5 replies to this topic

[moonwatching ferret]

I dont know hoe it happened but i managed to crack the glass over my sensor n my 224 which is better suited for my 16inch f7 when imaging Jupiter and Saturn while using the 2x adc corrector but now that mars is riding high up i can use the 290 with just a Barlow and i recently posted a pretty good image I get lost with all the technical talk on these cams the pixel size i understand but when they start mentioning noise i get lost. s what im trying to ask is with mars making a real nice and high opposition this year. would i be better off lokking into a462? if i can find a Barlow lens that can screw onto the back of my adc corrector that would solve my problem or perhaps a 2x power mate i think its actually 2,5 n the power mate but those dont increase magnification when you pull them back from the cam which is what happens when i use the adc corrector

[barbarosa]

There is a clear glass window in front of the sensor. It is removable and replaceable. If the window is damaged rather than the sensor, you can buy a replacement glass from ZWO or possibly from a dealer.

[moonwatching ferret]

There is a clear glass window in front of the sensor. It is removable and replaceable. If the window is damaged rather than the sensor, you can buy a replacement glass from ZWO or possibly from a dealer.

good then can i just take it off and be donre with it and get back to imging on an 800x800 while trying to avoid the crack lol

[John Boudreau]

You'll want the D21 AR window which was the standard 224MC protect window.

 

https://astronomy-im...dow-asi-cameras

[moonwatching ferret]

You'll want the D21 AR window which was the standard 224MC protect window.

 

https://astronomy-im...dow-asi-cameras

oooo thats the wee window that goes in front of the sensor in the front camera housing my cracks are on the sensor itself but if i image ona an 800x 800 roi which is what i use for jupiter i can avoid them just cant do any full scereen stuff anymore

[John Boudreau]

oooo thats the wee window that goes in front of the sensor in the front camera housing my cracks are on the sensor itself but if i image ona an 800x 800 roi which is what i use for jupiter i can avoid them just cant do any full scereen stuff anymore

The glass sealed on the sensor itself is called the sensor's cover glass. They are not considered replaceable, and even if they were whatever happened to crack the coverglass may have caused some damage to the sensor structure itself. A sensor can be replaced (I've done it myself to a ToUcam webcam years ago--- replacing the color sensor with a monochrome one), but in most cases it would probably be best to buy a new camera. Do what imaging you can with the undamaged area of the sensor, but eventually you'll probably want to get a new cam. ZWO may be able to mount a new sensor for you--- it might be worth contacting them, but you'd be without a camera for a while right in the middle of planet season.

 

*If* you think the camera is trashed with the cracked cover glass, as long as the sensor seems to be working correctly you may want to take a chance and remove the cover glass. It is possible to do this, and the sensor may work perfectly fine. Keeping it clean may be an issue, and you'd need to have your D21 AR window in place for some measure of protection.