problem with streaks on display

[pauls...@gmail.com]

I use PHD2 version 2.6.14 with an SX lodestar camera and windows 11. I’m a long term user. I have the problem shown in the attached screenshot which is of PHD2 looping on 2 second exposures with the lens cap in place on the guide scope. Very weird, never seen this before.

Things I have tried:

Using the lodestar and the same USB cable on my win 10 dev machine and another win 11 machine, the problem is not present. lodestar drivers are the same version.

So it seems there is not a problem with the camera or cable.

On the machine where I see the problem, I have done the following:

Used a different USB port (front/ back) and different cable

Used a powered USB hub and plugged the camera cable into that in case current supply might be problematic

Updated the machine’s BIOS in case that might fix any potential USB problem

Uninstalled the win 11 USB hubs and restarted the OS to reinstate the USB hub

Uninstalled PHD2 and reinstalled

Threatened it with the recycling centre 😊 😊

Unfortunately, the machine on which the problem occurs is the one I use in the field when observing.

Any thoughts on next steps would be much appreciated

thanks,

Paul

[pauls...@gmail.com]

sorry forgot to mention I built a dark library and a bad pixel map, but neither made any difference.

[pauls...@gmail.com]

logfile attached, thanks.

[pauls...@gmail.com]

apologies for another post, just to add that the position and number of streaks changes as the PHD2 image window refreshes with each 2 sec image. 

The streaks are very much less apparent if i do not use a dark library or bad pixel map, but they are still there.

[Brian Valente]

Hi Paul

When you test this with the lens cap on, are those dots always in the same place, or do the dots change position?

>>>Using the lodestar and the same USB cable on my win 10 dev machine and another win 11 machine, the problem is not present. lodestar drivers are the same version.

Did you test on the other machines using the same procedure and software (i.e., PHD2 looping exposures at 2 seconds)? Or are you testing it using some other software

Brian

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Open PHD Guiding" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to open-phd-guidi...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/open-phd-guiding/ce42099e-33a2-4ec3-881f-aa9022d08a2fn%40googlegroups.com.

--

Brian 

Brian Valente

astronomy portfolio https://www.astrobin.com/users/bvalente/ 

[pauls...@gmail.com]

Hi Brian, the dots change position significantly (i.e. all over the place...). when testing on my other computers, they're win 10 with phd2 V 2.6.14 there is no problem on these machines, all works as expected.

It may be that somehow the USB ports have failed on the one machine, but I've never come across that before.

thanks for help,

Paul

[Brian Valente]

>>>Hi Brian, the dots change position significantly (i.e. all over the place...).

do you mean:

A) the dot positions change position on each 2 second exposure
or
B) the dot positions remain idetnical between looping exposures, but when you stop and start a new looping, the dots move?

From your description and your testing of PHD2 on other machines (and my intuition) it doesn't sound like a PHD2 software issue. USB port sounds possible: It could also be the camera driver.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/open-phd-guiding/ea52ddcd-24d2-417a-8ccc-9872b9fc6bbdn%40googlegroups.com.

[pauls...@gmail.com]

they change position on each 2 second exposure. I'll try uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers next and report back.

thanks,

Paul

[pauls...@gmail.com]

I just uninstalled the SX native driver and the ASCOM SX driver, reboot, reinstall drivers, reboot and connect camera. but the problem is still there.

I think I'll have to assume its a computer hardware port issue.

Thanks for thoughts,

best wishes

Paul

[Bruce Waddington]

The debug log file shows you were working at 10:30 in the morning.  Is that right?  In daylight?  So you're operating in daylight with a lens cap on the guide scope?  Why would you assume there aren't any pinhole leaks in the lens cap?  Does any of this show up during normal nighttime operations?  As a rule, we don't like to spend time looking at problems of this sort when someone is just working in the house or under daylight conditions.

Bruce

[pauls...@gmail.com]

Thank you for your thoughts Bruce. Pinhole leaks would of course show up on all three computers. As I have stated in my posts, the problem does not occur if I switch the camera to another computer running the same version of PHD2 with the same SX drivers and OS. - there are three computers on my desk currently and the camera rig is adjacent.  I just unplug the USB cable from one computer, plug it into another and run PHD2. Takes about 20 seconds.

One thing I have noted on the machine which displays the fault, is that if I build a dark library using the PHD2 default settings and apply that dark library, the problem is much more apparent i.e the streaks are much brighter.

Best wishes

Paul

[Geoffrey Frost]

Hi,

I posted a similar problem about a week ago:

Lodestar pro , Windows 11 and NINA.

I have sent the camera back to be checked out and I am still waiting on this. I have tried the ASI 120MMM but subsequently found that was a very bad choice.

The only images I get when connected to PHD are attached. The image continuously changes. Same effect but it is like noise all over the image.

Geoff Frost

[Brian Valente]

Geoff

>>>The only images I get when connected to PHD are attached. The image continuously changes. Same effect but it is like noise all over the image.

your example image shows a 0.01 second exposure? This looks like fairly typical sensor noise and i would not expect much more at such as short exposure time.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/open-phd-guiding/cf5bf7b0-a10f-4ed8-95cb-798912a98f8en%40googlegroups.com.

[Geoffrey Frost]

Sorry but it is the same at any exposure I try. 

I will try and get a short video of it.

Geoffrey

[Geoffrey Frost]

Opps. The camera is with Starlight Xpress

[Brian Valente]

Is this the lodestar or the 120mm you are getting video of?

It sounded like you sent the lodestar in for evaluation/repair (although I may not understand details here)

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/open-phd-guiding/b21822db-4f69-4e32-ab81-5d8658809727n%40googlegroups.com.

[pauls...@gmail.com]

thanks for replies. Mine is not a camera problem. It works just fine on two of my three win 10/11 computers. I have controlled the variables in carrying out my investigation. I'm running the same version of PHD2 on all three machines and the same SX drivers are installed on all three. I've checked the PHD2 'brain' settings are the same on all machines.

I have used PHD2 since the days when Craig released it, but never seen this random streaking before. I posted in case anyone might know what is the cause.

I have identified that it's definitely not the camera and I don't think it's PHD2 either.

I'll just use a different computer for the time being.

If I ever solve the problem, I'll post back.

Bye for now

Paul

[Geoffrey Frost]

Mine worked fine on previous win 10 machine.

Geoffrey 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/open-phd-guiding/8bd0c8f1-9317-411f-9bba-129fd333541fn%40googlegroups.com.

[Geoffrey Frost]

I sent the lodestar in for repair. It has been my guide camera for many years.

Geoffrey 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/open-phd-guiding/CAJa45i7suGZ-zJ3mVVgrzNwh3KjbaorFHMRCFHe3VLw6T3U0RA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Mike Ales]

if you have isolated it to a computer my guess would be it is something with the USB ports or USB setup in device manager.
I have one computer that I have to disable one USB port because it has a yellow dagger in device manager about failed to reset and windows keeps trying.
So check all the USB stuff in device manager.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/open-phd-guiding/8bd0c8f1-9317-411f-9bba-129fd333541fn%40googlegroups.com.