Troubleshooting Andor Zyla USB 3.0 and iStar sCMOS

When initially setting up the Zyla USB 3.0 or iStar sCMOS camera, often queries arise related to the hardware configuration (camera and PC). If not set up correctly, the following error messages may return from Andor software under certain camera configurations.

Communication Error

Andor Solis:

Andor SDK:

AT_ERR_OUTOFRANGE (6)

The out of range error will appear if the handle returned from AT_Open is ‘-1’ indicating that an available camera could not be found.

Acquisition Timeout Error

Andor Solis:

Andor SDK:

 AT_ERR_TIMEDOUT (13)

A time out error will return from AT WaitBuffer if the function times out while waiting for data arriving in output queue. In the context of this document, a timeout error may be related to insufficient bandwidth or HDD/SDD write speeds (if spooling to disk).

If the PC meets the required specification to run the camera, please follow the chart on the next page to diagnose and resolve the problem. (if unsure, please refer to the PC requirements on the camera Specification Sheet. ^[1]