Astrozap heated dewshields

[kerrylewis]

I have had two of these and they have both failed at the point where the cable is attached to the heated strip. The first to go was the eyepiece band which started shorting and had to be ditched. Then the shield for my SCT 925 failed with the wire breaking away from the shield itself. Admittedly this last one was the result of some cord wrap problems. However I think that the connection could be much stronger or designed to part under pressure. For example I have a a pair of headphones which have a simple two pin plug at the connection which comes away if pulled.

I have now ordered a strip by a different manufacturer and I will see if it is better constructed.

Anyone had any similar experiences or conversely been happy with Astrozap products?

[FLO]

Hi Kerry, we are Astrozap's UK retailer so please forgive me for posting in their defence

When I read your thread title and post I initially thought you had two Astrozap heated dew-shields fail but, as you say, one was damaged as a result of cable entanglement and the other was a 2" eyepiece heater tape. I am guessing it was the same cable entanglement incident that also damaged your mount's power socket. I cannot imagine any other brand surviving the same but your suggestion of a headphone-style quick release plug is an interesting one. I'll mention it to Joe at Astrozap when next we speak. 

Regarding the 2" eyepiece dew heater tape. Looking at our records you purchased it in Sept 2013, almost two years ago. Astrozap products are covered by a two-year warranty so if you email us we will happily send you a replacement 

We began retailing Astrozap products back in 2007, nearly nine years ago. It has been one of our most popular product lines so we have sold a heck of a lot over the years. As with all products, a percentage do fail but the returns rate is very low and we always replace them without fuss. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[mikeyscope]

I contacted Joe Golias at Astrozap back in 2006 before they were better known here in the UK, I had him make me a special Flexi-Heat Dew Shield for my Takahashi CN-212 as there was nothing in the size range that would fit at the time.

Joe couldn't have been more helpful and I'm sure he would welcome any constructive feedback on improving the products. As it turned out the CN-212 was particularly resistant to dew on it's own because the deep open tube acted as a dew shield itself... however during nights of high risk the Flexi-Heat Dew Shield ensured the mirrors stayed clear of dew all night.

Having also owned a 10" Schmidt-Cassegrain back in the early/mid 1980's I remember the corrector plate was a real dew magnet on damp nights, if I still owned it the Flexi-Heat Dew Shield may well be the best prevention against dew for Schmidt-Cassegrain owners. The 2" rubber grip around the inside edge enclosing the heater strip is a nice touch and ensures the shield stays snugly in place without sagging. The phono type connector meant I could still use the shield with my Kendrick dew controller too so no need to buy a new unit just for the shield.

I never had any problem with wear/tear of the electrical connection... still good as new, however it's easy to snag or pull the connection on any cables during those long dark winter nights, no manufacturers product is immune to the usual mishaps!  

Mike

[damnut]

Only good experiences here. Nice response from a proactive FLO.

[kerrylewis]

Thank you for the responses.

I can only speak from my own experience and I intended firstly to offer some constructive criticism and secondly to see if anyone else had experienced similar issues. If not, it could be that I am just unlucky or clumsy (and there is a good case to be made for both!). I did seek to redress the balance by asking if others had been happy and Damian confirms that he is and Steve mentions a very low return rate. 

As I said the smaller strip just started shorting and I stopped using it for fear of damaging the control box.

With the larger shield on the SCT, it was the result of cord wrap but not the incident that Steve refers to. On that occasion I had been experimenting with remote computer control of the mount and managed to get the cables all well and truly wrapped up. Unlike the Synscan control, the computer control had no protection against cord wrap and the result was a damaged mount. This was repaired by FLO in their usual efficient way.

The dew shield was damaged later and I simply got the cable to it 'out of sync' with the mount cables (if you see what I mean) and it got tugged. I don't recall anything similar with the eyepiece shield but there might have been.

My point is, as Mike acknowledges, that in the dark, when you are perhaps concentrating on other things, these things will happen and it would be good if manufacturers allowed for that. I believe that the junction could be stronger or designed with a simple  'fail safe' connection. Steve says he will pass this suggestion on which would be a positive result from this thread.

Steve - I didn't realise that the products had a two year guarantee but I am really not seeking a replacement. I just put it down to experience.

So, please take my comments in the spirit that was intended. Certainly no criticism of FLO was implied; I have always had nothing but praise for their service which is way beyond what could be expected.