Exposure looping without actually shooting

[Jonathancilia]

This is a very weird issue, so now camera is working even with the presumably "bad" cables, i really hate issues when they are intermittent and only happen on some occasions, i turned off windows "turn off usb to save power" options aswell in the device manager. Does the memory sliders in sharpcap settings do something to help camera performance? I am also using the 64 bit version, maybe the 32 bit will be better? I have 16gb ram

[admin]

Hi,

the memory sliders in SharpCap won't have any effect on USB transfer - they really control how many frames SharpCap can hold in memory at once and that is only really important if you are capturing and SharpCap is waiting to write image data to disk. It's just the 'USB Speed/Bandwdith/Turbo' settings that I would expect to have an effect on anything like this...

cheers,

Robin

[Jonathancilia]

This is definitely a connection issue, cables sometimes working and sometimes doesnt, will need a full clear night to put it to the test

[Jonathancilia]

tried a single capture mode when the camera was failing to show frames and this is the log i have from that


Started bool SharpCap.Models.Camera.PrepareToCapture() in bool SharpCap.Models.Camera.PrepareToCapture()
Info 21:47:17.672544 #1 Creating file name provider for target 'Capture', SVBONY SV405CC, , Light in IFileNameProvider SharpCap.Models.DefaultFilenameProviderFactory.Create(string targetName)
Info 21:47:17.677292 #1 Started bool SharpCap.Models.Camera.PrepareToCapture(IFileNameProvider fileNameProvider) in bool SharpCap.Models.Camera.PrepareToCapture(IFileNameProvider fileNameProvider)
Info 21:47:17.677788 #1 Ended (Success) bool SharpCap.Models.Camera.PrepareToCapture(IFileNameProvider fileNameProvider) in bool SharpCap.Models.Camera.PrepareToCapture(IFileNameProvider fileNameProvider)
Info 21:47:17.686115 #1 Started async Task SharpCap.ViewModels.Actions.StartCaptureAction.ShowCaptureLengthDialogAsync() in async Task SharpCap.ViewModels.Actions.StartCaptureAction.ShowCaptureLengthDialogAsync()
Info 21:47:22.935891 #1 Target name changed to in void SharpCap.Models.Application.set_TargetName(string value)
Debug 21:47:22.969058 #1 Started void SharpCap.UI.WPFStartCaptureWindow.OnFormClosed(FormClosedEventArgs e) in void SharpCap.UI.WPFStartCaptureWindow.OnFormClosed(FormClosedEventArgs e)
Info 21:47:23.008362 #1 Updating target name for capture to due to change in Start Capture Window in async Task SharpCap.ViewModels.Actions.StartCaptureAction.ShowCaptureLengthDialogAsync()
Info 21:47:23.010237 #1 About to run the capture : LimitType = SingleFrame, LimitCount = 5000, LimitTime = 00:03:00 SequenceCount = 1, SequenceInterval = 300 in async Task SharpCap.ViewModels.Actions.StartCaptureAction.ShowCaptureLengthDialogAsync()
Debug 21:47:23.034796 #1 Started async Task SharpCap.Models.Camera.RunCaptureAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken) in async Task SharpCap.Models.Camera.RunCaptureAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Debug 21:47:23.036143 #1 Stopping capture because the capture type was single frame. in void SharpCap.Models.Camera.CancelCapture(string reason)
Info 21:47:23.036824 #1 Stopping capture on MultiCaptureProvider in bool SharpCap.MultiCaptureProvider.CancelCapture()
Info 21:47:23.037782 #1 Started bool SharpCap.Base.CaptureProviderBase<T>.StopCapture() in bool SharpCap.Base.CaptureProviderBase<T>.StopCapture()
Debug 21:47:23.038704 #1 Started void SharpCap.Base.BaseImageProvider.BeforeStopCapture() in void SharpCap.Base.BaseImageProvider.BeforeStopCapture()
Debug 21:47:23.039056 #1 Ended void SharpCap.Base.BaseImageProvider.BeforeStopCapture() in void SharpCap.Base.BaseImageProvider.BeforeStopCapture()
Warning 21:47:23.039393 #1 StopCapturing received, but not actually capturing - duplicate? Ignoring in bool SharpCap.Base.CaptureProviderBase<T>.StopCapture()
Info 21:47:23.039737 #1 Ended bool SharpCap.Base.CaptureProviderBase<T>.StopCapture() in bool SharpCap.Base.CaptureProviderBase<T>.StopCapture()
Info 21:47:23.046802 #1 CapturingFrame event received in UI thread in async void SharpCap.ViewModels.SharpCapViewModel.appModel_OnCaptureEvent(object sender, CaptureEventArgs e)
Info 21:47:23.050601 #1 StartCapture event received in UI thread in async void SharpCap.ViewModels.SharpCapViewModel.appModel_OnCaptureEvent(object sender, CaptureEventArgs e)
Info 21:47:23.062519 #1 Creating file name provider for target 'Capture', SVBONY SV405CC, , Light in IFileNameProvider SharpCap.Models.DefaultFilenameProviderFactory.Create(string targetName)
Info 21:47:23.066217 #1 Creating file name provider for target 'Capture', SVBONY SV405CC, , Light in IFileNameProvider SharpCap.Models.DefaultFilenameProviderFactory.Create(string targetName)
Debug 21:47:23.084081 #1 Started async Task<FrameCaptureResult> SharpCap.Models.Camera.CaptureSingleFrameStillAsync(IFileNameProvider fileNameProvider, CancellationToken cancellationToken) in async Task<FrameCaptureResult> SharpCap.Models.Camera.CaptureSingleFrameStillAsync(IFileNameProvider fileNameProvider, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Debug 21:47:23.085975 #1 Notification (Status=Warning): Exposure in progress for 6.4s in void SharpCap.UI.NotificationViewModel.DisplayMessage(NotificationMessage message)
Info 21:47:23.107706 #10 Initializing PngFileWriter at 4144x2822x1x16bits, Bayer_GRBG, 2 bytes per PEL for SVBONY SV405CC in void SharpCap.Base.FileWriters.FileWriterBase.Initialize(IFileNameProvider fnp, ColourSpaceId colourSpaceId, int width, int height, int bytesPerPixelElement, int significantBitDepth, int colourPlanes, string DeviceName)
Warning 21:47:49.596801 #29 FrameCompleted event with null frame in void SharpCap.Base.StillCapableCameraProxy+<>c__DisplayClass9_0.<CaptureStillFrameAsync>g__OnFrameCompleted|0(?)+OnFrameCompleted(object sender, GenericEventArgs<BufferFrame> genericEventArgs)
Warning 21:47:49.619920 #1 CaptureStillFrame returned null in async Task<FrameCaptureResult> SharpCap.Models.Camera.CaptureSingleFrameStillAsync(IFileNameProvider fileNameProvider, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Debug 21:47:49.620836 #1 Notification (Status=Error): Single frame capture failed. in void SharpCap.UI.NotificationViewModel.DisplayMessage(NotificationMessage message)
Debug 21:47:49.625227 #1 Ended async Task<FrameCaptureResult> SharpCap.Models.Camera.CaptureSingleFrameStillAsync(IFileNameProvider fileNameProvider, CancellationToken cancellationToken) in void System.Runtime.CompilerServices.AsyncTaskMethodBuilder<TResult>+AsyncStateMachineBox<TStateMachine>.ExecutionContextCallback(object s)
Debug 21:47:49.633970 #1 Single frame capture result was Failed in async Task<FrameCaptureResult> SharpCap.Models.Camera.CaptureSingleFrameImplNoEventsAsync(string targetName, bool exactFilePath, bool allowPreviousFrame, CancellationToken cancellationToken, IFileNameProvider fileNameProvider, bool showErrorNotifications)
Debug 21:47:49.634927 #1 Notification (Status=Error): Single frame capture failed. in void SharpCap.UI.NotificationViewModel.DisplayMessage(NotificationMessage message)
Debug 21:47:49.645718 #1 Started async void SharpCap.Models.SequenceCaptureModel.OnStopCapture() in void System.Runtime.CompilerServices.AsyncMethodBuilderCore.Start<TStateMachine>(ref TStateMachine stateMachine)
Debug 21:47:49.646117 #1 Ended async void SharpCap.Models.SequenceCaptureModel.OnStopCapture() in void System.Runtime.CompilerServices.AsyncMethodBuilderCore.Start<TStateMachine>(ref TStateMachine stateMachine)
Info 21:47:49.646581 #1 StopCapture event received in UI thread in async void SharpCap.ViewModels.SharpCapViewModel.appModel_OnCaptureEvent(object sender, CaptureEventArgs e)
Info 21:47:49.649780 #1 CaptureFrameComplete event received in UI thread in async void SharpCap.ViewModels.SharpCapViewModel.appModel_OnCaptureEvent(object sender, CaptureEventArgs e)
Debug 21:47:49.652026 #1 Notification (Status=Error): Failed to capture single frame. Check the log for more information. in void SharpCap.UI.NotificationViewModel.DisplayMessage(NotificationMessage message)
Info 21:47:49.653932 #1 Toolbar/Menu input : SharpCap.ViewModels.Actions.StartCaptureAction complete in async Task SharpCap.ViewModels.UIAction.ExecuteAsync()
Info 21:47:56.235982 #1 Toolbar/Menu input : SharpCap.ViewModels.Actions.ShowLogAction executing in async Task SharpCap.ViewModels.UIAction.ExecuteAsync()
Info 21:47:56.325683 #1 Toolbar/Menu input : SharpCap.ViewModels.Actions.ShowLogAction complete in async Task SharpCap.ViewModels.UIAction.ExecuteAsync()

[admin]

Hi,

thanks for sharing the log - there look to be two possible ways to get a log like that

1) The camera didn't send a frame to the PC inside the expected time, so SharpCap abandoned waiting (the maximum wait is the exposure + 20s for SVBony cameras)

2) SharpCap somehow got confused about the capturing state and decided that the capture request has been cancelled.

From the timings in the log, I suspect the former is the most likely, but I will add some additional logging so that we can be sure if it happens again. Of course, the problem is that with option 1) being the most likely there is less that can be done from the software side - if the camera isn't sending the frame when requested then the best SharpCap can do is try requesting another frame (that happens in video mode by default, but in still mode you need to press the button again to try again).

cheers,

Robin

[Jonathancilia]

Yes, i dont think this is a sharpcap issue, now i used the camera indoors for some nights and left it running and it seems the more i use it the better it gets, last night issue only happened in the start maybe for 3 mins then it stayed exposing good for 6 hours

[Jonathancilia]

On a different note, any idea why to connect my skywatcher mounts i need to be connected to the internet or else i get an error of not connecting?

[admin]

Hi,

I think that is going to depend on the ASCOM driver you are using for the Skywatcher mount - there may be configuration options that help sort out the problem in the ASCOM setup for the driver. You could also try switching from the Skywatcher supplied driver to one of the open source ones (EQMOD or Green Swamp Server) - I think they will both be OK, but they do require (as far as I know) a wired connection to the mount.

cheers,

Robin