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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Indi driver for QHY Color-Filter-Wheel (CFW)

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Hi,

I'm trying to connect a PyIndi-client to the QHY CFW. The filter wheel is mentioned here:
indilib.org/devices/ccds/qhy.html
but doesn't indicate that there is a driver for the filter wheel. I thought maybe it was embedded with the QHY CCD driver, but it is not. I also could not find the driver in the QHY repository that the page mentions to download.

So I went looking for an INDI driver for the filter wheel and found this:
indilib.org/develop/indiforjava/i4jdrive...er-wheel-driver.html
Which seems to be what I want, except that it is for Java and though it says it is still compatible with the regular "indiserver indi_qhy_ccd" command to start up the indiserver, it doesn't seem to be connected to INDI properties (www.indilib.org/develop/developer-manual...dard-properties.html)
I'm thinking this because the driver downloaded with some documentation (attached) on commands to interact with the wheel using bytes and does not mention INDI properties. I also tried the indi_qhy_ccd and java drivers with KStars and KStars was not able to find and connect to the filter wheel. (The java driver also seems like it may not be able to be used with the USB port option on the filter wheel. Which is also an added issue.)

I was hoping to find a driver like the one listed on the INDI site for the QHY CCD for the filter wheel. Does one exist? Is the java one the only INDI driver available for the QHY CFW? If so, am I mistaken that it is not compatible with INDI properties?

Any input on the QHY CFW INDI driver would be helpful, thank you!
5 years 7 months ago #28997
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I use a QHY9 CCD camera with a QHY filter wheel and it works very well. The filter wheel is connected to the CCD camera with a cable and both use the QHY CCD driver. Not sure how Ekos manages the filter wheel internally, but in the INDI Control Panel I can configure the order of the filters and in the CCD & Filter Wheel tab I see a drop down to select the filter that I want to use. When I do so, the filter wheel turns to the correct filter.

Are you only using the filter wheel or do you have a QHY camera as well? If not, what camera do you have? And does the filter wheel work when you use Ekos?
5 years 7 months ago #28998

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I'm using the QHY filter wheel with a ZWO ASI CCD (indilib.org/devices/ccds/zwo-optics-asi-cameras.html) and I've connected the filter wheel to that CCD. I accidently said KStars when I meant Ekos, oops. The wheel doesn't work with Ekos.
5 years 6 months ago #29009

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Did you manage to make the QHY filter wheel work with the ASI camera on a different platform? I am not even sure if ASI cameras and QHY filter wheels speak the same language (i.e. if the ASI camera gives the right commands to the QHY filter wheel and that the QHY filter wheel understands the commands received from the ASI camera).
5 years 6 months ago #29013

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I wasn't able to make the QHY filter wheel work when hooked up with the ASI camera. I tried running the filter wheel independently and with the QHY CCD driver, but that also didn't work. Are you able to operate your QHY filter wheel without the QHY CCD?
5 years 6 months ago #29014

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I haven’t tried that because my filter wheel doesn’t have a USB port. The only way for me to use it is to connect it to the QHY9 camera with a special cable (non-USB) and connect the camera to Ekos.
5 years 6 months ago #29017

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I contacted QHY to see if there is a possibility to have a dedicated driver for the filter wheel. We'll see.
5 years 6 months ago #29030

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Is now possible to connect qhy wheel with zwo camera ?.
3 years 6 months ago #60549

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Hi Silver,

It is now possible to connect the QHY filter wheel with a ZWO camera. Previously the QHY filter wheels didn't have an independent driver from the QHY cameras, but Jasem went and put together dedicated drivers for QHY filter wheels so you can operate them with other ccds. Depending on the model of your QHY filterwheel the drivers are:
indi_qhycfw1_wheel
indi_qhycfw2_wheel
indi_qhycfw3_wheel
For example I'm using a QHY CFW2-S filter wheel and use the indi_qhycfw2_wheel driver. They should all be downloaded when downloading all INDI drivers, so should also be available to you.
Last edit: 3 years 6 months ago by Aylin.
3 years 6 months ago #60618

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I'm using a standalone QHYCFW3, I have a different camera. I cannot get the QHYCFW3 to work independently. It comes up with an error:
2021-02-28T22:26:09: [ERROR] Handshake failed: Timeout error. Firmware must be higher than 201409

Has anyone successfully used the QHYCFW3 as a standalone in KSTARS?

My KSTARS version is:
Version 3.4.3
During my testing, I have CCD Simulator, Guide Simulator (Bare minimum requirements), and the QHYCFW3 connected as the only piece of hardware.

I couldn't find a firmware update.

Any suggestions?
3 years 4 weeks ago #67897

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OK I received a reply from QHY Support. This fixed the problem.

On the QHYCFW3, there is a USB switch you need to turn on to use as a stand alone filter wheel.
www.qhyccd.com/index.php?m=content&c=ind...show&catid=68&id=177

Before when I booted it up the LED color lights would flash and the last light lit was GREEN, indicating this is NOT the USB mode.

After I took a pin and pushed the button while the power was connected, it switched to the USB Mode. And now the last LED light flash is RED meaning it's in USB Mode.

Works great in KSTARS/EKOS now.

One note is it shows 8 POSITIONS on the filter wheel. Since the QHYCFW3 has 7 positions then it will error out and stop working if you select position 8. But it times out after awhile and all is good again!
3 years 3 weeks ago #67962

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Thank you for the feedback. I'm confused about 7 vs 8 filter slots... is there a CFW that has 8 produced by QHY?
3 years 3 weeks ago #68017

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