Last updated: 2026-04-23

Need help with Laminar? This guide explains how to get support, collect diagnostic information, and report issues effectively.

Getting Help

Before contacting support, try these resources:

  1. User Guide — Check the User Guide for feature explanations and the Troubleshooting section
  2. Features documentation — Review Features to understand capabilities and limitations
  3. Enable logging — Turn on diagnostic logging to capture detailed information about any issues

If you're still stuck, we're here to help. The most effective support requests include:

  • A clear description of the problem
  • Steps to reproduce the issue
  • Your exported diagnostic logs

Diagnostic Logging

Laminar includes a built-in logging system that records detailed information about your sessions. This is invaluable for troubleshooting issues that are difficult to describe or reproduce.

Enabling Logging

  1. Open Laminar > Settings (or press Cmd+,)
  2. Select Diagnostics in the sidebar
  3. Check Enable Diagnostic Logging

Logging is enabled by default. If you previously disabled it, re-enable it before attempting to reproduce an issue.

Log Levels

Level Description When to Use
Standard Key events and errors Normal use — captures connection events, capture settings, and errors
Verbose Includes performance sampling every 5 seconds When investigating performance issues, frame drops, or tracking behavior

For most issues, Standard logging is sufficient. Switch to Verbose if you're experiencing:

  • Unexplained frame drops during capture
  • Performance degradation over time
  • Focus tracking not behaving as expected
  • Memory or CPU concerns

Log Storage

Logs are stored in Laminar's sandboxed application support directory. You don't need to navigate there directly — use View Log Folder in Settings > Diagnostics to open it in Finder.

Each session creates a separate log file named: Laminar_YYYY-MM-DD_HHmmss.log

Automatic cleanup: Log files older than 7 days are automatically deleted to save disk space. The total log folder is also capped at 100 MB.

Viewing Logs

  1. Open Laminar > Settings
  2. Select Diagnostics
  3. Click View Log Folder

This opens Finder to the log directory where you can view individual log files.

Exporting Logs

When contacting support, export your logs as a ZIP file for easy sharing.

How to Export

  1. Open Laminar > Settings
  2. Select Diagnostics
  3. Click Export Logs...
  4. Choose where to save the ZIP file
  5. Attach the ZIP file to your support request

The export includes all log files from the past 7 days, packaged into a single Laminar_Logs_YYYY-MM-DD.zip file.

When to Export

Export logs immediately after experiencing an issue. Logs contain timestamped events, so the closer to the problem the better. If you wait too long:

  • Relevant logs may be cleaned up (after 7 days)
  • Many sessions may accumulate, making it harder to identify the relevant one

What Logs Contain

Understanding what's in your logs helps you provide context and protects your privacy.

System Information

Each session records:

  • Mac model (e.g., "MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023)")
  • Chip (e.g., "Apple M3 Pro")
  • RAM amount
  • macOS version
  • Available disk space

Session Events

Category Information Logged
Camera Connection attempts, camera model, serial number, sensor resolution, USB version, disconnection events
Preview Start/stop events, resolution, format, display mode
Capture Target, format, exposure, gain, ROI, frame count, dropped frames, file size, duration, output path
Weather Fetch attempts, location coordinates, any errors
Errors SDK error codes, USB errors, write failures, disk space warnings

Performance Data (Verbose Mode)

When using verbose logging, additional samples are recorded every 5 seconds:

  • CPU usage percentage
  • Memory usage
  • Cumulative dropped frames
  • Sensor temperature

What Logs Do NOT Contain

  • Personal files or documents
  • Camera images or video data
  • Passwords or credentials
  • Browsing history or other application data

Logs only contain Laminar operational data. You can open any .log file in TextEdit to review its contents before sharing.

Submitting a Support Request

What to Include

For the fastest resolution, include:

1. Problem Description

  • What were you trying to do?
  • What happened instead?
  • Does it happen every time, or intermittently?

2. Steps to Reproduce

  • Step-by-step instructions to recreate the issue
  • "It just doesn't work" makes troubleshooting difficult
  • "When I click Start Capture after connecting my ASI462MC with 50% ROI, the capture stops after 3 seconds with no error" is much better

3. Environment

  • Laminar version (shown in Laminar > About Laminar)
  • Camera model
  • Any USB hubs or adapters in use

4. Exported Logs

  • Attach the ZIP file from Settings > Diagnostics > Export Logs

Example Support Request

Subject: Capture stops unexpectedly after a few seconds

Problem: When I start a capture, it records for about 3–5 seconds then stops on its own. No error message appears. This happens every time.

Steps:

  1. Connect ASI462MC camera
  2. Start preview (works fine)
  3. Set capture to 60 seconds
  4. Click Start Capture
  5. Capture stops after ~4 seconds

Environment:

  • Laminar 1.1.x
  • macOS 15.2
  • MacBook Pro M3 Pro
  • Camera: ZWO ASI462MC
  • Connected via CalDigit TS4 hub

Attached: Laminar_Logs_2026-04-23.zip

Common Issues

Camera Not Compatible

Symptoms: Camera never appears in the dropdown, and logs show SDK reports 0 connected camera(s) repeatedly. The camera may appear as a mounted storage volume on your Mac instead.

Most likely cause: Your camera is a WiFi-based "smart" camera (such as a ZWO Air model or ASIAir controller), not a USB camera. Laminar only supports USB-connected cameras.

Check compatibility:

  • If your camera has "Air" in its name (ASI585MC Air, ASI2600MC Air, ASI678MC Air, etc.), it is a WiFi camera and not compatible with Laminar. Use the ASIAIR app or ASIStudio instead.
  • If your camera is a DSLR, mirrorless, or webcam, it is not supported — Laminar is built for dedicated astronomy cameras from ZWO, PlayerOne, QHY, ToupTek, SVBONY, and their OEM partners.
  • For the full list of supported cameras, see the Laminar compatibility list.

Log indicators: Repeated ZWO SDK reports 0 connected camera(s) and PlayerOne SDK reports 0 connected camera(s) messages with no corresponding connection attempts.

Camera Not Detected

Symptoms: Camera doesn't appear in dropdown after connecting.

Before troubleshooting: First confirm your camera is on the supported list (see "Camera Not Compatible" above). Most commonly, "not detected" reports turn out to be incompatibility — especially with WiFi-based Air cameras.

Try:

  1. Click the refresh button next to the camera dropdown
  2. Disconnect and reconnect the USB cable
  3. Try a different USB port (directly on Mac if using a hub)
  4. Quit any other apps that might be using the camera (SharpCap, FireCapture, ASI Studio)
  5. Restart Laminar

Log indicators: Look for "Camera connection failed" or "SDK error" entries.

High Frame Drop Rate

Symptoms: Status bar shows many dropped frames during capture.

Try:

  1. Use a smaller ROI (50% or 25%) to reduce data bandwidth
  2. Connect camera directly to Mac (not through a hub)
  3. Switch from RAW16 to RAW8 format
  4. Close other applications
  5. Check if Mac is thermal throttling (hot to touch, fans running)

Log indicators: In verbose mode, look for CPU percentage spikes or memory growth.

Capture Stops Unexpectedly

Symptoms: Recording stops before reaching your limit.

Possible causes:

  • Disk full (check available space)
  • USB disconnection (cable or hub issue)
  • Preview was stopped (capture requires active preview)

Log indicators: Look for "Capture stopped:" entries which include the reason.

Weather Not Loading

Symptoms: Sky Quality shows "Unable to load weather data."

Try:

  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Grant location permission when prompted (or in System Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services)
  3. Wait a few minutes and try again (temporary API issues)

Log indicators: Look for "Weather fetch failed" or "Location permission denied" entries.

Export Logs Shows "No logs available"

Symptoms: Clicking Export Logs shows an error.

Possible causes:

  • Logging was disabled
  • Logs were manually deleted
  • Log directory permissions issue

Try:

  1. Enable logging in Settings > Diagnostics
  2. Reproduce the issue
  3. Export immediately after

Contact Support

If you've tried the troubleshooting steps and still need help, contact us:

Email: support@macobservatory.com

Please include:

  • Your problem description
  • Steps to reproduce
  • Environment details
  • Exported diagnostic logs (ZIP file)

We typically respond within 1–2 business days.