If we can do plasma deposition for cheap mirror reflective sunglasses with polycarbonate, why aren’t these materials commonly used?
If we can do plasma deposition for cheap mirror reflective sunglasses with polycarbonate, why aren’t these materials commonly used?
(amateur)
Also, I can make thermals irrelevant easily with a small heating element and PID loop running on a $0.50 microcontroller. Many people run such elements already to avoid issues with moisture.
That PID heating setup would draw significant power over an observing session - you’d need a decent power station for field use (check gearscouts.com for options with good $/Wh on LFP batteries that wont die after a year).
Which is more complexity.
You haven’t really presented any compelling reasons to use poly.
Whats the advantage that outweighs the negatives?
The OP said cost. A 16" glass mirror is $1400. Adding $20 of microcontrollers, heaters and sensors to a $100 plastic mirror could be extremely interesting.
There is also a weight savings which makes the rest of the design easier.