USB 3

[Bob Andersson]

Hi folks,

 

I've just joined the forum, not having been willing to join the social media groups previously used. I've had my DDM60 Pro for over a year now and I can't speak highly enough of it. I have the previous generation of position encoders but that isn't an issue after calibration.

 

The only item on my wish-list would be replacing the current USB 2 hub with a USB 3 hub. USB 3 is faster and, I believe, full duplex and with the mount, camera, filter wheel and focusser all sharing a single USB port from the computer (Windows 7 32 bit) I think I occasionally see signs of congestion.

 

Is a USB 3 upgrade something that other owners might be interested in. And would it even be possible to upgrade the DDM60 Pro without returning the mount to Austria, something I wouldn't want to do.

 

Bob.

[w0mbat]

Hi Bob and welcome to the new forum.

It would be something I would be interested in if I could be sure it would be rock solid and reliable. I don't know what other users have experienced but I have not seen any success with USB3 as yet. I have a brand new Dell I7 laptop which has four USB3 ports. My wife has a fairly new Toshiba laptop which has one USB3 and two USB2 ports. I have been cloning hard drives on these laptops recently using an external USB3 enclosure. I get the same transfer speeds whether the external drive is connected to USB2 or 3 (around 25 MB/s) which is well inside USB2 speed. If I check the properties of the USB ports they state they are operating at "High" speed which is USB2. USB3 is "Superspeed" . Checking on the internet I have seen references to BIOS settings to fix this but there are no settings for this in mine.

So I don't get it. New USB3 computer, new USB3 external box containing a fast Solid State Drive, new USB3 cable and it all works at USB2 speed!

Anyone else encountered this or know the answer?

Ian

[Bob Andersson]

Hi Ian,

 

Thanks for the welcome. I've checked since my last post and USB 3 is full duplex so, unlike previous generations, data can flow both ways simultaneously rather than the direction of transfer being controlled by the host (source). This is probably worth having even if, as would be likely, all the kit hanging off the hub in the DDM60 Pro is USB 2 but maybe not if the cost of upgrading were too high. If it meant replacing the PCB controlling the mount rather than a separate USB hub PCB then that would almost certainly cost too much but I thought I'd ask the question and see if anyone at ASA wanted to pick it up.

 

Bob.

[robertp]

Hi Bob,

 

as you have the DDM60 Pro with the older encoders, I guess you also do have the version with the unpowered usb-hub?

I had that version as well a while back. The hub in my older DDM60  Pro was actually a usb 2.0 4-port hub identical to this one:

http://www.conrad.com/ce/en/product/980580/4-Port-USB-20-Hub-Style (I had to replace it once).

Only three of the 4 ports are accessible and the hub could be powered, but there was no room in the mount head to power it.

To my understanding, the plug at the base of the DDM60 was directly connected to the hub and therefore completely isolated from the mount controller.

So in theory, you should be able to just replace the existing hub with a usb-3.0 version. The problem here would certainly be to find one that would fit into the rather small pocket in the mount head where the original one sits.

 

Another option that I tried successfully would be to install another usb-hub at the mount head. I did that for a while by taking a new usb-3.0 hub, cutting the usb-cable in half, solder two 8-pin DIN plug to each of the 4 wires and plug them into the data port. You can e.g. use velcro to attach the new hub near the mount head.

It's not as neat as the original version, but it works very well without doing any alterations to the mount.

 

Robert

[Bob Andersson]

Hi Robert,

 

Thanks for that, a very interesting post. I honestly have no idea whether I have the hub you describe but I'll assume for the moment that I do. Presumably the fourth port is used internally to provide the USB interface for the mount's controller?

 

The Transcend TS-HUB3K  looks close in geometry but I have a feeling it is still too big to fit as a replacement. But if the wiring is as you describe then it would seem very possible to do a USB 3 upgrade without returning the mount to ASA provided ASA can source a suitable hub. I'll contact ASA tech support directly and ask the question.

 

Bob.

[robertp]

Hi Bob,

 

it's a good idea to ask ASA.

The forth port of the hub is not in use as it points to the opposite direction compared to the three ports you can use. The connection to the hub is done via the mini or micro-usb port of the hub.

If you would like to have a look at the configuration and check how much room there would be for a replacement: You have to remove the saddle plate from the mount head. Then you will see 4 hex screws. If you unscrew them, you can lift off the upper part of the mount head. The usb-hub sits inside this part fixed with some glue which can easily be removed.

 

Robert