mldee
05-05-2014, 03:53 PM
After a couple of years hiatus due to new house build, I've just put a 200 x 700mm pipe fixed pier in my (smallish) backyard, and purchased a new AZEQ6 (the poor man's EQ8) mount for it, to take my C8 and RC8.
The pier is close by (2m) my ground-level rear deck, and as I don't want to run 240vac to the pier, the control and imaging PC, plus 12V supplies, will sit in the deck area, connected to the pier by an active USB 2.0 extension cable, about 5m long, feeding a four-port USB hub. (Imaging camera, guide camera, FCUSB and mount guide port).
Hefty 12VDC cables will also feed the pier, one for mount + guiding, etc, and one for imaging camera (QHY9). All tested and seems OK.
Guiding is ONAG with DSI II to start.
Obviously I will need to connect from the mount USB hub to the azeq6 port. As the mount is in the open, the less electronic bits there the better, so would prefer not to have a Synscan unit hanging off the pier. Direct USB to guide port using ASCOM, just like I did with my trusty old eq6 for some years, using a Dontronics FTDI cable.
Now for the question: What is the best guide cable for azeq6, which uses an RJ12 for the ST4 port? Or should I be looking at a USB to Hand Control Port cable. I've lost touch with the details of all this.
Any suggestions links would be appreciated.
Mike
The pier is close by (2m) my ground-level rear deck, and as I don't want to run 240vac to the pier, the control and imaging PC, plus 12V supplies, will sit in the deck area, connected to the pier by an active USB 2.0 extension cable, about 5m long, feeding a four-port USB hub. (Imaging camera, guide camera, FCUSB and mount guide port).
Hefty 12VDC cables will also feed the pier, one for mount + guiding, etc, and one for imaging camera (QHY9). All tested and seems OK.
Guiding is ONAG with DSI II to start.
Obviously I will need to connect from the mount USB hub to the azeq6 port. As the mount is in the open, the less electronic bits there the better, so would prefer not to have a Synscan unit hanging off the pier. Direct USB to guide port using ASCOM, just like I did with my trusty old eq6 for some years, using a Dontronics FTDI cable.
Now for the question: What is the best guide cable for azeq6, which uses an RJ12 for the ST4 port? Or should I be looking at a USB to Hand Control Port cable. I've lost touch with the details of all this.
Any suggestions links would be appreciated.
Mike