DMK - connectivity issues

[Dennis]

Thanks Mike - maybe a new evening job for Ponders

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

The Imaging Source has a forum for Astronomy based application here

http://www.theimagingsourceforums.co...d.php?t=319175

I found it here

http://www.astronomycameras.com/en/support/forum/

It has just started by the looks of things as there is only one thread there atm.

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Steve, I didn't think of using the speakers to help work out what is going on. I tend to keep them off all the time 'cos of the "bing bong, click, buzz, ring, whoopie" that goes on all the time

Everything seems to be working ok atm, but I'll check it all out again later and see how its going.

[Gendo (Justin)]

That sucks because I wasn't even a member of that Yahoo group for very long. Maybe a few weeks. There was a big issue about members that didn't actually own a DMK last night. I think the guy that started the group got upset and killed it.

Anyways,

On my laptop, I can plug in the firewire card after the OS had booted. I don't have any problems yet. It probably depends on the computer you are using. Of course it may be partly because my VAIO has a seperate DVD drive that plugs into the PCMCIA port so it has to be able to plug in if the OS is already up and running. Its always a good idea to shut the card down in the tool bar (by the clock) before unplugging it.

[rsbfoto]

Originally Posted by iceman

The moderator said (on CN) that he didn't have time to moderate it anymore so closed it down.

There is a new DMK CCD Camera group in Yahoo

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/DMKCCD-cameras/

[Dennis]

I’m running a 3½ year old IBM ThinkPad, Win XP SP2, Centrino 1.4Ghz, 512M RAM, 80G HDD and a powered Comsol 3 port IEEE1394 PC Card Adapter (PCMCIA).

I’ve only used the DMK twice in daytime (new purchase and seasonal clouds), but so far I have found that if I slide the IEEE1394 PC Card Adapter into the slot (with power adpater) and then attach the Firewire cable/DMK, the system recognises it and it appears to operate as expected.

So far, the 2 tests I ran show that I can capture at 30fps, full frame for 1 minute to the internal HDD with no issues, so this bodes well.

The Comsol IEEE1394 PC Card Adapter has a power socket for a mains power adapter with an output of 12V 1.66A. If I remove the adapter the system will not recognise the IEEE Imaging Device in Device Manager.

Cheers

Dennis

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

Glad to hear it arrived Dennis. Does that mean we are in for another 3 weeks of cloud

I think that was the problem with my PC card power adapter. While it is 12V it's only 1A. The Belkin powered hub is 1.66A.

[Dennis]

Thanks Paul – it seems this weather pattern will continue for a while yet!

I fitted the DMK to the WO80mm and pointed it out of the study window, at a large gum tree some 250m away and when I got to focus, I could see various insects crawling up, down and across the trunk.

I grabbed a couple of AVI’s to test the connectivity and download performance and when I punched them through Registax, the details that “popped” out on the tree were quite extraordinary.

The camera is a little beauty, and is like yours, the AS version. The “add-on” Firewire on my Notebook isn’t as stable and problem free as the native USB2 ports; it seems that the chipsets used in these PC Card Adapters (PCMCIA) are quite critical to how the combined systems perform.

However, the immense domestic pain and discomfort I would incur from buying a new native Firewire PC would be unbearable compared to the small hiccoughs I might experience with the current system.

Here’s to wishing you clear skies, eventually!

Cheers

Dennis

[[1ponders] (Paul)]

However, the immense domestic pain and discomfort I would incur from buying a new native Firewire PC would be unbearable compared to the small hiccoughs I might experience with the current system.

While mine wouldn't be that bad, I did get an "Oh my!!" when the previous bank statement was looked at this morning