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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Canon M100 max exposure

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Hi I have been using EKOS/INDI for about 6 months quite successfully. I am using a PI4 with Ubuntu server 18.04
(jamesachambers.com/raspberry-pi-4-ubuntu-server-desktop-18-04-3-image-unofficial/).
This works absolutely fine as long as I restrict the exposures to 180s or less. However if I up the exposures to 300s or more it always
fails 100%.
The shutter opens for the correct time and closes again (I hear the clicks). However as soon as it starts to
download the image the camera powers off.
I have also tried this on a local x86_64 desktop system running the camera locally
and same result.
I am using the indi_canon_ccd (which is just a link to indi_gphoto_ccd).
I thought it might be a gphoto2 issue with the CanonM100
As a test I tried using ghoto2 to control the shutter and this works 100% fine at all exposures
eg 1200second exposure:

gphoto2 --set-config eosremoterelease=2 --wait-event=1200s --set-config eosremoterelease=4 --wait-event-and-download=20

works flawlessly.

Any info on this would be appreciated
4 years 3 months ago #46944

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Can you post logs from INDI Gphoto2 driver?
4 years 3 months ago #46948

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Forgot to add that I also tried using internal battery and external psu on camera.

2019-12-14T10:28:39: [INFO] Starting 300 seconds exposure.
2019-12-14T10:28:39: [ERROR] Exposure failed to save image... Unspecified error
2019-12-14T10:23:34: [INFO] Starting 300 seconds exposure.
2019-12-14T10:22:57: [INFO] World Coordinate System is enabled.
2019-12-14T10:22:57: [INFO] Device configuration applied.
2019-12-14T10:22:57: [INFO] Force BULB is enabled. All expsures shall be captured in BULB mode except for subsecond captures.
2019-12-14T10:22:57: [WARNING] All images and folders shall be saved in the camera SD card after capture if capture target is set to SD Card.
2019-12-14T10:22:57: [INFO] Capture target set to Internal RAM
2019-12-14T10:22:57: [INFO] Upload settings set to client only.
2019-12-14T10:22:57: [INFO] Loading device configuration...
2019-12-14T10:22:57: [INFO] Detected Canon Inc. Model Canon EOS M100.
2019-12-14T10:22:57: [INFO] Canon DSLR EOS M100 is online.
4 years 3 months ago #46950

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I added a non-zero mirror lock value -obviously M100 is mirrorless so makes no sense. It now seems to take any exposure. The shutter sounds like it
opens and closes correctly. However
when I examine the frames it seems setting a mirror lock value has also locked the exposure, so 300s exposure frame looks same as 1 second !
4 years 2 months ago #47520

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Replied by Poluvex on topic Canon M100 max exposure

Has there been any traction on this problem?

I also own a modded Canon M100 and when using EKOS and INDI I am unable to get exposures longer than ~300 secs, with the same error and same log output.
Absolute max I was able to get is 320sec, however erratic problem start at around 300sec.

The camera can definitely go longer - I am also using Cascable - a 3rd party (eg. non Canon) remote control smartphone app and I can expose for 6 or 10 minutes without any issues, same when using camera directly.

It is really great camera for astro - light, small, cheap and with very good sensor so it is really frustrating to have this issue.
3 years 6 months ago #59528

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INDI uses libgphoto2 to communicate with the cameras, so whatever works for gphoto2 should work in INDI. If there is a limitation in libgphoto2, then an issue need to be raised on their Github issues page. Please try to use gphoto2 to see if you can get exposure more than 300 secs, if yes then the issue is in INDI and not libgphoto2 and then we can take a closer look at it.
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3 years 6 months ago #59529

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I am having the same problem with the EOS M100. I am still happy being able to capture 180s. But 300s or even longer would be nice.
2 years 11 months ago #69936

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Hi all,

i got the solution for the M100 with EKOS and the maximum exopsure time of somewhere between 180 and 300 seconds!
The 1st thing i found out was, that there is no hard cap. I have no idea why, but i was able to do some test exposures of 300 seconds. But only a few in a row, sometimes not even a single one with 240s.

Then I started playing around with the Mirror Lock option. The values can be set between 0 (default) and 10.
Value 1 did not really help. At vaule 2 i thought it works. It really worked a few times, then in further tests the camera was busy for the time period of 600 seconds as expected. But the pictures had all an exposure time of 0.1 seconds.

My next test was value 10. I did LOT OF tests. And 100% of them were successful! You loose 10 seconds of time between the captures. But i can capture 600s! It worked every single time and i did at least 50 tests in different test-rows. No matter what ISO and no matter what exposure time i have choosen. I did not test exposurs longer than 600 seconds. I am really pleased and happy that it works. Now i need clear sky!

regards
Thomas
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2 years 9 months ago #72043

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