has gone away. Thanks for the help. James Ross
