SharpCap Forums

This may be a continued problem related to the resolution problem. When I change the ROI to (for example 600x800), the gain changes to 30 and the white balance changes to R/G/B 7/7/7. In addition, when loading capture profiles after changing the ROI, the gain and white balance remain unchanged and stay at 30 and 7/7/7

Changing the resolution back to max often causes the camera to be unresponsive. I tried changing the USB traffic and switched between my USB2 and USB3 port, and it doesn't seem to affect the above problem.
Thanks

Hi,

Please can you turn on detailed logging (which you'll find at the bottom of the first page of the SharpCap settings) and then test out the camera to show these problems and then post the contents of the log here. With detailed logging turned on SharpCap records most communication with the qhy camera which will help me work out what is going on.

Cheers, Robin

Here I started up sharpcap and clicked on my camera. Though it takes most of the last settings that was used (except for file type saving and changes it to SER from FITS) I loaded my saved profile. Now, the gain is 30 and R/G/B is 7/7/7. Then I disconnect the camera, and reconnect it, and reload the profile, and loads properly. After that I changed the ROI, and again, gain and R/G/B changes to 30 and 7/7/7.

I redid the procedure and replaced the file I initially uploaded. This one has me doing the procedure I described above.

I tested my QHY168C camera with the newest sharpcap update and copied the newest SDK to the Sharpcap folder. Unfortunately, the two problems still remain;
1 Changing the ROI changes the gain, white balance and Output format settings to 30, 7/7/7 and auto respectively
2 Loading a camera profile after changing the ROI, causes camera profiles to be loaded with the gain, white balance and Output format settings to 30, 7/7/7 and auto respectively

To illustrate the problem, I have copied the sharpcap log with the following procedure:
Open Sharpcap
Select camera QHY168C, where sharpcap loads the last used settings
Select my DSO camera profile and click load (this first time it loads the profile properly)
Change ROI to 600x800 (this is where the gain, white balance and output more change to 30, 7/7/7 and auto (SER) respectively
Change back to full resolution rest of setting do not change.
Load my DSO camera profile again and the only the output format changes to FITS. More seriously, I now cannot change the gain by typing the number, I first have to more the slider around and then I am able to type the number 4 for the gain.
Changing the white balance from 7/7/7/ to 10/7/10 seemed to work.

Robin, can you please find out what is wrong here. I remember a year ago working with my friend with his new QHY163C camera and having issues loading camera profiles similar to what I am describing above.

Here is the Sharpcap log.

Thanks,
Eric

This is very weird…

I see in the log that just before the capture profile is loaded, SharpCap rejects the values from the camera so for instance we see a line like this

Verbose: 10:11:28.8294688 Thread:#1 SharpCap.Cameras.QHY.IntFeature.RefreshImpl() :: Refresh Property Gain: 30 (1-255:1)

so at that point the camera is a set gain 30. Then not more than 1/10 of a second later, SharpCap is loading the new profile and correctly reads again value of four.

Verbose: 10:11:28.9176750 Thread:#1 SharpCap.Base.PropertyControls.PropertyUtils.ReadValue(IValuePropertyControlT`1 prop, String value) :: Read text 4 as 4 for control Gain

Now what we should see next in the log is some entries saying that the gain value has been updated to be 4, but for some reason we don't. The only reason that that update shouldn't happen is if the gain was already at the target value, but we know from previous bit of the log that it wasn't. Cue much head scratching…

I am going to pop online a new build later this evening that as more logging in this area of the code to try and help work out what is going on.

Cheers, Robin

Hi,

Please try this build – https://d.sharpcap.co.uk/download.html? ... 3.2.5976.0 – it adds more logging around sending parameters to the qhy cameras and loading of capture profiles.

Cheers, Robin

Thanks Robin,
I'll check it out when I get home in a few hours. Also, later this week I'll visit my friend who I've been helping setting up his astronomy imaging gear, and will record the logging on his system too for you.

Eric

Robin,
Here is the new logging file where I did a similar procedure as above. Again, at one point I try to type in the number 4 for the gain, and it stays at 30. I actually have to move the slider first and then I can type in the number. Same with the white balance.

Thanks

Thank you for that.

I think I have found a situation where the value doesn't get applied correctly if the control previously had the value you are trying to set and then the value was changed behind-the-scenes by the SDK without SharpCap requesting it. Part of SharpCap knows about the change the SDK is made but in another place in the code it still remembered the previous value and would look at the value you are asking for and see that it was the same as the previous value and decided in need to do anything.

Anyway, please try this new version which will hopefully resolve the issue. https://d.sharpcap.co.uk/download.html? ... 3.2.5980.0

Note that this version also contains an update of the qhy SDK to the very latest release.

Cheers, Robin