I have an SBIG STX16803 camera and all of the sudden I have been getting lines after all stars in my images. This is not blooming. The bright vertical lines start everywhere where a bright star is and continues all the way to the end of the column. I have been imaging in some really cold temps but I don’t think that is the culprit since I have imaged in even colder temps in the past. Now that I am writing this I am wondering if the cold temperatures are affecting the power supply. Do you think this is a power supply issue? I would like to send the camera in to SBIG for evaluation. I don’t get many clear nights and don’t want to spend the few I get trying to resolve the issue. Thank you.
The shutter could be sticking. Pop the camera off the telescope and watch the shutter operate as you take a series of short exposures.
That is a good suggestion and easy enough to check. Darks and bias frames look good though. I will give it a shot.
Doug, you nailed it. it looks like the shutter is malfunctioning in cold temperatures. I don't want to limit my imaging to warm summer nights. Do you have any suggestions for making this work in cold temps?
What is the serial number of your camera? Try updating the firmware. A while back we increased the power to the shutter motor, which might help. If that fails we may need to replace the shutter.
It is an early version. I have the version with the 25 pin RGH port. If you have any 25 pin RGH's lying around I would love to buy one. Bill gave me a price for upgrading the board to the new RGH plug. I have a MX which allows me to guide long enough with narrowband filters to use the internal guide chip. For now I will keep plugging away using the internal. Getting back to the problem on hand. My camera is a Serial #10010029. I never updated the firmware on this camera so I could use a tip. Thanks
We ran out of the old RGH's four years ago, I'm afraid. Yes that is an older unit. We have an improved version of the shutter available, which is more durable and will work better in cold conditions. But let's try upgrading the firmware and drivers first. The firmware mod will increase the drive power to the shutter motor a bit. Download the latest version of the SBIG Driver Checker (don't use the Update button): ftp://ftp.sbig.com/pub/SetupDriverChecker64.exe Download, install, and run the driver checker. On the Drivers tab, hit the Update button and follow the instructions. That will update your drivers. Then flip to the Firmware tab. Click "Get Firmware Version from Camera". If the firmware is out of date (it is!) then you can then hit the "Update Camera Firmware" button. Whatever you do, do NOT abort or interrupt the process, or disconnect USB or power, even if it appears to be stuck for a while. If you do the camera will be "bricked" and will have to go in for service. If this does not improve cold weather operation, then the camera will probably have to go in for a new shutter. Bill @ SBIG Service and Repair can give you a quote for the work.
