Firmware update stxga.bf2 v2.49.02 breaks guiding via COM (i.e. ACP)

Hi,

I recently updated the stxga.bf2 firmware on one of my STX-16803 cameras to v2.49.02. It has an SBIG remote guide head (RGH). After the firmware update, guiding via ACP, which of course uses the COM interface thru MaxIm DL (I'm still on v5.23) broke. Specifically, 5 secs after a guided exposure was started, the guide star faded, with the guide camera returning near-black images. This was 100% consistent. ACP uses auto-dark on guiding exposures. I wasn't sure if auto-dark broke (resetting auto-darks didn't help) or if the RGH shutter was no longer working as expecting on the new firmware. Manually starting guiding via the MaxIm GUI still worked, so it appears to be a problem with the COM interface once a guided exposure started.

Not having a way to fall-back to a prior rev of stxga.bf2 firmware, I swapped this camera with another STX with older stxga.bf2 firmware (2.30). It's working fine.

Is there a way to manually install an older version of firmware until the problem is corrected, or shown to be a backward compatibility issue that only affects MaxIm DL v5.23? Is there a way to fool SBIGDriverChecker64 to install it? The web interface on the camera doesn't appear to provide a way either.

Thanks, Mark

 

SBIGUDrv.dll is I believe the latest (4.92 Build 1). For a while, I manually fell back to the prior rev I had (4.75 Build 25). No difference.

The STX was previously running 2.45 of stxga.bf2, I believe, before I upgraded it. The 2.30 version on the 2nd STX I am temporarily using now has the temperature reporting bug that causes MaxIm 5.23 to lockup, along with all of its COM clients, preventing ACP from closing the dome on a weather alert.

But, I've been sitting on upgrading MaxIm until I have the time to roll all of my extensive script customizations in ACP 6 forward to their latest. I was planning to do that this Fall when rains arrive. I was under the impression that MaxIm v6 was not 100% COM compatible with v5, so I think I need to upgrade ACP and MaxIm at the same time. If that's wrong, as far as you know, then I might consider upgrading MaxIm separately. However, it would only make sense if we're sure the problem only affects 5.23 and the RGH works fine via COM on MaxIm v6, and I can upgrade separately, otherwise I'd rather not have to do a shotgun upgrade of both now and lose several more weeks of decent weather.

That's why I'm hoping there's a relatively straight-forward way you can show me how to install one of the older versions sitting in the STX Firmware folder in the DriverChecker64 tree.