QHY16200A troubles

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

Hello,

The version 1.9 doesn’t work very well with this camera and its filter wheel because has problems with temperature control and wheel connection, so I have tested the beta 1.10 and, wow! What a lot of new features! For example, the focusing process is better, the sequence has more options and now the temperature control of the 16200a is ok with both native ,and ASCOM driver but is a pitty because both drivers have big problems:

• With native driver, changing filter process doesn’t wait the fully movement of the wheel and image can be adquired before the filter is in place. NINA now is very good because we can use native driver that gives better control of the camera, but with this problem I cannot use this driver.
• With ASCOM driver, the changing filter works fine, but in bin 1x1 the image downloading gives an error and many times the image doesn’t download. This is the error: “Camera Timeout-Camera did not set image as ready after exposuretime+15 seconds”

If this problem were solved, thie version 1.10 was perfect for QHY16200a.

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[Dale Ghent]

Hello Andres, thank you for your report. Yes, the 16200A in particular seems different in some way than the other cameras, but it isn’t clear how it is.

To help me get a better idea of what is going on, can you please set the logging level to Debug under Options > Log Level and go through the motions with the camera, with moving the filter wheel and trying to take an exposure, and then provide the resulting log file here?

Does the exposure ever succeed or does it always fail? Does it only fail in 1x1 binning?

Thanks

[Dale Ghent]

Thanks for the log file but it seems you connected using the ascom driver and not the native one?

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

There are two log files.

• The first is with ASCOM, the issue with ASCOM is:

In bin 1x1 always gives the error, but sometimes the image is downloaded and sometimes isn’t, and the sequence fails.

1.9 version hasn’t this issue.

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• The second file is with Native Driver, and the issue is:

The image always download without problem, but the filter changes while capturing (you can see the filter in the middle in the image attached) instead changing the filter first and then begin capturing. So, when in a sequence there is a filter changing the images after filter changes, have this problem.

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By the way, congratulations for this great software

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[Dale Ghent]

Ok, the download issue is a NINA problem. The KAF16200 takes a longer time than most to read out the sensor and download the image data - a much longer time than the 15 seconds that NINA currently waits for that to complete. A change to increase this timeout to 60 seconds will likely be in the next 1.10 beta release.

As for the filter wheel, it turns out that the A-series cameras require slightly different filter wheel position logic than the CFW does. I will contact QHY to get some additional clarity around this topic and see what can be done.

Also, there is a pending change to NINA to close the shutter on the A-series cameras for DARK, BIAS, and DARKFLAT image types.

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

Ok, I am looking forward to using the 1.10 version because there are many better things than in 1.9

Thank you for your quick answer

[Dale Ghent]

Andres, can you give this test version a try?

https://daleghent.com/misc/nina/testing/NINASetupBundle.exe

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

Hello, thank you for your support.

• ASCOM seems to work well.

• Native driver doesn’t work: the filter switching works well pushing “Change” button, but when push exposure button gives this message: “Switching filter” but the filterwheel doesn’t move and the capture doesn’t begin. The message “Switching filter” stay all the time.

If it is possible tonight I’ll test a sequence with ASCOM. Here you are the log file.

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[Dale Ghent]

Thanks, Andres. I’ve updated the installer at the same URL above with a change. Can you try it? You will have to uninstall NINA first, then install using that. Don’t worry, your settings will be preserved.

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

With this new version:

Native: sometimes the message “Switching filter” permanently and the capture doesn’t happen. Sometimes filter change happens and after take the photo correctly, and sometimes the photo begin before the filter changing ends.

Ascom seems to work well

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

Hello, have you researched anything else?

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

Hello, I have instaled the new 1.10 version (not beta) and the filter wheel keeps the same problems with native driver

Another issue seems the be cooling and heating the camera: sometimes doesn’t work and I have to reconect the camera. This is with both native and ASCOM

Thanks

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

Another thing: Fast readout for snapshot has the same speed that default readout with both, ASCOM and native

[Max Whitby]

Hello Andres. I also have a QHY16200A that I wish to use with N.I.N.A. Please can I ask whether you are able to use the camera with 1.10 release. If not what are the main issues to be aware of? regards Max Whitby

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

Hello Max,

N.I.N.A. 1.10 works very well with ASCOM driver for QHY16200 because native driver has problems with filter changing. With ASCOM the only thing is that N.I.N.A. can’t adjust offset, you must change it by ASCOM menu, so is a minor issue.

There is other issue: the readout for snapshot is always standard, fast readout doesn’t work, so framing and focusing is a little slow if you use bin 1x1. This is a minor issue too, but I’d like fast readout works.

N.I.N.A. is the best program that I have used, it almost never hangs. I used SGP that hanged very often.

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[Max Whitby]

Hello Andres

Thank you very much for your encouraging reply.  That is good news. Focusing and plate solving at 2x2 binning is what I would normally set.

Yes N.I.N.A. is a magnificent piece of software. A truly modern implementation. Previously I was using TheSkyX, which I remain fond of, but N.I.N.A. simply beats it in so many dimensions.

regards from Northumberland

Max Whitby

[Andres Jobacho Sanchez]

Regards from Jerez, Spain. Good luck and clear skies

[Brian Sweeney]

In a similar vein, I experience these same issues with the Atik 16200. Starting a sequence does not wait for the Atik EFW3 to finish cycling before beginning the long exposure. I also occasionally experience the same issue with it not waiting for the moonlite nitecrawler rotator either.

[Massimo Mainini]

@Dale Ghent QHY695A With native driver, changing filter process doesn’t wait the fully movement of the wheel and image can be adquired before the filter is in place. Same problem as Andres. Regards from Italy