STF-8300M & ST-i Compatibility

Discussion in 'STF Series CCD Cameras' started by Delbert Porter, Aug 1, 2017.

  1. Delbert Porter

    Delbert Porter Cyanogen Customer

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2016
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    This has probably been posted and answered previously - apologies if so, but I can't find any related issue.

    I have these two cameras. They are always fighting over "who wants to be plugged in first" and the software (PHD2, Sky Pro, SGPro, Maxim) complains if I don't get the sequence correct. Here lately I have to plug the 8300 in first and connect the imaging/plate solving/what have you software and connect, then I plug the ST-I in and connect it to PHD2.

    If I need to access the 8300 with another application, I have to stop guiding, unplug the ST-I, connect to the 8300, plug the ST-I back in, connect PHD2, resume processes. A ROYAL PAIN. I've been doing this for quite some time and I am about to the point of dumping one or the other or both and going with two completely different brands of cameras. Is there any need to do this? Is there a know solution the installs a driver where these software apps can "have a choice" and present each without complaining right off the bat?

    Your help is appreciated.

    Thanks
    Jan Porter
     
  2. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    USB devices have an address on the bus that is in numerical order of when they are "discovered". On power-up the computer scans the ports in a certain order, which isn't well defined but is typically consistent for each individual machine. After that additional bus addresses are assigned as new devices are plugged.

    When the SBIG drivers go looking for cameras, they ask the low-level driver to scan the bus, and it provides back a list of compatible devices in that bus address order. If not otherwise told to look for a specific model it will connect to the first valid SBIG camera it finds. That will be "camera 1" to the SBIG drivers. If a second connection request comes in that will be "camera 2".

    In MaxIm DL if you have more than one SBIG camera connected, you can tell the software (in the Setup tab) which one you want. There is a drop list in the camera settings, which will show the model of each camera (the camera has to be plugged in before starting the software). Select the camera model you want and that's what it will connect to. This allows you to choose what model you want for Camera 1, and what model you want for Camera 2.
     
  3. Delbert Porter

    Delbert Porter Cyanogen Customer

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    Thanks Doug. Yes, if I used Maxim exclusively there wouldn't be any issues. Problem is I used several different apps to get things going and sometimes it can get confusing keeping everything straight on unplugging and re-plugging cables. If there was a way to clear the "remembered devices", I could plug the ST-I in ahead of the 8300 and I think the apps wouldn't "complain" as the 8300 would get disconnected and the "other app" would hopefully find the 8300 where it "was last" - if all that makes sense. I just need to find a way to clear the two "known" device drivers and plug the cameras in - ST-I first, then the 8300 - to test my theory out. It worked that way for awhile, the Windows updated it O/S and things got topsy-turvy again.
     
  4. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Unfortunately this is all in Windows-land. The USB bus does what the USB bus does. We have zero control over that.

    The only way to resolve this is for the application software to better handle multi-camera support - something like what we did. (Incidentally this feature existed in MaxIm DL long before we acquired SBIG!)
     
  5. JoshuaHufford

    JoshuaHufford Cyanogen Customer

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    Have you tried plugging everything USB into the exact same ports each time you setup? I've found that doing this can sometimes help with problems like this.
     
  6. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    Good suggestion - I've labeled my USB ports and cables so things are 100% repeatable.
     

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