I use a Officeworks passive extension cable to run to my Belkin hub and it works fine. Might be better to splash out on an active extender though. I have everything mounted on the scope and It is such a pleasure to have one USB and a power cord to connect to the system.
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Originally Posted by Logieberra
I added a 1m extension cable to mine. Nil issues. The hub is 5v mains powered. Perhaps that helps...
thanks guys, i'll give it a go, I've got no issue with using a powered hub as I rarely venture from home. any suggestions on how to mount the usb hub (plus usb shuttercontrol) on the scope/mount? i'm fairly handyman challenged and don't have a permanent setup.
thanks guys, i'll give it a go, I've got no issue with using a powered hub as I rarely venture from home. any suggestions on how to mount the usb hub (plus usb shuttercontrol) on the scope/mount? i'm fairly handyman challenged and don't have a permanent setup.
Hi Russell,
I attached my USB hub to telescope rigs. It allowed me to use shorter cords and to have less cables hanging off the mount.
The majority of "unpowered" USB hubs are designed for basic peripherals like mouse, keyboard and USB memory sticks. If you're going to run your mount, focuser and several cameras at once, a powered USB hub is practically a must-have. If you need to run an extension from the hub which is longer than 2 meters, an active USB extension is recommended. It doesn't have to expensive or fancy, but getting a powered hub will minimize the chance of mysterious device drop-outs in mid session.
Just a bit of advice here. Always plug the same device into the same port it used last time. Due to the port number re-assignment process changing ports can eventually cause some issue as the list of changes accumulates at the PC. Just good practice and reduces problems.
This shouldn't happen on modern iterations of Windows but folks who are still running Windows XP on their obs PC may encounter issues if you have a high number of USB devices with frequent port changes over a long period.
At worst it will just create superfluous registry entries, any other behavior is likely a fault of the USB device itself. On newer versions of Windows you can display these placeholder devices by selecting the "Show Phantom Devices" menu entry in Device Manager, but under normal circumstances there shouldn't be a need to remove them.
My MBeat is securely held by heavy duty velcro to the back of the scope. Its much more tidy and usb cables can be kept to .5m. A 5m Lindy active cable then runs back to the laptop.
I attached my USB hub to telescope rigs. It allowed me to use shorter cords and to have less cables hanging off the mount.
Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterM
My MBeat is securely held by heavy duty velcro to the back of the scope. Its much more tidy and usb cables can be kept to .5m. A 5m Lindy active cable then runs back to the laptop.
thanks gents, it has given me some ideas, I might also look into incorporating a 'thermal sleeve' like on Greg's new scope.
I tried many many different hubs, found the Belkin range to work without any hassles (recommended by another IIS member). Been using it with any and every USB peripheral for my imaging rig for over two years. They also offer a 7-port version too.
I personally avoid having anything on my scope to reduce the stress on the mount and have opted to use a single loom to feed all my USB cables from the scope to the hub/computer. By far the best investment ever made, not having to fumble around and connect 6-7 cables at every session!
... I personally avoid having anything on my scope to reduce the stress on the mount and have opted to use a single loom to feed all my USB cables from the scope to the hub/computer...
I do the opposite. My goal has been to reduce through the mount cabling to a minimum, to reduce any drag during tracking. I have two scopes with cameras + many bits operating from my mount and only 2 cables going through the mount. 12v accessory power and Mbeat hub. It also means that if I want to disassemble and do portable - less fiddling around. I'll take a pic later to explain. The Rigrunner and this new 7port Mbeat make it all possible (p.s. last night I realised I'm using 6 of the 7 ports on Mbeat and unpowered! Yet working perfectly with a 1m non-usb active extension! Funny how all our experiences differ on usb hubs. A bit like those of us who've owned magic refractors which allegedly outperform much larger scopes... )
Hi,
I use a powered (5 Amps) Anker 7 ports USB-3 hub. All my stuff like filter wheel, electric focuser, rotator, guider, main ccd, etc... are connected to this hub, which is attached to one leg of the tripod using large cable ties. The connection between the hub and the laptop is made through a 1.8m male to female USB-3 cable. This approach was the end of cables flying around.
How does it manage different USB speeds through one connection? Does it drop back the whole hub if you plug in a USB1 device? I've never worked out how to tell if a device is USB 1 or 2?
I don't think it drops back. It supports usb2 and usb3 connections, at the same time, depending on your device. All I can say is that it just works, which is a first for me on hubs.
The MBeat certainly seems tempting - I guess the option to power is always there if need be. I don't think I could bring myself to cutting into power connectors to go all "rigrunner" though. Too timid!
I have tried the MBeat with all USB 2 plugged in and with USB3 flash drive plugged in and it certainly doesn't drop the transfer rate on the USB3. I and several others I know have used them for astro for over a year and at the price with separate switches they have outperformed everything else.
I hope the OP has been able to get a good outcome for his needs.
The MBeat certainly seems tempting - I guess the option to power is always there if need be. I don't think I could bring myself to cutting into power connectors to go all "rigrunner" though. Too timid!
I made all my own cables and plugs, and used Rigrunner clips on the other end. Easy stuff. Jaycar have all the plug ends you could ever need. No need to butcher/cut the nice original cables that came with your accessories!
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