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

Bi-monthly release with minor bug fixes and improvements

Capture not working - failing and snapping multiple pictures

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Hi!

I think I have a somewhat intermittent and frustrating issue. My captures seems to fail repeatedly, but somewhat intermittently. My setup is a Stellarmate R-Pi, with a Canon 1000D connected. Nightly buids, updated today.

What happens is (among several similar scenarios): I take a preview, 1 sec. No problems. I take a second - I get:
"Restarting capture attempt #1". And the camera seems to snap images, at times snap-snap, two almost overlapping. But nothing downloading to Kstars. THen, after a while, it works again.

Sometimes, I can interrupt and cancel, and then it works again. Sometimes not.

Attached a log for this, log_20-19-15.txt.

THen I succeded in trying a capture sequence. Focusing worked, one sub was captured, then focusing again, and now there was a "timeout". ANd then Kstars crashed.

Log attached, log_20-43-05.txt

(interestingly enough, I could not transfer these logs via FTP - I had to shutdown the R-Pi and move them via an external memory stick)

Magnus


Magnus
5 years 5 months ago #30377
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Hi There!

I have the same Problem from time to time. Seems it has something to do with canon cams, or dslr generally.

I have no solution, but a workaround that works for me.

The problem that occurs additionally is, that, if you want to plate solve, kstars opens and solves THE WRONG PICTURE. And because of that it goes into a endless solving loop...

So if you have the problem that this "snapSnap" thing happens and kstars goes muddled and swallows a pic do the following.

Leave the mount at its actual position, don park; Disconnect and Stop indi; close KStars entirely; switch of the Cam and wait 5 secs to make sure its absolute switched off; switch on the cam again; start KStars; start indi; go to the Mount tab immedeatly and start tracking manually; solve and sync only;

After that the mount should know where its at and everything should work alright.

Always when platesolving make sure the picture you see, REALLY is the picture you made!

Hope that helps.

cheers, Niki
Skywatcher EQ6-R | Lacerta 10" Carbon-Newton | Lacerta MFoc Motorfocus | Moravian G2 8300 Color | Canon EOS 5DMarkIIIa | Lodestar X2 guiding cam | KSTARS 3.4.3. on my outdoor-Laptop with KDE-Neon/Plasma | KSTARS 3.4.3. on Remote-IMac with Catalina | KSTARS 3.4.3 on Remote-Macbook Air with Catalina
5 years 5 months ago #30418

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I'd like to add it might be necessary to disconnect the USB cable from the cam after switching it off. Most of the time you'll see an animation on the cam's screen stating something like "Recording. Remaining pictures: 1" link

We basically got rid of "ghost pictures" a while ago. They only occured when using the DSLR driver. I found they sometimes creep back in, in particular when something else goes wrong. A few days ago I had an extra long USB cable with repeaters connected to the cam and the issue re-occured. I then tried the same with a much shorter cable and everything went fine. Are you guys using long USB cables, USB hubs, USB repeaters etc.? If so, I'd suspect they might play a role here.
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Last edit: 5 years 5 months ago by Alfred.
5 years 5 months ago #30453

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Hi!

Thanks for your suggestions. As for USB-stuff: short cables, and an industry level USB-hub, powered by 12V.

The issue us highly intermittent - I've not seen it since I posted. However, when aligning, I regularly get "solver timed out, capturing again. Cannot capture while camera is in use (or something similar), Retrying in 10 secs". THen it captures. I have no idea if that is related.... I'll try to post logs when/if it turns upp again.

Best,

Magnus
5 years 5 months ago #30466

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I did not recognize that this problem is "solved" allready since i have it almost every night.
Good suggestion to use shorter usb cable. The problem is that i just can´t...
The Cable has to be long enough for the system to work a whole night, including a meridian flip. So i use a long cable, but no hub. Its connected directly to my laptop where EKOS is running.
Skywatcher EQ6-R | Lacerta 10" Carbon-Newton | Lacerta MFoc Motorfocus | Moravian G2 8300 Color | Canon EOS 5DMarkIIIa | Lodestar X2 guiding cam | KSTARS 3.4.3. on my outdoor-Laptop with KDE-Neon/Plasma | KSTARS 3.4.3. on Remote-IMac with Catalina | KSTARS 3.4.3 on Remote-Macbook Air with Catalina
5 years 5 months ago #30470

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I see such issues with my Canon 600d on occasion. Typically it occurs if I have mirror lockup set in INDI driver, but not configured on the camera's custom features menu from daytime use. Also if live view is open, it doesn't necessarily gracefully make the switch to an image capture. 'Snap, snap' and it's stuck trying to send the second picture to the client when the client is not expecting one.
As long as I make sure mirror-lockup is setup properly, or not used at all, and live view is off before capture, everything seems to go well.
5 years 5 months ago #30495

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Hi!

Good suggestion with liveview.
I use it most of the time, because the picture on the Cameras Monitor is far better, then the one i see on my laptop...

Maybe the cam shows a processed jpg, whereas the viewer of kstars shows the unstreched raw? Didn´t find out that yet...

I have to try without lv, and tell if that works.

BTW, where do you activate mirror lockup in INDI?

cheers
Niki
Skywatcher EQ6-R | Lacerta 10" Carbon-Newton | Lacerta MFoc Motorfocus | Moravian G2 8300 Color | Canon EOS 5DMarkIIIa | Lodestar X2 guiding cam | KSTARS 3.4.3. on my outdoor-Laptop with KDE-Neon/Plasma | KSTARS 3.4.3. on Remote-IMac with Catalina | KSTARS 3.4.3 on Remote-Macbook Air with Catalina
5 years 5 months ago #30505

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GPhoto CCD or Canon DSLR Driver tab in in the INDI Control Panel, under the Main Control tab.
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5 years 5 months ago #30525

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