Microtouch focuser wont connect

Sequence Generator
1

hi i have installed and used the microtouch focuser with SGP for about a year; no problem.

I haven’t changed anything, just been out for a while (since May) and now coming back to things with darker skys etc.

The focuser works fine with the starizona program, just won’t connect in sgpro. Here’s what it says when I click connect:

error connecting to microtouch focuser!
values cannot be null
parameter name: Type

here’s what I have done:
1turned the whole lot off and back on
2used the diagnostics in the microtouch program all was fine connecting on USB2, focuser physically moving when buttons clicked etc.
3Uninstalled the microtouch from windows control panel
4re installed it
did 2 again with same result.

same error when connecting in sgp

thanks for any help,
paul
uninstalled

2

Hi Paul,

I recently came across that same issue when I did a re-install of Windows and all imaging software on my imaging PC. I believe you just need to open the ASCOM driver configuration window (click the setup button next to the connect button in SGP) and set the port to USB2 before you connect. You should only need to do that once and the port setting will stick.

Hope that helps.

Andy

3

If Andy’s suggestion does not work, uninstall all the driver software, restart the machine and then install the drivers as admin. Do not run SGPro as admin… just the driver install.

4

thanks Ken. I’ll give it a try tomorrow. I tried the ASCOM config button
but it produces the same error.
best wishes

Paul

5

Hi Ken,
I uninstalled the microtouch software, and the USB driver and restarted the machine.
I removed its usb cable.

then to install (from starizona CD), I right clicked the microtouch installer and installed that as admin, then right clicked the USB driver and installed that as admin.

Plugged the USB cable in, ran the microtouch program and checked connection worked with USB2. Focuser moves when buttons are clicked.

However the error in SGP still persists.

thanks for help with this.

Paul

6

Paul,

Sorry to hear that. Between Andy’s suggestion and mine I do not have any other ideas.

Ken

7

Oh thanks Ken. These things happen. It worked fine up until May.
I will try Dean at starizona and if I get a solution I’ll post back.
Best
Paul

8

just to try to help anyone else who may I have this problem - i have solved it.

Windows in it’s wisdom seemed to find its own driver for the microtouch and installed it without user input. I guess that’s why it didn’t work with SGP…

I like to try to control variables, simply because if you don’t, you won’t know what fixed the problem. Sadly in this case, I had twenty minutes before i had to get into the car for a family outing, so didn’t do the scientific approach. Here’s what I did:

boot the machine and check that the focuser worked still with the starizona software.
from control panel, uninstall the usbdriver and the microtouch software.
disconnect the microtouch
reboot
turn off user account control (control panel> user accounts> change user account control settings> move the slider down to the bottom)
insert the starizona software cd
double click the microtouch program setup to install it
double click the usbdriver to install it

connect the microtouch - this is where i noticed windows installing the driver from an internet source - windows website I guess.

i decided to reinstall the specific .inf driver file supplied on the starizona cd, so from windows device manager, found the microtouch in the USB section and removed driver - replaced with ‘have disk’ and browsed to the .inf file on the cd.

quickly started sgp and checked - it connected fine.

as to why this happened in the 1st place i have no idea. I don’t go around randomly changing software or drivers…

hope it helps - i think probably the key bit of the above is replacing the driver with ‘have disk’ and browsing to the .inf file supplied by Starizona.

paul