ORION TELESCOPES & BINOCULARS Dew Zapper Pro 3517 User manual

Orion®Dew Zapper™Pro
#3517
Congratulations on your purchase of the Dew Zapper Pro
system. The Dew Zapper Pro efficiently prevents dew from forming
on the exposed optical surfaces of your telescope and its accessories.
This system enables you to continue using your telescope, regardless
of damp conditions on a clear night.
A telescope with a lens exposed on the front of its optical tube, such
as a Schmidt-Cassegrain, Maksutov-Cassegrain, or refractor, is sus-
ceptible to dew formation (water condensation) on the lens surface.
The exposed lens rapidly radiates its heat into the air and can cool
down below the dew point. As a result, moisture in the air condenses
on the lens.
Dew shields are available for Schmidt-Cassegrain and similar tele-
scopes (catadioptrics), and are usually built into refractors. However,
dew shields can only insulate the air around the lens to delay the dew
from forming. The Dew Zapper Pro uses a heating band that keeps the
telescope’s glass just above the dew point, keeping the dew away for
as long as the heat is applied. The amount of heat applied to the glass
is not intrusive to your telescope’s optics, and it should not create
tube currents. Using the Dew Zapper Pro with a dew shield provides
the most efficient and effective way to keep dew from your telescope.
The exposed lenses of your finder scope and eyepieces are also sus-
ceptible to dew. The Dew Zapper Pro has different sized bands to fit
your finder scope and eyepieces to keep dew away from your entire
telescope system. There are several different sizes of heating bands
available for the Dew Zapper Pro:
Note: The heating bands have an elastic strap which may accom-
modate a slightly larger or smaller circumference. Since each heating
band was made to fit a variety of different circumferences, some may
fit with an overlap or slight gap. This does not effect the performance
of the Dew Zapper Pro.
Getting Started
The Dew Zapper Pro can operate up to four heating bands at once.
The control box has four output jacks for heating bands, and one aux-
iliary output jack for an optional 12-volt DC accessory. Each of the four
heating band outputs are controlled by a knob, variable to anywhere
between OFF, MED, and HI (Figure 1).
Power Requirements
The Dew Zapper Pro is designed for 12-volt DC operation. The control
box’s plug fits any standard car lighter receptacle, or can be hooked
up directly to a 12-volt DC power source. For field use, a portable bat-
tery with a power storage capacity of at least 10 amp-hours or more
is recommended. A 10 amp fuse is installed in the control box’s plug.
(See “Specifications” for a list of power consumption for each heating
band.)
Warning: If replacing the fuse is necessary, do not use a fuse
rated higher than 10 amps.
Installation
The Dew Zapper Pro should be installed on your telescope or acces-
sory before you begin observing.
Wrap the Dew Zapper Pro’s heating band around the lens cell of your
telescope or finder scope. The power cord should extend away from
the lens (Figure 2). Secure the heating band to itself with the nylon
hook-and-loop fastener. If you are using the Dew Zapper Pro with a
dew shield, position the heating element on the telescope tube just
behind the lens cell. For the best heat conduction, be sure the heating
element makes complete contact with the lens cell; avoid screws or
bumps. For fork-mounted Schmidt-Cassegrains, route the cable over
one fork arm to avoid tangling the cord as the telescope is moved. The
cord length of the heating band is 6 feet.
When using the smaller 4" and 6" heating bands on eyepieces, the
heating band should be wrapped around the body of the eyepiece.
The power cord should face downward away from the eyepiece lens.
IN 334 Rev C 02/09
Customer Support [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Corporate Offices [phone]
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
Heating Band Length Fit
4" Standard 1.25" eyepieces and
30mm finder scopes
6" Standard 2" eyepieces and
50mm finder scopes
15" 3" - 5" (80mm-127mm) refractor
and catadioptric telescopes
27" 6" - 8" (150mm-203mm) cata-
dioptric telescopes
37" 9.25" - 11" (235mm-280mm)
catadioptric telescopes
Figure 1. The Dew Zapper Pro control box.
Figure 2. The installed heating band should have its power cord extending
away from the lens.

Using the Dew Zapper Pro
The Dew Zapper Pro will prevent dew from forming on your optics for
as long as it is in use.You should use the Dew Zapper Pro before dew
forms on your telescope or accessory lens. If dew is already present,
the Dew Zapper Pro may be capable of gradually removing the dew;
this depends upon the conditions.
Operating the Control Box
The Dew Zapper Pro’s control box allows the amount of heat provided
to the heating element bands to be adjusted. It features microproces-
sor controlled circuitry which adapts to changing temperature and
humidity. This allows for precise temperature control. Up to four heat-
ing bands can be controlled at once.
Plug the control box’s power cord into your power source. A red LED
on the plug and green LED on the control box will indicate the Dew
Zapper Pro is properly powered on.
Remove the jack covers from the control box as needed. Plug a heat-
ing band into one of the jacks. Each of the control knobs controls the
jack aligned with it (Figure 3). Turn the control knob clockwise and the
channel’s red LED will light up to indicate the channel is active.
Under normal use, you only need to set the control knob to about
25% power (with the control knob at the 9 o’clock position). If the dew
conditions become severe, you can increase the power to MED/50%.
If dew is has formed on your lens, turn the control knob to HI/100%.
Return the setting to about 25% once the dew is gone.
Battery Saver
The Dew Zapper Pro features a battery saver to protect the life of your
battery. If the input voltage drops to 11.25 volts, the green POWER
LED will flash. To preserve your battery, the Dew Zapper Pro will
automatically power itself off approximately 30-60 minutes after the
POWER LED begins flashing. This is useful if you are using a car bat-
tery or sharing your battery with other devices, like a motor drive for
your telescope mount.
The battery saver can be disabled if you are using a dedicated power
source. To disable the battery saver, move Switch 1(located inside
the small square hole on the left side of the control box) to the down
position (Figure 4). The down position is actually labeled “ON”, which
disables the battery saver. Switch 2is not used.
Auxiliary Output Jack
The Dew Zapper Pro has a 12-volt DC auxiliary port located on the
right side of the control box next to the power cord. The auxiliary port
can be used with an optional 12-volt DC accessory equipped with a
standard RCA-type plug. The accessory should not draw more than
10 amps.
Specifications
Power requirement: 12V DC, “cigarette lighter” receptacle
Fuse: 10 A
Heating band controls: Variable output, up to 4 heating bands can
be independently controlled
LEDs: Green power LED, 1 red heating band
control LED per channel, 1 red power plug
LED
Battery saver: Power LED warning at 11.25V, power
shut off at 11.1V, disable switch
Auxiliary output: 12V DC, 10 A max
Control box cord length: 12'
Heating band cord length: 6'
Figure 3. Each of the four the control knobs controls the jack aligned with it.
Figure 4. Move Switch 1 to the down position to disable the battery saver.
Switch 2 is not used.
Band
Length
Max Input Current (Amps) Max Heat Output
(Watts)
4" 0.0167 0.2
6" 0.375 4.5
15" 0.940 11.3
27" 1.688 20.3
37" 2.31 27.7

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1)
this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2)
this device must accept any interference received, includ-
ing interference that may cause undesired operation.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the
party responsible for compliance could void the user’s
authority to operate the equipment.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to com-
ply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant
to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed
to provide reasonable protection against harmful interfer-
ence in a residential installation. This equipment gener-
ates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if
not installed and used in accordance with the instructions,
may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does
cause harmful interference to radio or television recep-
tion, which can be determined by turning the equipment
off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and
receiver.
Connect the equipment into an output on a circuit differ-
ent from that to which the receiver in connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician
for help.
A shielded cable must be used when connecting a per-
ipheral to the serial ports.
Customer Support [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Corporate Offices [phone]
89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 95076
Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975
One-Year Limited Warranty
This Orion Dew Zapper Pro is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year
from the date of purchase. This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail purchaser only. During this war-
ranty period Orion Telescopes & Binoculars will repair or replace, at Orion’s option, any warranted instrument
that proves to be defective, provided it is returned postage paid to: Orion Warranty Repair, 89 Hangar Way,
Watsonville, CA 95076. If the product is not registered, proof of purchase (such as a copy of the original invoice)
is required.
This warranty does not apply if, in Orion’s judgment, the instrument has been abused, mishandled, or modified,
nor does it apply to normal wear and tear. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have
other rights, which vary from state to state. For further warranty service information, contact: Customer Service
Department, Orion Telescopes & Binoculars, 89 Hangar Way, Watsonville, CA 950760; [phone].