Question about Quality USB cables

[gilesco]

I have a whole assortment of USB cables some old, some which came with equipment I've bought (e.g. ZWO cameras).

I would like to look at purchasing some longer length cables (not much longer, perhaps 4 or 5 metres).

Looking around I see that the cost of these cables varies immensely, without much to tell whether the more expensive ones are of a better quality.

What USB cable manufacturers do you recommend which are quality, work for astro, and will not break the bank? I need various different ones with differing form factor ends.

[fifeskies]

I recently bought some "Lindy" USB cables and they seem to be good quality and work well.

I also use "etguuds" nylon braided cables.

(a mix of a type b type c type and mini usb for canon camera) 

 

 

Do remember that USB2 is not recommended to exceed 5metres and USB3 is only 3m limit before you risk problems.

(I recently went down the USB over cat5/6 cable route for remote operation and it works very well).

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by fifeskies

[ebdons]

Yes swapped most of mine for lindy and they are very reliable, but there are others, and some have gold plated connectors and I don't know if that makes much difference?

[TerryMcK]

+1 for ETGuuds and Lindy. Both available from Amazon. However I recommend keeping your cables as short as possible feeding into a powered USB3 hub actually on the mount or pier. Then use a single USB3 repeater cable to feed to your computer if it is remote from the scope. You won’t experience any drops that way.

[geeklee]

3 hours ago, TerryMcK said:

However I recommend keeping your cables as short as possible feeding into a powered USB3 hub actually on the mount or pier. Then use a single USB3 repeater cable to feed to your computer if it is remote from the scope. You won’t experience any drops that way.

Agreed, this is how I now have it setup.  I have a powered USB3 hub on the mount with a repeater USB3 cable going back to the computer.  So far, so good.  This has a mix of USB2 and USB3 cables plugged into the hub.

[david_taurus83]

6 hours ago, ebdons said:

Yes swapped most of mine for lindy and they are very reliable, but there are others, and some have gold plated connectors and I don't know if that makes much difference?

Ha ha! Does everyone remember the gold plated SCART leads that were supposedly all singing, all dancing, bells and whistles, back in the day?! I even seen a 2m length in PC world once for 50 quid! I always use cheap cables and rarely have issues. Ive had to swap a genuine Xbox supplied HDMI cable for a cheap one as the first failed. A cable is a cable, as long as the wires aren't damaged and the plugs make good contact with the sockets, they should be fine.

[gilesco]

I was not aware of the 3m recommendation for USB3... I think I will hold fire and try and improve cable management, then perhaps look at getting a Pegasus PPB Advance when the budget allows.

Thanks for all the recommendations, I do still need a slightly longer USB2 to go from my mount to the USB hub. So will check Lindy and ETGuuds brands for their offerings.

[ebdons]

 I have my Powered usb3 hub on the pier/tripod as then 3m leads should be long enough depending on your scope and cam position etc. and I do mix usb2 and 3 with issues but it helps to have a powered usb3 hub on the pc as a backup for all the other stuff we connect.

[fifeskies]

Just a copy from a technical site about USB 3 as a reminder

USB 3 is much more intolerant of lower quality cable due the the much higher transmission frequency

 

 

Maximum length of USB 3.0 / USB 3.1 cable:

The 3.0/3.1 specification does not specify a maximum cable length between USB 3.0/3.1 devices (SuperSpeed or SuperSpeed+), but there is a recommended length of 3 meters (or about 9 feet and 10 inches). However, the biggest limitation to the length of the cable is the quality of the cable. Results may vary, but with a high quality cable you should be able to go beyond 3 meters. However, to ensure you achieve the best results possible, use an active cable when going more than 10 feet (3 meters).

 

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by fifeskies