ASI6200 - Failed to save image to disk

Sequence Generator
1

At a guess I am going to suspect you will say this is a ZWO Driver issue, but I am going to throw this out there, I am getting regular failures of image saves when performing flats, you can see from the logs here that an ASCOM driver error is reported

4.0.0.676 - 32Bit and 64Bit also see this in 680 as well
Camera: ZWOASI6200MC Pro
System: PrimaluceLabs Eagle4 Pro
ASCOM Platform: 6.5 SP1
ASCOM Driver for ZWO: 6.5.1.8

[08/29/21 14:48:51.287][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] ASCOM Camera: exposure started, waiting...
[08/29/21 14:48:51.304][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;CC;] EventMarker(13) - t:Flats (0); e:1; f:9; o:
[08/29/21 14:48:58.427][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;CC;] EventMarker(15) - t:Flats (0); e:1; f:9; o:
[08/29/21 14:48:58.430][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;CC;] Waking from exposure time sleep period...
[08/29/21 14:48:58.430][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;CC;] Checking to see if the CCD has a temp...
[08/29/21 14:48:58.430][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;CC;] Saving the CCD temp...
[08/29/21 14:48:58.434][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;CC;] Entering super dangerous loop to await image completion...
[08/29/21 14:48:58.435][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;CC;] EventMarker(16) - t:Flats (0); e:1; f:9; o:
[08/29/21 14:48:58.550][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] ASCOM Camera: exposure complete, waiting for camera to report image ready...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.608][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] ASCOM Camera Error : Unable to cast object of type 'System.Object' to type 'System.Int32[,]'.
at tc.jk(rk A_0, tm& A_1, tm[] A_2)
[08/29/21 14:49:00.608][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] ASCOM Camera: Attempting to abort exposure...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.608][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] ASCOM Camera AbortImage: Camera state is 0
[08/29/21 14:49:00.608][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] ASCOM Camera: Camera state is idle, abort not needed...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.608][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] ASCOM Camera: Blocking until image is aborted...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.608][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] ASCOM Camera: Image is aborted...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.608][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] Error while attempting to capture frame...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.608][DEBUG][Main Thread][SQ;CC;] Adding sequence level notification: Error attempting to capture image (see logs for more information).
[08/29/21 14:49:00.622][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;CC;] Sending Notification: Error - Error attempting to capture image (see logs for more information).
[08/29/21 14:49:00.622][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;] SGM_CAMERA_CAPTURE complete...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.622][DEBUG][Camera Thread][SQ;] Camera thread is IDLE...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.942][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] EventMarker(17) - t:Flats (0); e:1; f:9; o:
[08/29/21 14:49:00.942][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] Image reported as complete.  Continuing...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.951][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] Collecting FITs headers...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.951][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] ASCOM Camera: Could not get last exposure start time.  Reported as (unknown)
[08/29/21 14:49:00.951][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] DATE-LOC time provided by SGPro (failed to retrieve valid entry from camera)...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.952][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] GatherFitsHeaders: Error gathering headers...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.952][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;]    ** Property read ASCOM.ASICamera2_2.Camera Offset is not implemented in this driver.
[08/29/21 14:49:00.952][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] Clearing timed monitoring events...
[08/29/21 14:49:00.952][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] Error saving ASCOM image. : Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
   at tc.hw(rr A_0, List`1 A_1)
[08/29/21 14:49:00.952][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] Failed to save image to disk!
[08/29/21 14:49:00.990][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] EventMarker(18) - t:Flats (0); e:1; f:9; o:
[08/29/21 14:49:00.993][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] EventMarker(19) - t:Flats (0); e:1; f:10; o:
[08/29/21 14:49:00.993][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] EventMarker(20) - t:Flats (0); e:1; f:10; o:
[08/29/21 14:49:00.993][DEBUG][Sequence Thread][SQ;] Running post event...
3

ZWO Released new Windoze and ASCOM drivers yesterday, whilst the Windoze drives state they are just adding support for two new cameras, the ASCOM platform driver states:

6.5.1.9 2021.9.6
(1) Update SDK V1.20
(2) Fix some bugs

Maybe (2) was the image download issue, as I have seen some stability tonight, last night was a disaster, imaging stopped at 23:09 because it failed to download the images. So fingers crossed the newer ASCOM driver fixes this

4

Their 64bit driver has been pretty stable for a while now. Hope they didn’t introduce something that would cause this.

Jared

5

Looks like their new ASCOM driver has fixed the issue, not had a single instance of not able to download the frame, even just had a lightninig strike close by that took out the power to the neighbourhood, my UPS kicked in and carried on creating dark frames, not a single image frame lost :smiley:

6

I’m a bit surprised that the new driver had any impact on the dropped downloads. As a stress test, start looping full frame 1x1, 1s exposures for a while and see what happens. If no problems with that, then take 500 bias frames (again just as a stress test).

I have been using an old set of drivers that has worked well, so I’m reluctant to update. However I don’t want to miss out on potential new features either.

7

In my last round of darks, I would hit the issue relatively quickly, ran through my flats earlier too, 201 flat frames for two filters at 0 Gain and 100 Gain, so over 800 frames, not a single dropped frame, nor any messages about “Unable to save to disk” either.

Got to run through BIAS frames too anyway, so I’ll do that as a further test

8

Sounds like a good test, so hopefully you won’t have other issues. I really wonder what changed in the driver.

9

All dark frames overnight succeeded without any dropped frames, I am going to try the BIAS this morning, and then re-run the BIAS but with the USB Speed cranked up too as it is currently set to 40

10

Not a single dropped frame, even with the 1000’s of BIAS frames generated today

11

That’s great. I still wish I knew what actually changed in the new driver, but it sounds like your experience is night and day different with the driver being the only change.

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