CoverCalibrator's COM-port access denied

[Jeff Herman]

I am running ACP 9.2 and trying out a CoverCalibrator for the first time (I've been using an Alnitak non-ASCOM panel up to this point). After running AutoFlat I often cannot run it again and instead get the following (my CoverCalibrator is using COM7):

Source: ASCOM.Utilities

Message: Access to the port 'COM7' is denied.

If AutoFlat completes without any errors I will get this access-denied error on subsequent runs but eventually it will work if I try a couple times. If I need to abort AutoFlat (and I have needed to for a reason I will bring up in another thread since I think it's a separate issue than this), I cannot access the CoverCalibrator again until I restart ACP.

I then thought I'd write a script to try to "reset" access to the CoverCalibrator. This doesn't work though. I still get an access-denied error to the COM port when trying to reconnect.

var CC = new ActiveXObject(Util.Prefs.CoverCalibratorID);
CC.Connected = false;
Console.PrintLine(CC.Name + " is disconnected.");
CC.Dispose();
Console.PrintLine("COM port released.");
CC = new ActiveXObject(Util.Prefs.CoverCalibratorID);
CC.Connected = true;
Console.PrintLine(CC.Name + " is reconnected.");

Any ideas why the COM port is not getting released after running AutoFlat?

Jeff

[Bob Denny]

I'm out of time for today (already in here on a Sat). I'll look at this Monday.

[Bob Denny]

Nice job with that test! Is this the Alnitak CoverCalibrator driver? It should release everything when the AutoFlat script ends. No need for that Dispose(). I don't explicitly call Connected = false; though. So far no one else has reported any problems like this since 9.0 came out in March 2022. That was the first version that supported CoverCalibrator devices.

This one is going to need to go to Optec. Are you sure you have their current driver?

[Jeff Herman]

This is a DeepSkyDad FP1. I'll have to get out my Alnitak Flip-Flat and try it and see if it behaves the same way with the CoverCalibrator driver. I had only ever used it with the command-line interface which worked fine. I had tried the DeepSkyDad with a different program on the same computer (same COM port, etc. ... just a different program to control it) and it worked fine so I figured the driver wasn't the issue. And I can use it with the attached scripts in ACP over and over and no COM port issues. But after running AutoFlat <sometimes> I get the COM port problem. ...and every time I run it where I have to abort a script that was using it I get the COM port problem until I restart ACP.

[Jeff Herman]

I tried my Alnitak Flip-Flat and it worked fine. I never got a COM-port denial so it appears their driver is more robust. I then noted that you said you never explicitly call Connected = false in AutoFlat so I added that to the end of DeactivateColorCalibrator and that seems to have fixed the problem with the DeepSkyDad. I'll contact DeepSkyDad but it seems like it might a good idea to call Connected = false anyway? I noticed you did that in the scripts you provided here: http://forums.dc3.com/showthread.php...6291#post96291

[Bob Denny]

Thanks Jeff!! I've opened a ticket for this:

ACP-1943 - Connected = False for CoverCalibrator