My STL-11002M camera images are showing some weird wide bands that use to be occasional but now always. I changed the USB cable to the camera and then the active extender cable as well but no changes. I haven't tried changing the USB port on the computer and I don't use any hubs. If I need additional USB ports I install and add-on card. There are also no USB to Serial adapters being used, at all.
I'm trying the camera inside the house and so far it seems to be behaving. This seems to point to the USB ports on the observatory computer. I'll switch them around and try tomorrow. Seems I remember the guide chip not recording starlight on occasion and then start working. -Steve
It looks to me like incomplete flushing. Given that these older cameras did not have frame stores, I think it's plausible that the USB interface is responsible. There is some possibility that it's an intermittent connection inside the camera, though that seems unlikely in a camera that has been working correctly for so many years. Any chance you could drag the home computer outside to the observatory temporarily? You could do an A/B comparison and that would prove whether USB is the issue or not. Another thought is to temporarily hook up a completely separate USB cable to the computer, bypassing your existing connections. Also bear in mind that it could be the root hub inside the PC also. Try plugging it into a different port on the PC.
