Astroart Forum

Hi all. I have been using this camera via ASCOM and it images fine with the ASCOM driver but when I select a star and try to guide or focus the guide/focus display just goes black and there's no image. I believe this camera is similar to a QHY5L-iim. It has a 1.25in barrel and an ST-4 port.

OK, I think I've solved it. I had to use this driver:

http://www.msb-astroart.com/dvideo.zip

Unfortunately, AA6 will not connect to the on camera ST-4 guide port.

AA6 will connect to the camera ST-4 port when I use the Ascom camera driver but then I get no guide display. If I use the Video driver I get guide display but then I cannot connect to the ST-4 port. I am trying to guide a non-goto CI-700 mount and I have to use the ST-4 interface.

PHD2 guide will work using the Ascom driver so I can use that for now.

Try again with ASCOM with the camera control 6.01 beta:
http://www.msb-astroart.com/CCD601beta.zip
it has some extra checks to allow focus and guide for problematic drivers.
Fabio.

Unfortunately the beta version didn't work either.

It seems that there is something uncommon in that ASCOM driver about subframe selection. That is accepted by PHD but not by AA. Other things that you could try if you have time:
1) Verify in focus binning 1x1 and 2x2.
2) Download a subframe image, setting the subframe in the "Setting" page.
3) Disable "Camera control in background".
4) Focus with a full frame: CTRL+R then set 0,0, 10000,10000 to select a frame as big as the image.

I had the camera working with the Ascom drivers and giving usable subframes with the focus/guide windows then I changed something and it stopped working. I'll try again tonight in a more systematic fashion.

OK, got it.

Using the 601beta

I selected "Ascom" for camera then "Toupcam" in the Ascom camera chooser. I selected "640x480 8bit RGB" in Ascom options, although AA6 seems to ignore the resolution setting.
I selected "Ascom camera relays" in the telescope menu. I confirmed that AA6 would drive the mount with this setting.

I then selected 2 x 2 binning for imaging camera and downloaded a frame
I then selected focus and then "control R" and entered 0,0 10000, 10000 which defaulted to 639 x 479 and it then began to refresh the focus at regular intervals (~3 frames second). The 1x1 binning also works.
I then closed the focus window and selected guide and it worked as well. I'll have to wait until tonight to try actual guiding.

" camera control in the bckground" on or off has no effect.

This camera seems quite sensitive and draws very little power.

Awesome, thanks Fabio

cheers

Duncan

I am happy to report that the latest ASCOM driver from Altair Astro:

http://cameras.altairastro.com/drivers/ ... .0.msi.zip

seems to work extremely well with AA6 SP3 and CC6.2.

Darn.
It seemed to work extremely well but upon closing the Camera Control window I got this error:

Access violation at address 00677157 in module AstroartLAA.exe. Read of address 00000406.

I got the same (or a very similar) error using the Astroart.exe module.

It looks like a NULL pointer is used in the driver after termination. However that should happen only when the whole Astroart is closed, not only the Camera Control (if you are using 6.2).