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CONNECTING TO NIKON D810A


malcol@outlook.com

Question

I accept that this may be out of scope for BYN, but I wonder if anyone has had this problem. 

I am using a Nikon D810a. 

Whenever I power up, everything connects to the computer normally except the Nikon. 

I have a mount, a focuser, a Pegasus power box, a guide camera and the Nikon D810A.

Every time, I have to manually unplug the D810A, change the usb port that the D810A is plugged into, and then windows detects the camera. 

Has anyone else had this problem, and is there a workaround?

 

Thank you

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Does the BYN log file show any errors?

Here is an old post about a user with a D810a that would not connect -->

After the devs suggested that he reinstall BYN, the posts stopped. Since the poster did not provide any info about the outcome, I have no idea whether that fixed his issue, or he gave up.

Are you trying to plug a USB3 cable into a USB2 port? Have you tried a USB2 cable?

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as I say, it may be out of scope for BYN. 

But this is the only forum I know of where Nikon users connect to windows regularly. 

Maybe someone has seen this behaviour and knows how to correct it. 

BYN runs normally. And the camera will connect. 

Whenever I power up, windows doesn't detect the Nikon unless I unplug it from the usb port it is in, and put it in a  new one. 

BYN goes by whatever windows does. If windows says its not connected, BYN wont connect. 

The issue is not the same as the one you offered, thanks. 

 

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You may not get much traction with your post. This is because most people only come here when they have a problem, not to help others with their problems. There are apparently only a handful of folks who try to help others.

If you unplug the camera and plug it back in to the same USB port does Windows then detect it? What if you just leave it plugged in and turn the camera off and back on again? I don't think that Windows will see the camera if it is powered off.

 

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6 hours ago, astroman133 said:

If you unplug the camera and plug it back in to the same USB port does Windows then detect it? What if you just leave it plugged in and turn the camera off and back on again?

That is an interesting test. I wonder if the port goes to sleep or in a power saving mode of sort?

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for me, the ports in question are ports on a hub (the Pegasus Powerbox Advance) that is powered off when not in use. 

So at the start, Windows is on, the Pegasus Powerbox is off. Then I power up the PPA but when I do so, windows doesnt recognize the d810a. 

It recognizes the focuser, the guide camera and the PPA itself. Just not the d810a.

I'll try that setting anyway though. 

Maybe I should get out of the habit of powering off the PPA. 

But then I will have to turn off the dew heaters manually. 

I guess its a trade off. 

thanks!

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so it's been a few days/nights and I thought I would fill you in on my progress with the connectivity issues.

as I say, this is out of scope for BYN. 

It seems that if I run the D810a directly to the computer, rather than to the PPBA hub, the issue goes away. 

So now I have a long extension and cable management issues, but at least I am connecting. 

cheers,

 

Malcolm

 

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The Nikon D810a User's Manual on page 255 says "Software may not function as expected if camera is connected via USB hub."

Also on page 258 of the same manual, when discussing using ViewNX 2, the manual says "Connect the camera directly to the computer; do not connect the cable via a USB hub or keyboard."

This appears in the guides for other models, as well.

That said, I would imagine that other users are using a hub, even though that configuration is not supported by Nikon.

As a long time software developer and user, I would offer a tip that when testing software for the first time, start testing it with the simplest configuration possible. I would have tried connecting the camera directly to the PC with the manufacturer-supplied cable first. This is useful, even though that is not where you want to end up even though you may want to have the computer somewhat remote from the camera. This type of testing helps to establish a baseline for behavior and performance. If that configuration works, but it fails when connecting through a hub, you can quickly conclude that going through the hub is somehow causing the issue.

You also allude to doing some testing at night. This is unnecessary. You can test BYN with your laptop and camera at the kitchen table, during the day, both directly connected with short and long cables, as well as connecting through a USB hub. You can test connect/disconnect, short exposures, long exposures, LiveView, etc. without wasting a moonless night or fumbling around in the dark. Then once you have proven the basic functionality you can test advanced functions like autoguiding and platesolving during a nighttime session.

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One does not buy a piece of hardware like a PPBA or an Eagle or even an ASI AIR expecting that standard features like USB ports fail to function for certain hardware.

That said, trail and error suggest that the hub is the problem. Maybe an Eagle would not have this issue. I'm not spending the money to find out. That would be an expensive gamble.

Obviously one can test connectivity in the daytime. I have been using BYN for 10 years. Anyway, I appreciate the feedback. Its very kind of you to try. cheers

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It seems unlikely that the hub is non-standard. It may be that the Nikon SDK and its timing with the camera is changed enough to cause an issue. That would be a Nikon problem, Not a hub problem (it could happen with any hub) or an O'Telescope problem. That said, one hub may cause failure and another not cause failure, but both comply with USB standards.

You might get better answers on a Nikon owner's forum where Nikon pros hang out. I'm not trying to push you away, just help you get better answers.

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6 hours ago, malcol@outlook.com said:

One does not buy a piece of hardware like a PPBA or an Eagle or even an ASI AIR expecting that standard features like USB ports fail to function for certain hardware.

That said, trail and error suggest that the hub is the problem. Maybe an Eagle would not have this issue. I'm not spending the money to find out. That would be an expensive gamble.

Obviously one can test connectivity in the daytime. I have been using BYN for 10 years. Anyway, I appreciate the feedback. Its very kind of you to try. cheers

You might have luck contacting Pegasus Astro and Primeluce Customer Service Departments, and ask them if they have had success supporting Customers through these same issues.  Else, you might post on the "Big Astro boards" - CloudyNights and SkySearchers and Stargazers...  Surely you aren't the first/only...

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Fwiw, I have a D810a also and I usually run the USB connection through a hub. 
In one configuration, it’s a Win10 BeeLink computer running BYN, with an Anker powered USB3 hub. In the other configuration it’s an old Samsung Win7 laptop running BYN with the USB connection through an unpowered no-name hub.

Occasionally I have connection issues where the D810a isn’t recognized, but they’re usually due to older USB cables. I’ve switched to just using the Anker braided nylon USB cables. They seem to be more robust, are water resistant, and don’t go completely stiff in freezing temperatures.

 

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Scrolling through the Q&A I was reminded that I had an issue with BYN not recognizing my D5100, which seemed to be related (? Not sure) to the type of SD card installed in the camera. Perhaps the SD card was a newer type which was not supported by my older camera.

So - it might be worth trying a different type of SD card. It’s an easy thing to try, and (who knows…?) it might fix the issue.

Good luck.

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