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Help Me Eliminate USB Hubs


gnomus

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Hi

A frustrating start to the evening - this time due to USB hub issues.  I am now on my fourth USB hub since my observatory was completed only one year ago.  I have a warm room containing the computer and I have USB cables running under the floor some 3m away.  We have had various issues with our hubs.  For some reason a Win 10 update seems to cause a USB failure more often than not.  But that was not the issue tonight.  No, tonight, my mount and cameras will connect to the computer.  My focuser and Lodestar will not, however.  I have been able to fix up a temporary solution involving a 5 m USB extension cable going to another hub connecting to focuser and Lodestar so I am imaging (I hope).  But I'd prefer to eliminate the tripping hazard if I can. 

I am coming to the conclusion that I am going to need one of those Ethernet to USB extender thingamabobbies.  Is this a sensible way forward?  Has anyone done this?  Does anyone have a recommendation for a reliable unit?

Thanks for your patience.

Steve

      

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1 hour ago, Skipper Billy said:

I use on of these over 50 metres away.

It just works - flawlessly.

You can get them a lot cheaper than this if you shop around.

https://www.startech.com/uk/Cards-Adapters/USB-2/USB-Extenders/usb-over-cat5-cat6-extender~USB2004EXTV

I have ordered one from Amazon.  Thanks for the tip. 

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4 minutes ago, SkyBound said:

Would one of these do the same, but with a powered four port USB hub plugged in at the telescope end 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LogiLink-Over-CAT-5-5e-6-Up-to-60m-USB-Line-Extender-/311702589180?hash=item4892ec0efc:g:~voAAOSwYIxX4Sz8

and under £20. ?

Ignore the link above, that was USB 1.1, this one is USB 2.0, but gone up to £40.   

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-2-0-to-RJ45-over-Cat5-Cat5e-Cat6-Extender-Repeater-Cable-Lead-Wire-Adapter-/291875354801?hash=item43f52078b1:g:ENkAAOSwIgNXvaaW

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And I'd need 4 of them, plus I'd have to run 4 cables.  The unit from Amazon was around £140 - not cheap but ... if it wasn't for the fact that I happened to have a spare USB extender cable and hub lying around, I would have lost a good 5 hour imaging session the other night.  

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4 minutes ago, gnomus said:

Try buying 4 x USB hubs in 6 months :hmh:

Unit arrived today.  It worked fine in the house.  I need to get a longer cable to install it in the observatory. 

I use an Orico USB 3.0 4 port hub, very solid metal construction and always reliable...and runs from 12v supply, thought maybe I could use the cable I linked too above, with this on the end, for a much cheaper version of what you have bought... ! .?

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6 minutes ago, gnomus said:

And I'd need 4 of them, plus I'd have to run 4 cables.  The unit from Amazon was around £140 - not cheap but ... if it wasn't for the fact that I happened to have a spare USB extender cable and hub lying around, I would have lost a good 5 hour imaging session the other night.  

Why would you need 4 of them, you just need one, with a quality powered 4 port USB hub on the telescope end...?

gives you the four ports same as unit you have purchased....or am I missing something?

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13 minutes ago, SkyBound said:

.....or am I missing something?

The start of the post where I say I have gone through 4 x USB hubs, 2 x USB3s and two USB2s - and all claiming to be good quality.  But if they are working well for you then te salutamus.

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I'm a little late to this thread but in my years of AP nothing has caused me more grief than USB hubs, expensive or cheap. My solution was to mount a nano-pc on the mount that had plenty of USB ports and use remote desktop for control.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zotac-CI521-0-8GHz-5Y10c-BGA1234/dp/B00Y7912X4/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1475020421&sr=8-17&keywords=zotac+zbox

An added bonus is that it reduces the number of cables to the floor and visibly improved guiding.

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19 minutes ago, wuthton said:

My solution was to mount a nano-pc on the mount that had plenty of USB ports and use remote desktop for control.

I did a similar thing but bought an HP Mini-PC - 2xUSB3, 4xUSB2 - and strapped it to the pier. Simply remote onto it once back in the warm. :happy11:

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These ideas are all well and good, but what if we haven't got the funds to be spending on a dedicated nano PC to strap outside onto the pier, my PC in the house only cost half what that nano PC that @wuthton linked too..... ?

Hence why I was looking for a cheaper alternative, that was cost effective and reliable..

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1 hour ago, SkyBound said:

These ideas are all well and good, but what if we haven't got the funds to be spending on a dedicated nano PC to strap outside onto the pier, my PC in the house only cost half what that nano PC that @wuthton linked too, cost.... ?

Hence whay I was looking for a cheaper alternative, that was cost effective and reliable..

Much like Gnomus I went though several USB hubs that all caused various and intermittent problems such as camera dropouts, mount connection problems, eqmod com port problems etc, etc, etc. I finally found one that was reliable and used it for several months until my trusty old laptop died. I loaded all the required software onto my work laptop but my guidecam wouldn't connect..... I went through the rigmarole of uninstalling drivers, swapping USB ports (we all know the drill) but still nothing. The following day I took the camera inside and it worked fine but after putting it back on the mount it didn't work again..... USB hub grrrrr.

My hub worked with one laptop but not the other, both running the same version of Windows. I could recommend the hub I used but only if you're running an old Dell laptop with Windows Vista.

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I am not advocating spending for spending sake, of course.  But it is very frustrating to have one's expensive rig rendered unusable by a substandard connection.  You also have to put a value on your time.  If the £140 Ethernet-USB box works, then it will in my view be money well spent.  If mini-PCs give relability then that is also a good thing.  This game is hard enough without failures due to connections between components.  What is £200-300 at the end of the day?  It is probably a tiny percentage of one's total AP outlay.  

You know some of these hi-fi nuts (I can use this derogatory term because I am one such 'nut' and have, therefore, 'checked my privilege') can spend hundreds (sometimes thousands) of pounds on interconnects, and they are just pieces of wire.

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Hi Steve,

I have two usb cables from my pc. One to the mount and one to a Startech 7 port 12v industrial hub. Never had an issue other than cables.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/StarTech-com-Mountable-Rugged-Industrial-Port/dp/B003AVPUZG/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1475065697&sr=1-2-fkmr2&keywords=startech+12v+usb+hub

 

Steve

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OK.  I have installed the device suggested by SkipperBilly above.  The hardest part was pulling the Cat 5/6 cable through the observatory ducting.  As far as I could see there was no set up.  Everything that I plugged in seems to be working as it should.  It needs to be tested properly in anger, but looking good so far.  I hope I haven't tempted fate!

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