QHY5 & 8 Woes

[Bloodbean (Troy)]

Gary,

Having dealt with problem USB devices many times before deleting those registry keys is a very important part of the equation. Doing so takes away any associations between device ID's and driver files within Windows. However a fresh install of Windows can't hurt if you have a little more time on your hands!

Troy

[gbeal]

Trust you to side with the "Format it" bunch. Thanks Troy, I'll report back.
Nothing like a clean machine anyway.
Gary

[netwolf]

Gary, have you done any firmware updates on the cameras?
Is it possible you have loaded a Qhy5 firmware update on the Qhy8 camera? Internaly they may share a usb chip and often this is programmed with VendorID and PID and a name, so when you plug in the camera it is identified as a particular named device. The OS then searches your drivers INF file to find a driver file that has the same vID and PID and loads that driver. Now if by some mistake your QHY8 thinks its a Qhy5 then it will load the Qhy5 drivers.
I know that Q cameras are rebadged and sold under diffrent names and you can get difffrent drivers depending on which firmware you load on it. Essentially all they do is reprogram the VID and PID to something else and change the name of the device from Say qhy5 to Qguider etc. This allows the one camera to use drivers written for different purposes and for diffrent rebadged brands.

If you had them both connected when you changed the firmware on them perhaps the wrong camera was updated and now your Qhy8 is being recognized as a Qhy5.

Let it install the Qhy5 drivers and update the firmware to a qhy8 firmware. Then uninstall and reinstall the Qhy8 drivers.

Tom might be your best bet to ask about how to fix this see his list of VID/PID's used by different resellers.

Regards
Fahim

[gbeal]

Hi Fahim,
not as far as I know, but given the installing and uninstalling that has occurred over the last few days anything is possible. I'll keep plugging away at it, and break it before too long.
Thanks for the help.
Gary

[JohnH]

The Safe mode tip for deleting the registry entries was a good one - if after that though it is still not recognising the cameras correctly I think a reinstall will be the way to go. Windows seems to have a limited tolerance for install/uninstall/plug/unplug and it will certainly restore reliability/performance - it is just a pain to do it.

[netwolf]

Gary,

Do you have a 2nd pc, or access to one you can use for a test. If so then PLugin the Qhy8 and point to the Qhy8 drivers you have and see if it will install as a Qhy8 camera. If it does then the issue is with Windows.

Regards
Fahim

[Gama]

Sorry to hear the hassles your having Gary. I only just got back from a 3 day trip with the family. Just got back now and read your hassles.

Firstly, fear not, Microsofts and windows sucks big time the way it reads and sets up the drivers, and the registriy enrties is just short of a nuclear bomb going off in a library.
Once windows gets a hold of a driver (Wrong or right), its a huge problem to remove totally.

You may have not bought the QHY camera from me, but it may have been a good idea to ask.
Anyway, lets get you out of this position.

First unplug ALL USB cables to the cameras, next goto my site and download the drivers for both the QHY-5 and 8.
The read me files will tell you a little about the drivers location and any issues.
But lets continue, remove QHY's factory drivers from the hard disk.
The QHY-8 files are QHY600.sys, QHY600.inf and EZUSB.sys. The sys files are found in the WINDOWS/SYSTEM32/DRIVERS folder, and the inf file is at WINDOWS/INF (The inf folder is a hidden directory).
The QHY-5 drivers to delete are QHYCMOS.sys, EZUSB.sys (No Need if you did this already for the QHY-8, same file used), and QHYCMOS.inf. The locations are the same as the QHY-8.
Next, uninstall any software or drivers you installed for both cameras from anywhere else. Like the Maxim DL driver for the QHY-8 (CCDPlugQHY8.DLL) found in the Maxim DL directory.
Next, unzip my files onto your desktop. Select the "Astrosoft Drivers" (Toms Software) directory and files ONLY and not the "QHY Drivers" (Factory drivers), then select "Windows drivers" directory and run the windows driver (QHY8DRV.exe), that should install easily.

If you wish to use Maxim DL, then goto the Maxim driver directory (Again in the "Astrosoft drivers" folder) and run the QHY8_Maxim 3.3.exe file.
NOW STOP AND READ THIS, when it asks you to locate where to install the driver, it will add "New Folder" to the end of your location. Example, C:\Program Files\Diffraction Limited\MaxIm DL V4\New Folder\, so you just delete the "New Folder" by back spacing. Then it will install the driver correctly.
No big deal if you didnt do it this way, it just means you have to go to the "New Folder" location manually and move the drivers into the Maxim DL directory yourself.

Thats it for the QHY-8, just plug it in and it should be recognised and installed. It should also be recognised with Maxim DL when you select the camera in the drop down list.
For the QHY-5, read the readme files to install.

It looks and sounds long, but in fact will take you 5 minutes to do ALL.
If your still struggling, i have PM'ed you my Yahoo messenger ID, just get online and check if im on, and connect using either phone or text to help you out.

Theo.

[gbeal]

Hi All,
OK, I have just surfaced for air, so to speak, and what a whirlwind experience this has been, BIG TIME.
Firstly let me thank you all for the encouragement and help, it is truly appreciated, and what makes this fantastic community what it is.
I have been overwhelmed by the help, especially from Marc, and Theo. Theo especially as I didn't buy the cameras from him, and yet he has bent over backwards to assist. In some ways this is whay I didn't contact him direct, perhaps wrongly I assumed it was MY problem and not his.
Right. In the meantime I have indeed changed the "gender" of the QHY8, it has had a sex-change and is now running around thinking it is a QHY5. I suppose in these liberal times we have to accept this, LOL.
In desperation I wrote direct to Tom Van den Eede, whose drivers I had used. It was actually QuiHY's suggestion I contact Tom. I am glad I did, and with his help I have reverted the pseudo QHY8/5 back to a QHY8.
I have managed to get the QHY5 working as it should, and is recognized and operates within PHD.
I am not quite out of the woods with the QHY8, not quite, not just yet, but when Tom awakens today we will sort this hopefully.

Things I learnt, and can pass on?? You bet.

1. If things go wrong, don't do too much at once.
2. If they do go wrong, ask for help.
3. Buy the equipment from someone who you are happy going back to. In the case of this forum (where I suspect most are Ozzies or Kiwis) buy local, Theo is the obvious choice. OK, you may pay slightly more, but you get the after the crash service as well. I am tight, as all will attest, but the fact remains, you get what you pay for.
4. Don't mess with EEPROM's, I did, (albeit at the camera manufacturers suggestion) and found out that letting a lunatic like me loose with EEPROM's is not a good idea.
5. There will be more, but right now that is about it.

Thanks all,
Gary

[netwolf]

Gary this is the same experience I am having with my Artemis 285 camera, as it can have a number of CCD sensors installed in it. It goes through a firmware update that makes it appear differently to the computer. I learned quiet a bit about USB devices during this experience. Also Theo has also been great in offering good advise and further he has offered to test the camera himself to resolve some issues with it. Which i think is great given he has nothing to do with Artemis.

The problem essentially is that due to the number of different re-badges this camera can have. It opens the door to a variance of drivers/firmwares available for it. Hence there is always the possibility of loading the incorrect firmware on the wrong camera. Especially when both are connected at the same time.

I am glad you sorted it all out in the End.

Regards
Fahim

[Cheman]

Gary, Were you able to correct the QHY8? I have the same problem with my CCD Labs Q453(same as QHY8) and QGuider(Same as QHY5) I was able to correct the Qguider but the Q453 still thinks its a QGuide? How did you correct it. I am working with CCD Labs now to correct but am curious what happened with you.
Thanks
Cheman

[Gama]

From memory, this occurs because the attempt for update firmware for the QHY-5 wasnt performed right, and i think the QHY-8 was also connected at the time.

The firmware was corrected and cameras were working again.


Theo

[gbeal]

Theo is correct, the problem was operator error, or inability of the operator to do what was required.
What I can pass on is that even though the camera manufacturer advocates it, I would never muck with the firmware updates that I did this time round. I managed to get it sorted but now it is running, NOTHING will make me play with it again.
The cameras are great, but if there is a common thread it is the drivers. Once you get it going, leave it alone.
Gary

[Gama]

Thus the old saying "Dont touch what aint broke".

This applies to anything in life.

Theo