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BYE and PHD


Jim

Question

I had strange behaviour last night when dithering from within BYE (3.0.3). Every time BYE issued a dither command PHD (2.2.1) locked up and froze. The only way I could get it back was to disconnect the guide camera and mount and using Task Manager End the PHD task (and POTH when I was using that). I have not seen this behaviour before and the only changes to either software or hardware since the last time I used my mount have been Windows updates.

 

I shut my laptop down a couple of times and tried directly connecting PHD to the mount (via ASCOM) as well as via POTH from within ASCOM, but the result was always the same. I eventually ended up turning dithering off.

 

Has anyone else seen similar behaviour?

 

I will copy this post across to the Stark Yahoo group as well.

 

Regards

 

Jim

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John,

 

I have to run about 10m from laptop to the base of my mount so I have always used a powered hub and active lead. As I said it all worked fine and then one day it just didn't. I kept getting loss of connectivity between PHD and my guide camera. Adding a second active lead just for the guide camera and leaving everything else on the active lead and powered hub makes it all work again. The last time it worked was a very wet night and I had to run all my dew heaters on full power (never had to do this before) and my whole set up was dripping from condensation. After that it wouldn't work reliably, so the relatively low cost of a second active lead is a small price to pay for a reliable system.

 

I have hardly been able to get outside for the last 12-18 months because of the weather and almost continual cloud cover that I hate losing any clear nights that have very infrequently occurred here in the West Midlands of England. Due to the very heavy light pollution here I need very clear nights to be able to do anything other than visual and, as I'm not as young as I used to be, dragging all the kit out only having to drag it all back in again after about an hour or so is very frustrating and demoralising.

 

Hopefully when my wife and I move in preparation for my retirement in a couple of years time I will have much lower levels of light pollution and also a permanent outdoor observatory so all I will need to do is remotely open the roof and look at the night sky at my leisure. Also there won't be any work in the morning preventing me from spending all night observing, bliss.

 

Regards

 

Jim

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PHD's in control of all the Dither related actions, and the only component to talk to the Mount via ASCOM.  If either of those is locking up, your problems are likely between those components.

I'd bring those questions to the OpenPHDGuiding Forum on Google.

 

I use PHD2 v2.2.2 with BYEOS v3.0.3 for my Imaging Sessions (AutoGuide Camera connected ST-4 to Mount), and have had almost no problems with that combo.  Any problems have been posted to and addressed by OpenPHDGuiding...

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I have discovered the issue (not me really, the guys in the PHD group) :^))

 

It looks like after many successful times using a single pair of active USB cables (connected in series) and a powered hub to run my guide camera, mount and EOS650 I have hit problems with my USB connection :^((

 

From the PHD logs it was apparent that my guide camera was failing to respond causing PHD to sit waiting for it. PHD and the mount was dithering but the guide camera stopped responding shortly after this event.

 

I purchased a second USB 2.0 active cable (12m) and used this to exclusively run my guide camera (QHY 5-II) and the other leads (USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 in series) for my EOS650 and mount. The USB 3.0 active cable with mount and camera is connected into my laptop's USB 3.0 hub and the USB 2.0 active cable is connected into my laptop's USB 2.0 hub. Now I have done this it all worked exceedingly well last night for about 8 hours.

 

I used AlignMaster to perform my polar alignment. Stellarium scope to point the mount in the general area of targets (typically to within a few arcmins). Astrotortilla to centre the targets in the FoV. PHD 2 to guide the mount and BYE to take the pictures. All worked flawlessly, just as it used to with the single cable route. I guess I've just been lucky over the last couple of years.

 

I had expected that if the USB cable or hub was overloaded that it would have been my Canon camera link to BYE that would have complained not the guide camera to PHD 2, well one lives and learns.

 

Thought I should let everyone know what the issue was and the solution.

 

Regards

 

Jim

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I've never had any problem using PHD2 from the beginning. I connect my computer (a MacBook Pro running Parallels Desktop for Mac with a Win 7 guest OS) to an un-powered USB 2.0 hub. From there I connect to my Losmandy G-11 Gemini 2 USB port using the Shoestring GPUSB cable. My Meade DSI-II Color camera (for guiding) is also connected to the USB hub, and so is my Canon 60D (for imaging). Everything works fine.

 

 

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John, 

 

I had my set up working fine for over a year all via a single cable and hub, then one day it didn't and wouldn't from then on. I'm guessing that something has got old or there has been moisture ingress and splitting the load as many others have done has cured the issue. 

 

Jim

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Jim: The USB hub that I'm using is by Plugable. I've got one on all three of my computers. The 2.0 is a 10-port and the 3.0 is a 7-port. Both are powered, but I don't have a need to power the one in my observatory (it's a 2.0 hub). I've found that I only need the external power for when an external portable hard drive is connected.

 

None of my USB cables are active with the exception of the Shoestring GPUSB, and none are over 1 meter.

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