Dropped camera -reconnect issue

[stbkaiser]

Hi Robin
Last night I was running my system, doing nebula capture, Live Stacking, and started to notice my camera connection was being dropped and reconnected.
Never saw this happen before with this equipment.
I will admit I have not done a lot of LIVE stacking.
Stopped and restarted LIVE stack- Same issue.

System
SharpCapInstall-4.1.13835.0-64bit.exe running on HP gaming laptop,Win 11 pro, latest updates
32gig ram, 1 TB 7200 rpm SATA; 256 GB M.2 SSD ( main drive 40% full), Intel® Core™ i7-8750H (2.2 GHz,
RST135e mount, At92 scope, Zwo ASI2400mc pro camera, no guiding

Here is a section of the log file showing problem occuring (see attached log)
-------------------------
Debug 20:13:11.192988 #27 Starting ZWO Exposure of 15000ms in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.StartExposure()
Info 20:13:11.195845 #32 =='.NET TP Worker' (New Thread)
Info 20:13:11.195856 #32 ZWO ASI2400MC Pro has reconnected, trying to reactivate seamlessly
--------------
Side Note:
I later ran same equipment (with other capture sw, not Live stacking) and had no camera dropouts.

Any Ideas?
Thanks Steve

[admin]

Hi Steve,

looking through the log, I can see that the disconnect/reconnect messages are in this case happening because the camera is dropping two or three 15s frames in a row. SharpCap spots this and tries to work around the problem by re-initializing the camera, which seems to be working to some extent as I can see slightly further down the log that the frames are working again... For example this chunk of the log from about 20:15 shows the pattern of failed captures of a few frames, followed by a reset attempt, followed by the camera working again

Code: Select all

Debug   20:14:53.687400 #34 Starting ZWO Exposure of 15000ms                                                                                        in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.StartExposure()
Warning 20:15:09.956814 #34 Fetching still frame from ZWO camera failed with ExpFailed, exposure is 15000, timeout is 35750                         in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.GetFrameData(int timeout, double startingExposure, BufferFrame frame, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Debug   20:15:09.956894 #34 Finished ZWO Exposure of 15000ms, gotFrame = False                                                                      in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.GetFrameData(int timeout, double startingExposure, BufferFrame frame, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Debug   20:15:09.958326 #34 Starting ZWO Exposure of 15000ms                                                                                        in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.StartExposure()
Warning 20:15:26.231341 #34 Fetching still frame from ZWO camera failed with ExpFailed, exposure is 15000, timeout is 35750                         in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.GetFrameData(int timeout, double startingExposure, BufferFrame frame, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Warning 20:15:26.231451 #34 More than 60s lost due to camera failing to send frames, attempting camera reset                                        in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.GetFrameData(int timeout, double startingExposure, BufferFrame frame, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Warning 20:15:26.231508 #34 Attempting to reset ZWO camera                                                                                          in void SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.TryResetCamera()
Debug   20:15:26.231587 #34 Finished ZWO Exposure of 15000ms, gotFrame = False                                                                      in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.GetFrameData(int timeout, double startingExposure, BufferFrame frame, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Info    20:15:26.231758 #38 ZWO ASI2400MC Pro has reconnected, trying to reactivate seamlessly                                                      in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Debug   20:15:26.231878 #1  Notification (Status=Warning): SharpCap is trying to restart your ZWO ASI2400MC Pro as it seems to have stopped responding properly                 in void SharpCap.UI.NotificationViewModel.DisplayMessage(NotificationMessage message)
Debug   20:15:26.232470 #34 Starting ZWO Exposure of 15000ms                                                                                        in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.StartExposure()
Info    20:15:26.233323 #38 Device tag data updated                                                                                                 in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Info    20:15:26.233433 #38 Stopping preview on existing camera proxy                                                                               in void SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.Cleanup()
Debug   20:15:26.233574 #38 Started void SharpCap.Base.CameraProxyBase.StopPreview()                                                                in void SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.Cleanup()
Warning 20:15:26.332993 #34 Fetching still frame from ZWO camera failed with ExpFailed, exposure is 15000, timeout is 35750                         in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.GetFrameData(int timeout, double startingExposure, BufferFrame frame, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Debug   20:15:26.333037 #34 Finished ZWO Exposure of 15000ms, gotFrame = False                                                                      in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.GetFrameData(int timeout, double startingExposure, BufferFrame frame, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
Info    20:15:26.333098 #34 Dropped frames : 8 of type ZWOTimeout                                                                                   in void SharpCap.Base.DroppedFrameLogger.Count(DroppedFrameType type, int count)
Debug   20:15:26.333168 #34 Ended void SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.MyGrabThreadProc()                                                       in void System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, object state)
Debug   20:15:26.333697 #35 Ended void SharpCap.Base.CameraProxyBase.GrabThreadProc()                                                               in void System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, object state)
Debug   20:15:26.334229 #38 Ended void SharpCap.Base.CameraProxyBase.StopPreview()                                                                  in void SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.Cleanup()
Info    20:15:26.334341 #38 Disposing existing camera proxy                                                                                         in void SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.Cleanup()
Info    20:15:26.334440 #38 Closing ZWO Camera due to Dispose of Proxy                                                                              in void SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.Dispose(bool disposing)
Info    20:15:26.358866 #38 Started void SharpCap.Base.CameraProxyBase.Dispose(bool disposing)                                                      in void SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.Dispose(bool disposing)
Info    20:15:27.837749 #38 Created new camera proxy, now attempting restart                                                                        in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Debug   20:15:27.838266 #38 Started ControlMap SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.GetControlsImpl(IPreviewControl previewControl)                  in ControlMap SharpCap.Base.CameraProxyBase.GetControls(IPreviewControl previewControl)
Info    20:15:27.846867 #38 Colour space RAW8 is valid.                                                                                             in new SharpCap.Base.ColourSpacePropertyControl(IEnumFeature mainFeature, List<ColourSpace> colourSpaces, IPreviewControl previewControl, ControlSource source)
Info    20:15:27.846956 #38 Colour space RGB24 is valid.                                                                                            in new SharpCap.Base.ColourSpacePropertyControl(IEnumFeature mainFeature, List<ColourSpace> colourSpaces, IPreviewControl previewControl, ControlSource source)
Info    20:15:27.847033 #38 Colour space MONO8 is valid.                                                                                            in new SharpCap.Base.ColourSpacePropertyControl(IEnumFeature mainFeature, List<ColourSpace> colourSpaces, IPreviewControl previewControl, ControlSource source)
Info    20:15:27.847112 #38 Colour space RAW16 is valid.                                                                                            in new SharpCap.Base.ColourSpacePropertyControl(IEnumFeature mainFeature, List<ColourSpace> colourSpaces, IPreviewControl previewControl, ControlSource source)
Debug   20:15:27.849342 #38 Ended ControlMap SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.GetControlsImpl(IPreviewControl previewControl)                    in ControlMap SharpCap.Base.CameraProxyBase.GetControls(IPreviewControl previewControl)
Info    20:15:27.856219 #38 Proxy controls retargeted                                                                                               in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Info    20:15:27.856433 #38 Values for 'StopPreviewWhenChanging' controls have been reset                                                           in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Debug   20:15:27.857132 #38 Started void SharpCap.Base.CameraProxyBase.StartPreview()                                                               in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Info    20:15:27.857651 #3  =='Grab Thread' (New Thread)
Debug   20:15:27.857723 #3  Started void SharpCap.Base.CameraProxyBase.GrabThreadProc()                                                             in void System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, object state)
Info    20:15:27.937774 #3  Switching ZWO camera into video mode, exposure is now 50ms                                                              in void SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.EnterCorrectMode()
Info    20:15:27.938698 #42 =='ASI Grab Thread' (New Thread)
Debug   20:15:27.938770 #42 Started void SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.MyGrabThreadProc()                                                     in void System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, object state)
Debug   20:15:27.938920 #38 Ended void SharpCap.Base.CameraProxyBase.StartPreview()                                                                 in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Info    20:15:27.938987 #38 Preview restarted : True                                                                                                in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Info    20:15:27.952207 #38 Values for rest of controls have been reset                                                                             in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Info    20:15:27.952273 #38 Seamless reactivation of ZWO ASI2400MC Pro seems to have worked!                                                        in async Task<bool> SharpCap.Base.Reconnection.ReconnectableCameraProxy.TryReconnectCameraAsync(bool internalRequest)
Info    20:15:33.045988 #42 Switching ZWO camera into still mode, exposure is now 15000ms                                                           in void SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.EnterCorrectMode()
Debug   20:15:33.479363 #42 Starting ZWO Exposure of 15000ms                                                                                        in bool SharpCap.Cameras.ASI.ASICameraProxy.StartExposure()
Debug   20:15:49.689736 #42 Finished ZWO Exposure of 15000ms, gotFrame = True    

Now, the messages about disconnection and reconnection are a bit misleading - I hijacked part of the mechanism that *does* deal with cameras that disconnect from USB to enable this reset of the ZWO camera to work, and it looks like I have left some of the old messages in there.

However, the thing to look into here really is not how SharpCap is trying to recover from the lost frames from the camera, but why they are happening in the first place. The first thing I would probably try is reducing the 'Turbo USB' setting on the camera to minimum and see if that helps with stability. It's also worth checking that all USB cables are in good shape and plugged securely (same for 12V cables).

cheers,

Robin

[stbkaiser]

Hi Robin
Thanks for looking at this for me.
From your explanation, it sounds like this was caused by SC failing to capture frame(s)? , not a camera disconnect.
Hence your msg about retrying the camera.

As I mentioned, I later ran a couple hour capture sequence (with different sw) with the same hardware setup and had no reported issues. It was set for 60 sec exposures and I did have a 2 sec pause set between fame captures.
not sure about the USB speed settings that were used.
So I think this is a validation that the cable and hardware is probably OK.....

As a test of the setup in SC,
if I run SC in the LIVE mode , with same exposure secs and USB turbo settings, should I see some frames dropped ?
Or would the Stacking operation overhead cause the PC to drop some of the frames?
Is it possible to set a pause between captures in Live Stack Mode?
Or would that be the affect of slowing down the Turbo mode?

I hope my analysis and suggested debugs are not too annoying.
I do appreciate your attention to this issue.
Take care
Steve

[admin]

Hi Steve,

the issue we are seeing in that log is that the frames are being lost before getting to SharpCap - SharpCap is getting no frame from the SDK after waiting for the full exposure time and a good safety margin too. My experience is that when a ZWO camera gets into this state of consistently failing to send frame data back to the application, it stays that way for frame after frame until the camera is closed and re-opened or similar. Quite what puts the camera (or maybe the ZWO SDK - I don't know for sure) *into* the state where it is not sending frame data is something that I haven't ever found out.

It's very unlikely to be related to running live stacking at the same time unless you are on a very very low spec PC - can't be sure about your spec as your log was cut to the right section to show the problem and was missing the data about CPU etc at the start.

Turning down the turbo usb has no bad side while you are doing deep sky imaging or live stacking. If you ever use the camera for lunar/solar/planetary where you want a high frame rate then turn the turbo USB back up for those sessions.

cheers,

Robin

[stbkaiser]

Thanks Robin

my PC , HP Gaming laptop,,Win 11 pro, 32gig ram, 1 TB 7200 rpm SATA; Intel® Core™ i7-8750H (2.2 GHz,
So PC power should not be an issue.

Deep sky Camera -Zwo ASI2400mc pro camera , so never going to try and use it for high frame rate imaging.
I have a ASI 585MC pro color camera I use for Planetary imaging, & Lunar. and a ASI 178MM I use with my Lunt for Solar.

When I get the next clear night ( in a couple days) I will try a lower Turbo mode in Live Stack with the Zwo ASI2400mc pro and report back.
Take care
Steve

[stbkaiser]

HI Robin
Running my system tonight.
More camera dropouts
BUT
it seems I must have a bad USB aux port on my ASI2400MC pro
Recently I was trying to cleanup my cable routing so I plugged my guide camera into one of the USB aux ports on the camera.
As soon as I unplugged my guide camera from the ASI2400, and plugged it into my multiport USB hub , no more ASI2400 dropouts.
Go figure.
Sometimes best not to play with cable setups that have been working.

Sorry about this. Not a Sharpcap problem.
Take care
Steve

[admin]

Hi Steve,

no worries - USB issues have an odd way of recurring all the time but showing up as new symptoms nevertheless... If you think USB is bad though, wireless connections are worse - they drop out for no apparent reason at all...

cheers,

Robin