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Dew controler based LED dimmers

astrovirus

By astrovirus
in DIY Astronomer

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Gina

Gina

Posted
Posted

Starnut , that panel looks great , nice clean layout , reminds me of a modular synth panel :) (my other diy interest).

I got 4 of 8 dimmers delivered , next 4 due soon , im hoping to build a 6 channel control box , im designing a panel sticker on corel draw and will take the file to a local sign maker to get printed on adhesive vinyl, looking forward to building.

Dave.

WOW!! 8 of them :eek: How many scopes do you have to put dew heaters on? I thought I was doing well with 3 :D Main scope, guide scope and wide-field lens.
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Epicyclus Dave

Epicyclus Dave

Posted
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heh , :) , 6 ch on controller and 1 in the new battery box & one left over as a spare. :)

I hooked up one for a quick test with a 48 ohm camera lens warmer diy strip and i taped a temp probe that came with my "Rapid" 5 digit meter onto a resistor on the band , temp rose from room 19c to 47c in 5 mins , i noticed little variation in temp sweeping the dial , even over half hour settle periods between sweeps , i'll check those wee leads on the 1K pots , very thin wire used , i may just re-wire & crimp the pot to pcb header wires, less likely to snap as some have already :)

Dave.

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Freff

Freff

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You just take the guts out and fit them in another box. haven't got the exact board dimensions at the moment.

Thanks.

I intended to take three apart and use them in a single box, but also wanted to use two complete in a water tight box for a separate project.

I now managed to get the external sizes off the 'bay', but not the internal PCB. If I knew that size I could use what I got or order something in whilst waiting for the dimmers.

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Gina

Gina

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Posted

Just rigged up a dew heater control with one of those cheapo LED controls plus 12ft of 22swg nichrome wire wrapped round the shield of my 200mm lens and tested it out. At full power it gets nicely warm to the touch so something less than that should be fine in practice. Next job is dew hearter for the scope then the guide scope. Later on I shall make up an Arduino based dew controller.

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malc-c

malc-c

Posted
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Thanks guys that's good info.

Malcolm, is that enclosure something I could get at Maplins or fleabay. Did you remove the terminal block so it would fit.

Dave, thanks for the sizes.

Hi,

Yes, I got mine from Maplin (http://www.maplin.co.uk/instrument-abs-plastic-enclosures-265883 )

and yes the terminal block connector was removed to make them fit :)

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Epicyclus Dave

Epicyclus Dave

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No foggy lens for you Gina :) good stuff im still using resistor designs but im interested in trying the nicrome wire method.

A quick question Gina ... i see you got a steeltrak focusser , after changing the stock ED80 dual speed was there any distance to reducer problems or did it all couple up fine ? , i remember reading the reducer was matched for the scope , i wondered if upgrading the focusser changed anything , im thinking of saving up for a steeltrak too :) :) .

Heres the jpeg design i took to the sign makers shop in town to get my control panel sticker done , pic of the finished unit in a week or so when i get the last dimmer order delivered.

From the top down on each channel i have DP toggle switch on/off.

Pulse width pot control.

Circuit active led.

Output socket (panel phono type).

Dave.

post-16688-0-29618800-1348159147_thumb.j

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Gina

Gina

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No foggy lens for you Gina :) good stuff im still using resistor designs but im interested in trying the nicrome wire method.

Hopefully not :) Just foggy or cloudy nights! :D Nichrome wire is rather awkward stuff - quite springy - you need to anchor it down as you go. I used insulation tape, making sure the nearby turns didn't/couldn't touch.
A quick question Gina ... i see you got a steeltrak focusser , after changing the stock ED80 dual speed was there any distance to reducer problems or did it all couple up fine ? , i remember reading the reducer was matched for the scope , i wondered if upgrading the focusser changed anything , im thinking of saving up for a steeltrak too :) :) .
I bought a 2" M48 adapted from FLO that they sell specially for the purpose. It all connects perfectly and the focuser now holds focus perfectly. I check it on a star with Bahtinov mask every so often and focus is spot on :)

There's one thing I've found that you'll need to watch - the connection between the focuser and the ED80 adapter is by two lugs and a thumbscrew. If you try to move the mount by pushing or pulling on the focuser or attached camera (silly thing to do but I have been known to be silly at times!) it can become disconnected. :eek:

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Stargazer33

Stargazer33

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Posted

My controller arrived yesterday.

I went into work early today with all the relevant parts and quickly modified the controller for the one anti-dew band that I have. I removed the connector block and covered the hole with a piece of spare plastic that I had lying around at work - I drilled a hole through it before I glued it into place on the lower case to take the strain relief grommet for the power cable to my battery pack. I then drilled a hole in the upper casing on the top edge to take the phono socket. I will probably use some adhesive backed velcro to stick it somewhere on the tripod.

post-21511-0-83652000-1348169407_thumb.jpost-21511-0-20185900-1348169419_thumb.jpost-21511-0-19282700-1348169432_thumb.j

Bryan

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Freff

Freff

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OK you electronic gurus I need some help here.

I'm using the same dimmer as most on this thread.

I want to add a diode or whatever to indicate that it's on or that there is power to it, and preferably glow brighter as the power increases.

What do I need, and how do I wire it up. Many thanks.

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Gina

Gina

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Posted

One LED and one resistor of something like 2.2K in series across the output of the controller. Make sure the LED is connected the right way round or it won't light up. Anode, longest wire is positive. The brightness of the LED will vary with the output power :)

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