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INDI Library v2.0.6 is Released (02 Feb 2024)

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

asi120mc-s issues.

  • Posts: 10
  • Thank you received: 2
Two issues with an ASI120MC-S camera.

Issue #1:
The camera works reliably in the imaging module, most of the time in the asymmetry module, in pretty much never on the first 10 to 20 tries in the guiding module.  9 times out of 10 it doesn't communicate with the guiding module (while, at the same time, working just fine in the other modules).

I have found a bastard repeatable work-around for this.  If I go to the imaging module and take any photo with the ASI120, it will then work and be recognized in the guiding module... Otherwise, the guiding modules time out with 'unable to communicate with camera' type errors in the log, no matter what I try do to get it to talk to the guide module.

Issue#2:
Once I finally get the guide module to actually talk to the camera, it defaults to 8-bit mode, which gives some very grainy images to try guiding from. (sometimes resorting to some 2-bit image mode which I have no clue how it winds up like this, which is unusable and the only way I've figured out to fix that is to reboot the whole system and start over)(and I have tried just about everything I can think of otherwise, none of which works short of rebooting the whole thing).  also in 8-bit mode it is fairly useless for the asymmetry solver also.

I have good quality USB cables, I have switched around cables to debug that possibility, a very good external powered (and high current) hub, I do not have issues with anything else in the system acting like this.   no dew issues or frost or anything.  I don't have issues with any other parts of the software package, just the guide module.  
The system is up to date on updates, drivers, etc. 
I'm running it under Kubuntu, hand installed, including all the asymmetry files.  All the libraries are updated daily, all the nuances of the Ubuntu setup have been resolved.  All the hardware drivers are correct and up to date, etc.  it is a 4ghz quad core system with 18g ram and a very fast SSD drive, so, I'm pretty certain it isn't hardware issues.. 
Kstars actually doesn't crash very often at all, like it first did on my first 20 installation attempts at it, but Ekos still does and for some very odd and random issues.
It has done this with both this system as well as a raspberry-Pi 4b system running the 'astroberry' installed version and fully updated, as well as an HP laptop running Ubuntu.

Why does the guide module not see the camera most of the time, unless I access it first in the imaging module?  Why is it just the guide module giving me grief?

Is there any way to force it to stay in 16-bit mode and quit dropping down to 8-bit mode.   And what controls that?  it's very annoying.

I like the kstars/ekos/indi package, but every night that I go out to use it, I lose at least 2 hours or more of my time getting all these little kinks figured out and everything working all at the same time (I have a lot of other gripes than these two.  I'll address them as I get the details properly worded to describe.)  It is really unreliable and aggravating most of the time.



help?
The following user(s) said Thank You: Jasem Mutlaq
2 years 10 months ago #71576

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Replied by Jasem Mutlaq on topic asi120mc-s issues.

Is this USB 3.0 variant? If yes, please use nightly/beta packages and it should have a fix for this.
The following user(s) said Thank You: James Barbot JR
2 years 10 months ago #71590

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  • Posts: 10
  • Thank you received: 2

Replied by James Barbot JR on topic asi120mc-s issues.

yeah, it's the new usb 3.0 version of the camera.

and I originally installed the nightly package version, so, I'll update it tomorrow (it's another few days of rain here, yet again, dangit)...

Thanks for a quick fix!!!
2 years 10 months ago #71600

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