Dusting off my old ST-2000 XM from 20 years ago, I tried using the camera with a Dell Windows 11 laptop (note: this still works fine on a creaky old Windows XP PC.) I found even after downloading the drivers and successfully launching CCDOPS and acquiring images (and even connecting and acquiring an image in Astrophotography Tool), the image is just a pattern, black and white vertical stripes, like a diffraction pattern. The driver checker indicates the camera does not support firmware updates, so looking for help here. Attaching a sample image.
I'm not sure. I'd start with connecting the camera directly to the computer (no hubs, extenders, or sharing of multiple devices plugged into the same USB hub) on a short USB cable (like 6 feet or less). The good old ST-series don't have modern image buffers (eg they push the digitized pixel data pixels out over the USB as the ADC converts it, with no ability to store the whole frame). They only support a lowly USB 1.1 connection, and any sharing of USB resources can cause image sync problems and artifacts. eg don't put the scope and camera on the same hub. The gradient is probably related to the cooler state, and readout times. The spikes could be anything - interruptions, shared devices, etc. Could also be hardware failing or software version issue. What version of SBIGUdrv.dll, SBIG Driver Checker, and CCDOps do you have? 5.1.1.0, 4.0.5, and 5.54 are the lastest, and should work ok.
Another thought: The Dell laptop may have some power saving features. - You could try using a POWERED USB 2.0 hub. - Check these settings: https://forum.diffractionlimited.co...connects-turn-off-usb-selective-suspend.7848/ - Check for BIOS and hardware driver updates from Dell.
I'm using the latest 5.1.1.0; I downloaded everything new to a clean machine. The only ports I have on the laptop are USB C, so I did use a small USB hub to hook up the camera USB cable to the laptop. I do have a USB A to C cable; I can try that and let you know. Regards Steve
Colin, I bought a new high-quality USB B (printer) to the laptop's USB C, made sure the drivers were updated, etc. Made a pinhole opening in a sheet of foil, and no dice. Same pattern. Dark frames and exposures with the camera covered lo0k normal. Open to more suggestions from you or others in the group. Open to shipping it for repair if that's even an option any more. Regards Steve
Unfortunately we cannot service these cameras; all of their parts have gone obsolete. They were discontinued well over a decade ago.
