Player One Uranus-C USB Comm Problem

[MarMax]

I believe the problem is with the camera but wanted to report what happened since it's unusual. SharpCap version 4.1.10188. Last time I used the Uranus-C it was working fine which was about three weeks ago. Today when I connected the camera and started SharpCap the laptop make the recognition sound and the camera was listed for selection. When I would select the camera I got the red banner with this message.

"Your camera seems to have disconnected. Make sure the camera is plugged in and then try re-connecting the camera. Alternatively, try closing and then re-opening SharpCap or unplugging and the re-connecting the camera."

I could disconnect and reconnect the camera and it would again be available for selection but when selected the same error banner would appear. I could close and restart SharpCap and the same would happen.

I then connected my Player One Neptune-CII camera using the same USB cable and it opened fine. I also connected my ASI294MC and it connected fine.

I then went to the Player One site and downloaded the latest driver (V1.3.2.10) and installed it. Again the same problem with the Uranus-C and the Neptune C-II worked fine.

Next I opened the SharpCap settings Camera and selected the attempt to reconnect camera option. When I opened the Uranus-C things got crazy with SharpCap stuck in a loop of attempting to open the camera until SharpCap quit. The error log was automatically sent so hopefully you have it.

I've also sent an email to Player One regarding this issue.

[admin]

Hi,

I found the uploaded bug report. What seems to be happening is that the camera is disconnecting from USB a fraction of a second after SharpCap opens it, then maybe it resets itself and reconnects to USB, at which point SharpCap tries to reconnect and the whole cycle goes round again

It may be a hardware issue with the camera, but there area some things that are worth trying first

* Update to the latest SharpCap 4.1 beta - I think there have been 2 updates to the Player1 SDK in SharpCap since 10188
* If you can, try using a different computer, just in case. Ideally use a different cable too, so as to rule out any possibility of problems with the PC USB port or cable
* Try using different software to see if you get any other result - it could just be that something that SharpCap is doing is 'pushing the camera over the edge' into crashing.

If none of those help then a hardware issue sounds more likely.

cheers,

Robin

[MarMax]

Thank you for the suggestions Robin. I did receive a reply from Player One and their first suggestion was to make sure that "Use Graphics Card acceleration to improve dispaly performance (Requires restart)" is not selected in SharpCap Settings>General. It was selected so I'll need to deselect it and try again.

I don't have another computer to try but I can use a different USB port on the laptop and can try a different cable. I can also try and use PHD2 to connect to the Uranus-C.

I will let you know how it goes after I update 4.1 and try the camera again.

EDITED to add the results of additional testing. I've done everything except try a 2nd computer which I don't have. IMO the Uranus-C is defective. The Uranus-C appears in the Device Manager as OK.

Win_DevMgr_UrC_03172023.jpg (129.98 KiB) Viewed 7377 times

Yet when SharpCap attempts to connect it disconnects. The Player One Neptune-CII works fine with the same USB cable and port when swapped with the Uranus-C, as does other ZWO cameras.

When I first received the Uranus-C "as new" from Player One it did not work. It took an online session with Player One and a re-flash of the firmware to get the camera to connect. I believe the same error/failure has occurred again.

[admin]

Hi,

yes, I think you have been through all the 'swap things out' options and a hardware or firmware issue with the camera is the most likely.

Out of interest, have you tried plugging it into a USB2 port, or using a USB2 cable? I have had a couple of cameras where the USB3 side failed and they would only work when plugged into USB2. In those cases, the camera doesn't connect at all on USB3, so not quite like yours, but maybe worth a try?

cheers,

Robin

[MarMax]

Thanks for the suggestion Robin.

In a recent email Player One has acknowledged that this camera is unstable and said they will send a new camera.