Help Me Eliminate USB Hubs

[Singlin]

Do any of the mini pcs have 4 usb ports?

[Jokehoba]

4 minutes ago, SkyBound said:

So if you put the mini PC on the mount connect all your kit to it and turn on...then back in the warm room how do you see what is going on, on the mount PC, I realise it is probably simple, but can't get my head around it.

i use teamviewer, but both computers need to be connected to a monitor to see the code it generates, to be able to connect.., but your mount PC won't have a monitor connected so...??

?

Ah, I don't have it on the mount, as in the video above. It's attached to the side of the pier:

[Jokehoba]

18 minutes ago, SkyBound said:

i use teamviewer, but both computers need to be connected to a monitor to see the code it generates, to be able to connect.., but your mount PC won't have a monitor connected so...??

?

If you install TeamViewer in host mode, the number assigned doesn't change and you can set your own password. So you don't need to see what's on the screen - the credentials remain the same. I use this to remote onto work servers out-of-hours.

[wuthton]

15 minutes ago, SkyBound said:

So if you put the mini PC on the mount connect all your kit to it and turn on...then back in the warm room how do you see what is going on, on the mount PC, I realise it is probably simple, but can't get my head around it.

i use teamviewer, but both computers need to be connected to a monitor to see the code it generates, to be able to connect.., but your mount PC won't have a monitor connected so...??

?

I have Windows 10 Pro on the mount pc and use the built in Windows remote desktop to log in from the house. Windows rdp is far, far superior to TeamViewer, Google remote desktop etc as it is operates over the LAN, no Internet middle man is required. 

It's literally like sitting at the remote computer, no latency at all. 

[Jokehoba]

15 minutes ago, Singlin said:

Do any of the mini pcs have 4 usb ports?

They do vary but I was fortunate enough to find one with 6 (HP 260 G1 Desktop Mini PC) but the Celeron version seems to be discontinued . I prefer to have the cameras on their own USB port but mouse, keyboard, EQMod and gamepad controller seem to work OK if connected via a passive hub. That was the scenario when I used a laptop prior to the mini PC.

[Singlin]

After doing a quick search i found this on Amazon with 4 ports and an i 5 processor

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eggsnow-Aluminum-Fanless-Desktop-Computer/dp/B00VUTOI58

[SkyBound]

Hi,

any thoughts on this as a mount mini PC, seems good spec and barebones it is only about £75 but with 256gb SSD and 4 GB ram, around £150, includes serial port too, which would be very useful.

i have found them here in the UK but I am guessing they were bought from here in China and are just selling on, but they are nearly £200...

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/2017-Newest-Mini-Computer-Celeron-J1900-2-LAN-2-COM-Quad-Core-2-0GHz-Support-Win/2059153_32735191640.html?spm=2114.12010108.1000023.3.WNWFdM

?

[Dr_Ju_ju]

being a Celeron device, I'd be worried it would be able to handle the number crunching needed....

I've tried using Wyse terminals but they just ran out of grunt...

[SkyBound]

1 hour ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

being a Celeron device, I'd be worried it would be able to handle the number crunching needed....

I've tried using Wyse terminals but they just ran out of grunt...

Well I use a laptop ATM with a celeron  quad core, and it's nt as good as the one I linked too, and that handle it all fine, even with my ASI USB 3 planetary cam, I can get close to maximum FPS on full res....

so i would have assumed it would be no worse, as not much grunt needed for deep sky work...

[Horwig]

Slightly OT, but I have two PCs in the obsy. one does the Allskycam, the other looks after dome, mount and cameras. I work from the house from my study, all three PCs run Win 7. The imaging PC, I connect to with remote desktop, and I agree with the poster above that it is lag free and like being at the observatory.

The All sky camera PC does not like being used with RDT, and falls over all the time, so I use Teamviewer for that, which is fine.

I'm not sure of the reason, but using both this way gives reliable operation.

 

Just my observation on remote working

[kirkster501]

My Startech 7 port hub failed after only two months.  Got a new one and been running for about four months.  So far, so good - fingers crossed.

10/10 for Amazon for swapping it.

[SkyBound]

Heads up if you are looking,for a pier mounted PC for Astro imaging use

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162213239069?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

£54, need to add SSD and memory, so for just over £100 (240gb SSD & 8gb RAM) a great little mini PC, celeron J1900 quad core processor, which should be more than enough for deep sky imaging.

[Kropster]

7 hours ago, SkyBound said:

Heads up if you are looking,for a pier mounted PC for Astro imaging use

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162213239069?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

£54, need to add SSD and memory, so for just over £100 (240gb SSD & 8gb RAM) a great little mini PC, celeron J1900 quad core processor, which should be more than enough for deep sky imaging.

The add states it is dual core Celeron.

Would that still be good enough?

[NickK]

On 25 September 2016 at 23:42, 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

Careful with these on a few accounts:

* Power issues - voltage drop over distance, cameras that use USB power may start behaving differently or not work at all. I find that if you do have an extender/long USB cable then a powered hub is best at the remote end.

* USB2.0 - which means it will drag the entire USB channel down to USB2 supported speeds.

* USB protocol interactions at a driver level may have issues - especially if there's timeouts on the USB packets or responses as the system may be retrying more.

Now it depends on your camera, drivers, and other hardware setup.. Although from being involved with camera USB drivers - some CAT5/6 based extenders work better than others.

[gnomus]

Thank you for pointing out these potential pitfalls.  I can only say, however, that my extender seems to work flawlessly too.  The distal end of the package is powered, and my Lodestar is working without issue.  The CCD cameras, of course, have their own power.  I believe that the CCD and the Lodestar cameras only deliver at USB 2 speeds.  Although this is to some extent irrelevant - when I was using my USB 3 ZWO for guiding I was taking 4 second exposures with it.  It would be a problem with high speed Lunar and planetary videos.  

[SkyBound]

1 hour ago, Kropster said:

The add states it is dual core Celeron.

Would that still be good enough?

It states a quad core celeron not dual core...also 6 USB ports 4x USB 2.0 and 2x USB 3.0..

Well I use a laptop at the moment, with a quad core Celeron and works fine..

[SkyBound]

On 30/09/2016 at 17:28, Singlin said:

Do any of the mini pcs have 4 usb ports?

Here you go, 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162213239069?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

[Kropster]

9 hours ago, SkyBound said:

It states a quad core celeron not dual core...also 6 USB ports 4x USB 2.0 and 2x USB 3.0..

Well I use a laptop at the moment, with a quad core Celeron and works fine..

Except if you check the 'item specifics' where it says dual core Celeron.

Contradictory advert. You would no comeback if it was indeed dual core.

Caveat emptor, as they say.

[SkyBound]

2 hours ago, Kropster said:

Except if you check the 'item specifics' where it says dual core Celeron.

Contradictory advert. You would no comeback if it was indeed dual core.

Caveat emptor, as they say.

If you look up the celeron J1900 processor online you will find full specs, I can assure you it is quad core...

[SkyBound]

2 hours ago, Kropster said:

Except if you check the 'item specifics' where it says dual core Celeron.

Contradictory advert. You would no comeback if it was indeed dual core.

Caveat emptor, as they say.

Here you go

http://ark.intel.com/products/78867/Intel-Celeron-Processor-J1900-2M-Cache-up-to-2_42-GHz

it also says in the item specifics that it has a 500gb hard drive, but there is not one supplied, so they need to update that too... 

[SkyBound]

Here is some more info on that particular nano PC from a different site, as you see it is a quad core...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856119099

[gnomus]

These things are amazing and are a good price.  On the eBay advert it states that there is no RAM and no HD - so that would have to be budgeted for.  Buying Windows would also cost more than the base machine!  But a PC sitting on top of your telescope - who'd ah thunk it, eh?    

[SkyBound]

4 minutes ago, gnomus said:

These things are amazing and are a good price.  On the eBay advert it states that there is no RAM and no HD - so that would have to be budgeted for.  Buying Windows would also cost more than the base machine!  But a PC sitting on top of your telescope - who'd ah thunk it, eh?    

With a 240gb SSD drive and 8gb ram, it would still only be £130 ish, and windows 7 can be got for next to nothing, and if you already have a windows serial key, then it would be free....!

[Kropster]

2 hours ago, SkyBound said:

If you look up the celeron J1900 processor online you will find full specs, I can assure you it is quad core...

It is a shame they can't get the advert right in the first place.

Shouldn't really have to shift the truth for yourself.

Lack of attention to detail is working. Wouldn't risk buying from that seller.

 

[SkyBound]

40 minutes ago, Kropster said:

It is a shame they can't get the advert right in the first place.

Shouldn't really have to shift the truth for yourself.

Lack of attention to detail is working. Wouldn't risk buying from that seller.

 

Yes I agree they should get the advert correct, but does not worry me as it is fully covered by PayPal and they offer a 14 day full money back guarantee if not happy for any reason... so no brainer me thinks