Oil Leak issue on ASI2600MC Pro and other cameras

Some users have reported an “oil leaking” issue on the ASI2600MC Pro and in some instances on other camera models back in 2021. After research and investigation, we found the issue was caused by the thermal pad, which is a thermal conductive material sits between the sensor and backplate for optimal heat dissipation of the cameras. After long-term exposure to high temperatures, the volatile content of vinyl silicone oil in the pad would migrate to its surface, and then infiltrate through the gap between the sensor and the board, and in some cases bleed to the sensor surface. After discovering this oil leaking problem, we have improved our production process by switching to thermal pads with a lower volatile content to reduce volatilities. Cameras manufactured after October 2021 should not suffer from the oil leaking problem.

For those customers who were affected by the “oil leaking “issues, we are truly sorry and we offer you “Free Replacement or Free Repair with lifetime warranties”

If you are having the oil leak issue, please submit a report here: https://support.astronomy-imaging-camera.com/

Our support team will carefully examine your camera. If oil leak is detected, we will offer you the following resolution:

1. If your camera is under 2-year warranty, we will offer a free replacement or a free repair service. Any expenses incurred in transit will be covered by ZWO (Please keep your invoices).  If you purchases the camera from a ZWO dealer, you may also contact the our dealer directly for the relevant after-sales service.

2. If your camera is beyond the manufacturer’s 2-year warranty, we will offer a free repair and a lifetime warranty on the oil leak issue. We currently have 3 official ZWO maintenance ports and they are located in the USA, Germany and Japan respectively. The repair service includes deep oil cleaning, thermal pad replacement, and sensor alignment.

Friendly reminder: The replacement service with ZWO may take longer time than repair service (over one or two months in transit).

The “Free Replacement or Free Repair” service not only applies to the ASI2600MC Pro camera, but also to other models with oil leak issues.