Hi all,
I'm having real issues with PHD2. I've just downloaded the latest version but still cannot access the camera settings folder next to the brain icon. If I do exposures longer than about 0.5 seconds the image is totally overexposed. Ive taken darks and used the setup wizard.
I'm using the ZWO290mm and Orion mini guide scope 50mm aperture and 162mm focal length.
I need to get to exposures of around 2 seconds. Any ideas please?
Cheerio and thanks
Geoff
Geoff,
The camera settings becomes available when you select the camera (the extreme left hand icon)....
Does this recognise the ASI camera you are using?
Do you have the latest ASI camera driver files?
Ken
Geoff,
The camera settings becomes available when you select the camera (the extreme left hand icon)....
Does this recognise the ASI camera you are using?
Do you have the latest ASI camera driver files?
Ken
Thanks Ken but nope its still not available. Ive selected ZWO camera from the drop down menu and updated the ZWO software but still unable to access the camera settings folder.
Geoff
Geoff,
I usually use the Lodestar for guiding, not my ASI cameras....
It looks like you are correct! The camera settings don't seem active with either of my ASI cameras (ASI 174/ ASI 1600)
(I can't find an ASCOM choicer for any of the cameras???)
EDIT:
OK re-installed the ASCOM ASI drivers from the ZWO website....
Now PHD2 shows the camera controls in the camera selection screen (The small spanner icon) this allows the gain/ offset, USB traffic by ticking the "advanced" box.
Hope that helps.
From memory (I could be wrong) the camera settings for my ASI camera are in one of the tabs in the window that opens when you press the brain icon. The camera icon is disabled, just like you described.
Geoff, kens and luka have suggested a couple of things that you don't seem to have acknowledged:
- What is your setting on the gamma slider? Further to the left it'll show white screen that may appear overexposed, slide to the right to get better contrast
- If you click the brain button, then the camera tab, can you see/set gain in there?
We’re talking different things. The camera settings (folder icon with spinner) indeed does not work. But with the native driver gain can be set within the brain on the camera tab.
Ken (merlin66) and Geoff, just to make sure that we are not talking apples and oranges, you should not be using the ASCOM driver for the camera, the native driver works better (both drivers are on the ZWO website).
Under camera selection pick "ZWO ASI camera" and not "ASI camera 1 (ASCOM)".
As kens confirmed, with the native driver the camera settings then can be found under the camera tab after clicking on the brain button. The button for the camera setting is disabled.
Luka,
I think you’ll find the native ZWO driver just allows the gain to be adjusted through PHD “brain” icon.
Yes, that's what I was saying above - ie using the brain icon the clicking on the camera tab, not the camera settings/folder icon in the main window next to the brain.
Still seems very possible the issue is gamma slider?
Hi all, thank you so much for the advice. Yes I have been using the gamma slider all the way to the right, and left just to check. I'm set up already for tonight to try again too and have set the focus already on a distant tree on the orison a few km away but yes I'll double check the focus. I have accessed the gain via the brain icon but it keeps defaulting to 95. Ive checked for PHD2 updates and all is good. Anyway I'll let you know in another two hours or so hopefully. I've got my old Orion Starshoot guider ready as a back up but hopefully I can get the 290mm to work.
Thanks again for the help
Geoff
Well...some success after all. Hi all I got there...mostly. As you cans I've got it tracking with 2 seconds but can't for the life of me understand what I did tonight differently.
I did get an error message stating at Dec -53degrees the difference between RA and Dec was too big at 88% with a preferred limit of 66% so hopefully just an alignment error there.
The large bumps are me walking around but it seems to be guiding well enough for me at around 0.67sec of arc rms.
I gave up on the camera settings next to the brain icon and the settings folder when I connect the camera via the far left icon is not accessible either but the brain let me lower the gain.
