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Old 13-11-2017, 08:26 AM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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ZWO ASI 094 issues

HI I am having a miserable time getting my camera to work reliably. I updated APT, sharp cap and have followed instructions in varying USB speed in sharpcap and also higher CCD function in APT. It worked for one night of flats and darks and last night was clear and I got busy hang ups in APT and sharp cap worked for a few minutes then froze.
I am using Windows 8.1 and an active USB 3 extension. The camera is a ZWO ASI 094.
I am at work currently and have just re downloaded the drivers and will try again but really am frustrated that this is happeneing. I have posted on ZWO forum as well.
Graham
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Old 13-11-2017, 08:45 AM
glend (Glen)
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How long is your USB3 extension? Is the camera running through a hub?
The ASI USB3 cameras are sensitive to cable issues. Try it with just the supplied USB3 cable running directly into a USB3 port on your laptop or pc. Dial down rhe USB speed in the driver to 70%.
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Old 13-11-2017, 08:53 AM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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Hi Glen, the USB 3 cable is so ridiculously short that I can't use the camera in the obs with the supplied cable- I end up putting the computer on a stool right next to the pier and interfering with slewing. However when I tried it initially it seemed to work ok at first then hung up again. I will try again but that is not practical for me as I need to sit away from the pier. When you say dial down the USB speed do you mean the settings in Sharp Cap camera controller?
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Old 13-11-2017, 09:31 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by graham.hobart View Post
Hi Glen, the USB 3 cable is so ridiculously short that I can't use the camera in the obs with the supplied cable- I end up putting the computer on a stool right next to the pier and interfering with slewing. However when I tried it initially it seemed to work ok at first then hung up again. I will try again but that is not practical for me as I need to sit away from the pier. When you say dial down the USB speed do you mean the settings in Sharp Cap camera controller?
I meant the USB speed setting in the camera settings. I don't use Sharpcap, i prefer SGP as it controls all functions. You need ASCOM Platform loaded to use SGP, and the camera ASCOM driver.
Your problem is consistent with USB3 speed limitations. If you contact Sam at ZWO he can Teamview into your laptop to check the setup. Somethings the USB3 controller firmware needs to be updated, with Microsoft USB3 controller being a weak link. Anyway if your question is on the ZWO forum you should get info from Sam eventually.
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Old 13-11-2017, 09:33 AM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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I have the ASCOM latest - where in the driver is the USB speed ?
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Old 13-11-2017, 10:12 AM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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Reason I ask as when I connect the CCD via APT it comes up with the ZWO driver via ascom dialogue and the settings are only for camera via USB 3 (no choices), anti dew off or on, gain slider and preset gains such as unity. No USB speed control
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Old 13-11-2017, 10:42 AM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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I checked on the Sharpcap controls and my USB speed is 40
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Old 13-11-2017, 11:37 AM
glend (Glen)
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Originally Posted by graham.hobart View Post
I checked on the Sharpcap controls and my USB speed is 40
That should be ok. I would still try running it direct to the laptop just to test. Your active extension, i assume it is powered, but how long is it.
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Old 13-11-2017, 12:05 PM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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It's 3 metres , just reloaded all the drivers and tried again, got it to work for 3 x 300 frames and also worked in live view at 2 sec refresh (APT) that's a first!
I changed the download time out to 25 sec and didn't connect PHD (was dithering last night)
Maybe it has something to do with the big files being down loaded whilst PHD 2 dithers ?, they don't share a USB
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Old 13-11-2017, 01:36 PM
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Hmm that’s weird. PHD shouldn’t interfere with it. I use the USB hub on the 1600 for the guide cam and EFW.

I’m no Windows expert, but maybe it’s a Windows 8 issue? Along with Vista, they’re kind of the black sheep of the MS family...

But like Glen said, I’d try with it directly connected to see if you have the same issues.

I use USB speed of 90 without any issues, but I use a 5m USB 3 cable directly into the back of my PC.
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Old 13-11-2017, 01:47 PM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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Did you get the 3 metre cable with the camera?
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Old 13-11-2017, 01:50 PM
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3m wasn’t long enough for me, so I picked up a 5m from a local computer shop for under $10, works a treat!
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Old 13-11-2017, 01:53 PM
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SharpCap should be an interesting test as it uses the ZWO SDK API calls rather than relying on ASCOM. If you connect it up and run it at, say, 15 second exposures, you should get a constant stream of images out of that too.

I’m just trying to think along troubleshooting lines...there must be something awry somewhere (and I’m not ruling out the camera itself), but I’ve found USB 3 itself to be very picky, not specifically with my ZWO cameras (I have 3, but with hard disks, etc too.
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Old 13-11-2017, 03:18 PM
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graham.hobart (Graham stevens)
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I just ordered a 3 metre one which should at least give me another metre to play with. I wonder whether the USB 3 extender is loose- it worked at lunch time but last night in the obs with the scope moving?
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Old 13-11-2017, 04:36 PM
glend (Glen)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by graham.hobart View Post
I just ordered a 3 metre one which should at least give me another metre to play with. I wonder whether the USB 3 extender is loose- it worked at lunch time but last night in the obs with the scope moving?
Tape it together with pvc tape to be sure its not loose.
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