JC,

Sadly, the camera is an older camera no longer properly supported by the new driver. I don't know how many EKOS/indilib users have older cameras (support for the QHY9S may also be deprecated shortly as well) but perhaps a gentle lobby from users to QHY may help. I think they'd prefer that we purchase new cameras ...

I was thinking an older vintage driver, perhaps a few years old, might be able to be dusted off and used instead, but I haven't had the cycles to dig through the archives for one. Perhaps some of the maintainers might know where to look, or even indicate if this is possible.

Regards,

jmh

Thank you jmh for your reply.

I am totaly understanding your answer ! So the way will be be hard ... I will try this WE to generate a customized CCD driver interface ( based on github.com/openastroproject instruction ...) And we will see.

Have clear night !

JC

jmh

If you want to play again with the QHY8, I let you know that I finaly succed. I had to recompile the Indi 3rd library for the QHYCCD patching the possibilities to use the gain Offset and low speed USB necessary to used this Cam. The last item I not succeed is patching the driver for using binning 2X and 4X useful for MAP or accelerating the atrometry resolution. But it works now for nominal acquisition.

Have a nice sky.
JC

I would keep watching this topic. I tried to replace the .HEX file with the one provided here. www.qhyccd.com/bbs/index.php?topic=5789.0 I was able to connect QHY8 afterward but there is no way for me to control the gain and offset of the camera.

Hi Reticyte

If you are using the hex file you have mentionned, you will not be able to use gain/Ofsset and USB speed ( you need to slow with the camera... )
To get those functionalities I succed ( After almost one year....) to find how in re-compiling the QHY 3rd driver modifying ( very slightly... ) in the code test concerning those three prperties.
I have recompile for rasbian buster with Astroberry environnement.

The small remaining bug is that when you stop the camera during acquisition, the connexion is completly jamed. But here also I found a way with a unix command in reintialisation to restart the connexion. This permit to avoid a deconnexion of the usb cable which was necessary before. I plan to use Ekos in remote at 500 km from where I am living so I was wondering not to move each time the connexion was out !

So If your are using astroberry/Rasbian , I can send to you those released of QHY 3rd Driver if you are interrested in (without garanty ...! ) or is you are confident to recompile the drivers in your environment, I can show you the modification done in the code whiche is very small. As you want ..

JC

Wow, that was quite an effort you made, I am currently using Astroberry + EKOS, I believe your work will solve my problem. If you don't mind, would you send me the driver first so I can get the camera to work on Astroberry?

Meanwhile, I am also curious to know what kind of modification you did to the driver to make it work, maybe I can look into the jammed connection problem with some digging and lucks.

Hi JC,

I have the same problems as you, not being able to set gain and offset or the USB speed. Over the years, I have tried various incarnations of the QHY8.HEX file (from this forum and the QHY forum), with no real luck.

If you managed to work out a 'fix' in the driver that would indeed be amazing. Would you mind sharing your .HEX? (or mods in the source code which then needs to be recompiled)

Currently working in a windows 7 environment (which runs great), but would love to run in the Astroberry+Ekos env.

Cheers,
B

So...

Firstly I had to review the step to compile and install this driver through the make file.

See firstly the file "qhy_ccd.ccp" that I have modify to validate gain,offset and USB Speed. You will see that the modification is very simple but not portable ( be care if your using QHY8L and 8Pro...). As you will see there one point that I was not able to activate is the binning 2X2 and 4X4... that a little bit frustarting whan I making a atroresolution wit hte 1X1 binning. It take longer timer than if I was able to active the 4X4 binning. That will be the next step.
If you fill confident, you can follow the indication done on "github.com/indilib/indi-3rdparty" to recompile the QHY CCd driver with the "qhy_ccd.ccp" file I have send to you and install it.. If you do so, of course I will convince you to make a copy of your entire rasberry system due to the risk of installation crash you may.

If you don't fell confident , I propose to you to copy the lib here with "indi_qhy_ccd" and copy it in the /usr/bin directory renaming the existing file with old extention in case it is not working . you should do that with the "sudo" prefix comman I supose as you are in the systme files. I am not sure that it will works due to that fact that I have use the "github.com/indilib/indi-3rdparty" indication to compile and install the new lib. But let try... I think it shoud works.

in any case, let me know if it works !

If it works, on last thing, the command to reintithe usb connection if you interrupt the acquisition before the end of the exposition..:
open a command line and type:



JC

Sorry message send to quicly...and the zip file have been dobbled..


Command to reset the usb port linked to the QHY8 with Rasbian :

sudo sh -c "echo 0 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/1-1.2/authorized"
sudo sh -c "echo 1 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/1-1.2/authorized"

1-1.2 is the number of the device you get with dsmeg comand. It could change...


If you don't do that, tha only maner to recover the link with the camer is to disconnect physicaly the USB port and to reconnect it ! This is a very particular bahaviour of this camera...

Hopping you will be able to use this QHY8 again in the Ekos system.

JC

Hi JC,

Thank you so much for sharing this, I have tried that on my Astroberry, now gain and offset will be adjustable. Meanwhile, the known problem of jamming will still appear after we make the change.

The jamming problem won't be resolved by reseting the USB port. I have tried the following when EKOS and KSTARS are on and off:

astroberry@astroberry:~ $ dmesg | grep -i qhy
[ 10.032707] usb 1-1.1.2: Product: QHY-8 S
[ 10.032721] usb 1-1.1.2: Manufacturer: QHY-CCD
astroberry@astroberry:~ $ sudo sh -c "echo 0 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/1-1.1.2/authorized"
[sudo] password for astroberry:
astroberry@astroberry:~ $ sudo sh -c "echo 1 > /sys/bus/usb/devices/1-1.1.2/authorized"
sh: 1: echo: echo: I/O error

However, since the camera technically is working now, thank you again for sharing your work.

Hi TC,

Thank you as well! It all seems to work for me as well. The offset, gain and USB speed are available and working. I haven't tried it under the stars or with any sequences yet, but it looks promising.

I used your compiled library, but also had a look through your code modifications, and I am surprised that those mods would be required, and not caught by the main flow, but hey amazing job!

I just realise that I used the v2QHY8.HEX firmware (few messages up), but not sure if that was required. I had multiple QHY cameras attached and was physically unplugging the wrong one, so copied that version in place and realised I was unplugging the wrong camera:)

I tried binning, but as you said that is not working, well the image gets downloaded but at full resolution. This is fine with me, little slower with the focusing procedure I guess. I haven't tried or set up the plate solving, but I would assume you can use a reduction factor, which I am already using.

Anyway, I gave the whole setup a sanity check and it all seems to work nicely. So now I will need to rethink about how to reconfigure the whole camera/mount/telescope setup using the Kstars + Ekos environment. But that is good news!

Not sure how many others are there which have similar problems with the QHY8, but it may be worth putting it in git (GitHub or gitlab or any of the others). However it is logged in this thread so all good.

Let me know if there is anything you want me to check.

Thanks heaps for your work and efforts.

Cheers,
B

OK ! I very glad that this works at the end is used by other than my own person ! So I am trying to investigate the reset of USB ( very important when you are using Ekos in remote at 500km...! ) and also the binnning and let you know if I get some news...

In the meantime enjoy with this camera that even it is old, is still interresting with its format, I think for tracking variable star/Ateroid or simply imaging a large field !

JC