Help with odd QHY268M images

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Jeffery Richards avatar

Image-APPM-2025-10-16-212413.txt-0341-RA_0.064-DEC_25.000.fit

Getting these types of images during a mapping run for my FSQ-85 on an AP1600GTO AEL. This is causing many plate solve errors and run results that are unusable. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

JORDI ZAMORA avatar

Hola Jeffery, a mi también me ha ocurrido de forma muy esporádica una o dos imágenes con un patrón parecido.

No le he dado mayor importancia ya que me ha pasado muy pocas veces entre miles de imágenes que he hecho con la cámara.

Well Written
Jeff Reitzel avatar

Hi Jeff,

I see in your fits data that your USB traffic is set to 50 and you are imaging bin2. All info in the fits header looks normal to me with reasonable gain/offset settings etc. I cannot tell if you are using the ACSOM driver or not. First make sure that the box for “remove overscan area” is checked in the ASCOM driver if you are using it. This has been known to cause this exact problem you are seeing even though the camera is not recording the overscan area to display on the fits image. The other thing to try is adjusting the USB limit. Try 100 first and then 0 to see if it changes.

📷 268m.jpg268m.jpg Good luck and CS,

Jeff

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Jeffery Richards avatar

Thanks Jeff! Pretty sure overscan is turned off but i’ll double check. I’ll also try tweaking the USB traffic settings.

CS,

Jeff

Jeffery Richards avatar

OKAY, may have found the issue. Somehow I had switched to the native QHY driver in NINA vice the ASCOM driver. I have switched it over and will test tonight. Wish me luck! I just moved my equipment to Howling Coyote Remote Observatory (HCRO) and hate missing out on prime data gathering time under these pristine conditions! I’m guessing during the install I inadvertently switch to the native drivers.

Engaging
Jeff Reitzel avatar

Glad you found that driver issue. QHY native drivers seem flaky with any software other than QHY. I’d bet you're back in business. I've been wanting to put a rig at HCRO myself. Looking forward to seeing your images.

CS

Jeff

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Jeffery Richards avatar

You will be very happy at HCRO. Great conditions and the support is first rate!

CS,

Jeff

Jeffery Richards avatar

So not only did I switch drivers, I also switched my main USB supply cables to USB2 ports. Things went well with the model tonight with no failed targets.

Thanks for the suggestions.

CS,

Jeff

Willem Jan Drijfhout avatar
Looks like you've solved it, congrats!  I've seen something similar to the colour version of the same camera. I eventually pointed it down to a low voltage of the power input. An aging field battery with a non-stabilised 12V output got to something like 11.6V by the time it reached the camera. When I connected to a stabilised 12V output, the problems were over. Is it possible that you see something similar with the USB-ports? USB2 requires probably less power than USB3. Perhaps it makes the camera less sensitive to small shortfalls in voltage. I have always kept USB3, because of speed of the file transfer.
Can't comment on the driver part, I use INDI driver.
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