CCDSoft v5 - flogging a dead horse?

[JohnH]

Well my rebuild has not made all my stability problems go away. CCDSoft is still freezing during downloads from my Sbig ST2000xm / CFW10- especially if I nudge the Gemini to centre a star during a download - but it also happens with nothing else active at all. I occasionally get an error:

Main Base 22000

Which I cannot find an explanation for. CCDSoft is no longer supported. This is with a fresh Win7 64 bit install and all the relevant updates and patches done and CCDSoft v5.00.210. A couple of odd things on my system - a Belkin USB to serial adapter - to connect to the G11G and a Moonlite mini controller (which is also a USB to serial adapter under the covers). To make it all work together I use ASCOM v6.

Do I need to change horses - and if so where should I go Maxim? Elsewhere?

[Merlin66]

Give AstroArt V5 a trial.
Bang per buck it's a great well supported software package.
You can "try before you buy"
http://www.msb-astroart.com/

[Bart]

Try Sequence Generator Pro.

http://www.mainsequencesoftware.com/

:)

[JohnH]

I actually have AA5 - but its support for Sbig self guiding cameras (although it is there) is I recall poor, I wil try again after the re-build and I do like it for scripting and use it for LRGB processing as well...

[allan gould]

Also recommend SGPro. It has SBig setting for their cameras which should hekp you.

[Merlin66]

John,
Favio on the AstroArt Forum, in answer to another SBig question (separate SBig STi guiders) stated:

""The current Astroart SBIG driver can run two CCDs in the same session only if they are in the same camera, (this was the main feature of SBIG cameras until now).""
http://www.astroartforum.net/forum/forum.php

[gregbradley]

Do you have enough RAM and do you run a cleaner on your computer to clean up unneeded files robbing you of RAM?

Greg.

[Bassnut]

Well, im supprised CCDsoft is a problem. Anyway, go free if you have the time to fight free software type support. DL5 IMO is rock solid with any SBIG cam in my experience. I wouldnt trust Belkin with a long stick, that might be a problem.

[JohnH]

Thanks to all for the feedback and suggestion, I setup AA5 to drive the ST2000 - and two things struck me - first the Guide/Focus screens work MUCH better than the last time I tried this - on the bench anyway - which makes it a contender, in fact probably my first choice as I already use it for pretty much everything else, it will guide, focus, plate solve etc and it is current and well supported. And I do not have to spend $500, Nice.

BUT

It froze downloading after a while - which is suspicious to say the least.

So I had obviously not found the root cause and it is not the capture software after all. It looks like my powered USB hub has failed - well partly failed - it works mostly but with an intermittent connection it would seem, possibly failing when there is some stress on the cables and/or just poor contact due to corrosion, moisture or cheap and nasty connectors (non-permanent setup).

Anyway I have a new hub and all is working well now. But I think I will try a move to AA5 and see how I get on and leave CCSoft as a backup. And perhaps there is a MountHub in the future...

[PeterM]

Try latest and last buimd 5.00.216

[JohnH]

It is a fresh install of Win7 64 bit on an i7 with 4Gb....anyway it looks like it is cables/hub and not software....still testing...a bit early to declare victory yet.

[JohnH]

Well I would if I could (not able to download that update) - but I do not think there is any great change over the version I have 210....

[stevous67]

Well, I don't like SB, but CCDSoft has worked very reliably for me on my STL-RGH-AO set up. I'm using Win 7Pro, an i7 840, 8gb RAM, with a host of other apps managed by CCDAP.

Sometimes peripherals can be the fault?

Good luck in sorting out your issue.

Steve

[allan gould]

Your problem lies entirely with the Belkin USB to serial adapter when used with win7 32/64bit software.
Win7 does not support the Belkin driver and Belkin ( if you look on the box that the adapter came in) say its only good for XP. Had this problem myself and resolved it with either an AETAN or other serial 2 USB converter used with win 7 drivers.
Give SGPro a go as you get a 45 day free trial and you will fing that CCDSoft is just a dead horse.
Just my 2c but I've been down this path myself.
Allan

[JohnH]

Hi Allan,

Yup it was a USB issue - but it was changing the extender cable not the Belkin adapter that finally fixed my issue. Belkin get some stick for poor driver support, they are not the chipset maker for their products so after a bit of searching I found that compatible 64 bit drivers are available for the adapter from MCT:

http://www.mct-us.com/downloadfiles/U232-13.2.98.130315.zip

All is stable again now.

[allan gould]

Thanks for the heads-up. Downloaded them now.
Allan