DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

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geoflewis
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DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by geoflewis » Sun Jul 19, 2020 2:42 pm

Hi, I have a DSUSB that I used to use to allow >30s exposures with my Nikon D90 DSLR. I used to use it with ImagesPlus Camera Control (IPCC) until a few years ago when I switched to a Canon 600D, which did not require the extra cable for long exposures >30s. With Comet Neowise in the sky I wanted to again use my Nikon Camera as I don't have any lenses for the Canon, just use that connected to my scopes. I connected the D90 via IPCC and can operate it up to 30s exposures (which is sufficient for the comet), but I then thought I take some longer Milky Way exposures, but I couldn't get IPCC to recognise the DSUSB.
I installed DSUSBCheck which sees the DSUSB, but only to turn the LED off/on and change the LED from Red to Green, it will not fire the camera shutter. However, I notice that if I disconnect/reconnect the 8 pin Nikon cable from the DSUSB control box then it fires the D90 camera shutter, so there does seem to be an active connection of some sort.
NB it is probably 6 years since I last used the DSUSB, since when I have upgraded my laptop to a new Dell G5 running Windows 10 Pro, so am wondering whether it is a Win 10 issue (I was previously running it from a Win 7 pro machine).
Any ideas please?
Geof

dpanderson
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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by dpanderson » Mon Jul 20, 2020 6:56 am

Hi Geof,

With the camera in bulb mode, from DSUSBCheck, first click Assert "AF/Wakeup", then click "Open Shutter". Some cameras require both signals to be asserted. If that works to open the shutter, then the DSUSB is OK and it would be something about the configuration in ImagesPlus.

You might also give DSLR Shutter from www.stark-labs.com a try. It is a free and easy way to verify DSUSB/camera operation.
Doug Anderson
Shoestring Astronomy
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geoflewis
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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by geoflewis » Mon Jul 20, 2020 11:13 am

Hi Doug,
Thanks for the quick reply. So you were correct it seems that I first have to press Assert AF/Wake up before pressing Open Shutter, which then fires the shutter, but pressing close shutter does nothing, so I have to Deassert AF/Wake up to close the shutter, then press Assert AF/Wake up again to open the shutter again. Is this normal behaviour, or is something not right? I tried DSLR Shutter from stark labs and set a short sequent of 3x5s exposures with 5s delay. On start up it stated 'DSUSB connected', but it ran through the sequence without firing the shutter once, so that doesn't seem right.
Regards,

Geof

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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by dpanderson » Mon Jul 20, 2020 3:55 pm

Different cameras seem to use different combinations of Wakeup and Shutter to fire the shutter. I don't think what you observed is unusual. Enjoy!
Doug Anderson
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geoflewis
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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by geoflewis » Mon Jul 20, 2020 4:06 pm

Thanks Doug, I would enjoy it, but it does not work from my IPCC program anymore, nor from stark labs DSLR shutter that you suggested, so I'm stuck at max 30s exposures with the D90. I don't know what changed other than I have now have everything installed on a new Win 10 i7 laptop with 16GB RAM, whereas my old, now long dead and gone laptop was Win7 i5 8GB RAM. Maybe I just have to buy some lenses for the Canon....
Regards,

Geof

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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by dpanderson » Tue Jul 21, 2020 6:12 am

Apologies Geof. When I read that you had success with DSUSBCheck, I thought you were on the way to getting everything to work.

I don't have ImagesPlus, so helping with that will be difficult.

In DSLRShutter, did you click the "File" menu, then select "AF during Exposure", since that is what worked with DSUSBCheck?
Doug Anderson
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wcwoott
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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by wcwoott » Tue Jul 21, 2020 12:52 pm

I'm anxiously watching this thread as well, I have a D90 that DSUSB doesn't work with. I have both cables hooked up and with DSUSBcheck 'Open Shutter' doesn't do anything, 'Open Shutter + Assert Wake UP' opens the shutter, an only Deassert Wakeup will close it. trying to run bulb in BY Nikon does nothing.

Regards
Bill

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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by wcwoott » Tue Jul 21, 2020 3:10 pm

Figured My issue out. I had AF turned on! no focus no pix. Learn something new every day.

Love these forums!

geoflewis
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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by geoflewis » Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:03 am

dpanderson wrote:
Tue Jul 21, 2020 6:12 am
Apologies Geof. When I read that you had success with DSUSBCheck, I thought you were on the way to getting everything to work.

I don't have ImagesPlus, so helping with that will be difficult.

In DSLRShutter, did you click the "File" menu, then select "AF during Exposure", since that is what worked with DSUSBCheck?
Thanks Doug, that seems to work. I ran some tests and can get the DSLRShutter to fire the camera for a range of exposures between 1s and 60s (I didn't try longer exposures), with and without a lens attached, so I can take both lights and darks. With the lens attached I need to have the lens set to M/A not M, which is what I would normally use for Manual, but I have the camera body set to M, so hopefully it is not going to try to focus at night. The next step is to give it a run on the night sky. The downside to not being able to use ImagesPlus is that I have to save the images to an SD card, not to the laptop as there is in no option on save location with DSLRShutter, but that's not a huge deal for the few occasions that I'll want to image with the D90. Unfortunately Mike Unsold is no longer supporting ImagesPlus, so whilst I've emailed him about the product for a different reason, I'm yet to receive any reply, so there's little point me asking another question. C'est la vie....
Best regards,

Geof

geoflewis
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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by geoflewis » Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:12 am

wcwoott wrote:
Tue Jul 21, 2020 3:10 pm
Figured My issue out. I had AF turned on! no focus no pix. Learn something new every day.

Love these forums!
Hi Bill,
Thanks for posting that as it got me checking the settings on my camera lens, which help fix the problem that the camera would fire without any lens attached, but then wouldn't once I attached the lens. As per my reply to Doug, the lens needed to be set as M/A not M. Lots of variable to get right....
Regards,

Geof

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Re: DSUSB not working in ImagesPlus Camera Control

Post by dpanderson » Wed Jul 22, 2020 8:57 am

Thanks Geof and Bill for the follow up posts. This information could easily be useful to others too.
Doug Anderson
Shoestring Astronomy
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