Camera not detected through USB hub

sheeny (Al) · #1 16-09-2009, 02:54 PM

I recently bought a 4 port USB hub to allow me to connect more than one camera to my laptop in the obs for guiding.

The first few times I used it with both my DMK 21 and ToUcam (separately) no problems at all.

I think the first time I plugged the DMK 41 into it it would not detect the camera. I bypassed it for time being, and the DMK 41 works fine without the hub.

Since then, no camera has been detectible through the port. I've pulled the hub out of the obs and will do some testing to see if it works with say and external HDD.

Anyone had similar problems with USB hubs, or know of any fixes or tests I should try?

Thanks,

Al.

[1ponders] (Paul) · #2 16-09-2009, 03:11 PM

Not so much with cameras Al, but I can't run my GPUSB and guide camera off the same hub. Causes all sorts of dramas right down to the BSOD.

renormalised (Carl) · #3 16-09-2009, 03:22 PM

Driver conflicts, by the sounds of it. Best way to find out who the culprit is, just remove all the drivers and then gradually reload them, and watch what happens. Once you find out which one it might be, then see if you can get an alternative driver for the device in question, or it may need an updated USB driver for the OS you're using.

h0ughy (David) · #4 16-09-2009, 03:24 PM

true - found that out as Qld astrofest

sheeny (Al) · #5 16-09-2009, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [1ponders]

Not so much with cameras Al, but I can't run my GPUSB and guide camera off the same hub. Causes all sorts of dramas right down to the BSOD.

Oh... that's interesting. That's what I was ultimately planning to do, but I haven't got that far yet

.

So maybe I'll need 2 hubs?

I have 3 USB ports in the lappy - minus one for the rat. The one in the front I used to use for the mouse, but I'm not sure it's reliable, so I'd better investigate that too

.

Al.

Dennis · #6 16-09-2009, 03:37 PM

Hi Al

It might be worth having a look at the Power Management Settings on your Notebook Computer, under Start -> Control Panel?

I have a (well used & dearly loved) IBM ThinkPad R40 which is some 6 ½ years old now and used to have DMK connection problems until I turned off Power Management for PCI Cards, as I was using a PCMCIA Firewire card. I can now connect and operate the DMK21, DBK21 and DMK31 from the same 3 port FW PCMCIA card at the same time.

As soon as I re-set the Power Management for PCI Cards to “Automatic” it kills the cameras.

Note that my PCMCIA FW Card is powered by an external 12VDC 1A regulated mains adapter.

Cheers

Dennis

toryglen-boy (Duncan) · #7 16-09-2009, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheeny

I recently bought a 4 port USB hub to allow me to connect more than one camera to my laptop in the obs for guiding.

The first few times I used it with both my DMK 21 and ToUcam (separately) no problems at all.

I think the first time I plugged the DMK 41 into it it would not detect the camera. I bypassed it for time being, and the DMK 41 works fine without the hub.

Since then, no camera has been detectible through the port. I've pulled the hub out of the obs and will do some testing to see if it works with say and external HDD.

Anyone had similar problems with USB hubs, or know of any fixes or tests I should try?

Thanks,

Al.

Hi Al

Is the hub powered? what O/S are you using? you O/S will have a generic driver for the USB 2.0 ports, so i doubt driver issues willl even come into it. When this happens to me, and it tends to happen if i plug one portable drive from one pc into another, i can resolve the issue by completely removing the USB bus on the hardware settings in Windows, this then does a rescan, and does a "fresh" connection of USB devices, you could try this, either that, or the USB port hasnt got enough grunt on its own.

let us know how you fare !

sheeny (Al) · #8 16-09-2009, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toryglen-boy

Hi Al

Is the hub powered? what O/S are you using? you O/S will have a generic driver for the USB 2.0 ports, so i doubt driver issues willl even come into it. When this happens to me, and it tends to happen if i plug one portable drive from one pc into another, i can resolve the issue by completely removing the USB bus on the hardware settings in Windows, this then does a rescan, and does a "fresh" connection of USB devices, you could try this, either that, or the USB port hasnt got enough grunt on its own.

let us know how you fare !

Yep, the hub is powered, and I'm using XP Home.

Thanks for the tips so far, guys

. I'll keep you informed...

Al.

multiweb (Marc) · #9 16-09-2009, 06:44 PM

If you use a hub and plug things in different holes it reinstall the drivers per connection. Try to label your connections and always plug things in the same place. If you lose connectivity just unplug the one hub off the laptop or PC then replug it. Everything after the hub will refresh accordingly.

sheeny (Al) · #10 16-09-2009, 08:25 PM

Experiment 1 results are out... Nothing that I plug into the hub is being detected by the lappy... I've tried cameras, external HDDs and USB pen drives. They all detect OK if plugged directly into the lappy...

Experiment 1a ... it makes no difference which USB port I plug the hub into.

FWIW all devices power up OK when plugged into the hub.

Al.

toryglen-boy (Duncan) · #11 16-09-2009, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sheeny

Experiment 1 results are out... Nothing that I plug into the hub is being detected by the lappy... I've tried cameras, external HDDs and USB pen drives. They all detect OK if plugged directly into the lappy...

Experiment 1a ... it makes no difference which USB port I plug the hub into.

FWIW all devices power up OK when plugged into the hub.

Al.

in that case Al, the weak link must be the USB cable to the laptop, from the hub

mithrandir (Andrew) · #12 16-09-2009, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by multiweb

If you use a hub and plug things in different holes it reinstall the drivers per connection. Try to label your connections and always plug things in the same place. If you lose connectivity just unplug the one hub off the laptop or PC then replug it. Everything after the hub will refresh accordingly.

My 3G wireless only works in the port it was initially installed in. It refuses to install to another port. A real nuisance if I get paged after somethig important is in that port.

I use a 4 port mini hub - one with an extra uplink cable for power. The mouse transmitter is permanently in one port. Every other port has a COMxx configured because I forget which one I should plug the CCDs and USB-serial cable into. I leave device manager running so I can get ASCOM right first try. (I made the mistake of hibernating the other night with ASCOM running, powered up, plugged the mount into a different port and tried to guide. Immediate blue screen.)

YMMV, but you can clean up the redundant USB devices (eg COM3 to COM14):
unplug all USB devices with multiple entries,
select view hidden in device manager,
right click each one and uninstall,
reboot,
plug them in one by one and reinstall the latest (or best) drivers for each one.
Then as suggested mark each port and plug so you know where to put them next time.

Ian Robinson · #13 16-09-2009, 08:41 PM

May well be simply that the other devices on the hub are drawing all the current that the computer's USB port it is connected to can supply.

Try either digging out the Hubs power supply (I don't use mine , I can get buy without it) and connecting the hub to the power adapter so it has it's own source of current which is independent of the USB port you are trying to drive it off.

OR

Remove one of the unpowered devices you have connected to the other 3 USB ports on the hub , and then reconnect the camera's USB cable to the hub.

BTW I often find the same problem with I connect the printer to the hub .
Removing a device from one of the hub's USB ports fixes the problem.

Hope that helps.

sheeny (Al) · #14 16-09-2009, 09:12 PM

Results of experiment 2:

I plugged the hub into my desktop PC, with a different cable and it does the same thing...

I think my hub is cactus...

lights are on but no one is home...

Al.