Debugging DSUB with Nikon D5100

[dts350z]

I'm having issues with DSUB on a Nikon D5100. The light goes from Red to Green, BYN says cable init, then starts the exposure, but the shutter on the camera never actually fires.

 

I have three DSUBs and cables and they all behave the same.

 

DSUBcheck connects and works as far as LEDs but also doesn't fire the shutter on the camera.

 

Any ideas?

 

Can I test the camera by doing something with the just the DSUB cable? From googling it looks like shorting the ground and tip on the earphone style connector should fire the shutter but that also does nothing.

 

BYN works fine, for non bulb exposures, bye the way.

[astroman133]

Check out this post on the Shoestring Astronomy Support Forum --> http://forum.shoestringastronomy.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=580

 

BTW, it is a DSUSB cable not a DSUB cable!

[dts350z]

Ok "DSUSB" it is 

 

Thanks for that link however I am in the same position as the last post (still not working), although I don't have another shutter cable to test the camera with.

 

I.E. "Assert", followed by "Open Shutter", does not fire the shutter.

 

Camera is in "M". Latest firmware installed. No lens on the camera (T-Ring and telescope vs. "lens"). so AF shouldn't be an issue? Not sure what "full manual" would be other than putting it in "M". Any other settings to check?

 

I don't even have a Nikon lens to try.

[admin]

Do you have an intervalometer to try?  This would confirm if the actual port on the camera is faulty or not.

[dts350z]

I have an intervalometer... for Canon, so would need to build an adapter which adds a variable ;0)

 

Some progress. Making sure the cable is A) orientated correctly (who designed this connector? And who designed the plug markings with a triangle on both sides!) and shoved in all the way (seems like it forces the metal tab on the camera connector past the no metal slot on the cable connector) I can get DSUSBCheck to fire the shutter by first doing the "assert" then "open the shutter".

 

Seems like the shutter immediately closes, however.

 

I am hoping that at this point BYN will do the right thing but don't have a Nikon D5100 USB cable with me at the moment (and who designed that little non-standard $%&^ plug?) Nobody sells a 10' cable. All I can find are 5 or 6. I do see one 15' cabled from tethered tools but that is too long and fairly expensive. Whine Whine Whine... 

 

But yeah hopefully things will work from here. I will post my results and thanks for the help!

[astroman133]

If you cannot get the DSUSBCheck program to work, then the problem is likely not related to BYN. You should follow up with the folks at Shoestring Astronomy.

[admin]

BYN automatically does the ASSERT command.

 

Can you check that mirror lock is OFF on your camera.

 

Regards,

[dts350z]

The usb cable just arrived and it worked for a 40 second bulb exposure in byn so I assume I am good to go.

 

Just came down to the connector allowing me to plug it in backwards. One of the cables I have has the same symbol on both sides, so that did t help either.

[dts350z]

@Rick,

 

I never thought there was a problem with BYN, just posted here to get help with from people familiar with D5100 and BYN.

 

Also there was a very slim chance there there was a showstring problem, as I have THREE of those boxes and cable sets and they all behaved the same (well two of them did, the third one is still unused as I ordered it and didn't realize that my used camera was going to come with one). 

 

I'll report on the mirror lock and any other issue after doing some more actual imaging tonight.

 

Thanks again to all.

[jimwc6491]

dts350z

a small piece of white tape on one side of the plug (assuming the plug is black) may help. especially in the dark. 

[dts350z]

Good idea.

 

Eventually this will be part of a permanent setup, with this camera (monochrome) and a astromodified canon t3i (One shot color) inside a cooler bag with all wires always attached.

 

Swapping cameras may involve threading the different t-rings onto the back of the filter wheel, or I may have the filter wheel and focal reducer always on the monochrome camera and a 2nd focal reducer always on the Canon (two holes in the cooler bag) and swap the focal reducers in and out of the focuser.

 

In addition to the cooler bag air being ice water cooled, each camera will have a "cold finger" thermally connecting (but electrically isolated) a CPU cooler water block to the RF/heat shield on the back of the camera. The t3i is already set up that way and looking at a teardown of the D5100 it should work the same way (cut a hole in the camera back, inside the cavity where the LCD folds away).

 

...

 

Everything went fine last night with BYN and the DSUSB last night.

 

Cheers,

Z