Funny Start-up Problem Connecting with ZWO ASI 6200M and Expert Scheduler

[Jerry Yesavage]

Hi,

Am all updated and things have been going along well but noticed a problem over the past few weeks. When Expert Scheduler starts Maxim starts up the camera and it connects with cooler on, BUT, all images are totally black. If, in Maxim, I disconnect the camera and then reconnect, all is fine and pictures are OK.

I included in the startup script a disconnect and reconnect, but that does not seem to do it. I have to remotely login and disconnect, then reconnect in Maxim... just using the buttons in Maxim... not power.

I tried to ignore this but I lost all my images last night when I forgot.

Any ideas here... the ZWO drivers, ASCOM and Expert Scheduler are all up to date?

Jerry Y

[Bob Denny]

This is way below the level of influence or cause and effect for ACP, Scheduler, and likely =even MaxIm. What changed on your system when this started?

[Jerry Yesavage]

This is way below the level of influence or cause and effect for ACP, Scheduler, and likely =even MaxIm. What changed on your system when this started?

This started before I upgraded ACP/Expert Scheduler. It occurred with a previous ZWO driver... just started spontaneously... I updated the drivers. My version of Maxim is a few issues back but Maxim works when I hit the disconnect connect button.

This is how I tried to modify the Startup.js to disconnect and reconnect...



try { // Connect the camera
if(!Util.CameraConnected) {
Util.WaitForMilliseconds(5000);
Console.PrintLine("Connect ACP to the camera");
Util.CameraConnected = true;
Console.PrintLine("OK");
} else {
Console.PrintLine("Camera already connected");
}
} catch(ex) {
Console.PrintLine("**Failed to connect to MaxIm and camera:");
Console.PrintLine(" " + ex.description);
throw new Error(0x80040001, "==== Startup failed, cannot continue");
}


Util.CameraConnected = false; // Disconnect Maxim from ACP
Util.WaitForMilliseconds(2000); // Give MaxIm a chance to disconnect
Console.PrintLine("**Disconnect Camera before reconnect Camera:");



try { // Connect the camera X2
if(!Util.CameraConnected) {
Util.WaitForMilliseconds(5000);
Console.PrintLine("Connect ACP to the camera");
Util.CameraConnected = true;
Console.PrintLine("OK");
} else {
Console.PrintLine("Camera already connected");
}
} catch(ex) {
Console.PrintLine("**Failed to connect to MaxIm and camera:");
Console.PrintLine(" " + ex.description);
throw new Error(0x80040001, "==== Startup failed, cannot continue");
}

[Jerry Yesavage]

This is way below the level of influence or cause and effect for ACP, Scheduler, and likely =even MaxIm. What changed on your system when this started?

Just getting back on this as I have no solution despite a long time working with Colin at Maxim.

Under the influence of Bob's nice AIC Hubble lecture and the need to support software development, I bought the latest version of Maxim and that did not resolve the problem.

Have been back and forth on all the settings. Camera still does not directly connect and needs to be disconnected then reconnected. Then it works.

At a loss but looks like I have to live with the lack of automation.

Vendor (Woodland) has not heard of it and have filed a case with ZWO.

What a time sink...

[Bob Denny]

I’m shooting in the dark… have you done a firmware upgrade on the camera maybe?

[Jerry Yesavage]

I’m shooting in the dark… have you done a firmware upgrade on the camera maybe?

Nice shot. I looked and I upgraded the firmware on 5/31. It is the latest. They are totally unresponsive somewhere in Shanghai, but I can check with the camera vendor and see if others have had any issues. When posting with them see people with cooler problems.

I wonder if I can go back to the previous driver.

BTW, does the script mod look OK to disconnect and then reconnect the camera...

[William Bristow]

Hi Jerry.

One thing you might like to try is changing the camera driver threading settings you currently have configured in MaxIm - Camera Control - Options - Advanced - "Camera threading on (recommended)" and "Filter wheel threading on (recommended)", as highlighted in the attached screen-grab.

Some camera manufacturers that provide combined ASCOM drivers for camera and filter wheel don't always write a robust and reliable driver capable of handling separate driver threads for the camera and filter wheel so that race conditions can arise in MaxIm during startup and/or normal operation that leads to unpredictable behaviour.

Whatever your settings for camera and filter wheel driver threading are currently configured in MaxIm change them both to either enabled or disabled and then connect to the camera and see if the issue is resolved.

It is important that both camera and filter wheel options are either on or off when using unified drivers for camera and filter wheel, do not configure camera threading enabled and filter wheel threading disabled and vice-versa, both must be either enabled or disabled for reliable operation in MaxIm.

William.

MaxIm Camera Threading Options.jpg

[Jerry Yesavage]

Thanks very much. Both were OFF. I changed both to ON. But behavior did not change:

1. Run Startup and all goes on.
2. Try to expose and image, takes it, but it is entirely black.
3. In Maxin, disconnect camera, connect camera, cooler on, and now it take the picture correctly.

Even misunderstanding what goes on with the driver, you would think that repeating the same actives in the script would work.

[William Bristow]

Jerry.

Because this problem appeared on a system that was working ok previously, and wearing my engineers hat, I would suspect the camera has a hardware issue at initial power up, unless you updated the camera drivers before the problem appeared and the change of driver has revealed an edge condition with your particular camera.

One thing I notice with your startup script is that you throw power-on for the camera, focuser and dew controller and then with no delay start MaxIm and connect to the camera and switch on cooling. In this situation it may be that MaxIm is attempting to connect to the camera while it is still initialising and this is creating a driver lock.

(I think I remember this in your startup script, working from an iPad this morning and it is virtually impossible to read the script and use the browser at the same time, if this is incorrect I apologise….)

I'm not convinced that disconnect and reconnect to the camera via MaxIm’s automation interface in your startup script is exactly the same as doing this remotely via MaxIm’s desktop UI, and there may well be some latency involved here too.

You could try introducing a delay in the startup script after switching on the camera power for the first time and before going on to launch MaxIm, connecting to the camera and turning on cooling, to allow the camera to fully initialise and load its device drivers and also to allow time for the camera electronics to stabilise.

I don’t have any personal experience with ZWO cameras but I know from my own QSI cameras that they require around thirty seconds minimum after applying power before they are ready to connect in MaxIm and I normally power-up the cameras and allow at least a minute before attempting to connect and switch on cooling.

I also would not switch on your other power outlets sequentially in the startup script without a small delay between each operation as this may cause large power fluctuations on your observatory supply.

Try re-arranging your startup script to turn on the dew controller first, wait ten seconds, turn on the focuser, wait ten seconds, turn on the camera, wait thirty seconds, start MaxIm and connect to the camera, wait ten seconds, switch on camera cooling.

Can’t think of anything else to suggest….

William.

[Jerry Yesavage]

I did what you suggested and it did not help... put the log in as suggested below... no idea but looks like I live with it...