Staff Assigned: Tim Difficulty connecting an SBIG ST-8 camera to TheSky or CCDOps5

Discussion in 'STF Series CCD Cameras' started by David Trowbridge, Jan 25, 2017.

  1. David Trowbridge

    David Trowbridge Cyanogen Customer

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    I am having difficulty connecting my SBIG ST8XME camera to TheSkyX. When I select Connect, I get,
    SBIG driver: Camera not found. Error = 30001.

    The problem occurred when I upgraded my computer to a new 64-bit Windows 7 system, a Dell Inspiron 3847.

    For a testing environment, I have set up identical copies of CCDOps5 on both systems and I am assuming that if I get the camera to connect using CCDOps5, it will also connect with TheSky X.

    I have been running CCDOps5 (v. 5.55 Build 25-NT) on both my new Dell and on an ancient 32-bit HP Pavilion (ca. 2003). On both systems, I have downloaded the most recent versions of SBIG drivers using SBIGDriverChecker64.

    I am using the same USB cable from the ST-8 camera, connecting it alternately to the old HP and the new Dell.

    The most puzzling thing is that the connection works fine on the HP, but fails on the Dell. In CCDOps5, when I select Camera | Setup on the Dell, I get,

    No camera could be found. Please make sure it is connected to the correct port and that the Graphics/Comm Setup command in the Misc menu is setup correctly.

    On both machines, the Graphics/Comm Setup is identical, with USB selected.

    If I select Properties of the SBIG driver in the Device Manager, on the HP, I see,
    Port_#0001.Hub_#0002.

    If I do the same on the Dell, the Location information is different, and varies depending on the USB port I connect to. For example, Port_#0005.Hub_#0001, or Port_#0002.Hub_#0001. There are no yellow exclamation points in Device Manager. I get messages saying the SBIG drivers have installed correctly.

    So why can my new system not see the camera, but my old system can?

    Thanks for any insight you can give me. I've spent way too much time on this (!)

    David
     
  2. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    David, I'm just another customer... but was wondering a couple of things.
    Did you try using the Firmware tab in the SBIG Driver Checker to see if it would talk to the camera (you can't update the firmware, but it would tell you if it can't connect I think).
    Was the old HP running XP or Win 7?
    You say the "new" Dell is running Win 7 now? was the Dell always running Win 7, or did you downgrage/upgrade the machine from Win 10 or Vista or something odd? e.g. was it a clean install of Win 7, or is it a machine that's been around for a while, and you've just recently installed the camera software.?
    Also, there are newer builds of CCDOps than what you are running. Not sure that matters.
    Good luck,
    Colin
     
  3. David Trowbridge

    David Trowbridge Cyanogen Customer

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    Thanks for your reply, Colin. To answer your questions:

    My old HP (32-bit) originally came with XP, and it's been upgraded to Win7.
    My new Dell (64-bit) came with Win 7 pre-installed.

    On my Dell, I had been running CCDOps5 v. 5.55 Build 25-NT, but since I was unable to connect to the camera with that, I uninstalled it and installed instead the version that does work on my HP, CCDOps5 v. v. 5.53 build 28-NT.

    On my HP, when I select Get Firmware Version from Camera under the Firware tab, I get,

    Found a Camera that doesn't require firmware uploads. Simply update Drivers and reboot the camera.

    On my Dell, when I do the same, I get,

    Could not Establish a link with the Camera. Please make sure is is (sic) attached via USB and try again.

    I have 8 different USB ports on my Dell, two of which are USB 3.0 (blue connectors) and the remaining six are USB 2.0. I have the same problem with all eight ports: my camera is not recognized by any of them.

    Still flummoxed.
     
  4. Tim

    Tim Staff Member

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    On the SBIGDriverChecker64 window, did you click the "Config Drv" button, and then the "Select ST Model" button to setup the ST?

    Can you send a screenshot of the driverchecker window and your Device Manager window showing the for the camera?
     
  5. David Trowbridge

    David Trowbridge Cyanogen Customer

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    Tim, thank you for pointing out the Config Drv button. Indeed, I had not used that to select my specific ST-8 hardware.

    However, now having selected 'My ST is a Pro Model with the RGH Connector' (which I use with an external guide camera), I still get the same error from CCDOps (v. 5.53 Build 28-NT). See attached screenshots.

    I have restarted the computer after making the selection.

    Thank you.
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Tim

    Tim Staff Member

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    Have you tried the latest version of the SBIGDriverChecker64 v5.61?

    ftp://ftp.sbig.com/pub/InstOps.exe
     
  7. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    David, I'm thinking you're in good hands with Tim.
    Only other suggestions I'd have for you is try putting a POWERED USB 2.0 hub between the camera and the Dell, and see if that makes a difference.
     
  8. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    I'm guessing Tim meant to say the newer version of CCDops, which is 5.61, and that you could also download the latest version of the driver checker.
    ftp://ftp.sbig.com/Pub/SetupDriverChecker64.exe
     
  9. David Trowbridge

    David Trowbridge Cyanogen Customer

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    Thank you for the suggestions. Is it necessary for me to UNINSTALL all previous version of drivers, SBIGDriverChecker64 and CCDOps to insure that I'm starting clean?

    I was not aware of the FTP addresses for ftp://ftp.sbig.com/pub/InstOps.exe and ftp://ftp.sbig.com/Pub/SetupDriverChecker64.exe

    As far as I can tell, these are not on the diffractionlimited.com website. Am I mistaken??

    David
     
  10. David Trowbridge

    David Trowbridge Cyanogen Customer

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    Actually, the URL ftp://ftp.sbig.com/Pub/SetupDriverChecker64.exe does not seem to be valid.

    David
     
  11. Tim

    Tim Staff Member

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    Yes I did...thanks Colin.
     
  12. David Trowbridge

    David Trowbridge Cyanogen Customer

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    I think it should be, ftp://ftp.sbig.com/pub/SetupDriverChecker64.exe
     
  13. David Trowbridge

    David Trowbridge Cyanogen Customer

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    Okay, here's the status of this situation. I uninstalled CCDOps and SBIGDriverChecker64 from my computer and then restarted. Then I installed CCDOps from ftp://ftp.sbig.com/pub/InstOps.exe and SBIGDriverChecker64 from ftp://ftp.sbig.com/pub/SetupDriverChecker64.exe.

    I ran SBIGDriverChecker64 and got the latest drivers (see screenshot). I made sure that Config Drv had identified my ST-8 with connector for guide scope. Then I ran CCDOPs5 v. 5.61 Build 0-NT (see screenshot).

    When I select Camera, I get the same message, Camera not found.

    I don't have a USB hub available, but I should be able to get one.

    David
     

    Attached Files:

  14. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    I'd suggest not using a hub. The ST-8 doesn't draw power from the USB interface.
     
  15. David Trowbridge

    David Trowbridge Cyanogen Customer

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    Today I tried one more time to connect, and wonder of wonders, I was indeed able to connect to my camera and take an image. I could do it with CCDOps and with TheSky X.

    Unfortunately, success was short-lived. Connection failed to the external autoguider via the ST-8 camera, and then I was once again unable to connect to the ST-8. The red light on the camera was unpredictable, sometimes flickering, sometimes off even when the fan was running.

    So I think I have a hardware problem of some kind. At this point, I don't know whether it's worth trying to get it fixed.

    Oh, well, thank you everyone for your suggestions. They were helpful.
     
  16. Tim

    Tim Staff Member

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    Perhaps a bad power supply or connection?

    You could give Bill a call and see if he is able to give you an idea of what it may cost to have a look at it.

    ---------

    Bill Lynch – SBIG Service & Repair Center

    3769 Constellation Road, Unit D
    Lompoc, CA 93436
    bill@sbig.com
    Phone: (805) 308-6979
     

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