ezcap issue with QHY9

[Somnium (Aidan)]

i have an issue where ezcap is crashing every time i try to connect it to my QHY9. if i do anything else in the software before i connect to the camera it appears fine, but as soon as i select the QHY9, i can't perform any actions and i get an error asking for me to wait for the camera or close. there is limited things i can try because it is a remote observatory but i do have my brother down at the site while i test operations out this week. i have tried restarting the computer (the IT crowd solution to all computer issues) and also tried cycling the power to the camera to no avail. i have made no configuration changes since last night and it ran fine then, oh the joys of setting up a remote observatory ...
if anyone has any thoughts let me know.

[billdan (Bill)]

Hi Aidan,

Had a similar occurrence with my QHY12 and it turned out to be a dodgy USB hub, ( sometimes it was fine other times it would crash). Since then I purchased a good quality 5 Metre USB cable and connect direct to the notebook and it never failed again.

Also the USB pins on the camera socket can get rust on them (from dew) and need cleaning with WD40 occasionally.

Bill

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Originally Posted by billdan

Hi Aidan,

Had a similar occurrence with my QHY12 and it turned out to be a dodgy USB hub, ( sometimes it was fine other times it would crash). Since then I purchased a good quality 5 Metre USB cable and connect direct to the notebook and it never failed again.

Also the USB pins on the camera socket can get rust on them (from dew) and need cleaning with WD40 occasionally.

Bill

you know, i was thinking this might be the issue, i am running a really long 10m cable. i am also having issues with one of my relays not closing on command. i will swap it out when i head down there on Friday and see if that helps.

[Somnium (Aidan)]

i replaced my 10 mtr usb cable that was running into a usb hub with an expensive 5 mtr active repeating USB 3 and connected it directly to the camera. that seemed to solve the issue for a while but now i am getting the issue again. extremely frustrating ! maybe i need to change the cable going directly into the camera ... i dont know, stuck for ideas

[billdan (Bill)]

I can image how annoying it must be, especially when it worked Ok for a while.

You could try reloading the QHY9 driver and also see if EZcap has an update.

If I could afford it I would get one of these USB loop-back testers. At least I would know my cables and hubs are up to scratch.

http://www.passmark.com.au/products/usb2loopback.htm

Regards
Bill

[Visionoz (Bill)]

Aidan

Had a similar experience with my QHY11 when new to it and after changing usb cables without the problem going away I discovered that you must use the specific drivers provided by QHY - contacted Theo for it and used his packaged version (his versions are fully tested and working) and no more problems.

YMMV
HTH
Cheers
Bill

[RobF (Rob)]

Are you using the latest StarSense drivers for the 9 Aidan?

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Originally Posted by RobF

Are you using the latest StarSense drivers for the 9 Aidan?

I assume so, I re-downloaded the drivers from the gamma electronics site recently ...

[RobF (Rob)]

They look like 2011. I don't use Ezycap, so not best to advise. Changed recently to the newer drivers on the QHYCCD website and very pleased so far with Sequence Generator Pro. Seem to download a lot faster, and "touch wood", haven't had a freeze downloading frames since....

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Thanks for that Rob, i swapped out the cable and it seems to be running okay. i have heard good things about SGP, i am tossing up whether to get that or use CCD autopilot.

[Somnium (Aidan)]

i shouldnt have spoke so soon, last night it randomly stopped working, i downloaded the new driver, new version of EZcap and new ASCOM driver, it took 1 picture then froze after that ...

[RobF (Rob)]

Agggghhhhh!!!
Sounds like time to email or phone Theo for morale and tech support?

Have you tried running without the extender cable and using different camera program?

[Somnium (Aidan)]

I have tried with a number of combinations of cables, I am trying tonight with a single cable so we will see. I have run it with the skyx camera add on with the same issues. If I can't resolve I will be emailing theo

[Somnium (Aidan)]

new USB extension, new USB without extension, new USB without extension and directly into the computer, new drivers, new version of capture software ... and ... fail. still getting the issue and it is now completely unusable.

i thought i might be able to image for the first time with the new mount tonight but it is not to be

[Somnium (Aidan)]

while i wait for the weekend and the opportunity to bring the camera home to run more definitive tests i thought i would take stock of my troubleshooting. the best i can do is to get the camera working for about an hour before it freezes up and that can only be done by disconnecting the USB from either the camera end or the computer end. below is a list of things which, surprising to me, had no affect on it.

• replacing the USB cable
• connecting the camera directly to the computer, not via a hub
• turning off and on the camera
• un installing and re installing the driver
• ditto for the ASCOM driver
• ditto for EZcap
• restarting the computer (unbelievable i know ...)

to the limit of my knowledge of computers this makes absolutely no sense ... if anyone can tell me how an issue can persist after power cycles and driver installs but be temp fixed by unplugging the USB cable i am all ears

[Somnium (Aidan)]

for those of you playing the home game, it seems that thesky or maybe other programs ( i had this issue prior to installing thesky) are tying up communications to the camera. even after a restart of the computer and the software ... so by selecting disconnect in thesky when the status is already disconnected, i am able to re-establish comms to the camera. strange but hey i have the ability to talk to my camera now

[LewisM]

Originally Posted by Somnium

...strange but hey i have the ability to talk to my camera now

Awwww, no more whispering sweet nothings in your ear? You have to talk to it like a wife now?

[Somnium (Aidan)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Awwww, no more whispering sweet nothings in your ear? You have to talk to it like a wife now?

haha it is a bit like that.

[Somnium (Aidan)]

it worked for a full week but now i am locked out looks like another 4 hour round trip ...

[Somnium (Aidan)]

this issue has stopped me from imaging for at least a month. i have replaced the computer, used the ASCOM driver instead of the QHY one in TSX, i think i am also using a different FW driver. the only thing that has remained consistent is TSX software and the camera itself. the camera hung after i was playing around in TSX tour function which was being unresponsive. i am on the software bisque forum to see if anyone has any ideas but it is a really confusing issue. when i got the issue i tested a number of different things to see what would resolve it, including

• Restarting TSX
• trying alternate software to run the camera (EZcap)
• restarting the computer
• restarting the camera
• unplugging the USB at the camera end with the power to the camera and computer still on
• unplugging the USB at the computer end with the power to the camera and computer still on

the only thing that worked and consistently works is unplugging the USB while the camera is off.

the above tells me that it is simultaneously not a software or a hardware issue ... therefore it is a black magic curse

"when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"