Resolved CFW-8G Problem with STXL-16200

Discussion in 'Filter Wheels' started by Jared Willson, Oct 14, 2017.

  1. Jared Willson

    Jared Willson Cyanogen Customer

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2015
    Messages:
    22
    I own an STXL-6303 and CFW-8G that I have been using successfully for a couple years. I recently purchased an STXL-16200 for use with a faster optical tube (smaller pixels) and am having a problem with the autoguider.

    Just to be clear, I simply moved a known-guide CFW-8G from one camera to the other and am getting different results.

    What it boils down to is that at night, I get black frames out of the auotuider when it's connected to the 16200 camera, and perfectly normal frames when it's connected to the 6303 camera. During daylight, everything looks normal except that the ADU values are about 10,000 lower when I take a guider image through the 16200 than when I take an image through the 6303.

    For simplicity and troubleshooting, I am using CCD-Ops for testing (v 5.61), but I get the exact same results with Maxim DL.

    One thing I noticed in CCD-Ops...

    If I connect the 6303 camera and look at the "Manual Offset Adjust" (with the CCD's swapped so it's looking at the guide camera) I see:

    "Offset is fixed for this camera
    Offset = Fixed
    Video = 2860"

    with the "video" numbers fluctuating from moment to moment.

    If I connect the 16200 camera and look at the "Manual Offset Adjust" (with the CCD's swapped so it's looking at the guide camera) I see:

    "Offset is fixed for this camera
    Offset = Fixed
    Video = 0"

    and the "video" number doesn't fluctuate at all--it just sits at video.

    I saw in another thread that someone had to adjust their offset for their autoguider but have no idea how to do this or why it would be showing differently in the 16200 than it does in the 6303.

    The net result is that unless the light gets over a pretty bright threshold, i.e., daylight levels, all my pixels are effectively negative/zero. No image. On the old camera, this guider works perfectly. Oh, and as an aside, I was careful to only swap things with the power cable unplugged. No hot swapping of cables. The 16200 is a brand new camera.

    Any help appreciated - Jared
     
  2. Jared Willson

    Jared Willson Cyanogen Customer

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2015
    Messages:
    22
    In case it matters... The main camera seems to work perfectly. All drivers and firmware are up to date as of 10/14/2017.

    sbigudrv.dll = 4.97 Build1
    sbigu64.sys = 2.4.1.0.1338
    sbigpcam.hex = 2.46
    sbiglcam.hex = 2.20
    sbigfcam.hex = 2.25
    sbigfga.bin = 2004.11.10

    stxusb.bf2 = 1.06
    stxga.bf2 = 2.51
    stx16200.bf2 = 1.00.05
    stx0340.bf2 = 1.00.04

    Thanks - Jared
     
  3. Jared Willson

    Jared Willson Cyanogen Customer

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2015
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    Oh, one more piece of information... I have autodark subtraction turned off, so it's not a situation where a bias frame or dark frame is somehow oversubtracting.
     
  4. Jared Willson

    Jared Willson Cyanogen Customer

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2015
    Messages:
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    I am uploading two sample files so you can see the difference. They are both 10s dark frames from the same CFW-8G, one taken with the 16200 camera controlling the filter wheel (the one that is all black) and one taken with the 6303 controlling the filter wheel (the one that looks normal--all pixels positive, some hot pixels, a slight gradient, etc.)

    - Jared
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Jared Willson

    Jared Willson Cyanogen Customer

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2015
    Messages:
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    Martin Pugh gave me something to try--adjusting the offset through the advanced menu in CCDOps. That way the control unit will know where the black point should be. I'll give that a shot. It could easily explain the problem if the offset were accidentally not set at the factory (and since I bought the CFW-8G separately from the 16200 that's a distinct possibility).

    - Jared
     
  6. Jared Willson

    Jared Willson Cyanogen Customer

    Joined:
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    Martin's suggesting resolved the issue.

    - Jared
     
  7. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Sep 25, 2014
    Messages:
    9,934
    Good to hear. I'll mark this resolved.
     

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