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Subject: Re: New to CCD What about Pictor 416xt?
From: David Thielke
Reply To: mapug@shore.net
Date: Wed Sep 04 00:22:10 1996

Dick Green wrote:
>
> I agree with everything David says here. I had a similar experience: I
> bought a Pictor 416, was very dissatisfied, returned it, and bought an
> ST-7. I'm really glad I did. I didn't go through several trips to the
> factory and back, but I must not be as patient as David. BTW, I also had
> the paint chip problem. I believe it's black paint flaking off the shutter.
> Problem is, if you open the camera to clean it off the glass CCD window,
> you risk humidifying the dessicant -- which can only be recharged back at
> the factory! The ST-7 has a user-rechargable dessicant cartridge.

Yes, yes!! That was ANOTHER one of the surprises (of the good variety)
that I had with the ST-7 ... the dessicant is stored in a cartridge
which the USER can recharge (in an oven at 350 degrees F for 4
hours) instead of having to send the unit back (in the case of the
Pictor). An especially big nuisance when paint chips keep falling
onto the detector, and you're not allowed to open the unit (the
ST-7 even comes with directions on how to open and clean, yes CLEAN,
the inside of the unit ... something I didn't have to do but would
have been great for the Pictor. Meade's rules are that if you open
the unit, you void the warranty, not to mention, risk humidifying
dessicant.

BTW, the other hardware problem I had with the Pictor was a
"thermistor problem" (Meade's words). The effect was a wildly
fluctuating and pretty much unpredicatable temperature of the CCD
chip ... when it worked, that is.

Dave

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