Is there any consensus for always leaving the SBIG camera always on or turning off power after session? Likewise if it is thought to always leave it on, then should the cooling be left on also? I know that when I turn it off, I always risk losing the USB port the camera and autoguider are assigned.
Personally, I would leave it on but turn off the cooler. Other than that the only concern is lightning damage... and to avoid any chance of that you really need to unplug all the cables.
If I unplug the cables then Windows changes the USB ports. I may look into lightening protection although it has not been a problen here in the city limits. thanks
Windows changes my USB port only if I plug a specific cable into a different port. Therefore, I label the port and the cable to be sure I plug the same cable back into the same port and I make sure to plug the cable(s) in before I reboot the computer. Does this not work for you?
Pretty much anything powered wears out sooner. It's simple physics. Turn it off when not in use to prolong it's life or pay the convenience penalty. As for port management issues, that seems odd. I have a couple of EVMs (electronic evaluation modules) that are locked to the port chosen during installation of the associated test software, but I don't know of any commercial components or commercial software that requires a fixed port. Which OS and which software is causing this issue? CCDsoft and CCDops don't seem to be affected. I simply plug into an available port and they work.
