Really angry now

[alan potts]

What do you think is required to run C-du C with EQmod,  PHD2 with a guide camera, APT with an 071. I have a Lenovo Thinkpad i5 second gen with 4 gig of ram, I would have though it was enough.

Cooling on the camera stops each time PHD takes a photo with the guide scope.

Apt froze many times and just stopped at first then seemed to settle, this was the only thing running at the time

4 times the PHD 2  tells me No dark library for the guide camera, when I know full well it has.

C-du C slews so far away from any target is is laughable, it was nearer Jupiter than Saturn, and it flashes up some really bizarre messages (Kepler 1000 something or the other)

PA is about 1 arc minute error, so decent. and should offer reasonable slews like it did last night when I used a normal camera.

APT would not take a live shot of anything until I disconnected it and put it on another laptop.

Am I asking too much because I don't believe everyone is working with a massively powerful laptop with 32 gigs of ram and basically doing the exact same thing I am.

Thats 3 clear night lost and I am sick of it.

Can anyone offer any advice.

Alan

[tooth_dr]

Alan

You are right that not everyone is using top end kit. I run my obsy off an 11 year old HP desktop, dual core 2.1ghz, 4gb RAM.

I run PHD2, two copies of APT with two CCDs plus all the trimmings.  I think it has 8 usb devices running with no issues (and two monitors), and Teamviewer 14.

Laptops aren’t as good as the desktop equivalent, so there must be something like power issues to usb.

 

[symmetal]

The spec required for running those things is not high and your laptop is more than enough. It does look like a USB power issue. Do you have a powered external  USB hub or is everything plugged into the laptop. I assume when you used your DSLR instead of the 071 the setup was the same and there were no problems.

Alan

[MarsG76]

Same here, I used 8-10 year old laptops, Core2Due 1.6GHz 4 GB Ram Vista, and now Use a i5 HP 2nd gen 4GB SFF Win10 PC with no problems running it all.... you shouldn't need anything too powerful to control your astro software...

I run PHD2, APT, iCap, and Starrynight PRO 6 or Cartes Du ciel simultaneously on multiple virtual desktops without issues, remoting into them using TightVNC.... so your system should be right.....

Perhaps your OS is corrupt?

 

[KyleStoke]

Hello Alan 

The CDC problem is the date in CDC correct, mine drifts for some reason and I end up pointing in the wrong place. 

The other parts are you using a USB hub? how are the various cameras connected, I couldn't have the guide camera running anywhere near the imaging camera as it jammed everything up.

Thumbs up for the HP desktop im using an old refurbed one 

[Ibbo!]

I run mine with an ancient steam driven tough book. 

I have phd 2, maxim 6,the sky ,CDC with team viewer to the house.

Your lappy should be more than enough to run your kit.

[tooth_dr]

I’ll just add a few nights ago I had similar issues. Turned out a bad cable was causing guid cam to cut on and off.  This is turn turned off the CCDs and stopped their cooling and then APT crashed.  EQMOD also crashed. So I’m betting your issue is due to a USB issue being it a loose connection, lack of power or otherwise. It’s not your spec. 

[alan potts]

4 minutes ago, symmetal said:

The spec required for running those things is not high and your laptop is more than enough. It does look like a USB power issue. Do you have a powered external  USB hub or is everything plugged into the laptop. I assume when you used your DSLR instead of the 071 the setup was the same and there were no problems.

Alan

No all run from the laptop with DSLR and did tonight whilst testing, and it has never caused a problem once we got up and running, I don't have a USB hub

[KyleStoke]

2 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I’ll just add a few nights ago I had similar issues. Turned out a bad cable was causing guid cam to cut on and off.  This is turn turned off the CCDs and stopped their cooling and then APT crashed.  EQMOD also crashed. So I’m betting your issue is due to a USB issue being it a loose connection, lack of power or otherwise. It’s not your spec. 

Bad connection is a good shout I just crashed my system by knocking the camera usb cable while it was downloading 

[alan potts]

2 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I’ll just add a few nights ago I had similar issues. Turned out a bad cable was causing guid cam to cut on and off.  This is turn turned off the CCDs and stopped their cooling and then APT crashed.  EQMOD also crashed. So I’m betting your issue is due to a USB issue being it a loose connection, lack of power or otherwise. It’s not your spec. 

The guide camera was acting rather odd, never unplugged from where it is on the laptop, same USB, and it is telling no darks library, I know it has. I think the hammer needs to come out.

Alan

[tooth_dr]

1 minute ago, alan potts said:

I think the hammer needs to come out.

Alan

The bigger the better. Time to show it who’s boss 😂

[alan potts]

11 minutes ago, KyleStoke said:

Hello Alan 

The CDC problem is the date in CDC correct, mine drifts for some reason and I end up pointing in the wrong place. 

The other parts are you using a USB hub? how are the various cameras connected, I couldn't have the guide camera running anywhere near the imaging camera as it jammed everything up.

Thumbs up for the HP desktop im using an old refurbed one 

No Hub but could get one. All connected to 3 of 4 USB ports on the laptop.

Alan

[symmetal]

1 minute ago, alan potts said:

No all run from the laptop with DSLR and did tonight whilst testing, and it has never caused a problem once we got up and running, I don't have a USB hub

A powered hub would be worth trying. They are pretty cheap. As this all started with the 071 just using a powered hub to connect to the the 071 is worth trying.  I'm not convinced that that the 071 is powered from the 12V despite what the manual says. I'll chop up a USB2 lead to measure it just to settle my own curiosity.

Alan

[tooth_dr]

It sounds like a good hub will solve your problems. I hope so 

[alan potts]

I am just wondering thinking aloud, have the two Zwo cameras got the same ID like ASI camera 1, is this possible.

[Laurin Dave]

Alan

I wonder if  the no darks library may be the clue that PHD2 is connected to the wrong camera ie the 071

Dave

[alan potts]

2 minutes ago, symmetal said:

A powered hub would be worth trying. They are pretty cheap. As this all started with the 071 just using a powered hub to connect to the the 071 is worth trying.  I'm not convinced that that the 071 is powered from the 12V despite what the manual says. I'll chop up a USB2 lead to measure it just to settle my own curiosity.

Alan

Yes I am not sure I believe that either.

Alan

[alan potts]

Just now, Laurin Dave said:

Alan

I wonder if  the no darks library may be the clue that PHD2 is connected to the wrong camera ie the 071

Dave

I wonder if both could have the same ID like ASI camera 1, it did this with the daks 4 times.

 

[Laurin Dave]

Alan

in phd2 and apt with the ascom and zwo native drivers installed you should see a list including zwo asi camera 

asi camera (1) (ascom) and asi camera (2) (ascom) 

 

just need to to figure out which is which 

Dave

 

 

 

 

[alan potts]

Right thanks everyone for the time being, I am going to bed, dare not got outside there are hammers out there, I will try your ideas tomorrow.

Alan

 

[alan potts]

2 minutes ago, Laurin Dave said:

Alan

in phd2 and apt with the ascom and zwo native drivers installed you should see a list including zwo asi camera 

asi camera (1) (ascom) and asi camera (2) (ascom) 

 

just need to to figure out which is which 

Dave

 

 

 

 

I think I may have 2x camera 1 APT showed ASI camera 1 and 2, I ticked 1, think I have made a mistake, me again, why am II so useless.

Alan

[Laurin Dave]

Hi Alan

Easy mistake..  I’ve made it many times ..  Hopefully it’ll work in daylight..  the moons about so you can check it on that..  just in case id lock the hammers away first! 

Dave

Edited August 24, 2019 by Laurin Dave

[Hughsie]

Hi Alan,

As Laurin suggested, best check which camera is Asi camera 1 and Asi camera 2. I have been down that frustrating road and an easy way to see which one you are connected to is to check the pixel size for each camera (online specs etc), then click on the brain on PHD2 and select the Camera tab. At the bottom left of the screen you will see the pixel size being used for calibration. If its your imaging camera pixel size, then you need to go back to the connection settings in PHD, click the spanner icon and choose the alternate camera which will be your guiding camera and remember which is which.

Hope this helps,

John

[StarDodger]

Lenovo laptops are all renowned for having poor USB power output, that is your issue, they barely provide enough power per port to power a USB thumb drive, never mind an Astro imaging or guide camera...you have probably picked the worst laptop around for astro use to be honest.....sorry to say...

[david_taurus83]

Hi Alan,

 

As I've mentioned in the other thread and has been echoed here above, I believe the software is connecting the wrong cameras for the specific task. In PHD, before you connect the camera, in the connect equipment tab, click the button with the 2 arrows and make sure its selecting the guide camera...

 

Then in APT, when you start it normally auto connects to a camera. If it does, disconnect. Now, hold shift and click on connect. It should now give you an option  of cameras. I'm going off memory now... It will say something like Ascom camera 1 and 2. Look for a settings button, when you click it it should tell you what camera it is.

 

I reckon the 2 software are connecting to the wrong camera. PhD is connecting to the new one and APT is connecting to your guide camera. As you've never used 2 ZWO cameras at the same time this will be the first time youve encountered this issue. It has happened to me! You can test this out during the day, no need to wait till night time!