Resolved New/Old 16803

Discussion in 'STX and STXL Series Cameras' started by Greg Mueller, Aug 17, 2022.

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  1. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    When I get out to the warm room I'll check all those numbers but what I have now is that.....
    The serial number is X18040001.
    Here is a 360sec dark I took yesterday at -24 deg.

    [​IMG]
     
    Greg Mueller, Jan 20, 2023
    #21
  2. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    SBIG Driver Checker Version 4.03
    Maxim DL Version 6.24
    SkyX Version 10.5.0 Build 12978

    Firmware

    [​IMG]

    Bias
    [​IMG]
     
    Greg Mueller, Jan 20, 2023
    #22
  3. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    11:31:02.972 FileDetails C:\Program Files (x86)\Software Bisque\TheSkyX Professional Edition\TheSky64\SBIGUDrv.dll
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Assembly Version: Not an assembly
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Assembly Framework:
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails File Version: 4.9.9.8
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Product Version: 4.9.9.8
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Description: SBIG SBIGUDrv.DLL
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Company Name: Diffraction Limited
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Last Write Time: 2/1/2021 3:26:18 PM
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Creation Time: 6/27/2022 6:11:20 PM
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails File Length: 330,240
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Attributes: Archive
    11:31:02.987 PEReader Running within CLR version: v4.0.30319
    11:31:02.987 PEReader Filename to check: C:\Program Files (x86)\Software Bisque\TheSkyX Professional Edition\TheSky64\SBIGUDrv.dll
    11:31:02.987 PEReader Determining whether this is an assembly
    11:31:02.987 PEReader.IsAssembly BadImageFormatException. hResult: 80131018 - COR_E_ASSEMBLYEXPECTED. Setting IsAssembly to: False
    11:31:02.987 PEReader Determining PE Machine type
    11:31:02.987 PEReader.MachineType Machine - found "Intel 64bit" executable. Characteristics: 00002022, OS32BitCompatible: False
    11:31:02.987 PEReader.MachineType Reading optional 64bit header
    11:31:02.987 PEReader This is not an assembly, determining Bitness through the executable bitness flag
    11:31:02.987 PEReader.Bitness Found 64bit executable
    11:31:02.987 PE.IsDotNetAssembly Returning: False
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails .NET Assembly: False
    11:31:02.987 PE.BitNess Returning: 1
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Bitness: Bits64
    11:31:02.987 PE.SubSystem Returning 64bit value: WINDOWS_CUI
    11:31:02.987 FileDetails Subsystem: WINDOWS_CUI
     
    Greg Mueller, Jan 20, 2023
    #23
  4. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    I took the back off the 16803 to blow dust off of things and have a look around.
    On the PC board it was written in pen
    X18040001
    16803

    On the printed circuit board etched in to the board it says....

    STX-PCB-030
    01/09/13
    Rev E

    Hope this helps
     
    Greg Mueller, Jan 21, 2023
    #24
  5. Tim Povlick

    Tim Povlick Cyanogen Customer

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    Kayenta Utah, USA
    No wonder the 16803 stopped playing nice, you missed its 10'th year birthday.

    Best,
    Tim
     
    Tim Povlick, Jan 21, 2023
    #25
  6. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    Maybe it's a "Best if used by" thing?
     
    Greg Mueller, Jan 22, 2023
    #26
  7. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    Hi Greg,
    After reviewing internally, it looks like the camera needs to come in for repair.
    I'll send you a message shortly with some details.
     
    Colin Haig, Jan 23, 2023
    #27
  8. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    Got it
     
    Greg Mueller, Jan 23, 2023
    #28
  9. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    What a nightmare.
    I spent hours trying to fill out the UPS forms (and I have an account). You'd think we were on different planets.
     
    Greg Mueller, Jan 25, 2023
    #29
  10. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    That's odd. We recommend using Federal Express, because it is reliable and people don't seem to have much trouble, and because the method of shipping we indicate avoids extra fees.
     
    Colin Haig, Jan 26, 2023
    #30
  11. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    One of the hazards of living in a remote Rocky Mountain location in western New Mexico I guess.
     
    Greg Mueller, Jan 26, 2023
    #31
  12. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Just be sure to follow the shipping instructions. Tip: Express shipping is actually cheaper. If you send it ground there will be additional brokerage fees that are much bigger than the cost of shipping Express.
     
    Doug, Jan 26, 2023
    #32
  13. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    FedEx will neither pick up nor deliver to my house. The nearest location is in Albuquerque which is 170 miles away (340 round trip).
    I wrote a pm to Colin about it.
     
    Greg Mueller, Jan 26, 2023
    #33
  14. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Greg,

    I was just talking to Tim. He showed me the images from your camera, and unfortunately they are perfect!

    I hate it when that happens. Intermittent problems are the worst! If you can't see the problem, you can't fix it.

    As I see it, there are two possibilities:
    1. There's a very strong source of electromagnetic interference in your observatory, causing that image noise; or
    2. There's a bad solder joint on a power supply capacitor somewhere in the camera - either on the power supply board or the analog board. Thing is... that's very hard to find when the camera is working perfectly. It may be that shipping vibration caused it to make contact again, but if so it will fail again later.
    The conservative, sure-fire solution for #2 would be to simply replace both circuit boards, but (a) that's very expensive, and (b) I can't even guarantee that would fix it. After all the problem could be #1!

    We're going to pursue #2 via microscope inspection of the circuit boards - see if we can spot a bad or damaged solder joint.

    On #1, I have some questions for you.
    • Are there any extremely noisy devices in your observatory?
      • Most noise problems are transmitted through cables, not through the air. Suspect #1 would be the power cable. Less likely but also possible would be another cable such as USB. The noise could easily be on the ground circuit, not the power or signal circuits.
      • Some of the older dew heater systems made an incredible amount of electrical hash - were you using one at the time?
      • The motor drive of some mounts also generate electrical hash - what model of mount were you using?
      • Anything else in the observatory that might have been making electrical noise? RF devices, motors, that kind of thing.
    • If you still had the camera, I'd suggest turning absolutely everything off and see if the problem goes away. Unfortunately that's rather hard to do now... but if we send the camera back and the problem recurs, that is a way to investigate.
    Doug
     
    Doug, Mar 2, 2023
    #34
  15. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    The two tests were done in the observatory and in the warm room 60' away from each other.

    The only thing in the observatory is the Paramount ME and the Maxdome card. I was at the time using variac to make 90 VDC.
    That is gone now and I am using pure 120vac. straight in. I changed that because of the run-away dome problem.

    It's a RCOS scope with it's control box and various gizmos, but I don't believe it was on.
    The only other thing in the observatory are a 12vdc, 24vdc and a 48vdc power supply but they are under the floor maybe 8' away.

    The second test was with the camera sitting on the table in the warm room and it was plugged straight in to the computer.
    I have a 120vac electrical heater in the warm room.
    I have a ham radio but it was not on.

    If you can't find anything with the microscope, I guess I will have to try the noise search when the camera gets back.
    I hope you can find a cold joint, it would make life easier.

    I love/hate mysteries.
     
    Greg Mueller, Mar 2, 2023
    #35
  16. Doug

    Doug Staff Member

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    Hopefully Tim will pick up something with the visual inspection, if the problem is in the camera.

    DC Variac? I though those things were usually AC autotransformers. If that's some kind of power switching device it's a probable source.

    Are you grid fed or solar power? Micro inverters can be nasty.

    Being 8' away isn't reassuring. Unless you're beaming microwaves directly at the camera (it happened once), any noise would almost certainly be coupled through cabling. That can go a fair distance! Watch out for grounding in particular.
     
    Doug, Mar 2, 2023
    #36
  17. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    It was just a standard variable transformer with ac out which got turned in to DC down line. It's gone now.

    Grid fed by Socorro Electric Coop.
    Not the best on Earth, but works fairly well except when it doesn't.
    I can turn off all that and direct feed the camera PS, but that's what I was doing during the test in the warm room...

    We do live under a Military Operations Area (Air Force by The VLA) so it could be something weird from the military.
    Could be UFOs
     
    Greg Mueller, Mar 2, 2023
    #37
  18. Greg Mueller

    Greg Mueller Cyanogen Customer

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    Line conditioners?

    If there are any that actually work, would one of those be something that could help in this situations?
    Which one?
     
    Greg Mueller, Mar 3, 2023
    #38
  19. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    Colin Haig, Mar 3, 2023
    #39
  20. Colin Haig

    Colin Haig Staff Member

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    Is everything (all the power supplies) plugged into a common AC source with common ground point? Am wondering if you have a ground loop somewhere in your setup.
    Also, wandering around the observatory with an AM radio (or an IC-705) can be very instructive on (RF radiated) noise sources.
     
    Colin Haig, Mar 3, 2023
    #40
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