How to get FLI gear to work in Win7 and CCDsoft

[gregbradley]

Well its only taken me about 2 years but I now know how to get FLI cameras and filter wheels to work in CCDsoft and Win 7 or Vista.

The camera is no problem, it was always the filter wheel.

I have the Software Bisque plug in for additional cameras of which FLI is one.

You run the FLI installer.

You will find your camera will work but the filter wheel will not connect in CCDsoft.

The problem is the file libfli.dll

Find the copy of this file in Programs(x86)/fingerlakesinstrumentation
Look around and you will find it. Note the date of it. Mine was 7 Oct 2010.

Copy it (right click it and copy).

Now go to windows/system32 and have a look. You will see another libfli.dll in the list of dll files. Note the date. It will be older like 2006. Delete it and copy the later date one.

Restart the computer and now your filter wheel will work.

Its a real lack of service from FLI that this is not done by the FLI installer and you have to search around the net to find this obscure and hard to find data. FLI works with Maxim and does not support CCDsoft despite the fact that a large number of imagers out there would be using CCDsoft.

Greg.

[marki]

Works first time in Maxim Greg

Mark

[bert (Brett)]

I also had a hell of a time installing an fli focuser driver it in vista32 with maxim, however on my laptop which has vista64 the fli installer was all it needed.

In vista32 I had to migrate my ascom profile (instuction here http://astroanswers.org/questions/99...m-5-5-or-later )and manually register the libfli.dll to get it to work.

Hope this can help someone else, it seems timely for me as my observatory just got flooded and the computer just went under. I hate reloading astro drivers....

Brett

[Doomsayer]

I have had the same problem with CCDsoft and FLI filterwheels - in WinXP for me - both with connection direct from the Proline camera USB hub and also with a USB cable direct from PC to CFW. Astroart was also unable to see the FLI filterwheel due to the driver issue. CCDsoft can also have trouble with focusers such as the PDF. Eventually got the driver for the CFW sorted in two laptops.
guy

[gregbradley]

Originally Posted by marki

Works first time in Maxim Greg

Mark

Yes I am sure it does as FLI seems to have made an alliance with Maxim.
Also not all features work in CCDSoft, for example different download speeds and the RBI annihilator.

The trouble is Maxim is $400-500 and if you already have CCDsoft which I am sure a large % of their customers do, it then adds extra cost to using their products which has to be factored in when deciding which camera.

Greg.

[gregbradley]

Originally Posted by bert

I also had a hell of a time installing an fli focuser driver it in vista32 with maxim, however on my laptop which has vista64 the fli installer was all it needed.

In vista32 I had to migrate my ascom profile (instuction here http://astroanswers.org/questions/99...m-5-5-or-later )and manually register the libfli.dll to get it to work.

Hope this can help someone else, it seems timely for me as my observatory just got flooded and the computer just went under. I hate reloading astro drivers....

Brett

Vista may well be a bit different. Win 7 does seem to be an improvement over Vista.

Greg.

Originally Posted by Doomsayer

I have had the same problem with CCDsoft and FLI filterwheels - in WinXP for me - both with connection direct from the Proline camera USB hub and also with a USB cable direct from PC to CFW. Astroart was also unable to see the FLI filterwheel due to the driver issue. CCDsoft can also have trouble with focusers such as the PDF. Eventually got the driver for the CFW sorted in two laptops.
guy

Its a bummer though to have to use 2 laptops! I wonder if the same fix will help you. Locate the libfli.dll in the Finger Lakes Instrumentation directory. Note its date and copy it.

Now locate the libfli.dll in Windows/system32/ and note the date. If it is older then replace it with the one you copied and it may now work. That is all I did and all I was told to do by Yahoo User group member who spent some time finding out how it is done.

Greg.

[Doomsayer]

Thanks Greg. I had actually used that same fix a few months back. So now the CFW is fine. I merely upgraded an old laptop with a more recent one - hence two laptops - I was only ever attempting to connect the Proline and CFW via one laptop. However recently the USB hub socket in the Proline has developed a fault due to wear and tear - so I now connect to the CFW as a separate usb device. CCDsoft still sees both the camera and CFW when connecting. Not keen to send the Proline back to FLI for minor repair so I put up with it. I have had a couple of PDF repairs (I have a new one and an old one) done by FLI last year- they gave excellent service for reasonable cost.
guy

[marki]

Originally Posted by gregbradley

Yes I am sure it does as FLI seems to have made an alliance with Maxim.
Also not all features work in CCDSoft, for example different download speeds and the RBI annihilator.

The trouble is Maxim is $400-500 and if you already have CCDsoft which I am sure a large % of their customers do, it then adds extra cost to using their products which has to be factored in when deciding which camera.

Greg.

Probably for the same reason as SBIG have an alliance with CCDsoft. I just installed the bundle from FLI and everything went straight on. Plugged in the FW and it was ready to go.

Mark

[higginsdj]

Is there a FLI dealer in Australia?

[Peter Ward]

Originally Posted by higginsdj

Is there a FLI dealer in Australia?

Mike Sidonio ?

[Bassnut (Fred)]

Ahh Greg, SBIG and CCDsoft or Maxim just works (with XP anyway), always, your macinations with weird gear and operating systems is entertaining . I hope you enjoy the grief .

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Touch wood, I've used two FLI Filterwheels and two FLI cameras over the past 3 years and never had any problems, not even a hickup, connecting anything, I use Astroart4 (also the FLI software) with both XP and Vista but not Win7...and no Peter I'm not an FLI dealer ..but the way they are hammering SBIG at the moment in the big chip market FLI may need another one soon . Dave, I would be happy to help if I can

Mike

[Martin Pugh]

Thanks for posting this fix Greg.

I can confirm the exact same symptoms with FLI cameras and CCDSOFT. - Camera connects,FW does not.

good spot

cheers
Martin

[Doomsayer]

I found the same fix for this FLI CFW-CCDsoft issue on the Software Bisque forum earlier this year. Hasn't turned me off FLI equipment. Competitive behaviour between US manufacturers might be contributing here you would think. I am otherwise very happy with the performance of my current FLI Proline-CFW-PDF combo and would definitely consider purchasing another FLI camera. I also use an older SBIG STL6303 - I am happy with that too - granted the STL has much lower temp delta and usb1 - but the integrated design and remote guide head convenience makes up for that for my purposes.

[Peter Ward]

Originally Posted by strongmanmike

...and no Peter I'm not an FLI dealer....

Silly me! Whatever gave me that idea

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Doomsayer

Competitive behaviour between US manufacturers might be contributing here you would think.

Only between certain software outlets and Camera manufacturers that is.

Mike

[strongmanmike (Michael)]

Originally Posted by Peter Ward

Silly me! Whatever gave me that idea

Maybe this photo ..?

[gregbradley]

Originally Posted by marki

Probably for the same reason as SBIG have an alliance with CCDsoft. I just installed the bundle from FLI and everything went straight on. Plugged in the FW and it was ready to go.

Mark

Are you using Vista or Win 7? With XP there are no issues and it works straight away. Unless they have updated their installer in the last week.

On the FLI Yahoo Group there is talk of a CCDSoft plugin to enable RBI and download speeds.

I am told you can set the download speeds by using FLI Grab first, adjusting the speed and then starting up CCDSoft. The changed speed
stays set when you start up CCDSoft.

I haven't done this myself.

By the way that reflection in the Proline on bright stars is not caused by the screws in the filter wheel. I blackened mine yesterday and did some imaging last night and the reflections are still there. I suspect it is the coatings on the CCD window?

Greg.

[Peter Ward]

Originally Posted by gregbradley

......... I suspect it is the coatings on the CCD window?

Greg.

Like the current weather. Bummer.

[jase (Jason)]

Am surprised to hear of these CCDSoft woes. I've used CCDSoft with Apogee kit (camera and filter wheel). Its worked fine. However CCDSoft didn't last long on the system before it was replaced with MaximDL. Hope you get yourself sorted out soon Greg. Equally worrying are the reflections you mention.