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Replacement cables


Marvin Jenkins

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As far as my research goes they do not exist. There are companies that specialise in robotics that make high endurance cables for continual movement applications but this is not what we want. ZWO supply the flat cables because the flexibility is good in the flat plane and internally they are well shielded.

Some of the textile covered cables seem to be flexible when cold but I have no data to support this.

I have gone back to the ZWO flat cables where USB 3.0 is required and rely on careful cable layout.

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Thanks tomatobro. I don’t like the stiffness of the ZWO cables but my main issue is that they are too short.

I use a laptop next to the mount and although I tether the cables to the ota so they don’t hang off the back of the guide camera directly, they still hang off the ota to the laptop. 
I would prefer longer cables so they could then attach to the mount / tripod, then onto the floor then to the laptop.

I suppose the answer is an asiair but I am proper skint😂

Marv

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I didn't think you could get softer or more flexible that the flat ones zwo provide, theyre so like that that sometimes they're useless in the cold. You need shielded decent awg cables for better conductivity and little interference within the cables. I've had no issue since buying all my replacement short and long cables from Kennable.

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  • 3 weeks later...

You do not need longer cables, you need acquisition mini PC at mount or OTA. You could go for MiniPCs from MeLE that accept NVMe SSD: Quieter3Q N5105 8GB 256GB. Make sure to go with Pro version of the OS in order to allow for remote-in. Don't forget, winter is coming. ❄❄❄

Patriot Astro has three-part YT series on this exact topic where he tests hardware and goes through the entire Astro SW setup. 

BTW, do yourself a favour and bin the ZWO cabels. Buy proper ones.

Edited by Dark Raven
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On 14/10/2022 at 11:23, Marvin Jenkins said:

Could any of you good people recommend replacement cables for my guide camera. 
I am using a ZWO 120mc-s and I hate the cables that come with it.

Something softer and more flexible and five metres in length would be perfect.

Thanks in advance.

Marv

My reaction is that if you think you need a 5m usb cable for a guide camera, you are doing it all wrong. You need a usb hub on the scope. 

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2 hours ago, Marvin Jenkins said:

I am doing it all wrong. No money and trying to do AP with a EQ5😂

I use a cable like this for my ASI533 - nylon covered - although I have it in white* to make it easier to see in the dark. Alternatively you could have a look for silicone covered USB cables (there's plenty on Amazon) which retain flexibility in the cold. I have some Lynx silicone power cables which are definitely better than the plastic covered cables they replaced.

 

*I bought white cables after a mishap with a cable snag pulled the camera out of the telescope and onto the floor. Also helps avoid trip hazard if you are running the cables some distance.

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There's already some sound advice here, but I'd also recommend reading this article by Pegasus Astro: https://pegasusastro.com/cable-management-recommendations/

You can skip the bit about power and jump down to cable management, especially length of USB cables and use of a powered USB hub. Lindy make some nice USB cables which you can find for sale on FLO. I've got some of the Lindy Cromo cables and I've not had any issues (although to your original post, they are stiff and not loosey goosey). My setup has a powered USB hub and mini-pc on the telescope so I don't really need my cables to be flexible as they don't move as such. 

The recommendation of a Mini PC (or ASI Air) on the mount is a good idea and worth looking into if you have the cash. See below a picture of my setup taking some flats. There is a guidescope in the middle pointing upwards, to the left is a mini-pc and to the right is a blue USB powered hub (the Pegasus Powerbox advance). 

DSC_1747.thumb.JPG.1c7eec1ffce8d8da7e2c6bc5163bf371.JPG

Here is a second picture of my setup ready to go. There are only two powered cables dangling down (one for the mount and one for the Pegasus powerbox). Otherwise all of the cables are connected between peripherals on the telescope. 

DSC_1666.thumb.JPG.1c5edb44300296e2dd9807ca671ae939.JPG

Finally, this image features very similar equipment but with zero cable management. I had all sorts of cable snagging problems with this setup, plus the frustration of dealing with a mess every time I went out to do imaging and setting up/stripping down! Cable management can be a right PITA, but it's definitely worth doing right. 

1309866649_20220204_1859232.thumb.jpg.4af895680be84b450cd13315a53f6510.jpg

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I posted a thread with a couple of PHD2 videos and one thing I realised from watching them was that any cable hanging loose is a risk but any cable hanging loose from a camera can induce movement and/or vibration in the camera.  A small breeze or the cable shifting position as the mount tracks can be enough.  It might not ruin the image but we do so much to ensure precision and improve image quality yet this seems to be a common blind spot.

Michael

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