Fan cooler for ZWO cameras??

[Merlin66]

Not solar scopes or etalons etc but a request for a 3D printed fan housing which could easily be fitted to the rear of the ASI cameras.
There's already four tapped holes available (M4?) and small 12V computer fan would probably do the job.

Here in Oz on a 32deg day the camera was reporting a temperature of 42deg. I think a small fan could reduce the camera temperature.
(Player One offer a similar solution on their cameras....https://player-one-astronomy.com/produc ... d-cameras/)

playerOne fan.JPG (51.3 KiB) Viewed 1159 times

[thesmiths]

I suspect this will only be minimally effective with ZWO cameras. The Player One cameras have been designed such that the sensor is actually quite well thermally connected to the back of the camera. I have taken apart a ZWO planetary camera for sensor cleaning and I could see that the sensor was just attached to the PCB and not thermally connected at all to the camera body.

Player One cooling

Passive-cooling-system-1.jpg (176.69 KiB) Viewed 1155 times

[rsfoto]

Hi Ken,

I designed this for a ZWO ASI 178MM. It has a 50mm fan and a heat sink with 110 fingers. It reduces about 5°C the camera temperature.

If you are interested I can tell you more.

It could be even enhanced by sandwiching a 40x40mm Peltier element between the camera body and the heat sink. Have not yet done it.

https://www.amazon.com.mx/gp/product/B0 ... UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com.mx/gp/product/B0 ... UTF8&psc=1

[BGazing]

Hm, just checked working temperature range for my ASI, says -5 to +45...I guess it might be a problem for those whose shooting sessions are long.

[Merlin66]

I’m up to a camera temperature of 42 degrees……

[FRAZ]

Thanks Merlin

Lets hope developers take notice.

[thesmiths]

I noticed, by the way, that my old 174MM would get a lot hotter than my newer ZWO cameras. I assume over time, all chips and electronics have become more power efficient.

[Merlin66]

Ok
I've ordered a 40mm Peltier module, a 50 x 50mm heat sink and a 50mm fan.
With some help from Rainer.
Let's see what happens...............

[Martin_S]

Ken , I've been experimenting with coolers all day I have just made a prototype double stacked Peltier cooler. It will cool the base plate to 15. 2 degrees Celsius , from 30 degrees in 7 minutes, then it will hold that temperature for over 2 hours in an ambient temperature of 28 degrees.

I'm running the bottom module at 6volts and the top module at 9volts with a 50mm heatsink.

Tomorrow I'll test it in the outside heat and see what results I get.

temp.jpg (153.27 KiB) Viewed 755 times

[rsfoto]

Hi Martin,

I assume you are blowing onto the heatsink.

Have you tried sucking the air from the fins ?

Interesting is that you have only a delta of 13°C using two TEC's.

[Martin_S]

Yes I was expecting more Rainer . I have tried a few more configurations, I can get up to a delta of 17 degrees as measured on the cooling plate.

The same as my phone cooler measured on the cooling plate.

[rsfoto]

Yes I was expecting more Rainer . I have tried a few more configurations, I can get up to a delta of 17 degrees as measured on the cooling plate.

The same as my phone cooler measured on the cooling plate.

Hi Martin,

Interesting. I have not measured the cold side of my cooler. Will see how to get a reasonable holder for measuring it

[Martin_S]

Here is a cooler I made for my ASI174mm. The insane heat we've been having in Australia the past week has convinced me to find a workable solution for camera cooling. The little phone coolers I've been using cannot cope with the extreme ambient temperatures. I've been working on various configurations. This one is the most effective. So far the camera has only been tested on my desk as the Sun has been hiding behind heavy clouds for a few days.

You can see by looking at the Firecapture screen capture the point where I turned on the cooler and the overall efficiency of the cooler.

I'm now working on a cooler for my ASI432 , this will be a different design as this camera runs hotter than the ASI174. This camera is different to other ASI planetary cameras as you cannot utilise the 4 M4 x .7 threaded holes on the back of the camera as they are using these to fasten the casing together as it has a join halfway up the barrel.

Screenshot 2023-03-22 102915.jpg (78.27 KiB) Viewed 656 times

20230322_132424.jpg (103.54 KiB) Viewed 656 times

[rsfoto]

Hi Martin,

Well done.

What was your ambient temperature ?

What was the highest temperature of the camera ?

Is the fan blowing or sucking ?

Firecapture does have a feature which allows you to save a CSV file for the whole time the camera is running. Clock on the gear of temperature andthere you can choose to save a CSV file or not.

I assume that is a single TEC sandwiched. I see you are using a 50mm heatsink and the TEC also looks bigger then 40mm.

I do not see it difficult to make a clamp adapter for the ASI 432MM and get 4 holes for fastening the heatsink and cooloer.

[rsfoto]

Hi,

Could you not thread the holes of the ASI 432 or are they not deep enough anymore ?

With your machining skills I would drill 4 holes and thread them M4x0.7.

[rsfoto]

This camera is different to other ASI planetary cameras as you cannot utilize the 4 M4 x .7 threaded holes on the back of the camera as they are using these to fasten the casing together as it has a join halfway up the barrel.

Hi Martin,

Of course you can use those 4 holes. Get some stainless steel threaded rods and press the cover with 4 washers and nuts as if they were the screws and use the 4 rods for fastening the whole cooling enchilada.

Rainer

[Martin_S]

This camera is different to other ASI planetary cameras as you cannot utilize the 4 M4 x .7 threaded holes on the back of the camera as they are using these to fasten the casing together as it has a join halfway up the barrel.

Hi Martin,

Of course you can use those 4 holes. Get some stainless steel threaded rods and press the cover with 4 washers and nuts as if they were the screws and use the 4 rods for fastening the whole cooling enchilada.

Rainer

Thanks for your suggestion Rainer, I had considered that option, which I might try when the camera is out of warranty.

Here is a link to a radical modification to a ASI224mc that might be of interest to you.

http://indexhamal.pl/astrofotografia/ASI224MCmod.htm


Martin

[rsfoto]

This camera is different to other ASI planetary cameras as you cannot utilize the 4 M4 x .7 threaded holes on the back of the camera as they are using these to fasten the casing together as it has a join halfway up the barrel.

Hi Martin,

Of course you can use those 4 holes. Get some stainless steel threaded rods and press the cover with 4 washers and nuts as if they were the screws and use the 4 rods for fastening the whole cooling enchilada.

Rainer

Thanks for your suggestion Rainer, I had considered that option, which I might try when the camera is out of warranty.

Here is a link to a radical modification to a ASI224mc that might be of interest to you.

http://indexhamal.pl/astrofotografia/ASI224MCmod.htm


Martin

Hi Martin,

Interesting mod but the way he put the fan is abit low in efficiency with that big gap ...

[Rusted]

Where there's a gap there's room for a venturi.

Cooling by air expansion from a nozzle?

[rsfoto]

Where there's a gap there's room for a venturi.

Cooling by air expansion from a nozzle?

... no idea where and how to install that but you will need an Air compressor and tubing ...

[rsfoto]

Hi,

Yesterday my 50mm heat sink arrived and today I will test it and compare results to the 40mm heat sink.

Will test also the difference between blowing and sucking the air. Yesterday I made a short test and looking at the heat sink I guess this time it will be better to blow air onto the heat sink. The used heat sink has long ribs and not fingers like the 40mm heat sink.

[rsfoto]

Hi,

Yesterday my 50mm heat sink arrived and today I will test it and compare results to the 40mm heat sink.

Will test also the difference between blowing and sucking the air. Yesterday I made a short test and looking at the heat sink I guess this time it will be better to blow air onto the heat sink. The used heat sink has long ribs and not fingers like the 40mm heat sink.

Just started the test in my observatory warm room.

Ambient temperature 24.7°C

Camera temperature 23.5°C

Heat sink temperature 46.5°C

after running for 10 minutes and sinking at the time of writing ...