Altair 183c TEC intermittent fan and cooling

Discussion of features and issues relating to Altair Astro Cameras
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DanK
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Altair 183c TEC intermittent fan and cooling

#1

Post by DanK »

The July 27th version of Sharpcap 4.0 both 32 bit and 64 bit has the fan and cooling go off and on.

Dan Kahraman
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Re: Altair 183c TEC intermittent fan and cooling

#2

Post by admin »

Hi Dan,

do you remember which version you upgraded from that worked before? And does it all work fine if you then go back to that previous version?

If we can track down which versions the problem was introduced between then I have a much better chance of understanding the cause.

cheers,

Robin

PS. Is your 12V supply working fine and the connection is good? An intermittent 12V supply could cause this sort of problem.
DanK
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Re: Altair 183c TEC intermittent fan and cooling

#3

Post by DanK »

Hi Robin it worked in the June version although I would get video format not supported in the 64 bit version but no fan or cooling interruption issues. With the July 27th update I get no error messages in the 64 bit but the pulsing on off waves in the latest version of beta 4.0 (July 27th update).

Dan Kahraman
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Re: Altair 183c TEC intermittent fan and cooling

#4

Post by admin »

Hi Dan,

the only Altair update since June was a new SDK that came in with 4.0.7957.

Please go back to veersion 4.0.7944 and see if the problem goes away. If it does go away with 4.0.7944 and comes back when you try 4.0.7957 then we can be sure it is the SDK change and I can report the issue to Altair.

I have a 183C TEC here (actually a prototype one, but anyway), and I am not seeing any problems with the latest version. If you don't see things return to normal with 4.0.7944 then it could be a hardware issue that is new since June.

cheers,

Robin
savcom
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Re: Altair 183c TEC intermittent fan and cooling

#5

Post by savcom »

I'll need to check which versions I was on, but I recently returned my Hypertec 533C because the fan and cooling were not working. On test in Altair they couldn't reproduce the issue, so I wonder if this issue is also affecting other Altair Hypertec cameras?

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Re: Altair 183c TEC intermittent fan and cooling

#6

Post by admin »

Hi,

you can get drop outs of the Altair fan happening if SharpCap starts getting errors from the camera. The first thing that SharpCap does is try to close and re-open the camera so that you can carry on imaging. On a non-fan camera you might not notice, but with a fan you will hear the fan spin down then restart.

If this is happening to you then check out the USB troubleshooting tips - viewtopic.php?f=18&t=349&p=1556#p1556 - in particular it's worth going back to basics with a single short cable. If you can find a setup that works then you can gradually add back your normal cabling setup until you work out what is causing the problems.

cheers,

Robin
savcom
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Re: Altair 183c TEC intermittent fan and cooling

#7

Post by savcom »

Thanks Robin.

I did try different power supplies and USB cables - and it wasn't SharpCap reloading the camera. I'm used to that. The fan (and cooling) started up OK and the temperature headed downwards but never reached the target temperature (-10°C). I returned it to Altair

The 12V power supply I normally use was the one supplied by Altair and I've tested that separately using a dummy load (12V/21W car brake light) and a meter. No issues noted there.

I've just been reading through the USB troubleshooter you mentioned above. I'll take a look at the diagnostic routines it mentions and try some of these if it happens again (although since it's been back to Altair I've had no further issues .... )

Martin
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