Mount wiring and power

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

I recently re-worked my wiring and power supply for the mount etc as it had outgrown the old plastic toolbox I was originally using. Here is MK II. Original wooden box was made by adman to house a car battery and G11 power supply. I added a shelf for all the USB/serial gear and a fan to keep the air circulating around the power supply. This makes setting and packing up a lot faster as everything is pre-wired. It also keeps the dew of the gear.

[multiweb (Marc)]

What a great idea. So I understand it right. All the power stuff is at the bottom but when you packup all your cables you put that separation then shove all your mount cables in there for transport? How come you've got two GPUSBs in there?

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

Originally Posted by multiweb

What a great idea. So I understand it right. All the power stuff is at the bottom but when you packup all your cables you put that separation then shove all your mount cables in there for transport? How come you've got two GPUSBs in there?

Marc - all the power stuff is in the bottom. I leave the shelf in place (just took it out for the photo). All the cables sit on the shelf for transport but they come out through the slot in the side when connected. The lid keeps the dew off and also keeps all the LED light contained. The fan moves warm air from the power supplies up through the slots at the front and rear of the shelf and then out through the slot in the front of the box.

I've got a FCUSB, a GPUSB, a GPS receiver, wireless gamepad receiver and two serial/USB converters all connected via three USB hubs.

[multiweb (Marc)]

Very cool It's giving me ideas. Being mobile I need a blackbox like this for all my wiring. Food for thoughts.

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

It is a real time saver for a mobile setup. Also ensures the USB connections are always the same so the pc doesn't get confused.

[alistairsam]

That is a cool idea.
What is the USB device with the paper labels at the bottom left
Does it get heated in there at all?
Is that a 12 v supply at the bottom compartment?

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

Originally Posted by alistairsam

That is a cool idea.
What is the USB device with the paper labels at the bottom left
Does it get heated in there at all?
Is that a 12 v supply at the bottom compartment?

The usb device is two Belkin 4 port hubs (one stuck on top of the other). The label is so I remember which port each device gets plugged into - ie the QHY8 always goes in the same usb port so it doesn't need to install the driver for each port.

I've got a 12V fan that blows air into the bottom of the box and this travels up through the slots into the top and out the side. This keeps everything cool enough but just warm enough to keep things dew free.

I've got a 12V supply for the QHY8 (looks like a laptop power supply) and a 13.8V supply for the mount in the bottom as well as the power supplies for the powered hubs and the fan.

[h0ughy (David)]

nice Peter, but thats the same power supply that fukashima'd itself at duckadang.

i now have bought two of these to overcome that problem.

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

Originally Posted by h0ughy

nice Peter, but thats the same power supply that fukashima'd itself at duckadang.

i now have bought two of these to overcome that problem.

Dave,

The one I have sems pretty substantial - are you sure it is the same one?

http://www.gme.net.au/products/acces....8v-dc/PSA1210

[h0ughy (David)]

Originally Posted by peter_4059

Dave,

The one I have sems pretty substantial - are you sure it is the same one?

http://www.gme.net.au/products/acces....8v-dc/PSA1210

not now - the case is the same as the 20amp switchmode version i had/have

[alistairsam]

Hi Peter,

I have a qhy8 as well and thought something was wrong when it rediscovers it if you connect to a different port.

So is that 3 x four port USB hubs?

Are they daisy chained or do they go to different ports in your laptop?

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

I run three USB leads to different ports on the laptop - one for the QHY8, one for the mount and guide camera and one for everything else.

[DavidTrap (David)]

A box like this will aid your setup and tear down incredibly. I've got a similar box with 2 wiring looms (one data and one power) - I reckon it saves 10+ mins.

DT

[peter_4059 (Peter)]

That's it David - this is all about saving time setting up and packing up. It also ensures the wiring is consistent from one session to the next reducing issues with software drivers.