My QHY cameras aren't working in the latest version of Sharpcap

[ramdom]

Hi Robin/all: I wanted to try out the latest SharpCap version (3.26377.0) since it said "bug fixes" for QHY in the June 1 revision (my QHY247C temperature control wasn't reliable on my older SharpCap version - I don't remember the # but it was from last fall).

When I first installed and ran it, it said I needed to update my QHY drivers which I went ahead and did. The new SharpCap still doesn't either my 247C or my 163M when I connect to it though it says something about the generic broadcast version and when I select that in the cameras, I get a note saying SharpCap can access it directly but either are not present in my camera list.

How do I get my QHY cameras to show in the latest version of SharpCap?

OTOH, the older version now is working with both cameras and temperature control was working too and seemed more reliable but again the temperature control problem was intermittent. I also had a white line problem with the old version with 247C (I always started with about 100px horizontal bright white line in the middle for the 247C) and also it wouldn't autoconnect (it NEVER had these issues with the 163M - the software works perfectly with that camera so these minor "features" were all 247C and I lived with it). But now those issues seem to have gone in the OLD version.

I have to complain about how Windows organises files, etc. and also perhaps this is some clue as to what's wrong since I don't use Windows much - only for SharpCap in fact! Both newer and older QHY stuff is there now in different locations (some of the newer QHY stuff like the AllinOne directory is in "C:\Program Files "and some of it along with the older stuff is in "C:\Program Files x86" according to the dates of the install).

Thanks a lot!

--Ram

[admin]

Hi,

the problem that I have is that there are a very wide range of qhy cameras and I only have two or 3 to test with. When I get an updated version of the qhy software I do always test it with the cameras that I have, but I have no idea whether it will fix bugs with other models or break things. Sadly breaking things is a far too frequent occurrence with updates from qhy

Having said that, notification of yet another update for the qhy SDK dropped into my email inbox last week, so I was intending to try and get out a new version of SharpCap with that update in it over the weekend.

Cheers, Robin

[ramdom]

Okay, thanks - I thought you had the 163M since you had the brain histogram data loaded into it but anyways both of those don't work. I could try the PoleMaster also and see if it shows up (normally my PoleMaster shows up in SharpCap also).

--Ram

[ramdom]

Also, if I want to go back an older version and want to delete this (or perhaps just try a reinstall AFTER the QHY drivers have installed?) should I just remove the folder containing this? The names are "SharpCap 3.2" and "SharpCap 3.2 (64bit)" (something like that). The first is the newest one. Presumably they'll start overlapping once I keep downloading. (But I could wait to try out your new version also since my one from last fall is working for now.)

--Ram

[admin]

Hi,

you can install different versions of SharpCap without them interfering with each other subject to some restrictions.

Different major versions of SharpCap (3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3) are independent from each other and you can have multiple major versions installed on the same computer and they shouldn't cause any interference with each other (unless you try and control the same camera with two different versions at once!)

The 32 and 64-bit versions of SharpCap are also independent from each other so that you can have for instance SharpCap 32 bit 3.2.6377 installed as well as SharpCap 64-bit 3.2.6309

What you can't do is have two different minor updates of the same major version with the same business installed at the same time - that is you can't have 3.2.6309 and 3.2.6377 on the machine at once with them both being the 32 bit versions.

In theory I could have made installing a newer version of SharpCap uninstall all the older versions, but I was very reluctant to do this as clear sky time is so precious – with things working the way they do if you've installed SharpCap 3.3 recently and it misbehaves on you then you can always go back to SharpCap 3.2 without any delay.

Cheers, Robin

[ramdom]

Hmm, I'm not close to my Windows but if I thought both latest versions were 3.2. I don't see 3.3?

I have both 3.2 versions on there. As I mentioned, one was from last fall and one was from 2-3 days ago. So the newest one is definitely is 3.2.6377.0. The older version is 3.2.6117.0 or something around there. Could this be the problem? My guess is that whatever problem I have, it's general to all QHY cameras, not just the two I have.

But it doesn't still answer my question about how I uninstall/rename/delete a version, unless you're saying there's no way I can have 3.2.6117 and 3.2.6337 in the same machine but it looks like they did install in different directories. And that's because they are 32 bit and 64 bit versions! Sheesh... I didn't realise the 64 version link was down below. So inadvertently I've managed to potentially avoid an issue. Or maybe cause it.

My point is that I have this 32 bit version which is in the directory/folder "SharpCap 3.2" and the other one is in the directory "SharpCap 3.2 (64 bit)". Can I just delete the 32 bit directory (my latest install)? It's possible the newest QHY drivers installed in the wrong place also since they asked me for a location and I forget where I put it but my guess is that it was one of these (either the 32 bit or 64 bit I forget - can I change that? - Do you know what I mean? When I install the QHY drivers they ask me for the location of the SharpCap install and I give them a location - actually just select the default location they provide and I don't remember what it is).

Now what would happen if I installed the 64 bit version of 3.2.6377 (with 3.2.6117 64 bit being present)? Let's say the QHY problem in the 32 and 64 bits are identical in the 3.2.6377 then would that break my set up entirely? Would it matter it is 32 bit vs. 64 bit?

Anyways, currently I have 3.2.6117 working. I want to try out 3.2.6377 of which I have the 32 bit installed which doesn't recognise my QHY cameras. Would you recommend I just wait for 3.3 instead? Or install your latest update again in 32 bit?

--Ram

PS: When I say I want to uninstall/rename a version, let's say I wish to try out 3.2.6337 64 bit. I could rename the directory currently named "SharpCap 3.2 64 bit" containing 3.6117 (which works) to "SharpCap 3.2 64 bit-BACKUP-SAVE" and then re-install 3.2.6337 64 bit and see if THAT works? And if it also doesn't, can I delete the "SharpCap 3.2 64 bit" directory containing it and rename the "SharpCap 3.2 64 bit-BACKUP-SAVE" containing 3.2.6117 to the correct name and have it work? Does this kind of directory movement cause an issue?

[ramdom]

My GUESS based on how you've set things up and how I believe I told QHY to install the latest drivers into the SharpCap 64 bit version means that I believe the newest (6337) 32 bit version doesn't have QHY driver support.

This has to do with QHY asking me where is the SharpCap install location. I am quite sure I said "SharpCap 3.2 (64 bit)" but I am not 100% sure. But it would explain why the old 6117 version works better now. And why the newest install doesn't know anything about QHY.

So the way to test it would be to install 6337 64 bit on TOP of my current install of 6117 right? But that may break things.

This is why I want to create a backup of my current directory/folder containing all the working version of 6117 and put it in a safe place to experiment. But I don't use Windows enough to know if this will be safe - if this is all the stuff needed to make 6117 work or is there something else in some other weird place. In a Unix system (like Mac OS X, I could move /Applications/SharpCap3.2 and /Applications/SharpCap3.2-BACKUP and then reinstall the newest version and if doesn't work, delete it, and move back the BACKUP version and I know it will work).

--Ram

PS: You could set up each version directory to be unique - so you create SharpCap 3.2.6117.0 etc. so that each version has no overlap with a previous version. This way my question would be moot. As you noted, clear nights are precious...

[admin]

Hi,

SharpCap 3.2.6383 is now available for download and has the very latest qhy SDK included. Like all versions of SharpCap (32 and 64-bit), this will work with qhy cameras – at least I know it does with the cameras that I have.

I strongly advise against the suggestions that qhy sometimes give to try copying new files into the SharpCap install folder. If you have done this then please uninstall and reinstall SharpCap to put things back to their default. It's far too easy to install the wrong version or to install the new version that is untested was SharpCap.

Unfortunately, letting people keep every out of date version just in case they wanted to go back to it would be horrible from a support point of view - people would keep reporting bugs that have already been fixed in newer versions (this happens enough already, but it would be even worse)

Robin

[ramdom]

Okay, but I'm still unclear on what I can and and cannot do. I have an old 64 bit version working from last fall. I'm afraid of downloading the new 64 bit version which I assume would overwrite the version from last fall which is working and if the new version doesn't work then I'd be screwed. So I'd like to create a backup of it - can I do that is my question? Can I copy the current SharpCap 64 bit directory/folder to a backup location and then install the new 64 bit and if it doesn't work, delete it and go back to my old version?

Alternately, what do I need to do uninstall SharpCap? Just delete the folder containing it? If I do that, will my settings be lost (like the EFW positions) or is that stored separately somewhere?

I'm not copying any QHY files, etc. If any files are being copied, it happens due to the QHY install. But my guess is that QHY copied to the wrong directory - the older version directory rather than the newer one.

I could try the 32 bit version of 3.2.6383 i which would overwrite the June 25 version presumably but I'd rather try out the 64 bit version since that's what I'll be using (and again, I have a working version from last fall).

Thanks!

--Ram

[admin]

Hi,

none of the SharpCap settings are stored in the installation folder and they should not be cleared if you uninstall and then reinstall.

If you run your current 64-bit version of SharpCap you can see in the title bar what version you have – you should still be able to download that version from the downloads page (although it be a long way down the list).

If you download and install the latest version and have trouble then you can always uninstall the latest version from the control panel and then reinstall the old version by running the install of the old version.

Uninstalling should always be done from the control panel, rather than just deleting the files.

Hope this helps, Robin