Dew Heater Questions

[souls33k3r]

Hi guys,

Simple questions really ...

What to look for when buying a dew heater controller and the strip? 

What make do you use and why if possible please.

How do you power yours with using what? (I currently bought a Tracer 14Ah to power the mount, i don't suppose this will cut it?)

Do you use the dew heater only during winters or throughout the year?

Thanks

[Bioboybill]

There are some threads on the DIY Forum about making the straps and controllers. I may well go down that route, as they are quite expensive for what they are.

A few decent guides elsewhere too:

http://www.blackwaterskies.co.uk/2013/05/a-cheap-multi-channel-dew-heater.html

http://dslrmodifications.com/DewController/DewController.html

http://nightskyinfocus.com/diyprojects/diy-dew-heater/

[souls33k3r]

Some day my friend, some day when i have the time and patience ... until then i'm stuck with splashing out money

[Knight of Clear Skies]

Do you use the dew heater only during winters or throughout the year?

Potentially at any time of year, the higher the humidity the more readily water will condense on surfaces that are colder than the surrounding air. Scopes and lenses lose heat as they radiate heat to the sky but the sky doesn't radiate much heat back. This is why you usually get more condensation on your car windscreen rather than the side windows.

[souls33k3r]

I bought myself a tracer 14Ah battery which is to power purely the mount when i'm out observing (from home i'll use the main with RCD) and dew heater when at home.

I am basically looking for a cheap, lasts longer and lighter (easily portable) separate battery pack to power my dew heater. I will not want to power a laptop or anything and even if i do, i'll do it from the mains and from the comfort of my home for a good while.

Also i do not want to end up splashing a huge amount on dew heater controller (God knows they cost a fortune on the top of everything else we buy) so i was looking at a (http://www.firstlightoptics.com/astronomy-cables-leads-accessories/hitecastro-four-channel-four-port-dew-controller.html) just so that i can have a dew strap on my mount and finderscope for now and leave the other two sockets for spare in case one fails. 

Has anyone got any experience with this "Hitecastro" dew controller? any other 2/4 port dew heaters if anyone can recommend which are around the same price bracket?

[wigggyy]

I use the Hitecastro single controller with 2 outputs plus the dew-not strips and they seem to work well I use mains transformer so cannot comment on battery consumption

[souls33k3r]

I guess i'll put an order for the Hitecastro 4 channel on Monday (or tomorrow) first thing with at least one strap.

I'm just wondering if i should buy a 12V Cigarette Socket Adapter and power my mount and dew heater from the 14Ah  tracer battery. I'm sure that should work but that's just me thinking. Please advise on this

[spaceman_spiff]

I guess i'll put an order for the Hitecastro 4 channel on Monday (or tomorrow) first thing with at least one strap.

I'm just wondering if i should buy a 12V Cigarette Socket Adapter and power my mount and dew heater from the 14Ah  tracer battery. I'm sure that should work but that's just me thinking. Please advise on this

A dew heater takes a surprisingly large amount of current (around 1A per strap), so it will really drain that poor tracer battery!

[souls33k3r]

That should be alright then because I only aim to use my 14Ah for 4-5hrs any way ... Should be alright dont you think?

Plus what about using the cigarette socket splitter thing? Will it work you reckon?

[D4N]

I have mine on constantly (even when the obsy is closed) at the moment as it has been so humid.

Mine is a pwm dimmer connected to about 80 resistors soldered in parallel. This draws just under 3 amps at full power.

/Dan

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[souls33k3r]

What about using the splitter with a tracer 14Ah battery to give me 4-5hrs? Will it work? I am hoping that at least someone is out there who must be doing it like this?

[spaceman_spiff]

That should be alright then because I only aim to use my 14Ah for 4-5hrs any way ... Should be alright dont you think?

Plus what about using the cigarette socket splitter thing? Will it work you reckon?

Hi, I use a cigarette lighter adaptor splitter, I think its called a Y splitter with a 10A fuse. Using a splitter should be OK but the total current drawn from the battery will be additive. I imagine that you should be able to get 4 hours of use if the total current drawn is 14/4=3.5A at the very most.

[souls33k3r]

Cheers mate, that's reassuring that I'm on the correct path for a few hours viewing when I'm out at these sessions.

Also you said you use the 10A version of this splitter. I also found a 12V one... Which one to go for?