[Lab] Introduce Myself

[Darcy Whyte]

Do these things tend to run on battery or plug-in?

If it's plug in, then I energy isn't at a premium so it might be really
simple. If batteries, that might make it trickier to keep weight down and
discharge time up..




On Sun, Jul 3, 2011 at 8:48 PM, Bruce <bsharding at rogers.com> wrote:

> Yes the basic job of a controller is to remove dew.  We use what are called
> heat straps.  They can be like the commercial ones from Kendrick.com or or
> home brewed ones made of resistors. Typically we try to heat our mirrors,
> eye
> pieces, finder and/or spotting scope.
>
> As you are well aware the Ottawa valley is quite prone to humidty.  At
> night
> once the air cools to the dew point that moisture collects on very thing in
> the form of dew or in the winter it can be frost.
>
> My present controller is very basic.  It can cycle the power on or off
> using
> using a Texas Instrument IC. has four RCA jacks.
>
> What I would want from a new controller is temperature and humidity
> sensing.
>
> The controller must minimize power consumption by using  temperature and
> humidity sensor data to calculate the optimium amount of power to draw to
> achieve a dew or frost free mirrors and etc.
>
> The controller must be able to display this information in some
> comprehensible
> fashion.  The system must function perfectly for +30 C to -20 C.  It must
> have
> 6 to 8 RCA Jack
>
> Bonus points for a data logger that can store this above information for
> later
> retrieval either by USB cable or via bluetooth.
>
> So this is as close to my above wishlist as I could get.
> http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-597-0-0-1-0.html
>
>
>
> On July 2, 2011 12:56:06 PM you wrote:
> > Wow, those are some nice gifts!
> >
> > What's a DEW heater? Is it to keep parts of a telescope at a consistent
> > temperature?
> >
> > On Fri, Jul 1, 2011 at 5:31 PM, <lists at faintfuzzies.ca> wrote:
> > > On July 1, 2011 12:13:27 PM you wrote:
> > > > Glad to hear you're getting into making things!
> > > >
> > > > Do you have any projects in mind at the moment?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > > Darcy Whyte
> > > > *Darcy at Siteware.com*
> > > > Ottawa, Canada | 613-563-3634 | N 45° 25'03.1" W 75° 42'21.4"
> > > > Please attach previous emails when responding (or reply instead of
> > >
> > > starting
> > >
> > > > a new thread/subject).
> > > >
> > > > On Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 8:07 PM, <lists at faintfuzzies.ca> wrote:
> > > > > On June 30, 2011 04:45:54 PM you wrote:
> > > > > > Bruce,
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I think we know each other then.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I'm a regular customer. I bought about 30 computers there (and
> > > > > > hoards of other stuff).
> > > > >
> > > > > Yup, Darcy we do know each other.  You have the awesome rubberpower
> > > > > planes. How are you doing?  I don't work at Computer Supplyhouse
> > > > > anymore.
> > > > >
> > > > > Now I'm just trying to figure out the difference between the red
> wire
> > >
> > > and
> > >
> > > > > the
> > > > > black wire.
> > >
> > > This is the project I plan to tackle.
> > > http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-597-0-0-1-0.html
> > > Not sure if this is over my head or not.  But I'm gonna give it a try.
> > > For my
> > > Birthday my wife got me a Hakko 936 Soldering Iron and a Extech EX330
> > > Multimeter to start me out on my project. Still have not bought the
> parts
> > > yet.
> > > Ultimately, I'd like to produce something that exceeds the capabilities
> > > of:
> > >
> http://www.kendrickastro.com/astro/dew_controllers.html#PremierControlle
> > > r Okay, I know that won't be anytime soon, but it is nice to have a
> goal
> > > to shoot for.
> > >
> > > I don't know if this is too difficult a project to start as a beginner
> or
> > > not,
> > > but I'm gonna give it a try.  There are a few features I'd like to see
> > > added
> > > to this project. One I'd like to see is a USB connected data logger
> that
> > > can
> > > record both ambient temps as well as mirror temps over time for each
> > > viewing
> > > session.  This I can use to compare the efficiency of my cooling system
> > > (fan) to
> > > keep the mirrors close to ambient temp and thus maximize viewing
> > > potiential.
> > >
> > > ==
> > > Bruce
> > > Member: SPIE, IEEE, IACR
> > > Faintfuzzies.ca
>
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