USB hub criteria; 12V required ?

ZWO ASI120MM Equipment Monochrome
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patrice_so avatar
patrice_so avatar
Hey follow astronomers, 

I am transitionning to a mono setup. I now need to plug
- a touptek 2600mm, which has like the ASI2600mm, a hub with two USB connectors
- a zwo EAF
- a zwo EFW
- a zwo ASI120mm 
- my mount

To a computer that has only two USB A port available. I therefore need a hub. I  have the following question :

- is USB 3.0 required or usefull (no planetary imaging) ?
- is 12v required, or is 5v active supply enough (now heater plugged; the camera has 12v supply anyway) ?
- any recommandation at good price  (I just broke the bank…)
- with what should I ideally group the mount over the hub ? 

Many thanks, CS & cheers, 

Patrice 

PS : I know : I need to conclude the mono discussion in the other topics I opened.
Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
You'll want a USB3 powered hub for sure…
Willem Jan Drijfhout avatar
Willem Jan Drijfhout avatar
You may want to have a look at the PegasusAstro products. They have a powered (12V) USB-hub, but for a little more money you can get the Powerbox Advance, with USB hub, 12V distribution and dew heater control. It is a very practical device that will help a lot with your cable management.
And yes, you definitely want to have USB 3 for a Touptek 2600
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Bill McLaughlin avatar
Bill McLaughlin avatar
Not sure about the Touptek, but in my experience the ZWO cameras can be very flaky when run thru hubs, including the Pegasus. Lost connections and failed downloads are common. I would never run them anything but direct to the PC. This is with multiple ZWO cameras, two 2600 and one 6200 and with multiple hub brands, powered and unpowered.
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Tony Gondola avatar
Tony Gondola avatar
I have had a similar experience. My 585pro would often just decide to stop downloading images in the middle of a run when connected through a hub. I've not had a single instance of that happening when I connected it directly to the PC.
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Eddie Bagwell avatar
Eddie Bagwell avatar
I use a 5-slot powered USB 3.0 hub to control my 2600mm, 174mm, EAF, EFW and mount. I purchased mine on Amazon and haven't had any problems and I even run it through a 30-foot USB extension to my computer. In the past I have used the Pegasus Powerbox Advanced 2.0 and it worked great for power, USB and dew heater controls but retired it when I started having problems with the USB connectors.

Eventually everything breaks or wears out, so I always keep a spare Hub and Power Supply on hand for emergencies.
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Chris Strang avatar
Chris Strang avatar
I use a 5 volt power hub and a 25 foot power-extension cable supporting a ZWO ASI 294 mm Pro, filter wheel, guide camera, focuser, mount , and a Pole Master as an electron finder scope. (USB, Technical note). Symptom , intermittent USB connections using a power hub. I suggested the problem may not be the hub but POWER MANAGEMENT. The spec current for each USB output is 1/2 amp.. So if the CPU thinks a port is not in use it can turn it off to save power. And it can make mistakes and in my experience replugging the cable does not help. IF THE POWER HUB’S 5 VOLTS IS A LITTLE HIGHER THAN THE COMPUTER, IT THINKS THERE IS NO LOAD AND SHUTS DOWN THE PORT So, go into Device Manager and Universal Serial Bus Controller. There is a box named; ( allow this computer to turn off this device to save power). Uncheck the box. Hope this helps! Chris Strang
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maxbaro avatar
maxbaro avatar
Among the several USB hubs I experimented with, only the TP-Link UH720 never caused any issues: USB3.0; 7 USB-A ports; 12V.
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patrice_so avatar
patrice_so avatar
Among the several USB hubs I experimented with, only the TP-Link UH720 never caused any issues: USB3.0; 7 USB-A ports; 12V.

Thanks. This is a precise and very usable advice. I even dound it on my preferred Swiss online shops.

CS 

Patrice
maxbaro avatar
maxbaro avatar
patrice_so:
Among the several USB hubs I experimented with, only the TP-Link UH720 never caused any issues: USB3.0; 7 USB-A ports; 12V.

Thanks. This is a precise and very usable advice. I even dound it on my preferred Swiss online shops.

CS 

Patrice

it's by far the best commercial USB hub I have come across. Although Pegasus powerboxes or other industrial USB hubs can be more robust and weather-sealed, the costs... ughhh
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