| The Model VI dew heater controller is simple, easy to use, compact, and lightweight. Its case is made of rugged aluminum, powder coated black for good looks and durability. The case measures 3.5" long x 2.25" wide x 1.25" deep (1.75" counting the control knob). It is supplied with Velcro strips for easy attachment to your telescope. There is an LED indicator to show when the power is on. The controller has a fused male cigarette lighter plug on a 6' long cord. This allows connection to a car’s cigarette lighter plug or (preferably) a rechargeable 12V DC battery (to avoid accidentally draining your car battery and leaving you stuck at your dark sky site after a night of observing). The fuse has a 5 amp rating. The controller itself has a 7 amp capacity, so you can change the 5 amp fuse to one with a 7 amp rating, should you need a little extra maximum output capacity. There are four RCA jacks on the controller into which you can plug your heater strips. With the addition of an RCA splitter cord, 5 to 6 heaters can be attached, as long as you don’t exceed the maximum output capacity of the controller. This would allow the operator, for example, to use heaters for the main objective of a small scope, both ends of a finder or guide scope, an eyepiece, and a Telrad. The power output from the Model VI controller can be varied from 40% to 100%. As the controller is a Pulse Width Modulation duty cycle switch, it controls the power going to your heaters by turning the power on and off many times each minute. When the controller is set on low, for example, the heaters draw the same amount of current whenever they are on, but they are on only 40% of the time. Low to medium is the recommended setting for most observing conditions. The controller is RFI (radio frequency interference) free, an absolute necessity if you are going to be doing digital imaging. Owners of 12" and larger SCTs may need two controllers – one for the main objective heater and a second for any other heaters you wish to operate. The heater strips for the objectives of these size scopes can nearly max out the power output capacity of the controller by themselves.
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