Tonight my STXL-11002 failed to connect with an error 27. When the camera powers up, the red light flickers for a few seconds and then stays on, the fan starts up and continues running, and the green power light is on indicating good voltage. The camera starts up just like it always has, however I never hear the filter wheel finding home when I connect to the camera and the PC never sees the device. I tried several cables (including a 1 meter cable) and 2 different laptops. What do I need to do to get it serviced? I purchased it new from OPT in 2019 and it has worked wonderfully until today. Thanks, Nick Black Amarillo, TX
You should check if Windows Device Manager is seeing it. Usually error 27 is caused by missing SBIG device drivers, or a bad cable. Less likely to be a hardware failure in the camera. Use the SBIG Driver Checker to verify if the drivers are installed. If the filter wheel is not finding home, power it all off, check for a mechanical problem. Check the I2C Aux cable to the filter wheel from the camera.
Hi Colin, Yes, I ran the driver checker. I also tried connecting just the camera to CCDOPS; no luck. I did all of this testing with 2 different laptops, both of which I've previously, and successfully, imaged with this very same camera. I didn't think of it until now, but right before I discovered the camera had failed, I had a regulated power supply that powers my mount fail. I can't help but wonder if there wasn't a lightning strike nearby that may have taken out the USB port on the camera and knocked out the power supply. Before anyone asks, I always shut down my gear if I'm not imaging.
Sounds like a lightning strike/power surge. My colleague @Tim will respond after you have submitted the RMA: https://diffractionlimited.com/request-rma/ and he will provide instructions on sending it in. You'll want to include the camera, filter wheel and accessories (no filters), if the filter wheel is not homing.
In the event anyone with a similar problem stumbles across this thread, I did have to send my camera in for repair. Tim said, "The main digital board has a critical fault. The USB communication chip was found to be defective. Unfortunately, this specific chip is not available as a standalone replacement part, which means the entire board must be replaced to restore functionality." It was a bit costly, but Tim and team gave it a thorough check out and returned it in good shape. Thank you Diffraction Limited and thank you Tim! Nick
