Why that's a FANTASTIC idea! 8-{;^)) Christopher Erickson Consulting Engineer Summit Kinetics Waikoloa, HI 96738 www.summitkinetics.com

Congratulations John! Are you going to bring them with you to the Big Island this year? If so then you can optionally ship them to me via UPS before your arrival to save on hassle and expense of hauli

Yes, no need to ship batteries, power cords, AP counterweights and such. I have all of that here. I also have an 80, 100 and 120mm APO's sitting around that you could use. But sorry, my name hasn't ye

Just FYI, USPS Flat Rate Priority Mail within the 50 states goes up to 70 pounds and "If It Fits, It Ships!" The last time I shipped 50 pounds of couterweights from Hawaii to New York, it cost me less

It's called rigid foam and fiberglass tape! I do it all the time. Christopher Erickson Consulting Engineer Summit Kinetics Waikoloa, HI 96738 www.summitkinetics.com

How about sending back the hand controller along with it? Just in case... Christopher Erickson Consulting Engineer Summit Kinetics Waikoloa, HI 96738 www.summitkinetics.com

Sure sounds like a loose power connection someplace, limiting the amount of current available to the mount so when the motors try to move, current spikes and voltage drops, resetting the electronics.

There are a number of flavors of stainless steel and some have enough iron in them to be mildly attracted to magnets. Christopher Erickson Consulting Engineer Summit Kinetics Waikoloa, HI 96738 www.su

A couple of cheap 80 watt solar panels and a Sunsaver MPPT solar charge controller from Morningstar. http://www.morningstarcorp.com/en/sunsavermppt Make sure to install fuses or breakers on the contro

<SNIP> "Roland, are your new mounts going to stick with the old serial port standard? I hope not." <SNIP> Careful what you wish for... Points to consider: * For better or worse, RS-232 Serial has been

Your problem isn't with the conversion of serial to USB. Your problem is most likely with investing in box-store Chinese brand-X to perform the conversion. Christopher Erickson Consulting Engineer Sum

I agree that Ethernet/TCP/IP would be a good choice to eventually-replace RS-232 serial. Ethernet/TCP/IP is much more stable, extendable and reliable interface choice than is USB. USB has built-in obs

It's not about serial-USB conversion, it's not the OS and it's not about the planetarium software. It's all about the adapter's driver software and the authors who did a fast job instead of a good job

USB appears to be simple to the user but is incredibly-complex to the developer. RS-232 is simple for developers, especially since it is built-into just about all microcontrollers. When the data-rate

Having a serial-to-USB adapter on the inside versus the outside may make some consumers feel better but it would really be a disadvantage and disservice to the consumer. Whether they realize it or not

Apparently I came across too aggressive and I apologize for that, it wasn't intended. And I was responding to the thread, not to you specifically. Clear skies and chocolate! Christopher Erickson Consu

I would love to see a gradual migration to a modular interface socket, where the user would have a choice of swappable interface modules, including: RS-232 - Still the universal denominator USB-HID -

First there was PCMCIA 1. Then there was PCMCIA 2. Then came CardBus (PCMCIA form factor) Then came ExpressPCI (1/2 PCMCIA form factor) Then came MiniPCI internal (tiny circuit board with edge connect

Ah, the Apple world and it colorful, mysterious denizens... And I forgot all about Firewire/IEEE-1394! My apologies! I even still have a Firewire camera with no computer that can connect or control it

Ethernet and USB have considerably-higher program code and component overhead than RS-232 and most all microcontrollers already have an RS-232 port cast in their silicon that literally comes for free.