USB hub....

[paul mc c]

Hello all,not sure if this is the correct place to post,just a quick question,when i am imaging i have 4 usb leads coming from my laptop giong to various things like camera,guider ect,and there are cables hanging all over,can i use a USB hub and stick this to either the mount or scope and plug my usb,s into that meaning i have only 1 cable coming from the hub giong to the laptop.

[PeterCPC]

That's exactly what I do.

Peter

[paul mc c]

Why did i not think of this sooner.....lol,what kind of hub would you recommend Peter.

[RayD]

27 minutes ago, paul mc c said:

Hello all,not sure if this is the correct place to post,just a quick question,when i am imaging i have 4 usb leads coming from my laptop giong to various things like camera,guider ect,and there are cables hanging all over,can i use a USB hub and stick this to either the mount or scope and plug my usb,s into that meaning i have only 1 cable coming from the hub giong to the laptop.

Absolutely.  Depending what you are running you may find you need a powered hub as the 4 on your laptop are probably not on a shared port, so the power is split across them.

[paul mc c]

1 minute ago, RayD said:

Absolutely.  Depending what you are running you may find you need a powered hub as the 4 on your laptop are probably not on a shared port, so the power is split across them.

What would you recommend.

[Ouroboros]

I use a 4 socket powered hub attached to the mount too.  The problem I've had with this arrangement is cables getting moved, the plug moving in the USB socket, and the device disconnecting, which can be a real pain.  Sometimes I've had to reboot the computer to get things working again.  A workaround solution I've found is to cable tie the cables to the mount so that no stress is put on the USB plug at the hub. 

[RayD]

37 minutes ago, paul mc c said:

What would you recommend.

Startech seem to be the ones which most people have the least issues with.  They are somewhat more industrial and seem pretty robust and able to cope with the external elements pretty will.  I have a little Orico one and that has been great also.

Whichever you choose I would suggest making sure the power source is 12V as it makes giving it a supply much easier.

[paul mc c]

Nice one,i will look into them.

[RolandKol]

5 minutes ago, paul mc c said:

Nice one,i will look into them.

I also use one, - the cheapest  USB 3 Hub (with 4 slots)  I found on ebay. Works well, just a minor problem.

If I connect my guiding cam and main cam to that hub, - AP software (like SGP or APT) and PHD2 are not able to recognize a guiding one.

ASI1600 is my main one and guiding with ASI224.

However, ASI1600 has 2 USB slots for guide cams in it's body and if I connect guider to it, all works perfectly!

 I have managed to get away with the  cheapest USB hub solution, - for £7 or something... I even do not remember.

[seanpius]

Hi Paul,this is the one that i use,Orico powered hub £21.95 on amazon,cable tied to scope with one single usb lead going to my computer which is in my sunroom 24ft away,never had any problems with it.

[PeterCPC]

34 minutes ago, paul mc c said:

Why did i not think of this sooner.....lol,what kind of hub would you recommend Peter.

I tried several until I found Startech - definitely the best. Mine is not powered and works fine. Held on the tripod with a bit of velcro.

Peter

[RayD]

3 minutes ago, PeterCPC said:

I tried several until I found Startech - definitely the best. Mine is not powered and works fine. Held on the tripod with a bit of velcro.

Peter

Yes I agree, Peter.  I have a Startech one left over from before I switched to the Pegasus, and couldn't fault it.  Costly but worth the money.

I threw the Orico one in there as they are the ones I found to perform best out of the cheaper models.

[Davey-T]

I use a Startech 7 port USB3 powered hub with 2 cameras, 2 motor focusers and weather station plugged in and all works fine.

When feeling really optimistic it has 3 cameras and focusers plugged in 

Dave

[RayD]

30 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

When feeling really optimistic it has 3 cameras and focusers plugged in 

Not necessarily switched on, that's a whole other level ?

[Charic]

Funny old thing! tonight my  Master plug surge protected extension  cable was  powered on, charging my iPhone, when all of a sudden over my left shoulder, flash, a loud bang! and a puff of smoke, at first thinking my iPhone adaptor was to blame, having just plugged it in, but no!
Also powered on was an old variable output, Uniross PSU Uniross AD101708, connected to an old Trust usb 2 hub.
Although the USB Hub was not  actually  in use, but still connected, the PSU attached to it  was switched on.

The end result was a blown psu, a failed. master plug socket and the 1st floor ring main tripped, so all-in-all, everything worked  well (tripped) as expected, but now gonna need a new hub ( possibly two, one for each pc W10/iOs and a new extension?

Sort of glad I was there when it happened, but even happier that the electrical system  proved its worth. Could have been more serious?

 

 

[paul mc c]

Ohhh,that could have been a lot worse,at least it was only the hub that got it.

[paul mc c]

One last question,why a powered hub and not an ordinary one.

[RolandKol]

Because of the Kirchhoff's law...
The more devices you attach, the more Current you share/split between them, so some of the devices may end up with less current than needed...

Plus, if you are planing to introduce long USB cable to hide the laptop inside, - the resistance of the cable  will reduce the current also, 

So you need to add it up from thr side, via powered extension cable or via powered USB hub.

[Charic]

5 hours ago, paul mc c said:

One last question,why a powered hub and not an ordinary one.

For me, as above! I have five USB  powered Saitek controllers, and they don't all work  together without a little extra power to the usb.
Not only that,  read something about Windows 10 having other issues with voltages  from  USB sockets, so the thread suggested  powering the hub.
The Uniross was quite old, so maybe just met its maker,  but I'd rather buy a new  hub now,  complete with its own psu.
I've not actually tried/ested the old  Trust USB Hub, probably won't now. ?️

[paul mc c]

Can i get a 3.0 model even though only one of my pieces og gear uses 3.0,all the others are 2.0.

[RayD]

9 hours ago, paul mc c said:

Can i get a 3.0 model even though only one of my pieces og gear uses 3.0,all the others are 2.0.

Yes, not a problem at all.

[Rusted]

I'm in the same situation as the OP.

My laptop has a reversible[?] 3.1 Gen2 and a Type C port but not nearly enough USB2.

Would anyone like to suggest which of these two [presently unused] ports I should choose for connecting a 4x USB2 hub?

And why?

Thanks

[Charic]

Rusted, do you own a Mac? There's some useful info here https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201163 The info is probably still useful for non-Mac owners.
I'm still considering what to get but If I pop in the highest spec USB, I know that will configure the port and should then run any USB device with a lower spec. If I only use  a USB2 spec adaptor, then USB3 may suffer, as the port itself is only configured for USB2, but I'm still learning.

Ankar make reputable USB self powered hubs, and that's where Im looking at present.

[Rusted]

14 minutes ago, Charic said:

Rusted, do you own a Mac? There's some useful info here https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201163 The info is probably still useful for non-Mac owners.
I'm still considering what to get but If I pop in the highest spec USB, I know that will configure the port and should then run any USB with a lower spec. If I only use  a USB2 spec adaptor, then USB3 may suffer, but I'm still learning.

Ankar make reputable USB self powered hubs, and that's where Im looking at present.

Thanks for the link.

I own an ASUS N552V W10 with 4K screen and SSD. Weighs a ton and only has 3 USB-2 ports.

I probably need some power to charge my tablet [for precise focusing] at the same time.
USB3.1 Gen2 and USB C are supposed to provide more power.
Whereas a USB 2 port is limited and shared between the ports on a hub.

From earlier comments here I have been searching for Startech hubs with USB-C cable input. Or 3.1 Gen2 cable input.
Startech do a cheap mini-hub with USB-C into 4x USB-2. Though compact really isn't that important to me.
It doesn't have to be their cheapest either if something more suitable for typical observatory use is available.

[Charic]

The 'U' in USB meaning 'Universal' makes no difference if the USB plug is 1, 2 or 3  they'll all fit, but what will happen is that the drivers and host controller will dictate the speed for the port in use, so a USB 3 device may run slower or not at all from  say a USB1 port.

Any USB Hub that you attach will take its power from the port itself, Bus-powered, and if inadequate or mismatched,  some issues will/may arise!

For my Windows setup, I'm using several Saitek hardware devices, and individually  they use up all 8 of my USB ports on the PC, USB 2.
If  I attach a  self powered hub, then I can run several devices from one port alone, and each device should receive full power from each individual port on the hub, rather than sharing that power between devices, if bus-powered.

I've two USB3 ports and two lightning ports on my MacBook Pro, but like today I'm using 'clamshell mode' running a wireless keyboard (Trust) and cabled mouse (Trust) and a 23" Screen (AOC). My two lightning port are free and today so are the two USB3 ports but with four devices that I could potentially plug in at the same time, an external powered hub is on the cards, but specifically, for my Windows setup. Ankar does a 10 port hub (three being charging ports) and  I'll be able to use the hub on both systems, but will end up no-doubt with two hubs!

Regards the original post, If Paul mc c goes ahead with his hub, the hub that is connected to the pc will configure the port accordingly, up to what is allowable by the host controller, so if he has a USB 2 port on his computer, a USB 3 hub will only run as fast as the USB2 configuration, therefore unless you can upgrade the USB Host controller, if he has a USB2 port then using a USB2 hub, should be fine.