My ST8XME has recently been showing some wide horizontal banding in the downloaded images. Some images are just fine while others show banding that appears to be in different areas on subsequent images. Then I might get a dozen or so images that are just fine. My imaging setup has not changed and I've tested all the wiring and connections. The banding is a transparent dark that the image can show through. I've not added any new software or hardware. I'm using the latest download of CCDSoft, my computer is running Win 7 pro 64 and my drivers are up to date. I've also tried using Maxim DL and CCDops with the same result. Thanks, Bob
Problem solved! It was a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug caught in my cooling fan that caused the banding. I would guess the fan, while trying to rotate, showed up as electrical interference or noise on the downloaded image. Those insects are over a half inch long and have a hard exoskeleton. Another stowaway from Asian shipping. Now to figure a way to keep them out of my imager….any suggestions? Thanks, Bill! Bob
That's where the term "bug" came from originally. Grace Hopper (aka Grandma Cobol) and crew were working with a very early computer, and it developed a problem. The problem turned out to be a moth stuck in a relay. After that they started referring to problems as "bugs", and the term stuck.
