Cooling Canon 450D

Wanna make a scope? Or better still, grind a mirror yourself. Or, you have some good tips in making a really useful accessory? This is the place to show what your hands can do...
User avatar
cataclysm
Posts: 1024
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:23 pm

Cooling Canon 450D

Post by cataclysm »

Hi folks, just want to share about my works on cooling the Canon 450D. It has passed it's first field test on the recent mersing trip with great results. This is a succession of my earlier successful mod on the 350D, that yields satisfying astrophotos from several field trips, it really encouraged me to embark on this new project. The gist about cooling the camera, in particularly the imaging sensor, is to minimise heat signatures on long exposures. Tapping on the 350D experience, I was able to improved upon the 'new' camera with some measure of regulating the cooling, and the added capability to monitor the sensor tempreature and humidity. Most important of all, with deeper cooling, in fact sub-zero tempreature is a possibility. :P

I am never good at documenting my works, there is no drawn plans, even if there is one, I would not be able to strictly adhere to it, the design will change as the work progress as I have to work within the confine of the materials that I can obtain, and the limited tools that I have. The best that I can illustrate were some pictures that I took along the built:

The camera stripped-down to skeletal remains, the black casing on the left will play a vital part for mating the cooling module with the camera. It will also house the tempreature/humidity guage, mini PCB for bulb control and also fan speed controller.
Image

This is the real business end, not much room to insert the copper cold finger between the CMOS & the PCB, only 1mm thick.
Image

Cooling module, the peltier element is sandwiched firmly between the heat sink and the copper cold finger by a carbon composite panel. on the right pic, I applied as much insulating materials as the space can afford.
Image

Worth special mention is the copper heat sink, it's of no known origin, I pick it up from used computer parts bin. A very effective heat sink with high heat capacity owing to the 4 very well placed heat pipes. Coupled to a high performance peltier, it can achieve sub-zero at ambient room tempreature. You can see frost on the cold finger while on testing.
Image

This mating casing between the cooling module and the camera body is the most time consuming to bulit. It will house the tempreature/humidity guage, mini pcb for shutter control, fan speed controller, dry air inlet, USB and power supply for the cooler.
Image

Another look at the mating casing, now attached to the camera.
Image

Relocating the mini pcb for bulb control to the mating casing free up the vital gap to introduce the cold finger to the camera sensor. The L-shape skeletal steel chassis with the 3 treaded holes is the only way to attached the entire cooling module to the camera.
Image

All the major components before final assembly
Image

That is how the cold finger is introduced before insulation
Image

Termistor (blue & white wire) and humidity sensor (green & brown wire) inserted for the gauge.
Image

All cables tucked with main pcb assembled.
Image

A sense of relief when the LCD comes on after the final assembly. ( yes it did not happen on first few attempt..lol)
Image

Top view of the finished product. With clear view of the tempreature/humidity gauge.
Image

Bottom view, with all the connection points. ( USB, power supply, bulb, dry air inlet )
Image
User avatar
shirox
Posts: 1097
Joined: Fri Nov 05, 2010 12:21 am
Favourite scope: Takahashi FSQ85EDX
Location: Outram

Re: Cooling Canon 450D

Post by shirox »

Nice work bro!!!! time to open for business! haha
**************************************************************
http://eltonastronomy.blogspot.com/

Mersing finally installed some water sink!
User avatar
Bergkamp_
Posts: 1549
Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2003 11:31 pm
Favourite scope: Telescope that i can bring out
Location: Singapore, Bukit Panjang

Re: Cooling Canon 450D

Post by Bergkamp_ »

nice nice~!
Wee Ern aRmeD wiF Telescope reAdY tO taKe ovEr thE skY .. wIF jUst mY naKed eYEs .
User avatar
Clifford60
Posts: 1289
Joined: Mon Sep 04, 2006 8:41 pm
Location: Central

Re: Cooling Canon 450D

Post by Clifford60 »

Wow Kelvin the king of DIY, DIY sifu, DIY guru. [smilie=good-job.gif] [smilie=good-job.gif] [smilie=good-job.gif]

By the way, did you measure the temperature different between the place the thermal sensor is finally place and the place where the copper sheet touches the CMOS sensor. I guess you can't apply thermal paste between the copper sheet and the CMOS sensor to avoid contamination on the CMOS sensor.

The little red and black posts (with a small hole) is for the dry air, correct? Do you know what is the max air flow rate between it causes and vibration to the internal components especially the CMOS sensor?

Oh, patent the design / idea and then sell to Canon or Nikon or the astro imaging equipment mfger to make big bucks from them. :P
User avatar
Gary
Posts: 3790
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2003 7:06 am
Location: Toa Payoh
Contact:

Re: Cooling Canon 450D

Post by Gary »

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more amazing photos from this camera!
http://www.astro.sg
email: gary[at]astro.sg
twitter: @astrosg


"The importance of a telescope is not how big it is, how well made it is.
It is how many people, less fortunate than you, got to look through it."
-- John Dobson.
User avatar
weixing
Super Moderator
Posts: 4708
Joined: Wed Oct 01, 2003 12:22 am
Favourite scope: Vixen R200SS & Celestron 6" F5 Achro Refractor
Location: (Tampines) Earth of Solar System in Orion Arm of Milky Way Galaxy in Local Group Galaxies Cluster

Re: Cooling Canon 450D

Post by weixing »

Hi,
WOW! "Super 450Da"... ha ha ha [smilie=good-job.gif] May be the high ISO performance now is better than all those pro DSLR... [smilie=cool.gif]

By the way, any condensation issue?? Also, does it still auto focus when mounting a lens? I also had a mod 450D... can consider... [smilie=ahaaah.gif]

Have a nice day.
Yang Weixing
:mrgreen: "The universe is composed mainly of hydrogen and ignorance." :mrgreen:
User avatar
cataclysm
Posts: 1024
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:23 pm

Re: Cooling Canon 450D

Post by cataclysm »

Clifford60 wrote:Wow Kelvin the king of DIY, DIY sifu, DIY guru. [smilie=good-job.gif] [smilie=good-job.gif] [smilie=good-job.gif]

By the way, did you measure the temperature different between the place the thermal sensor is finally place and the place where the copper sheet touches the CMOS sensor. I guess you can't apply thermal paste between the copper sheet and the CMOS sensor to avoid contamination on the CMOS sensor.

The little red and black posts (with a small hole) is for the dry air, correct? Do you know what is the max air flow rate between it causes and vibration to the internal components especially the CMOS sensor?

Oh, patent the design / idea and then sell to Canon or Nikon or the astro imaging equipment mfger to make big bucks from them. :P
Hi Clifford, you are very astute in observing the vital components. First about the tempreature difference, indeed there will be lost (or heat gain) from the termistor position to the sensor. At ambient temp of 30C, the sensor will register minus 6C when running at full capacity, further down to the sensor it will gain a few degree, but will still able to achieve sub zero tempreature. Actually I did applied thermal past (artic silver 5, the best there is) on the back of the sensor, in fact on all thermal conducting surfaces.
About the vibrations from the fan, again I had gain a lot of experience from building the 350D, the best way to curb vibrations is to employ a fan with a higher capacity than necessary to do the job, so you can throttle it down to run on easy pace with very minimal vibrations. A well balanced fan with ball bearings will be good.
You are also right about the red and black appendages, indeed they are the dry air inlet (black) and outlet (red). :P
User avatar
cataclysm
Posts: 1024
Joined: Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:23 pm

Re: Cooling Canon 450D

Post by cataclysm »

weixing wrote:Hi,
WOW! "Super 450Da"... ha ha ha [smilie=good-job.gif] May be the high ISO performance now is better than all those pro DSLR... [smilie=cool.gif]

By the way, any condensation issue?? Also, does it still auto focus when mounting a lens? I also had a mod 450D... can consider... [smilie=ahaaah.gif]

Have a nice day.
Hi Weixing, indeed the camera has very low heat signature after cooling, even for 10 min at 1600 ISO.

Oh yes I left out on the condensation issue. I use the dry air recirculation method like I did on the earlier 350D. Dry air is being recirculated through an air pump that I fashioned from an aquarium pump. Moisture is being absorbed by the silica gel within the sealed air pump like this:
Image

The camera still maintain it's full function including auto focus with EF lenses. I had the original filter replaced with Astrodon filter, but keeps the front anti dust filter intact, so the anti dust feature still works. :P
User avatar
Bergkamp_
Posts: 1549
Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2003 11:31 pm
Favourite scope: Telescope that i can bring out
Location: Singapore, Bukit Panjang

Re: Cooling Canon 450D

Post by Bergkamp_ »

It is time to offer your expertise with us giving a token of appreciation =)
Wee Ern aRmeD wiF Telescope reAdY tO taKe ovEr thE skY .. wIF jUst mY naKed eYEs .
User avatar
PETER LOO
Posts: 316
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2010 9:05 pm
Favourite scope: TS APO Refractor

Re: Cooling Canon 450D

Post by PETER LOO »

Thanks Kelvin for sharing this super delicate mod & help in resolving some of the tough issues before we have ask ...
Post Reply