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Re: QSI 700 series cameras in stock and available now.
Looks like when NINA grabbed an updated Atik SDK (2024.07.12.1888) with 3.1 HF2, it made the QSI760 show up as a native Atik camera in NINA. ?
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As a warning, this version of the SDK has two issues:
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1) It creates a conflict with the QSI ASCOM driver, as NINA scans for cameras using the Atik SDK, finds the QSI and initializes it. Once this happens, the QSI ASCOM driver can no longer connect to it until the camera is power cycled.?
2) While you can use the Atik SDK to control the cooler, gain/offset, and seemingly capture images, the filter wheel controls appear to be incomplete. It always reports that the second (index 1?) filter is current, and while it acts on filter change commands correctly, it never changes the reported current filter. NINA errors out because of this.?
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As a workaround, I moved the Atik SDK out of the NINA folder and into a backup folder. This isn't a great workaround, but since NINA will happily function without the Atik SDK, it returns me to the behavior prior to this SDK.
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I can't say I'm surprised that the Atik SDK and the QSI 700 are semi-compatible, and I'd be unsurprised to find out the QSI SDK shares code for these new cameras. Tip of the hat from another software engineer for not reinventing the wheel for each brand. Also not surprised that the July builds don't have full support for the internal filter wheel on the QSI.?
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Re: Bizzar failure to connect QDI 632
William, thanks for the help. ?It seems a two-minute delay between power on and opening programs works. ?Not sure what the minimum time required is, but it is somewhere between 30" and 2'. ?I would never thought it would be so long, especially as I have run an s-big, STX 10 and a QSI 532 with just 10" in the past. ?
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Thanks
Bruce |
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Re: Bizzar failure to connect QDI 632
Thanks! ?you are correect I have not followed up like I should on my prior posts. ?I have been left handing my system due to other demands. ?In a couple of weeks I will be able to front burner this and will walk through all the issues you propose. ?Thanks again.? |
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Re: Bizzar failure to connect QDI 632
Hi Bruce.
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I see that you asked the same question on the Diffraction Limited support forum on 5th August and it was mentioned that QSI had just released a new 64bit driver package, including an updated ASCOM driver, you didn¡¯t return to your topic to let us know whether you download, installed and tested that driver package and using the latest QSI ASCOM driver included in that driver package instead of the old QSI - MaxIm native plug-in, and also whether toggling the options on/off in MaxIm DL > Camera Control > Setup > Camera 1 > Options > Advanced > ¡°Camera threading on (recommended)¡± and ¡°Filter wheel threading on (recommended)¡± made any difference.
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With those two advanced threading options deselected in MaxIm if the camera driver or the camera itself becomes locked-frozen then MaxIm will also become locked-frozen and will not respond to mouse clicks but also with MaxIm and the camera driver operating in a single computer CPU process thread then all steps in the process have to operate sequentiality and a ¡°race¡± condition cannot occur where the camera operations get out of sync with MaxIm¡¯s operations.
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Your last entry on that Diffraction Limited forum topic was that those options were already off and that perhaps you should try turning them on to see if that made a difference but you didn¡¯t return after that entry to say whether it had made a difference.
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You also had an earlier topic covering the same subject, July 20th, running in parallel on both the Diffraction Limited forum and ACP forum and we gave a description of the camera¡¯s coloured LED status lamps and asked what sequence of LED colour flashes the camera was displaying when it would not download the first image of the night as that might help to show what was happening at the camera¡¯s firmware level, but again you didn¡¯t return to either thread with a reply to say what those LED indicators were showing.
Regarding startup temperature being an issue, that is possible if the camera power supply is not sufficient to keep the camera input voltage above 11v when the TEC cooler is running at maximum power, as it will be at first startup with a warm camera, the camera¡¯s diagnostic colour LED flash sequence will show you if the voltage is too low, or any one of a number of different fault conditions. ?
The only suggestions I can come up with are:
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1 Completely uninstall all the current QSI drivers on your system via Windows Programs and Features dialogue.
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2. Check that you are running the latest ASCOM platform, currently v6.6SP2, although v7 is due out imminently and I¡¯ve been testing ASCOM platform v7 RC-7 with ACP and MaxIm DL7 for a few weeks now, if you are not current then update the ASCOM platform.
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3. Install the latest 64bit QSI driver package to get the latest QSI ASCOM driver installed, you can download the QSI drivers by clicking ><.
4. Configure MaxIm to use the new QSI ASCOM driver and try with those Advanced threading options in MaxIm both off and on to see if there is any difference in behaviour. ?
5. If the camera still fails to download the first image after connecting look at those coloured LED status lamps on the body of the camera, what sequence of colour flashes are they displaying?
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6. When running the ACP observatory startup script do you include a wait-for-camera-cool-down period in that script or just turn on cooling and start imaging?
Although it shouldn¡¯t matter with a QSI you could include in the startup script a staged cool-down that cools the camera in -10 deg steps over fifteen minutes or so, before releasing ACP to begin capturing images.
7. If using a Paramount mount and powering the camera through the Paramount¡¯s Versa Plate power pass-through socket and connecting to the camera¡¯s USB input via the Versa Plate USB hub try temporarily running a direct power cable and direct USB cable to the camera, bypassing the Paramount entirely. When I had my Paramount I had problems with broken power and USB cables inside the mount on several occasions, these were not cables I had added myself but the mounts built-in cables that run up through the mount axes from the input panel at the base of the mount to the Versa Plate outlets.
I had to buy from Software Bisque and replace the internal Versa-Plate USB outlet cabling twice and the Versa-Plate power cabling once due to conductor wire-strand breakages and voltage drop under load.
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8. Try using a different capture program manually (not under ACP control) such as N.I.N.A.
If the same problem occurs using N.I.N.A. and the QSI ASCOM driver from a warm start-up then at least that would discount MaxIm and ACP start-up from the fault diagnosis and point to the camera, camera power supply, cabling etc, if the problem does not occur when using N.I.N.A. and the ASCOM driver then you can go back to Diffraction Limited and say that this appears to be a MaxIm problem and what are the next steps to diagnose the cause.
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HTH
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Will. |
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Bizzar failure to connect QDI 632
Since deploying this new (used) QSI 632camera a problem has emerged with the connection upon startup.? It is a real puzzle that will require someone who understands this camera better than I to figure out.? ? My system uses ACP and Scheduler.? Scheduler manages ACP and ACP controls the camera via Maxim.? I am using the QSI Universal driver.? After Scheduler initiates system start-up everything looks nominal with the camera.? See the first screenshot below.? However, the first image attempt will fail and Maxim will throw an error message, see second screenshot. ?If you close the error message maxim changes to show ¡°no camera¡±, and the cooler is said to be off as shown in the third screenshot. ?All subsequent image attempts will fail the whole night.? ? Typically, if I intervene by disengaging Scheduler to release the camera, I can disconnect and reconnect the camera and it will work without a problem for the rest of the night.? By the way, the cooler also remains in operation even when Maxim shows "no camera".? When you disconnect and reconnect the cooler is shown to have been on the whole time.? ? Today, I decided to try and dig into this and perhaps I have gained some useful insight.? I used ¡°test startup¡± in Scheduler then tried using Maxim to order an image.? It failed and I got the same error message I have gotten before when doing this.?But, this afternoon, disconnecting and reconnecting did not solve the problem.? I tried it multiple times.? Then in the evening, Scheduler booted everything up as usual, and as usual the first image failed and as usual, disconnect reconnect worked. ? The only difference I can think of between the afternoon experiment and the routine startup in the evening is the temperature of the camera had dropped to the setpoint in the latter case, while in the earlier case, the camera was warm (40+ C).? ? Is there some reason, whether firmware, software, or hardware that would cause a connection failure when attempted before the camera has cooled to the setpoint? ? ? |
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Re: Purging a QSI
On Sat, Sep 21, 2024 at 10:32 AM, David wrote:
?I never knew exactly why argon gives better cooling than air.Argon has a 33% lower thermal conductivity than air, at 18 W/K (also described as 0.018 W/(mK)). Krypton is even lower at 0.009 W/(mK) ¨C half the conductivity of argon ¨C but is more expensive. Both are used in double glazing to provide better insulation than air, with krypton-filled glass being more expensive. ? |
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Re: Purging a QSI
Actually in Europe it¡¯s not cheaper (let alone much cheaper). Wine preserving cylinders runs at 20-30€ and the ones I¡¯ve seen say they¡¯re an unspecified mix of Ar, CO2 and N2. Of course they¡¯re not easy to find because, going by my experience in France, once you open a bottle, you and your friends drink it all, and probably another few as well, so there¡¯s not much of a market for preserving wine.
Disposable welding Argon cylinders are about 22€, but of course you have to buy a regulator and manometer (another 20-30€). But then the wine products don¡¯t have any such thing. Cheers ! Richard |
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Re: Purging a QSI
Hi Nicola.
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Amazon is not really the right place for a specialist product such as gas supplies, too little technical information on the products they sell and virtually no traceability and regulatory certifications provided.
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Depending where you¡¯re based you might be better going to local welding equipment supplier, which will probably be less expensive too.
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I bought my pure Argon, in a 2.2 Litre disposable cylinder, plus a gas regulator for disposable cylinders, from a UK based welding equipment supplier "The Welding Superstore" with only a length of 4mm O.D. pneumatic air hose bought from Amazon:
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If you must use Amazon then the links below show similar products but with insufficient information provided to be sure that these will be fully compatible, vis-¨¤-vis, regulator fitting to match the cylinder threads and valve type, purity of the gas and whether or not the gas cylinder meets U.K. safety regulations etc.
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Amazon sell slightly less expensive kits that include the Argon gas cylinder, regulator and hose, but only in 60 Litre disposable cylinder sizes, which is much too large and dangerous to have in a domestic situation, even though Argon gas is inert the cylinders can explode if overheated or dropped. A single small 2.2 Litre cylinder will long outlast your QSI camera.
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Lastly, if buying your own Argon gas supplies make sure that you are buying pure Argon (100%) and not Argon/CO2 mixture, many of the gas cylinders sold on Amazon as "Argon" are actually Argon/CO2 mixtures but incorrectly labelled or described.
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HTH
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Will. |
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Re: Purging a QSI
Hello All, may anyone point me to the right Argon dispenser product on Amazon? Thanks Nicola Il giorno lun 20 nov 2023 alle ore 23:36 Steve Richards <steve@...> ha scritto: Hi William, --
Nicola Sky Monsters - |
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