ACP freezes when RCOS focuser does not respond

[Arto Oksanen]

I have difficulties with the old RCOS focuser/rotator to talk with FocusMax V4 and ACP. It does not connect easily and now and then it just stops talking to the ASCOM interface. When this happens FocusMax gives an error "An action cannot be completed because a component (RCOS) is not responding.". There is no way out of this without stopping all the processes and starting all over.

ACP freezes when this happens, no response whatever: no updates on screen or response on mouse clicks. It also has to be stopped by force and restarted.

On the meanwhile RCOS control software is still running and it can be connected with my simple script:

Set f=CreateObject("RCOS_AE.Focuser")
f.connected=true
msgbox("Focus position="+cstr(f.position))
f.connected=false

So it is alive and kicking. Also the telescope focus can be still changed with it so it also talks to the hardware. There are never any errors shown in the RCOS TCC.

I have tried to debug this by putting ASCOM Pipe between FocusMax V4 and RCOS TCC. But it just shows the same error message. Anything else I could try? All this worked well many years in WinXP (ACP 4.2 and FocusMax 3) with the same hardware.

anydesk00036.png

arto

[Colin Haig]

Arto - how is the RCOS TCC connected to the PC ?
e.g. what hardware - USB / RS232, what kind of adapter, etc.
An RCOS I used to work on would hang up due to hardware driver problems with the adapter. Updating the driver and checking its settings solved the problem for us. (It was either a Digi 4 port device or an FTDIchip device, I don't remember).

[Bob Denny]

I'm afraid there isn't anything I can do in this case. Once I call out to the RCOS to move the focuser, and that call does not return, by the rules/behavior of Windows inter-process LPC, the calling process is in "suspended" state. As you can see it will not respond to any stimulus. I'm sorry to seem heartless or uncaring.... But this sort of bug cannot be overcome by another program. See this (reposted) 2013 post on the general problem, I had to write this to prevent me from repeatedly explaining the general problem of ACP being a "software victory over others' bugs" package.

Why is it that ACP gets "stuck" sometimes? Can't you do something?

[Arto Oksanen]

Arto - how is the RCOS TCC connected to the PC ?

Good point. It is a AnywhereUSB/4 hub + BackBox USB2RS232 box. The same ones have been in use over 10 years with no problems. If the USB or RS232 connection would be faulty then RCOS TCC should see the problem too, right? I strongly suspect that it is the RCOS TCC and it's ASCOM interface that is not very good. Somehow it is not working well in Win10. The same USB extender + RS232 box are working at the same time with MaxDome2 and Boltwood cloud sensor.

arto

[Arto Oksanen]

Hi Bob,

I understand that there is not much you can do. I asked "Anything else I could try?".

The source code of RCOS TCC application is available, but it is not tempting to dive in trying to fix it.

If the RCOS TCC is still working and talking to the hardware it must be the ASCOM interface that is not working well. Do you agree? Any pointers making it more robust. How about one more layer of software between RCOS TCC and FocusMax. Is there any trick to avoid the "suspend" state?

Unfortunatelly there is not much that can be replaced on the hardware. The telescope is the "centerpiece" of the observatory and the focuser is "build in".

I am already thinking going back to the virtual WinXP and the 10 year old software stack.

arto

[Colin Haig]

I'm not talking about an electrical fault - because you'd be right, the other TCC things likely would be unreliable.
Your software environment (operating system, drivers, etc) isn't the same as it was 10 years ago, right?
The RCOS TCC ASCOM interface was poorly done - Paul Mortfield and I wasted days on getting it all to work.
Check for updated device drivers and firmware for your serial port boxes.
My concern is that you've had infrequent hangs of the camera, and now the focuser.
I suspect it is all related to the USB bus setup, and it could be drivers, windows, cabling, hubs, or who knows what else...

[Colin Haig]

What's the Silex S510 used for?
Do you have a schematic drawing of what is plugged into what?

[Arto Oksanen]

What's the Silex S510 used for?
Do you have a schematic drawing of what is plugged into what?

The Silex DS510 is another (faster) USB hub. It is serving SBIG STX-16803 and Paramount ME.

No drawing at hand but the both USB hubs are on the local network, on the Anywhere hub there are the BlackBox USB2RS232 box and a web cam, on the USB2RS232 box there are the Boltwood cloud sensor, RCOS TCC, a selfmade mains power monitor and MaxDome2. Thats about it.

arto

[Yves Laroche]

Hi Bob,

I really don't want to add more pressure on you...

During my last imaging session I got 3 times the Starting Autofocus.. message in the log but nothing after. ACP was freezed. To regain control of the system, I needed to kill the application and process of FocusMax, Robofocus and ACP.

It happened several times in the past, even with ACP v7, but didn't find the courage to try to find a cause...sorry!

Like Arto, I'm using different HUB/Appliances (Edgeport/8, Wibox, Silex DS-4000U2) that can add to the complexity.

--Yves

[Arto Oksanen]

That is why I am thinking going back to the virtual WinXP and the 10 year old software. It was simply working every night!

All the hardware is still the same except the new control computer (Win10) and the new CCD (SBIG STX-16803), but all the software is new. Everything is almost perfectly working, we have lost very few nights and made some very nice observations already with hundreds of science images taken with ACP. It is more like the extra hassle to restart the stuck focuser software etc that is causing some pain.

arto