Resolved ST-8XME & AO8 autoguiding tracking image issue

I have an ST-8XME & AO8. When using my AO8, the camera downloads a normal image to locate a guide star. When I switch to track, the autoguiding image shows several white pixels against a black background but no guide star and naturally, the guide star isn't acquired and doesn't track. This problem exists with both the RGH and the internal guide chip, whether I use MaxImDL or CCDOps, and at 1x or 2x binning and regardless of the exposure length. I changed the interface USB cable and got the same result. Is this a camera electronics issue needing service?

 

Update: Took the camera off the scope, put it on a test bench, swapped out the dessicant plug for the original (I changed the dessicant in the FP before the problem came up), plugged it into a different laptop. Power cycled the camera several times and it's working now.

 

Thank you for responding. I think it could be a problem with my primary imaging laptop. I plugged the camera in and got the black screen of autoguider death. Cycled the camera twice, got the same result. Plugged it into the backup laptop and it worked fine, even after several cycles.

 

Need to reopen this thread.

Running MaxIm on Win 10, no image is downloaded from the guiding camera, whether using the RGH or internal. This started happening about three months ago after a round of OS updates. Everything works correctly on a Win 7 OS build. Thoughts?

 

I don't recall what the numerical output is, I can check that and advise. What appears in the guide camera image window is a black square with smaller white squares. The pattern does not change. I can resize the box but the result is the same. Not a new computer; it had a Win 10 build on it for several years and worked fine until mid-May when this issue developed. The camera behaves the same whether it's interfaced with a Win 10 or 11 PC. When connected to a Win 7 box, the guide camera image window updates with images that change with every exposure downloaded.

 

Here's the odd thing. A downloaded image looks OK. I will take one and upload it. What I described is what I see in the image window when I engage the "track" function in the AO8 control. I will run the driver checker again - but it doesn't explain why, after years of trouble-free operation, this problem arose suddenly.

 

I have driver checker 4.03. sbigudrv.dll is version 5.1.1.0.

 

5.18. SN 344EJ-Q1M3S-SF51V-9CXHQ-_ _ _ _ _ - _ _ (Last 7 digits redacted)

 

Here are some images. Autoguider images are from both the internal chip and RGH camera. Track 2x is the RGH camera binned 2x and track 1x is the RGH camera unbinned.

 

Does the company offer a trial version for download so I can see if it works? Especially for a licenseholder?

 

Ran it on a Win 11 PC, same result.