StackShot detected but not responding to commands in Helicon Remote ?

[Thibaud_Glinez]

Hello everyone,



I’m Thibaud, a professional/amateur entomologist.

For a long time I’ve been hoping to use Helicon Remote + Cognisys StackShot to produce high-quality focus stacks for scientific publications about the insects that fascinate me — mostly Curculionidae beetles.

I once had the chance to try Helicon Remote at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, where I briefly worked with the collections some years ago, and this experience really sparked my interest in the software.

Now I finally have my own setup (Canon EOS 6D + Cognisys StackShot) — but I’m facing a frustrating issue that I hope someone here might already have encountered.

I am not a trained photographer and I must admit I’m struggling to solve this problem by myself. It would be difficult not to feel disappointed if I can’t get it working, especially considering the financial investment involved in this type of system.

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Setup details

* Operating system: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
* Helicon Remote: latest release
* Helicon Focus: latest release
* Camera: Canon EOS 6D (USB connection, Wi-Fi disabled)
* Rail: Cognisys StackShot
* I’m currently using the free trial of Helicon Focus and Remote, but I don’t believe that is the cause of the issue.

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Cable connections
I followed the official Cognisys setup guide:
[https://cognisys-inc.com/learn-how-to/usb\_connect](https://cognisys-inc.com/learn-how-to/usb_connect)

* The computer is connected via USB both to the camera and to the StackShot controller.
* The StackShot controller is connected to the rail with the appropriate cable.
* In Helicon Remote, both my Canon EOS 6D and StackShot appear in the *Select device* window.
* I also have a screenshot showing Helicon Remote displaying a test image of a coin.

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Issue description



* In Helicon Remote, when I press the arrow buttons (<<< >>>), the rail does not move.
* The rail controls in the UI are grey instead of blue — maybe this indicates they are not active?
* Each time I try to move the rail, the StackShot screen briefly resets to its initial mode, then returns to *USB Control* — but the motor never moves.

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Attempts to resolve the problem

* Based on advice, this looks like a USB driver / COM port issue.
* I have installed several FTDI drivers , including the latest \VCP/D2XX package (v2.12.36.20).
* Rebooted, reconnected, tried multiple USB cables and ports.
* Unfortunately, the problem persists and I do not understand why.

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If anyone here has run into this problem before and could share advice or a solution, I would be extremely grateful.

[Catherine]

Hello Thibaud,

Are you using the original power supply that came with Stackshot? It sounds like maybe there's a power issue, so when the motor tries to spin (draw current), voltage drops and the device resets because of that. Check all the connections, make sure they are tight.
Also check that you have the latest Stackshot firmware version 1.0.0.9.

It's probably not a driver issue, and you shouldn't install anything manually on Windows. It's known to work with the default driver that Windows installs automatically. But the driver you installed is probably also fine.

[Thibaud_Glinez]

Hello Catherine,

Thank you very much for your reply! I greatly appreciate it,

I can confirm that my StackShot is indeed running software version 1.0.0.9. As for the connections, they seem correct — I double-checked them. Also, when I use the StackShot rail in standalone mode (not connected via USB), the controller delivers power correctly and the rail moves as expected.

That’s why I was initially thinking the issue might come from the USB communication side, since the system works perfectly on its own. Still, I’ll recheck the power supply and try another compatible 12V/2A adapter just in case there’s an instability when connected to the computer.

Thanks again for your help!

Best regards,
Thibaud

[Catherine]

I see, then you're right, it's not a power issue.

Please try the following: go to the Device Manager, find the USB Serial Converter in the USB category (bottom of the list). If there are several, check which exact one corresponds to the Stackshot by plugging/unplugging it. Double-click this device - Advanced - un-check the "Load VCP" checkbox. Press OK, unplug from USB and power-cycle the Stackshot, and try again.
Let me know if you can't find it or instructions are unclear.

[Thibaud_Glinez]

But anyway, I'll take note of your comment. The problem was probably caused by the box setting, which was in a mode that didn't allow movement to be transmitted to the rail. The correct mode is Auto/Dist Mode. Now it does work, even if the Helicon Remote show some strange details with the USB Cognysis setup, showing multiple time USB conection. But still, it does work some i'm good with it !

[Catherine]

Thank you for letting us know about the solution! Did you notice what setting was selected previously, when it was not working?

Helicon Remote show some strange details with the USB Cognysis setup, showing multiple time USB conection

That's odd, could you send a bug report the next time you notice this? And please say in the comment field of the report how many USB device you see on the list. You're referring to the items in the "Select a camera" dialog, right?

[kozboPhoto]

I am experiencing the same issue. My StackShot is detected in Helicon Remote but I cannot control the positioning. I changed my StackShot to Auto/Dist Mode, but that did not allow me to control the SS from the Helicon Remote interface. I also went through the Device Manager and identified the USB device associated with the SS (USB Serial Converter). Still, I couldn't find an Advanced option, and the dialog box did not offer me any options that included "Load VCP" or anything with "VCP" that I could find.

Note that the SS was working fine when I was running HR version 4.4.8. I ran into a lockup bug (which I filed). I upgrade to the latest version to see if it would fix my lockup issue, and I ran into the SS control issue instead.

Note that I know my SS is working, and I know that my USB cable is good because I can drive the SS just fine from Zerene Stacker. I don't use ZS, I only downloaded it to test my StackShot.

I am stuck.

Note that my SS is very old, from 2011. I have asked Cognisys if I can upgrade the firmware. w

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Catherine]

You probably can upgrade the firmware, but that's not why it's not working. It's odd that you can't find the "Load VCP" option, as the default driver has it. Right-click this serial converter device -> Uninstall device. If presented with the option, tick the "Delete driver files" check box. Then unplug and reconnect Stackshot, let Windows install the default driver, and check for the "Load VCP" option again (it must be OFF).

[kozboPhoto]

OK, I followed your steps with the driver reinstal and I found the "advanced" tab, and the VCP option was not checked. I rebooted and reran HR, but I ended up with teh same result. The StackShot switches from -- USB Control -- to the startup screen, and then back to USB Control. But it doesn't movve the stepper motor.

I am in communication with Cognisys to get an upgrade, ebut as you say, that is not the cause of my problem.
I did try with a different camera, just for grins. And I just verified that the Zerene StackShot controller can still control the SS. Let me know what other information I can provide.

Thanks,

-Kevin

[kozboPhoto]

Here is a solution I got from a tech-support email:
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Press Alt+Shift+F11 on the keyboard
In the window that pops up paste the following text:
rail=stackshot
Press the Save button, exit Helicon Remote.
Unplug Stackshot both from USB and power, then plug the power cord back in, then the USB cord. Then open Helicon Remote again and try moving the rail.
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This fixed the issue for me. Thanks for the great support!

[Catherine]

Hi Kevin, thanks a lot for letting us know it worked! Knowing this, we will see if we can solve the problem (without requiring manual input), but that will likely cause an identical issue for other rails, like Wemacro. Anyway, we will try and see.

[aschindler]

Here is a solution I got from a tech-support email:
----------
Press Alt+Shift+F11 on the keyboard
In the window that pops up paste the following text:
rail=stackshot
Press the Save button, exit Helicon Remote.
Unplug Stackshot both from USB and power, then plug the power cord back in, then the USB cord. Then open Helicon Remote again and try moving the rail.
----------

Thanks a lot Kevin for sharing this solution!!!

After changing to a new PC with Windows 11 we had the same issue. The device was correctly detected by Windows and Helicon Remote but each movement resulted in a restart of the command box. It still worked on the old Windows 10 machine, but not on the newer ones with Windows 11.
- tested several USB Ports and cables
- used the recommended FTDI driver
- used another power supply
- tested on 2 PCs and one Laptop, all with Windows 11
- verified that the "Load VCP" checkbox was unchecked

Nothing helped. Somehow it worked once while playing around with the driver, but I wasn't able to reproduce the next time.
Finally with this manual modification in Helicon Remote it works.

Happy focus stacking,
Axel

[gilfgm]

Hey, just wanted to point out that I had the same issue and the weird workaround for me was to, while Helicon Remote and the StackSHot box were on: disconnect and reconnect the USB cable on the computer, then under 'Select Camera' deselect the first StackShot on the list and select the second one and it worked I hope this helps others facing the same issue.