I had been using this STi with a Baader guide scope for the first couple years of doing astrophotography. It was hit or miss for connection, but once I turned it on plugged into a USB3 port it reliably connected along with the mount when I hit 'connect all' in PHD2. Recently, I have been using a more recently purchased STi as an off axis guider with a filter wheel and cooled CMOS camera for my astrophotography and it would reliably connect along with the mount when I clicked 'connect all' in PHD2. Trying out another image train recently - a smaller refractor on a different mount - I have consistently gotten the #27 error which says 'Cannot open SGIB camera: Code 27.' If I look this up in the STi manual it means 'cannot find mount.' Interestingly in device manager, the STi shows up as "SBIG USB 64 Camera With Firmware," but it still throws the #27 error when I try to connect in PHD2. I've tried several different USB ports and the results appear to be the same, with or without a USB 3 powered hub. I ran the Driver updater and there were some more recent driver files, but that hasn't seemed to have had any impact. When I called up the driver properties in Device Manager (Windows 10 Pro) under 'events' it says "Device USB\VID_0D97&PID_0102\5&7f9be32&0&1 was not migrated due to partial or ambiguous match." I have had no issue (as recently as last night) with the newer STi and it connects in PHD2 quite reliably - assuming I haven't goofed something up in the driver updates, I assume it will continue to operate properly. REQUEST. Do I have a real problem with the Camera (STi) or just an identity crisis that needs to be solved? What trouble shooting steps can I take to resolve this? Thanks in advance. Cheers, Greg p.s. Windows 10 Pro, PHD2 Ver2.6.9 Dev 5 and SGP 4.0666 (though error is thrown with or without SGP up and running. Driver is SBIG 1/20/2011 Version 2.41.02
I should have mentioned that I use the same USB cable that came with the first STi (the one giving me issues right now) with the reliably connecting STi which I purchased more recently. I'm sure there is other info I have left out, but hope this provides a relatively good picture of what's happening. Thanks in advance for any assistance or suggestions. Cheers, Greg
Camera Error 27 usually means "cannot find device" meaning that the camera is not found. As you say you checked the Windows Device Manager when this happens, I'm a bit surprised - I expected you won't see the SBIG Camera listed. So here are some suggestions: 1. Mechanical problem Your problem is indicative of either a bad USB cable, bad USB port, or possibly the USB connector inside the ST-I is loose, detached, or not firmly gripping the cable's connector - there are little metal fingers that push down to retain the USB cable. Try another USB cable, and go directly from the ST-I to the computer, no hubs or extenders. 2. Windows Power Management Windows power management could be disabling the device to save power, and this will result in reliability issues. Next, check the USB Selective Suspend settings per this article: https://forum.diffractionlimited.co...connects-turn-off-usb-selective-suspend.7848/ 3. USB Hubs Eliminate all USB hubs and extenders and go directly from the camera to a dedicated port on the computer. The ST-I needs a fair bit of power from the USB, so if the hub isn't supplying enough, you will get erratic operation. 4. Lastly, if still not resolved, contact our repair wizard Bill (at) sbig (Dot) com and send the camera in. Good luck.
Colin, Thanks for the quick reply! Some great thoughts, many of which I already tried to eliminate. All of my troubleshooting was with the camera plugged directly into the computer using the USB cable that came with it . The computer (13in MacBook Pro in Bootcamp running Windows 10 Pro) has two ports and I tried both. Normally I have a USB3 hub plugged into one port and don't use the other. (Things plugged into the Pluggable 7 port powered USB3 hub actually seem to have fewer problems than when plugged directly into the laptop.) This is the same USB cable that I use successfully with my other STi. I have no trouble with the other STi, so I don't think that Windows is disabling the device. If it did, would it show up in Device Manager? The mechanical problem with the USB connection in the camera sounds promising. Can I adjust those forks that hold onto the mini USB connector myself? I didn't mention that when I plug in the camera, the small green diode is a steady green (and doesn't vary). I also didn't mention that I can hear the shutter (??) bouncing around when I handle the STi. I'll putz around some more when I get the opportunity this evening. Cheers, Greg
Error 27 can also indicate a driver installation problem. Have you tried running the SBIG Driver Checker again, including downloading the latest updated drivers?
Windows may power off a device or put it into a low power mode. It is still present; but communication with it can be disrupted. It will still show in Dev Mgr. This is a common problem with USB/RS232 adapters, hubs, and root hubs. That takes technical skills, steady hands, good vision or a stereo microscope. So, if you've done watch repair or surface mount electronics, then I'd say you have a good shot at DIY. Otherwise send to Bill. Camera is powered and was seen by the PC. The shutter is kept in position electromagnetically, so if there is no power to the camera and it is not initialized, the shutter can flop from one side to the other if tilted around. Once energized, it will stay in place.
