ASCOM can't find Lodestar camera?

[rubecula]

Looks like I've done a silly thing!  I'm trying to tidy up the mare's nest of cabling and to find a better position I moved the Lodestar X2 USB cable to another port on the USB hub.  I checked the connection by trying to connect to the camera in PHD2 and got the ASCOM cannot find camera message.  I moved the cable back to its original port tried again and still got the same message.

I ran ASCOM diagnostics and nothing seems amiss.  I re-installed the Lodestar driver and re-booted the PC.  It still won't connect via PHD2.

Any ideas?

Thanks

[symmetal]

Try another cable. Unplugging the previous one may have been its last straw.  Also check in device manager that the lodestar has not got flagged with an exclamation mark if a dodgy cable caused a installation problem when you swapped ports.

Alan

[rubecula]

Thanks Alan.  Tried a different cable - no different.  I checked in device manager under USB controllers and the Lodestar isn't mentioned.  The only thing mentioned by name is the Atik camera.

[symmetal]

Just tried with my Lodestar and it appears on its own under 'USB devices' as 'Starlight Xpress CCD'. USB devices should be the section below 'USB Controllers'. The Atik One I have appears under 'USB Controllers'

You haven't a section called 'Unknown devices' or something similar it may have got listed under. You'll have to delete this entry and try again to get it to recognise the camera. Hopefully.

Alan

[Davey-T]

What version of Windows are you running ? some older versions get their USB allocations in a twist and have to be cleared and redone.

Does it show up in ASCOM Profile Explorer ? if so it will say which port it thinks it's on.

Dave

Edited September 4, 2019 by Davey-T

[rubecula]

PC runs Windows 10. There's no USB devices section.  ASCOM Profile Explorer shows details of the camera but there'n no port option in the list.  I've tried connecting directly from the Lodestar to the PC and that didn't work.  When connected the red light on the Lodestar doesn't light up.  I'm hoping that the Lodestar hasn't died.

[symmetal]

I'm pretty sure the light is just power indication and not communication. Have you tried gently waggling the USB connector on the rear of the lodestar to see if the light lights at some point. This would point to a broken USB solder connection on the camera rear. 

Alan

[symmetal]

I just connected my lodestar to a USB charger only output and the light comes on so it's purely a power indicator.

Alan

[rubecula]

When  I plug in the other devices connected by the USB hub the PC makes a sound but not when I plug the Lodestar in!  Waggling the connection has no effect.

[rubecula]

I've just tried a third cable, it didn't help.

[symmetal]

As you've tried another cable (and a third) it points to a broken lodestar. Not good.  If it's out of warrenty I would remove the back plate and inspect around the connector solder joints if they're easily accessable.

Alan

Edited September 4, 2019 by symmetal

[rubecula]

I'm not sure what it's telling me but I've just plugged a cable into the other socket on the Lodestar (ST4?) to the USB hub and the PC made a sound.

[symmetal]

I'm surprised you had a USB to RJ12 cable but the RJ12 autoguider outputs are opto isolated pull down outputs so wouldn't mean much to the hub. A resistance change on a data line might make the hub think somethings connected and beep but that's all.

Alan

[rubecula]

😢😢😢

[rubecula]

Alan,  There are a few comments on-line concerning problems with the mini usb port so that maybe the problem.  I'll approach SX tomorrow to see if they will take a look at it.  Typical to have an issue when the nights are getting longer.

Thanks for all your help with this I really appreciate it.

Best wishes,

[symmetal]

Happy to help Robin. Just a pity it looks like it'll have to go back to SX. The Mini USB connector is not very robust as the plugs don't seat fully in, and there isn't much holding them there. The smaller micro USB connector is better in that respect.

Alan

[mihaighita]

Do you connect it to a USB3 port? I had problems with the connection with my Lodestar x2 with an Intel NUC gen8 that has only usb 3 connections. I tried to connect it via a USB2 hub, but I had problems even in this config. The problem solved itself the second I switched to a PC with USB 2 connector. 

 

 

 

[rubecula]

Camera's on its way to Starlight Express.  Fingers crossed!

[blinky]

Mine blew up last year, sent it off to them and got it repaired FOC a few days later, great service!

[Starflyer]

My two observations from using a lodestar for almost ten years.

They need a good power supply though USB to work, using them with a low quality cable or an unpowered hub rarely works.

I gave up trying to use a (high quality) USB 3 hub, the lodestar just want reliable with it. Sometimes I'd get a night with no problems, more often I'd get several total drops of the camera requiring physical unplugging to get it going again.  I moved to a Startech Industrial USB 2 hub a couple of years ago and since I changed it I haven't had a single drop.