How to control 2 SBIG cameras at once?

[thunderchildobs]

How do you control 2 SBIG cameras at once with CCDSoft V5 or CCDops?

I have a ST-8XME and a ST-8300C that I want to use at the same time from the same computer. I was hoping that it would be as simple as starting two instances of CCDSoft and selecting the cameras but that appears not to be the case.

I did discover something interesting while trying different combinations of rebooting powering up / down computers / cameras. I had the ST-8 off, but still connected via usb to the computer. The ST-8300C had serve horiztonal banding and wouldn't cool properly. I was swapping usb cables to see if the cable was the problem, I disconnect the usb cable from the power off ST-8 and then suddenly on the ST-8300C the banding disappeared and the cooling started to work.

I am also planning to the ST-8300C and CCDSoft with an Orion StarShoot auto-guider and PHD. I haven't tried this configuration yet, does anyone know if this will work?

Brendan

[rally]

Brendan,

Its a Windows and SBIG Driver thing.
Think it has to do with the image download due to the SBIG cameras not having any image buffer - they need to make sure nothing else is happening in real time so you dont lose bits of your image.

You need two separate computers !
Which will cause all sorts of other problems like camera coordination on image runs, how do you dither between subs etc

Not sure if its possible to run a second virtual machine and get control - suspect not an you will still have the same limitations as far as coordinating them - maybe use a scripted image management package like ACP or CCD Autopilot.

But as far as I know what you (and many others) would like to do is presently impossible.

It would be nice if SBIG could rewrite things to do this.
They would sell more cameras if they made it easier !
But I think its a fundamental hardware design problem.

Cheers

Rally

[thunderchildobs]

I have found a solution.

CCDSoft can control two detectors at once. (Note the use of the word "detectors" not "cameras").

You can set up different options for the Imager and Autoguider on the Setup Camera Setup tab. Many years of using ST7/8s I had never click on this option.

I click on on the Imager and select the St8300, then click on the Autoguider and select St-8.

In my case I need to click on settings for each camera and select the USB port the camera is on. A bit of trial an error here.

Also need to set the temperature for both cameras.

On the Take Image tab, select the camera you want to take the image, the imager of the autoguider.

Note that cameras like the ST8 that have a built in autoguider, you cannot have the ST8 main chip, the St8 autoguider and another camera working at the same as this is using 3 detectors.

From the Bisque forumns
http://www.bisque.com/sc/forums/p/2841/8777.aspx#8777

For me the solution works but does seem slighltly like a work around. Rather than having Imager, Autoguider options it should be camera 1, camera 2.

It would be nice to if software allowed for mutiple cameras and for multiple focusers.

Brendan

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

I was going to suggest just what you have done Brenden. Maxim has the cameras labeled Camera 1, Camera 2. Its a bit more intuitive than CCDSoft's Imager/autoguider options