Hub / Control device thingies.

[RyanParle]

Hi all

I'm looking in to some bit of kit that can help consolidate the extensive amount of cables and control modules that I am running out of places to stick to my mount.

I'll be wanting a minimum of 4 USB ports must have at least one USB3 for a future camera upgrade. Power for Dew heater, Flat panel, DSLR, Mount & a few spare for alternate cameras. Stepper motor focus control, Ideally with temp compensation.

There are a few units that I have seen and i'll list the Pros & Cons of each considering my setup requirements.

HitecAstro Mount Hub Pro Compact.

• Pro's: Power, dew heater & focuser control
• Con's: USB hub would be nice. Doesn't seem to have temperature compensation for focuser.

HitecAstro Mount Hub Pro V4.

• Pro's : As above but has USB Hub, focuser temperature compensation, Power monitor & Electronic Fusing.
• Con's: Quite a lot of money compared to the above unit.

Pegasus ULTIMATE PowerBox V2.

• Pro's: pretty much the same as the Hitec Hub Pro v4, Also has humidity sensor for auto dew heater control
• Con's: still a little pricey.

Primaluce Lab Eagle 3 series (not interested in core model).

• Pro's: Plenty of Power & USB options as well as manual control of dew heaters etc. Built in computer functionality is a really nice touch but not required.
• Con's: Lacking focus control, Price for the base model is reasonable, but i'd want the top line one as a form of future proofing.

Final option is DIY.

• Pro's: Can be designed to suit my requirements exactly, Possibly the cheapest.
• Con's: Lots of effort to design all the elements software etc. like many of my DIY projects it will probably end up half finished... FEATURE CREEP!!!

What other options are there on the market? I have seen the Lunatico / seletek products but they don't really appeal to me. At the moment I'm thinking that the Pegasus unit is the best value although the Eagle 3 would win it hands down if it included a focus controller.

[MarkAR]

My vote is with the Pegasus. Does everything I need and no other boxes to mount.

Another couple of minor inconveniences with it though are I had to make up custom brackets to mount it crossways so that the cables run left and right. Also could do with being supplied with a longer USB3 to computer.

[RyanParle]

On 07/05/2020 at 23:57, MarkAR said:

My vote is with the Pegasus. Does everything I need and no other boxes to mount.

Another couple of minor inconveniences with it though are I had to make up custom brackets to mount it crossways so that the cables run left and right. Also could do with being supplied with a longer USB3 to computer.

Yeah I think the Pegasus is going to take my money! I think i'll also have to come up with an alternative mounting solution, I will need to remove the unit from the top dovetail of my telescope in order to fit it back in its flight case, I'm sure i could fabricate something up pretty easily. I expect I will end up investing in a USB 3 over Ethernet solution for the data cable, Generally I run a cable out from the laptop to the telescope. I'd like to still be able to do this.

Do you know if you can use a USB 2 cable between the Computer and the hub if you don't need USB3 speeds?

Edited May 17, 2020 by RyanParle

[MarkAR]

10 minutes ago, RyanParle said:

Do you know if you can use a USB 2 cable between the Computer and the hub if you don't need USB3 speeds?

Not sure how well it would work but I think the USB 2.0 B plug  will fit the USB 3.0 B socket.

[RyanParle]

Yeah, I gather the cables will fit, but the compatibility depends on the hardware used in the usb3 hub inside the upbv2. Some USB 3 hubs are backwards compatible on the upstream port and some aren't. The USB 3 hub in my pc monitor is not backwards compatible and simply doesn't work with a USB 2 cable. It will however work with a usb3 cable plugged into a USB 2 port. 

[Edit].

I have just had a reply from Pegasus Astro who informed me that all ports are fully backwards compatible with USB2. So for now whilst all of my cameras are USB2 I don't need to worry about getting a long enough USB3 solution.

Edited May 17, 2020 by RyanParle