Sensor dust: Ionizer update

[xavier_henri]

I was contacted by an ESD consultant (and Nikon D200 owner) who gave me some knowledgeable

further advice for this cleaning method.

 

<P>It's now on line:

<A HREF="http://www.fovegraphy.com/IonizerE.php">http://www.fovegraphy.com/IonizerE.php</A>

[jim_simon3]

I have an old, but hardly ever used phonograph LP de-ionizer gun from Diskwasher named Zerostat (still in the box)and I wonder if that would do the job of de-ionizing the sensor. It shoots a positive charge on the first pull of the trigger and a negative charge while releasing the trigger. The instructions also say that the gun is most effective if the negative stream is used first and then the positive. Of course that is on vinyl LPs. I have no idea what strength it has or what it would do to the sensor. I suppose at the least it might charge a sensor brush, but not clean off the old dust. Do you know of any sensor cleaning experiences with the Zerostat that were reliably positive?

 

Off point, the instructions say it works for photographic negatives but is most effective if brushing accompanies the processing. I don't know what "accompanies" means vis a vis before after or during.

[PuppyDigs]

Some years ago I installed an air ionizer near my film scanning station. What a huge

different

it made in reducing static cling. Basically I never need to use dust removal software as a

puff

of air or two and all dust falls off. Without the ionizer dust would merely move around the

neg or

slide, but stick like glue. Incidentally I'm a bit of a vinyl buff and my LPs stopped having

static

cling problems as well.

 

Although I don't scan too many slides anymore, I keep the ionizer running where I store

my

DSLRs. I never need to clean the CMOS, so it must help (I mainly shoot landscapes at F11

or

F16 and skies are clean).

[pturton]

Xavier, I tried the ionizer described in your link but butane ignitors available here had too low a voltage. In place of the BBQ butane lighter I used a replacement BBQ ignitor found on the front of most BBQs. Since using this to ionize the camera mirror box before blowing my sensor, I've not needed to wipe my sensor.

 

Both of my 10D bodies have not required sensor wiping in the 3 years that I've owned them. My 20D which I purchased used required a sensor wiping because the previous owner had wiped the crud on the sensor into a pile along one end. Since then, ionize and blowing with a rectal syinge has kept it clean.

[xavier_henri]

Jim, the ESD consultant who contacted me is using the zerostat to clean his Nikon D200.

 

Xavier.

[poulbh]

>blowing with a rectal syinge has kept it clean.

 

 

presumable unused syringe ? ;o)

[jim_simon3]

Xavier, Thanks for the response. Did he share with you whether he used positive first or negative first and the distance from the sensor or camera that he holds the gun? I went to your links and didn't see the Zerostat mentioned.

 

Thanks again,

[pturton]

I should have mentioned that rectal syringes seem to be of better construction, have more volume and are priced cheaper than most blowers available from camera stores.

 

When any blower is to be used to clean a sensor, it should be rinsed with warm water and thoroughly dried before camera usage.

 

Sensor sharts happen ;-)

[xavier_henri]

Jim, the ESD consultant only mentionned that you should activate it bothways about twice

per second so that there is no charge build up. I don't think the initial polarity is of any

importance.

 

As you are blowing at the same time, the dust goes away when neutralized.

[jim_simon3]

Xavier,

Thanks for the response. The response creates a bit of a mystery though. The instructions for the Zerostat say, "Squeeze the trigger slowly, taking about two seconds to do so. Then pause for 2 seconds and release the trigger again taking about 2 seconds. Too rapid operation may limit the amout of ions produced." They also say that, "Operation of the pistol in a moving airstream may not give satisfactory results." I suppose I should take the advice of someone who has already experimented, and I will, but it sure seems that a least squeezing rapidly will reduce the effectiveness. As the Zerostats are so ancient it might be possible that your consultant doesn't have the instructions. Maybe the reduced effectiveness will protect the camera from too healthy a dose. Thanks for taking the time to answer.

Ionically Yours,

[xavier_henri]

Faster activations keep the charge around neutral. This probably means a lesser amount of

ions, but the insides of a DSLR are smaller than the whole surface of an old record.

 

Regarding airstream, I suppose they are talking about an opened window, the draft would

make the ion stream miss the target.