Hey Everyone. Trying to image M1 last night (2-16-2023) and under 20 degrees F, Double clicking on a folder opened about 10 folders and the keyboard was malfunctioning. I image inside my backyard observatory at ambient temperature. Has anyone experienced issues with equipment operating under ambient, 20 Degrees F? Any ideas to prevent this? Obviously, I do not wish to heat anything. Note that all of my imaging hardware at the scope were operating normally.
Thanks,
Dave
Thanks for the reply, Antoine and Dalia. I use a desktop computer with wired mouse and keyboard. The keyboard became useless at 16F and the mouse issue seemed to be isolated to double clicking. The imaging and guiding software continued to operate normally and I was able to close everything with single mouse clicks. The coldest I had imaged at before, was 27F, with no issues. I'll try covering my desktop next time. Thanks.
Hi Dave,
Hopefully someone can provide a better answer, because we never get these low temperatures in Vegas, but we've seen a lot of astrophotographers place their computer in a box (see below) sometimes with blankets in it to shield it from extreme cold. Maybe this would help. The box is a good idea because the heat from the computer cycles around and doesn't escape. Not sure if there are better options!