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Re: Erratic Movement in Dec slewing
observe_m13
jerk is still here after doing all checks that includes making sure
the backlash on the keypad was set at "0". If you have a mount You probably need to add some dec backlash adjustment. Read that section in the keypad manual.
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Re: Erratic Movement in Dec slewing
dmwmpd <westergren@...>
Hi Mike,
Since you have an SCT, could the visual shake when you move in DEC be mirror flop? Since RA slow motion is always one way, you wouldn't see any in RA. A 14 inch mirror has a lot of inertia. I have a large refractor on my 1200 and have never seen any shake like you describe. Don W --- In ap-gto@..., michael mcdermott <classicstone9474@...> wrote: keypad that came with the mount 8/2006. Roland stated I have to live with it. I would like to know why? I am glad that yours does not do what mine does. The mount is perfectly balanced. I have a Meade 14" SCT mounted in an Homeyer Cradle. The RA I have no problem with, also in a speed that is not "1" I have no problem with in DEC. - The gear box does make a stranger noise while the object is "jerking" after the (4) seconds that noise goes away and the slew smoothes out.- Mike Richard Seavey <reseavey@...> wrote: Mikethe way yours does. If I press the N or S button, there is a 1-2 sec delayand then the star will immediately move at the correct rate, with nohesitations (jerks) and no movement in the orthogonal (RA) direction. It doesseem that you have some kind of problem. If I remember correctly, youswapped keypads with another mount and things didn't change? Did you also swap theCP3 controllers while you had access to that other mount? I can seethat you are quite frustrated, but have hope! There is no reason that yourproblem can not be solved.two that isdirections (ie: vibrate, like a headlight in a rear view mirror secondsloose) as the N or S button is pressed this occurs for about (4) checkedand starts to smooth out. I have greased the spur gears and have has thethe mesh of the gears,as well as the set-screw on the gear that here afterbrass insert. I have made earlier post that this jerk is still keypad wasdoing all checks that includes making sure the backlash on the you couldset at "0". If you have a mount AP1200GTO I would appreciate if it shouldfollow the procedure to see if it occurs on yours. I don't think you see abe there,mostly with what the mount cost me. Thanks, Mike response fromstar "jerk back and forth" ? you havea fellow AP1200GOTO CP3 owner. I would like to know if any of ie: stara problem while looking thru your eyepiece and having button (6) told byjerk back and forth when N OR S buttons are engaged. I am being is NOthe manufacture that this is normal,and if I send it in there [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]fix. Thanks, Mike[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Re: Strange Declination Behavior
twade35
Mark,
After manually moving it across the meridian, I would first sync it using Pinpoint in MaximDL. Then I would immediately click the Recalibration button in TheSky. After "Recalibrating", I would then attempt to slew to the correct imaging location which would result in the Dec going the wrong way. I have to admit, that while clicking the Recalibration button in TheSky nothing seemed to happen so perhaps it isn't. I didn't use any other software or the keypad for Recalibration. I used MaximDL for the Goto slew. Perhaps, it was still confused (i.e. didn't recognize the Recalibrate command from TheSky. I have MaximDL connected through TheSky. Is there a way in TheSky to "Goto" specific coordinates (i.e. manual entry of RA and Dec)? Thanks, Wade
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Re: Erratic Movement in Dec slewing
michael mcdermott <classicstone9474@...>
Hi Richard, No orthogonal issues, I have had my dream machine when imaging this does cause somewhat of an out of balance on the east side. When I slew on "1" setting to center the image on the camera chip the image jerks only in the N/S direction. I have my weight shaft measured so I know where to place the weights.This works great.- Mike
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Richard Seavey <reseavey@...> wrote: Mike Regarding the swapped keypad, I guess I was confusing your post with the fellow that had an autoguiding problem a few weeks ago. You say you balanced your scope perfectly. Have you ever tried unbalancing the DEC axis to see if there is any difference in the way it moves? It might be that your "perfect balance", along with some gear or bearing stiction could cause the "jerking". What happens if you hold, say, the North button down for more than 4 seconds and then immediately press the South button? Do you ever see any orthogonal motion? Richard
At 10:14 AM 6/18/2008 -0700, you wrote:
Hi Richard, I have not swapped out any keypad this is the original keypad
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Re: Erratic Movement in Dec slewing
Richard Seavey
Mike
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Regarding the swapped keypad, I guess I was confusing your post with the fellow that had an autoguiding problem a few weeks ago. You say you balanced your scope perfectly. Have you ever tried unbalancing the DEC axis to see if there is any difference in the way it moves? It might be that your "perfect balance", along with some gear or bearing stiction could cause the "jerking". What happens if you hold, say, the North button down for more than 4 seconds and then immediately press the South button? Do you ever see any orthogonal motion? Richard
At 10:14 AM 6/18/2008 -0700, you wrote:
Hi Richard, I have not swapped out any keypad this is the original keypad
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Re: Erratic Movement in Dec slewing
michael mcdermott <classicstone9474@...>
Hi Richard, I have not swapped out any keypad this is the original keypad that came with the mount 8/2006. Roland stated I have to live with it. I would like to know why? I am glad that yours does not do what mine does. The mount is perfectly balanced. I have a Meade 14" SCT mounted in an Homeyer Cradle. The RA I have no problem with, also in a speed that is not "1" I have no problem with in DEC. - The gear box does make a stranger noise while the object is "jerking" after the (4) seconds that noise goes away and the slew smoothes out.- Mike
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Richard Seavey <reseavey@...> wrote: Mike I own an AP1200 with the CP3 controller. My mount does not react the way yours does. If I press the N or S button, there is a 1-2 sec delay and then the star will immediately move at the correct rate, with no hesitations (jerks) and no movement in the orthogonal (RA) direction. It does seem that you have some kind of problem. If I remember correctly, you swapped keypads with another mount and things didn't change? Did you also swap the CP3 controllers while you had access to that other mount? I can see that you are quite frustrated, but have hope! There is no reason that your problem can not be solved. Richard
At 08:08 AM 6/18/2008 -0700, you wrote:
Hi Richard, Thanks for the concern, the object literally moves in two
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Re: Erratic Movement in Dec slewing
Richard Seavey
Mike
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
I own an AP1200 with the CP3 controller. My mount does not react the way yours does. If I press the N or S button, there is a 1-2 sec delay and then the star will immediately move at the correct rate, with no hesitations (jerks) and no movement in the orthogonal (RA) direction. It does seem that you have some kind of problem. If I remember correctly, you swapped keypads with another mount and things didn't change? Did you also swap the CP3 controllers while you had access to that other mount? I can see that you are quite frustrated, but have hope! There is no reason that your problem can not be solved. Richard
At 08:08 AM 6/18/2008 -0700, you wrote:
Hi Richard, Thanks for the concern, the object literally moves in two
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Re: Erratic Movement in Dec slewing
michael mcdermott <classicstone9474@...>
Hi Richard, Thanks for the concern, the object literally moves in two directions (ie: vibrate, like a headlight in a rear view mirror that is loose) as the N or S button is pressed this occurs for about (4) seconds and starts to smooth out. I have greased the spur gears and have checked the mesh of the gears,as well as the set-screw on the gear that has the brass insert. I have made earlier post that this jerk is still here after doing all checks that includes making sure the backlash on the keypad was set at "0". If you have a mount AP1200GTO I would appreciate if you could follow the procedure to see if it occurs on yours. I don't think it should be there,mostly with what the mount cost me. Thanks, Mike
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Richard Seavey <reseavey@...> wrote: Mike Can you go into more detail about what you mean when you say that you see a star "jerk back and forth" ? Richard
At 02:35 PM 6/18/2008 +0000, you wrote:
Hi Group, I find it extremely "funny" that I can't get a response from
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Re: Erratic Movement in Dec slewing
Richard Seavey
Mike
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
Can you go into more detail about what you mean when you say that you see a star "jerk back and forth" ? Richard
At 02:35 PM 6/18/2008 +0000, you wrote:
Hi Group, I find it extremely "funny" that I can't get a response from
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Erratic Movement in Dec slewing
starclusterseeker <classicstone9474@...>
Hi Group, I find it extremely "funny" that I can't get a response from
a fellow AP1200GOTO CP3 owner. I would like to know if any of you have a problem while looking thru your eyepiece and having button (6) pressed and setting the slew to the "1" speed, does the object ie: star jerk back and forth when N OR S buttons are engaged. I am being told by the manufacture that this is normal,and if I send it in there is NO fix. Thanks, Mike
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Re: [SPAM]RE: Keyspan USB Server
r1300rs
Has anyone used this Keyspan USB server connected to a "wireless bridge" via the RJ45 cable?
This would eliminate the laptop all together; just pull the IP from the bridge and connect to al the "observatory stuff".
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Astro-Physics has 8 mm Ethos IN STOCK!
Hi everybody,
I just wanted to let you all know that we now have a few 8 mm Ethos eyepieces by TeleVue in stock for immediate delivery. They won't last long! They aren't up on a regular webpage yet, but you can find them on our pricelist: http://www.astro-physics.com/prices/prices.htm Happy viewing and clear skies! Howard
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AP900 GTO PSU - revisit
Philip Perkins <ppml2@...>
Folks,
May I briefly revisit PSUs for my AP900 GTO? For the past 9 years I have been powering the mount with a 12v 3.3A PSU (ex HP Omnibook) and generally the mount has worked fine, including when loaded with the RCOS 12.5". But just recently I noticed that the control box LED usually shows orange, whereas I assume it is supposed to show green. Also, very occasionally, the hand controller resets (reverts to starting menu) during an imaging session, though the mount carries on tracking perfectly. So I think it's time to investigate a more beefy PSU... I am considering a high quality 6A PSU from Maplins (sold as a laptop PSU) which provides 7 selectable output voltages including 15v, 16v, and 18v. I have read that the mount will run on anything between 12v and 18v. Is this true and if so is it better to use the highest voltage available (18v) or should I back down a little? The spec says that the PSU is fully stabilised with low ripple and low interference and has overload and short circuit protection. Info is here: http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=43515&doy=17m6#overview The only potential issue (for outdoor use) are the air vents whereas my existing PSU is fully enclosed. Should I go for an enclosed model if possible? Also can someone help identify which controller I have? ( which GTOCPx) Although I bought the mount in 1999 the control box developed a problem and was (very kindly) replaced by Roland in 2003. So I suspect it's either CP2 or CP3. Many thanks Philip Perkins <ppml2@...> Wiltshire UK & Luberon France www.astrocruise.com -- Note: the above email address may change in future. To find my latest email address please visit: www.astrocruise.com and click the "Send Email" link. --
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Re: SPAM message from Howard - is it real ??
Sorry folks. Our server is having clock problems due to an issue with
Microsoft Server 2003. All the Computers on the network here are stuck one hour ahead. The post really is from me though! BTW We have been fighting this clock battle for some time. ;-) Mag. 7 skies! Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. 815-282-1513 ________________________________ From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] On Behalf Of Murray Hammick Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 9:52 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [ap-gto] Re: SPAM message from Howard - is it real ?? Can anyone confirm that a message purporting to be from Howard and titled " Re: SPAM Re Ap-gto Howard " is real ? The problem is that it appears with a date or time tag which is ahead of the real time - a fairly sure sign that it is a fake message. Murray
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Re: [SPAM]RE: Keyspan USB Server
It appeared to me as if they added the battery, and then only partially
updated the website. The opening paragraphs tout the battery, and then later text tells you that you need a power source. I imagine a call to their tech support people is in order. This might also be a good evaluation of the level of support that is available - another important consideration for such electronic goodies! Mag. 7 skies! Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. 815-282-1513 ________________________________ From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] On Behalf Of George Whitney Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 4:12 AM To: ap-gto@... Subject: RE: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Thank you, Howard and Konstantin. Yes, I am interested in the combo solely for star parties to eliminate the risk of tripping on wires to the public. Howard, your powering suggestion is a good one. I wonder how long the internal battery lasts without recharging.they imply elsewhere that the unit draws an insignificant amount of power. Thank you, George _____ From: ap-gto@... <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:ap-gto@... <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf Of Howard Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 10:15 PM To: ap-gto@... <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> Subject: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Hi George, That looks like an interesting device. The Serial portion requires power, as I read it. It appears to have an internal rechargeable battery, and can also be powered by an external "cube transformer" or from a powered #9 pin on the serial device. We do not provide power to the number 9 pin of the RS232 ports on the GTOCPx control boxes. Since they seem to advocate using a power source rather than depending on the battery, you might want to consider fashioning a cable to tap into the 6 volt receptacle that we provide on the control box for the Pentax 6x7 cameras. Our receptacle is for a 3.5 mm phone plug - center is positive. Their plug specs are on their website. I do not know whether you can make it all work, but I'll be interested to hear. I wish I could give you a more definite answer. Mag. 7 skies! Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. 815-282-1513 ________________________________ From: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com [mailto:ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com] On Behalf Of George Whitney Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 7:26 PM To: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com Subject: RE: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Howard, The Keyspan device is great for the observatory and handling several serial devices, but I was also wondering about star parties and the need to eliminate wires that the crowds trip over in the dark. Would the blue tooth device that I include in the following link work to run an AP mount with theSky from a laptop? http://www.aircable <http://www.aircable.net/cr-usb-serial3x.html <http://www.aircable.net/cr-usb-serial3x.html> > .net/cr-usb-serial3x.html <http://www.aircable <http://www.aircable.net/cr-usb-serial3x.html <http://www.aircable.net/cr-usb-serial3x.html> > .net/cr-usb-serial3x.html> I appreciate your thoughts, George _____ From: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf Of Howard Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 6:58 PM To: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> Subject: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Hello, We have the units available and up on our website. http://www.astro- <http://www.astro- <http://www.astro-physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s <http://www.astro-physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s e <http://www.astro- <http://www.astro-physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s <http://www.astro-physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s e> > physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/se rialusb.htm We have not tested the USB Server as thoroughly as we would like to, but were confident enough to go ahead and start offering it. Our main concern arises when using the USB Server with the USB to Serial adapters if everything is fully loaded. There are potential issues that stem from the fact that serial communicates in a way that is different from USB, which in turn communicates in a way that is different from Ethernet. Think of the old party game of "whispers" or "I've got a secret" where a secret message gets passed around the room via whispers and then the original message is compared to what the last person heard, and everyone supposedly gets amused by how the message was corrupted. Yippie gee whiz! Isn't this fun! Now imagine this game in a room where everyone speaks a different language. This, in effect, is what the system I demonstrated at NEAF is doing, and so far, it has worked remarkably well for us, even on a machine running Vista. Although we had all four ports of the USB to 4-port Serial adapter going at once, we did not have the remaining three USB ports of the USB server simultaneously in use at NEAF. We were also using very smartly written software - PulseGuide and TheSky - both of which handle their serial communications in an intelligent way that doesn't overload the COM ports. Finally, I have not tested other serial based software like focusers, rotators or dew heater controllers, nor have I had additional USB ports occupied with cameras or other devices while simultaneously giving the serial ports a workout. I am very confident that the USB server will work extremely well to communicate with USB devices. That was its intended purpose, and I'm sure it will handle four USB devices at once with flying colors. It was not, however, designed to be a bridge from Ethernet to Serial, even though we are having some success using it in that manner by combining the USB server with the USB to serial adapters. The real test will be for people like you to get these products out in the field and get them working under real observatory situations with a variety of equipment. Just a couple more points: 1. I am most certainly NOT trying to dissuade anyone from trying the USB Server as a remote solution. If we did not feel that it could be used successfully, we would not be offering it. I did, however, want to be honest about potential limitations and about the "unknowns" that still exist. Between my busy schedule and the never ending rain here in the Midwest, I also don't know how or when I'll get more testing done, especially real life testing under the stars. 2. We will also be offering two more products from Keyspan when I get them evaluated a bit further: Another USB server that is USB2.0 for higher speed applications like cameras, but has two ports instead of four, and then the Mini-port Replicator that was mentioned by Dale Ghent in an earlier set of posts (21986) 3. Contrary to several earlier posts, the Keyspan units DO NOT use the Prolific chip sets that tend to be so problem prone. They use chipsets from Texas Instruments that have the added advantage of containing re-programmable ROM. This allows the Keyspan USB to Serial adapters to be fully updated instead of only updated with band-aids to the drivers on board the computer. Permit me to repeat: Keyspan USB to Serial Adapters DO NOT use Prolific chip sets! 4. In addition to the Keyspan units, we have started selling straight through serial cables to eliminate the hassle of trying to find them in the stores. They are 15 feet in length, and really truly are straight-through! Mag. 7 skies! Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. 815-282-1513 ________________________________ From: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com [mailto:ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com] On Behalf Of Morgan Spangle Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 3:29 PM To: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com Subject: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Howard, if you're monitoring this group - when I saw you at NEAF you were experimenting with the Keyspan USB server (I think it was their product US-4A). Have you got any progress to report? Seemed very promising for remotely running the mount, camera, etc.. thanks, Morgan Spangle 1200 GTO
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Re: SPAM message from Howard - is it real ??
Woodwind
Can anyone confirm that a message purporting to be from Howard and titled
" Re: SPAM Re Ap-gto Howard " is real ? The problem is that it appears with a date or time tag which is ahead of the real time - a fairly sure sign that it is a fake message. Murray
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Re: [SPAM]RE: Keyspan USB Server
George Whitney <gwhitney@...>
Thank you, Howard and Konstantin. Yes, I am interested in the combo solely
for star parties to eliminate the risk of tripping on wires to the public. Howard, your powering suggestion is a good one. I wonder how long the internal battery lasts without recharging.they imply elsewhere that the unit draws an insignificant amount of power. Thank you, George _____ From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] On Behalf Of Howard Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 10:15 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Hi George, That looks like an interesting device. The Serial portion requires power, as I read it. It appears to have an internal rechargeable battery, and can also be powered by an external "cube transformer" or from a powered #9 pin on the serial device. We do not provide power to the number 9 pin of the RS232 ports on the GTOCPx control boxes. Since they seem to advocate using a power source rather than depending on the battery, you might want to consider fashioning a cable to tap into the 6 volt receptacle that we provide on the control box for the Pentax 6x7 cameras. Our receptacle is for a 3.5 mm phone plug - center is positive. Their plug specs are on their website. I do not know whether you can make it all work, but I'll be interested to hear. I wish I could give you a more definite answer. Mag. 7 skies! Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. 815-282-1513 ________________________________ From: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com [mailto:ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com] On Behalf Of George Whitney Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 7:26 PM To: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com Subject: RE: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Howard, The Keyspan device is great for the observatory and handling several serial devices, but I was also wondering about star parties and the need to eliminate wires that the crowds trip over in the dark. Would the blue tooth device that I include in the following link work to run an AP mount with theSky from a laptop? http://www.aircable <http://www.aircable.net/cr-usb-serial3x.html> .net/cr-usb-serial3x.html <http://www.aircable <http://www.aircable.net/cr-usb-serial3x.html> .net/cr-usb-serial3x.html> I appreciate your thoughts, George _____ From: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf Of Howard Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 6:58 PM To: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> Subject: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Hello, We have the units available and up on our website. http://www.astro- <http://www.astro- <http://www.astro-physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s> physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s e <http://www.astro- <http://www.astro-physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s> physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s e> > physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/se rialusb.htm We have not tested the USB Server as thoroughly as we would like to, but were confident enough to go ahead and start offering it. Our main concern arises when using the USB Server with the USB to Serial adapters if everything is fully loaded. There are potential issues that stem from the fact that serial communicates in a way that is different from USB, which in turn communicates in a way that is different from Ethernet. Think of the old party game of "whispers" or "I've got a secret" where a secret message gets passed around the room via whispers and then the original message is compared to what the last person heard, and everyone supposedly gets amused by how the message was corrupted. Yippie gee whiz! Isn't this fun! Now imagine this game in a room where everyone speaks a different language. This, in effect, is what the system I demonstrated at NEAF is doing, and so far, it has worked remarkably well for us, even on a machine running Vista. Although we had all four ports of the USB to 4-port Serial adapter going at once, we did not have the remaining three USB ports of the USB server simultaneously in use at NEAF. We were also using very smartly written software - PulseGuide and TheSky - both of which handle their serial communications in an intelligent way that doesn't overload the COM ports. Finally, I have not tested other serial based software like focusers, rotators or dew heater controllers, nor have I had additional USB ports occupied with cameras or other devices while simultaneously giving the serial ports a workout. I am very confident that the USB server will work extremely well to communicate with USB devices. That was its intended purpose, and I'm sure it will handle four USB devices at once with flying colors. It was not, however, designed to be a bridge from Ethernet to Serial, even though we are having some success using it in that manner by combining the USB server with the USB to serial adapters. The real test will be for people like you to get these products out in the field and get them working under real observatory situations with a variety of equipment. Just a couple more points: 1. I am most certainly NOT trying to dissuade anyone from trying the USB Server as a remote solution. If we did not feel that it could be used successfully, we would not be offering it. I did, however, want to be honest about potential limitations and about the "unknowns" that still exist. Between my busy schedule and the never ending rain here in the Midwest, I also don't know how or when I'll get more testing done, especially real life testing under the stars. 2. We will also be offering two more products from Keyspan when I get them evaluated a bit further: Another USB server that is USB2.0 for higher speed applications like cameras, but has two ports instead of four, and then the Mini-port Replicator that was mentioned by Dale Ghent in an earlier set of posts (21986) 3. Contrary to several earlier posts, the Keyspan units DO NOT use the Prolific chip sets that tend to be so problem prone. They use chipsets from Texas Instruments that have the added advantage of containing re-programmable ROM. This allows the Keyspan USB to Serial adapters to be fully updated instead of only updated with band-aids to the drivers on board the computer. Permit me to repeat: Keyspan USB to Serial Adapters DO NOT use Prolific chip sets! 4. In addition to the Keyspan units, we have started selling straight through serial cables to eliminate the hassle of trying to find them in the stores. They are 15 feet in length, and really truly are straight-through! Mag. 7 skies! Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. 815-282-1513 ________________________________ From: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com [mailto:ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com] On Behalf Of Morgan Spangle Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 3:29 PM To: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com Subject: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Howard, if you're monitoring this group - when I saw you at NEAF you were experimenting with the Keyspan USB server (I think it was their product US-4A). Have you got any progress to report? Seemed very promising for remotely running the mount, camera, etc.. thanks, Morgan Spangle 1200 GTO
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Re: [SPAM]RE: Keyspan USB Server
Poschinger Konstantin v. <KPoschinger@...>
Hello George,
toggle quoted messageShow quoted text
I have the older AirCalble Module without a battery. It works fine with different units. I have driven my AP Mount with a Palm and my Mac. It is good if you just want to use a planetarium program. If you are imaging there is no need for cause you have more cables anyway. Konstantin Konstantin v. Poschinger Hammerichstr. 5 22605 Hamburg 040/8805747 http://www.astro22605.de Am 17.06.2008 um 02:26 schrieb George Whitney:
Howard,
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Re: Keyspan USB Server
Hi George,
That looks like an interesting device. The Serial portion requires power, as I read it. It appears to have an internal rechargeable battery, and can also be powered by an external "cube transformer" or from a powered #9 pin on the serial device. We do not provide power to the number 9 pin of the RS232 ports on the GTOCPx control boxes. Since they seem to advocate using a power source rather than depending on the battery, you might want to consider fashioning a cable to tap into the 6 volt receptacle that we provide on the control box for the Pentax 6x7 cameras. Our receptacle is for a 3.5 mm phone plug - center is positive. Their plug specs are on their website. I do not know whether you can make it all work, but I'll be interested to hear. I wish I could give you a more definite answer. Mag. 7 skies! Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. 815-282-1513 ________________________________ From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] On Behalf Of George Whitney Sent: Monday, June 16, 2008 7:26 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: RE: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Howard, The Keyspan device is great for the observatory and handling several serial devices, but I was also wondering about star parties and the need to eliminate wires that the crowds trip over in the dark. Would the blue tooth device that I include in the following link work to run an AP mount with theSky from a laptop? http://www.aircable.net/cr-usb-serial3x.html <http://www.aircable.net/cr-usb-serial3x.html> I appreciate your thoughts, George _____ From: ap-gto@... <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> [mailto:ap-gto@... <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> ] On Behalf Of Howard Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 6:58 PM To: ap-gto@... <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> Subject: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Hello, We have the units available and up on our website. http://www.astro- <http://www.astro-physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s e <http://www.astro-physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/s e> > physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/se rialusb.htm We have not tested the USB Server as thoroughly as we would like to, but were confident enough to go ahead and start offering it. Our main concern arises when using the USB Server with the USB to Serial adapters if everything is fully loaded. There are potential issues that stem from the fact that serial communicates in a way that is different from USB, which in turn communicates in a way that is different from Ethernet. Think of the old party game of "whispers" or "I've got a secret" where a secret message gets passed around the room via whispers and then the original message is compared to what the last person heard, and everyone supposedly gets amused by how the message was corrupted. Yippie gee whiz! Isn't this fun! Now imagine this game in a room where everyone speaks a different language. This, in effect, is what the system I demonstrated at NEAF is doing, and so far, it has worked remarkably well for us, even on a machine running Vista. Although we had all four ports of the USB to 4-port Serial adapter going at once, we did not have the remaining three USB ports of the USB server simultaneously in use at NEAF. We were also using very smartly written software - PulseGuide and TheSky - both of which handle their serial communications in an intelligent way that doesn't overload the COM ports. Finally, I have not tested other serial based software like focusers, rotators or dew heater controllers, nor have I had additional USB ports occupied with cameras or other devices while simultaneously giving the serial ports a workout. I am very confident that the USB server will work extremely well to communicate with USB devices. That was its intended purpose, and I'm sure it will handle four USB devices at once with flying colors. It was not, however, designed to be a bridge from Ethernet to Serial, even though we are having some success using it in that manner by combining the USB server with the USB to serial adapters. The real test will be for people like you to get these products out in the field and get them working under real observatory situations with a variety of equipment. Just a couple more points: 1. I am most certainly NOT trying to dissuade anyone from trying the USB Server as a remote solution. If we did not feel that it could be used successfully, we would not be offering it. I did, however, want to be honest about potential limitations and about the "unknowns" that still exist. Between my busy schedule and the never ending rain here in the Midwest, I also don't know how or when I'll get more testing done, especially real life testing under the stars. 2. We will also be offering two more products from Keyspan when I get them evaluated a bit further: Another USB server that is USB2.0 for higher speed applications like cameras, but has two ports instead of four, and then the Mini-port Replicator that was mentioned by Dale Ghent in an earlier set of posts (21986) 3. Contrary to several earlier posts, the Keyspan units DO NOT use the Prolific chip sets that tend to be so problem prone. They use chipsets from Texas Instruments that have the added advantage of containing re-programmable ROM. This allows the Keyspan USB to Serial adapters to be fully updated instead of only updated with band-aids to the drivers on board the computer. Permit me to repeat: Keyspan USB to Serial Adapters DO NOT use Prolific chip sets! 4. In addition to the Keyspan units, we have started selling straight through serial cables to eliminate the hassle of trying to find them in the stores. They are 15 feet in length, and really truly are straight-through! Mag. 7 skies! Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. 815-282-1513 ________________________________ From: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com [mailto:ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com] On Behalf Of Morgan Spangle Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 3:29 PM To: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com Subject: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Howard, if you're monitoring this group - when I saw you at NEAF you were experimenting with the Keyspan USB server (I think it was their product US-4A). Have you got any progress to report? Seemed very promising for remotely running the mount, camera, etc.. thanks, Morgan Spangle 1200 GTO
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Re: [SPAM]RE: Keyspan USB Server
George Whitney <gwhitney@...>
Howard,
The Keyspan device is great for the observatory and handling several serial devices, but I was also wondering about star parties and the need to eliminate wires that the crowds trip over in the dark. Would the blue tooth device that I include in the following link work to run an AP mount with theSky from a laptop? http://www.aircable.net/cr-usb-serial3x.html I appreciate your thoughts, George _____ From: ap-gto@... [mailto:ap-gto@...] On Behalf Of Howard Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 6:58 PM To: ap-gto@... Subject: [SPAM]RE: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Hello, We have the units available and up on our website. http://www.astro- <http://www.astro-physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/se> physics.com/products/accessories/software/Serial_USB/se rialusb.htm We have not tested the USB Server as thoroughly as we would like to, but were confident enough to go ahead and start offering it. Our main concern arises when using the USB Server with the USB to Serial adapters if everything is fully loaded. There are potential issues that stem from the fact that serial communicates in a way that is different from USB, which in turn communicates in a way that is different from Ethernet. Think of the old party game of "whispers" or "I've got a secret" where a secret message gets passed around the room via whispers and then the original message is compared to what the last person heard, and everyone supposedly gets amused by how the message was corrupted. Yippie gee whiz! Isn't this fun! Now imagine this game in a room where everyone speaks a different language. This, in effect, is what the system I demonstrated at NEAF is doing, and so far, it has worked remarkably well for us, even on a machine running Vista. Although we had all four ports of the USB to 4-port Serial adapter going at once, we did not have the remaining three USB ports of the USB server simultaneously in use at NEAF. We were also using very smartly written software - PulseGuide and TheSky - both of which handle their serial communications in an intelligent way that doesn't overload the COM ports. Finally, I have not tested other serial based software like focusers, rotators or dew heater controllers, nor have I had additional USB ports occupied with cameras or other devices while simultaneously giving the serial ports a workout. I am very confident that the USB server will work extremely well to communicate with USB devices. That was its intended purpose, and I'm sure it will handle four USB devices at once with flying colors. It was not, however, designed to be a bridge from Ethernet to Serial, even though we are having some success using it in that manner by combining the USB server with the USB to serial adapters. The real test will be for people like you to get these products out in the field and get them working under real observatory situations with a variety of equipment. Just a couple more points: 1. I am most certainly NOT trying to dissuade anyone from trying the USB Server as a remote solution. If we did not feel that it could be used successfully, we would not be offering it. I did, however, want to be honest about potential limitations and about the "unknowns" that still exist. Between my busy schedule and the never ending rain here in the Midwest, I also don't know how or when I'll get more testing done, especially real life testing under the stars. 2. We will also be offering two more products from Keyspan when I get them evaluated a bit further: Another USB server that is USB2.0 for higher speed applications like cameras, but has two ports instead of four, and then the Mini-port Replicator that was mentioned by Dale Ghent in an earlier set of posts (21986) 3. Contrary to several earlier posts, the Keyspan units DO NOT use the Prolific chip sets that tend to be so problem prone. They use chipsets from Texas Instruments that have the added advantage of containing re-programmable ROM. This allows the Keyspan USB to Serial adapters to be fully updated instead of only updated with band-aids to the drivers on board the computer. Permit me to repeat: Keyspan USB to Serial Adapters DO NOT use Prolific chip sets! 4. In addition to the Keyspan units, we have started selling straight through serial cables to eliminate the hassle of trying to find them in the stores. They are 15 feet in length, and really truly are straight-through! Mag. 7 skies! Howard Hedlund Astro-Physics, Inc. 815-282-1513 ________________________________ From: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com [mailto:ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com] On Behalf Of Morgan Spangle Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 3:29 PM To: ap-gto@yahoogroups. <mailto:ap-gto%40yahoogroups.com> com Subject: [ap-gto] Keyspan USB Server Howard, if you're monitoring this group - when I saw you at NEAF you were experimenting with the Keyspan USB server (I think it was their product US-4A). Have you got any progress to report? Seemed very promising for remotely running the mount, camera, etc.. thanks, Morgan Spangle 1200 GTO
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