HI gents,

My ASS was not to bring to guide on my laptop (Targa XFDK2 TY220 / AMD Turion 64 mobile, 1,59 GHz, 960 MB ram Windows XP) with an USB - Serial converter. So I taught my laptop is to weak for it, maybe yes???  So I hung it on my strong workstation (quadcore 2,66MHz, 8GB Windows Vista). The guiding was ok on it, but on the second start of the DSI II I got no pics in, just strips in the cam window!! So my supplier replaced the DSI and told me, it mayght be also a cable problem. The network provider told me USB is USB, it does not matter on which machine it hangs. So I tried it once more with the same result with a new cable on it. Now I'm afraid that something is happen with different USB connections, bring a strange signal in the DSI or so... Is it possible to plug a filter on the USB or are some other isssues possible?????

On the third DSI I plugged a PCMCIA - Serial adapter on my laptop to have a hardware serial connection, but it is still not autoguiding, but I have pics on the laptop.

Can somebody tell me, what is going on, please????

CS Gunther

Hi Gunther,

Not sure if you've finally got images from your DSI II? Anyway, I've seen the striping you've described if the power supply voltage to the DSI is too low or intermittent. This can happen if you are running with a long cable (with or without a signal repeater) or the power supply voltage from the USB port is marginal. I use a powered USB hub on the scope to drive the DSI and a USB to serial converter via very short cables. This also enables me to have one USB cable between the scope and computer carrying signals for serial and the two DSIs, and more importantly, ensures the power supply voltage is correct on the DSIs.

I have heard of interference getting onto the USB connections from pulse modulated dew heater controllers, but not seen this with my Kendrick system (however, I had to filter the LX-90 power  supply line..).

Also, make sure you are using USB2. I had problems using USB1.1 with my DSI.

Hope this helps...

Jon

Hi Jon!

Many thanks for your quick answer! Yes I got pics with it, but just up to 30 sec - without autoguiding.I use a 9 ft. cable with repeater on USB 2. I tried a 15 ft and also a 5 ft. cable, it does not matter - no changes. My concerning is - if I use the pc - that I get a bad signal which damage the software in the DSI! I work right now with the laptop, but it seems it is too small, get some interrupts and so on. But how can I aware a damage?? Which filters?? Till now I got no answer from my dealer, what was the damge on the DSI.

But anyway, many thanks!

CS Gunther

Hi Gunther!

You did not mention if the cable is a powered or non-powered repeater? If you are using a repeater cable that takes it power from the laptop/PC USB supply line, I don't think there will be enough power available to to drive the DSI II reliably. Suggest you consider getting a powered hub for the scope end of your USB, they're not very expensive these days. I think your laptop spec. should run envisage ok, maybe some of the older hands could comment here? My laptop is not particularly fast (dual core 2.1 GHz pentium, 1GB DDR RAM) and has stacks of processing headroom.

Best of luck...

Jon.

Hi Jon!

I'm using an Ednet USB II hub, powered 5V, 2 Amps max. I tried it right now once more with an terrestial target (USB cable 4 ft. and directly on the Hbx, no additional cable or conectings, even not a mouse), but no result. With the pc it was holding the terrestial target till the cam was w.o. (in May)!

Thanks a lot!

Gunther

Ok, assuming you can get the camera to work on your PC, I would check the following next:

1) connect the DSI to the laptop via your powered hub. This will rule out any possible problems with the laptop USB power supply line. (Also, I assume you have the laptop connected to a power supply and are not running off batteries?)

2) if the DSI still won't work, then maybe the DSI driver is corrupt? You could try removing and re-installing envisage, though you may have to delete the DSI driver manually (can't remember the filename, but will post later when I get back home, unless someone else can chip in with it...).

Best of luck.

Jon

PS: Just in case we're getting mixed up in the translation, please can you confirm if you are currently getting a stable image from the DSI, and on which computer (laptop or PC)?. I'm not sure having read the previous posts again whether your problem is "no image" or "have an image but can't autoguide". Also, you might want to check this posting on the Yahoo user usergroup site: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Meade_DSI/message/39019 .

Hi Jon,

thank you for so much attention! The DSI is running stablie on the laptop, but I'm not able to guide correctly. Today I had a call from another dealer here in austria, he thinks that the laptop is too weak. He also told me that a customer had the same problem with an DSI II (have just strips and no regular pics with envisage). Meade was repacing the cam without comment! But it seems it is a special DSI II software problem, only can happen on the DSI II so far as he know. I try now to get infos directly from Meade US, hopefully.Another thing: do you know anything about the Imaging cource firewire camera DMK 21BF04?? Is it able to autoguide even on stars mag 8 or so??

Thank you in andvance

CS Gunther

Hi Gunther,

I would have thought that if you can get stable images in Envisage, and that you can get a serial connection to the autostar controller, you should be able to autoguide? Have you seen Chuck's article on autoguiding: http://autostarsuite.net/forums/storage/19/5478/Autoguiding%20with%20the%20DSI.pdf ? This is well worth a look. If this doesn't help, then maybe you'll need to post a few more details (scope, mount, controller, serial port adaptor, etc, etc) in order to help pinpoint the problem. There are also a great deal of previous posts on the subject, so one of them could answer your problem.

Sorry, I've no information on firewire cameras.

Hope you can get this sorted out soon, and start taking capturing some images...

Jon