no image

Post Reply
darkboonies
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Mar 10, 2018 8:01 pm
Location: Sierra Nevadas, Ca.

no image

#1

Post by darkboonies »

I cant get an image to show in SC 3.1. This is a first time test of my new qhy 174M-gps camera. SC shows the 174-gps, but no image shows in the image window. I am using win10,usb3, SC3.1, the camera is plugged in, usb 3 cable, new Lenovo i7,12gb,1tb.
thank you warren
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: no image

#2

Post by admin »

Hi Warren,

First things first - please check that you are using the direct driver for the QHY camera ( in the 'QHY Cameras' section) not the ASCOM or DirectShow driver.

Second thing to work out - is it no image at all (frame count bottom left stays at zero) or a black image (frame count goes up, but image is dark?). If the former then please check out the page on USB troubleshooting - viewtopic.php?f=18&t=349&p=1556#p1556. If the latter (frame count going up, black image) then turn up the gain and exposure and shine a torch at the sensor - that usually gets a white image and then you are on the road to getting things working :)

With new hardware showing an issue I'd also suggest trying an alternative piece of software as if that also fails we start thinking about hardware problems or at least some incompatibility issue. For instance I have a USB3 card in my PC that just won't work with QHY cameras - the camera gets detected plugged into it but no images. Different USB3 card and all works fine.

Hope this helps,

Robin
darkboonies
Posts: 31
Joined: Sat Mar 10, 2018 8:01 pm
Location: Sierra Nevadas, Ca.

Re: no image

#3

Post by darkboonies »

I am using the qhy174m gps latest driver and the SC patch. SC shows the time and lat/long stamp. The frame rate goes up and covering the scope opening darkens the SC screen. It looks like the camera is detecting light but no image. I have adjusted the gain, brightness, contrast, those adjustments brighten and darken the screen, I have racked the focuser in and out, i decreased the spacers between the fr/ff and camera from 50 to 13mm. All to no avail. Every thing is new. Perhaps I should try a different USB port.
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: no image

#4

Post by admin »

Hi,

sounds like the software and electrical side is working OK as the camera image is updating as you adjust the controls - I'd suggest testing on a distant object during the day to get the focus distance roughly worked out - much easier doing that with plenty of light about and high frame rates than at night :)

cheers,

Robin
dickinsw
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:01 pm

Re: no image

#5

Post by dickinsw »

Is there a way to focus the camer (QHY5III178) using Sharpcap? I get a variation of light in the image view when moving the camera around, wide field low magnification lense, but no images.
User avatar
admin
Site Admin
Posts: 13177
Joined: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:52 pm
Location: Vale of the White Horse, UK
Contact:

Re: no image

#6

Post by admin »

Hi,

there are tools to help you tell when your images in good focus (https://docs.sharpcap.co.uk/3.2/#Focusing) and also tools that allow you to control a motorised focuser attached to a telescope (https://docs.sharpcap.co.uk/3.2/#Focuser%20Control, https://docs.sharpcap.co.uk/3.2/#Hardware%20Tab). However it sounds like you've attached a manually focused lens to the camera, so really the only thing you can do is adjust the focus of that lens manually.

If you can't reach focus at all in spite of going through the fall focus range of your lens then the lens is probably either too close or too far from the camera sensor. There's not much you can do if that lens is too far away from the centre already (unless you can remove a spacer), but if it is to close you can obviously add spacers of the correct thread to move it further away. If you really can't focus on anything at all then it is probably too close. If you can focus on things that are very close to the front of the lens (like a Macro lens) then it is probably too far away from the camera sensor.

Hope this helps, Robin
Post Reply