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QHY268M has arrived


Xsubmariner

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1 hour ago, DaveS said:

Yeah, mine came with the rubbish camera type dust cap, probably first batch as Rupert put my order in even before it hit the website.

There wasn’t much of a delay between batches.  Not much more than a week between yours arriving and the second batch!

Doesnt really bother me, as the camera will live on a scope, but it was definitely a noticeable cheap addition. 

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6 minutes ago, Xsubmariner said:

  Reference the new cap I’m more interested if it make a good seal for Dark frames, the cheap clip on that came with mine let’s in lots of light so is useless for darks. Can someone advise how the new cap performs for darks.

  

Good point, when I get chance to set things up I will try some darks and see.
I would think as it is a good fit screw thread it should seal well but will do some tests as soon as I can 🙂 

Steve

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I also got the cheap camera lens cap, I've ended up with a small m48 extension with a slip on cap as a replacement. I'm surprised that m48 screw on dust caps aren't a thing in the UK. Can find one in the EU, but thanks to Brexit I have no idea what it would cost me or how long it would take, so having to stick with the bodge for now. I have a dark cupboard under the stairs where I can take my flats and darks, so all is not lost.

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13 minutes ago, Endolf said:

I also got the cheap camera lens cap, I've ended up with a small m48 extension with a slip on cap as a replacement. I'm surprised that m48 screw on dust caps aren't a thing in the UK. Can find one in the EU, but thanks to Brexit I have no idea what it would cost me or how long it would take, so having to stick with the bodge for now. I have a dark cupboard under the stairs where I can take my flats and darks, so all is not lost.

In the past I always used to cover the end with the sensor in foil maintained with a rubber band and then have it in a dark garage. I guess this threaded endcap will mean no more foil and rubber band but I would still do it in a fairly dark room just as an extra precaution.

I would still contact your supplier to try and get some endcaps sent out for you with the next batch if you think they will be of any use.

Steve

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1 minute ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

get some endcaps sent out for you with the next batch if you think they will be of any use.

I don't think so unfortunately, the output from the camera (and so the lens cap they provide) is bigger than the output from the spacers, so it can't be used once the filter wheel is on anyway.

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2 minutes ago, Endolf said:

 

I don't think so unfortunately, the output from the camera (and so the lens cap they provide) is bigger than the output from the spacers, so it can't be used once the filter wheel is on anyway.

No, probably only of use when taking a library of darks with the camera removed from the train not when bolted to FW.

Steve

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Unfortunately it's a pita to take the filter wheel off as the carousel has to be removed on the 36mm version, and has to be removed on the 2" version as well if you plan to use all 6 bolts. I tested in broad daylight and there was a light leak, so I will be doing my flats in the garage in order to get the cooler down a bit lower. At 100% power mine is drawing 3.2 A and cooling 33 degrees below ambient temp while shooting continuous long exposures.

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Today was my first chance to have a look at the camera properly.
But so far just downloaded the QHY software to my laptop and plugged camera in and powered it up with the 12V supply.

Running it inside with an ambient of 20 C I could only cool down to -8 C which is not the 35 degree quoted. I was going to try with it in the garage where ambient is more like 12 degrees to see what it can do but not been able to get it to connect to my RPI on the mount again.

I am really struggling connecting to RPi running Stellarmate. I did manage to download the linux package and in EKOS it did connect and all seemed to work but after powering down and back up EKOS will just not connect. Tried several times and now will just not connect at all just says cannot find a QHY camera.

I hope these are me being a bit dumb, often happens these days and will try again later.

Steve

 

 

Edited by teoria_del_big_bang
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10 hours ago, teoria_del_big_bang said:

No tried and tried and cannot get this camera to work with KStars and EKOS, just doesn't see the camera at all.

Steve

Are you running through ASCOM or the native driver? What version of the QHY drivers are you using? Did you also update the USB driver package?

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1 hour ago, Spongey said:

Are you running through ASCOM or the native driver? What version of the QHY drivers are you using? Did you also update the USB driver package?

I first tried just on my Desktop (I use a remote RPi for imaging running Stellarmate with KStars / EKOS / INDI.

On my Desktop running windows 10 and using the supplies software EZCap_QT it all worked first time, I guess  that would use the native driver as it never asks just looks for a camera connected.
Then tried it on my RPi but put the RPi on mt desk next to desktop loaded all the software required through Terminal and again in EKOS I connected okay and took a couple of darks okay.

Then powered down and moved my RPi to the scope which is not far away in garage attached to house since then it will not connect to camera at all.
Fearing something had happened to camera I bought it back in and reconnected to desktop and same issue it could not find the camera and this went on for several attempts to connect and a power down of camera and desktop and a change of USB cable. Eventually it began to work again, I can't remember what I did to do this, whether it just happened itself or I may have re-loaded the drivers again.

But still will not work on my RPi.
So this is worrying me a bit especially as it failed to connect a few times on windows as well as a Linux OS suggests it is not just the RPi it is having an issue with.

All my ZWO cameras in past have just worked and never had an issue with, this is my first QHY camera except the polemaster and has not been a good start but I am hoping it is all me.

Steve

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Could be a dodgy usb lead, I'd try another to rule that out.

Regarding the quoted cooling, I read it as -35 for short single exposures? and only -30 if doing continuous exposure, but it's not very clearly written.

Tried to take some darks in the cupboard under the stairs but after about 20 minutes the camera temperature started to rise so I was only getting a delta of about 25 degrees. I suspect poor airflow as I was attempting to block any stray light out with a sheet.

I had first light a couple of evenings ago and all went well. Set tempt to -10 which was 13 below ambient and it was using about 25% power and sitting steady. I was testing a whole load of new equipment and everything went ok considering. Still need to take some flats and darks to finish processing.

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6 minutes ago, SamAndrew said:

Could be a dodgy usb lead, I'd try another to rule that out.

Regarding the quoted cooling, I read it as -35 for short single exposures? and only -30 if doing continuous exposure, but it's not very clearly written.

Tried to take some darks in the cupboard under the stairs but after about 20 minutes the camera temperature started to rise so I was only getting a delta of about 25 degrees. I suspect poor airflow as I was attempting to block any stray light out with a sheet.

I had first light a couple of evenings ago and all went well. Set tempt to -10 which was 13 below ambient and it was using about 25% power and sitting steady. I was testing a whole load of new equipment and everything went ok considering. Still need to take some flats and darks to finish processing.

Tried 3 good quality USB leads now all same.
I have a fairly powerful smallish fan-less PC I used to use for imaging loaded up with UBUNTU & KStars so tried it on that and first of all had the same issues (after an update and upgrade).

Then removed the old QHY drivers and re-installed latest from QHY. At first no change then unplugged USB and put it in another port and it started to work, now works plugged in any port.

I had originally got this back out to swap the boot over to Windows 10 (it is dual OS) and try either NINA or Voyager. 
Not that any of this is particularly  to do with this new camera I just want a software package that is reliable, and originally my idea was if I could get Stellarmate to work on the RPi even better as it was small and light and cheap to replace if needed.
And I do like EKOS, I just really like the layout and the ability to interact with a planetarium , albeit KStars is a bit clunky.

So not sure what to do now try and stick with the RPi and Stellarmate, or use the more powerful cpu with KStars as it is, or change to a Windows based sequencer which will either be NINA or Voyager.
I guess with weather expected up here next week or two time to try out both of them even if I cant actually image with them.

Also a bit disappointing I cannot comfortably get to at least -10 C with ambient at 20 C (it just about does it but only just). My 1600 was very comfortable at -20  C even in the house at +20 C. I often took dark libraries like this.
I think your post at least puts my mind a little easier that mine is not a dud, and probably when connected to FW and scope it will be better as better airflow (although made sure vents are well clear of obstruction) and maybe clamped to other metal objects they will also work as a bit of a heatsink.,
Also in UK night temperature unlikely to be above 20 C on a night so should achieve -10 C which hopefully will be enough with this camera (used -20 on ASI 1600 but hopefully this does not need that much).

Steve

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Not had a chance for First Light yet. I did have mine connected to the remote PC but then it got borked, probably by a Win-Dross update and I had to do a complete rebuild all the way from a fresh install of Win 10 Pro. Now, of course, the weather is rubbish, and will continue to be so for the foreseeable.

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2 hours ago, SamAndrew said:

Could be a dodgy usb lead, I'd try another to rule that out.

Regarding the quoted cooling, I read it as -35 for short single exposures? and only -30 if doing continuous exposure, but it's not very clearly written.

Tried to take some darks in the cupboard under the stairs but after about 20 minutes the camera temperature started to rise so I was only getting a delta of about 25 degrees. I suspect poor airflow as I was attempting to block any stray light out with a sheet.

I had first light a couple of evenings ago and all went well. Set tempt to -10 which was 13 below ambient and it was using about 25% power and sitting steady. I was testing a whole load of new equipment and everything went ok considering. Still need to take some flats and darks to finish processing.

+1 for ensuring adequate airflow. I have a QHY268c (presumably the same cooler spec as the mono) and on a mild night (+6 deg C) installed on a RASA 8 with a dew shield fitted, it could not maintain -20 set point. When I removed the dewshield, -20 maintained with around 60% cooling. The RASA is a worst case scenario as the the dewshield is acting as an enclosure and the warm air exhausted by the fan is pulled back in at the inlet.

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Well, one of my mini PCs came with it installed, plus I've used Windows for ever. In addition the ASA software is Windows specific, at least in this iteration, though I have heard rumours of a platform agnostic software package in development.

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1 minute ago, DaveS said:

Well, one of my mini PCs came with it installed, plus I've used Windows for ever. In addition the ASA software is Windows specific, at least in this iteration, though I have heard rumours of a platform agnostic software package in development.

Fair enough, you are tied in to Windows then with the mounts your bought.

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ASA mounts are so damn good that it's worth putting up with the occasional Windows bork. And from other conversations it looks like the much vaunted RPi / Ekos / KStars / INDI / Linux isn't bork-free either.

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While I wait for my 268M to arrive, I've been ordering all the necessary bits to make up the 55mm of backfocus i need for the 80ED. I'm planning on using the 5mm M48 plate that comes with the camera, which I now understand brings the camera's backfocus to 19.5mm. My TS  filter drawer is T2, so I've ordered the ZWO M48-M42 adapter below. Has anyone used this before? It's fairly minimal looking, to say the least, but it only has to support the weight of the camera itself, so I'm hoping it's ok. I did think of going with the M54 plate, and ordering an M54-M42 adapter, but nowhere had any in stock. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-accessories/zwo-m48-to-m42-adapter-ring.html

As I have to pack away after each session, I just ordered a Baader T2 Dust Cap from FLO as well. 

 

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9 minutes ago, Xiga said:

While I wait for my 268M to arrive, I've been ordering all the necessary bits to make up the 55mm of backfocus i need for the 80ED. I'm planning on using the 5mm M48 plate that comes with the camera, which I now understand brings the camera's backfocus to 19.5mm. My TS  filter drawer is T2, so I've ordered the ZWO M48-M42 adapter below. Has anyone used this before? It's fairly minimal looking, to say the least, but it only has to support the weight of the camera itself, so I'm hoping it's ok. I did think of going with the M54 plate, and ordering an M54-M42 adapter, but nowhere had any in stock. 

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/zwo-accessories/zwo-m48-to-m42-adapter-ring.html

As I have to pack away after each session, I just ordered a Baader T2 Dust Cap from FLO as well. 

 

I have that adapter. It comes with the ZWO filter drawer, it’s 100% solid as a rock.

 

 

 

 

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