I'm glad you were able to get a solution working for your setup. Fingers crossed it stays stable for you!
Has anyone else tried a different industrial grade USB hub like Siig, Blackbox or Moxa to see if the error code 8 issues go away with a better hub? I am considering this, but those hubs are listed in the $300+ range and if they do not work I just tossed more money onto this issue. I already bought a second StarTech to give my STF it's own hub and the issues still occurs.
Im about to rewire my whole observatory and install a new computer. ID LOVE to have just one hub on the telescope back for all the equipment. Can I use a startek industrial hub now? Or is this problem still present?
looking at this one: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com...pID=41Ovqaj7sLL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
Hi Brian, yes my problem was still present, but the problem may come from my extender because I decided to install a computer in my observatory and so I have direct connections to the computer with usb cables 15 feet and I no problem now
In my case the computer is right next to the pier with a startech hub on the telescope. I currently have a dedicated USB cable for the STF-8300M. Ideally when I rewire it, I only have power and 1 USB going to the telescope. Thanks for the reply. Im really wondering if Diffraction Limited solved this problem which seems to be specifically with certain USB hub chipsets.
We've identified a likely source, but it's a big, complicated change, so we're researching and designing right now.
Thanks for the reply. Do you think a startech USB3 hub would exhibit the same issue? Surely it's a different chipset entirely. OR is it an issue with all hubs. If not is there a known good hub (especially industrial, because the Startech ones have extended temperature range. My observatory can be anywhere from -10 to 90F
All current SBIG Cameras are USB2, and users of USB3 hubs have reported issues. We believe the communication issues we see most commonly with hubs has something to do with our low-level driver and malformed USB packets, but we won't know for certain until we can evaluate an updated version of our USB chipset drivers. We recommend avoiding hubs, so we can't really recommend one — but if you need one, don't get the one linked above. It needs to be rated down to -30C, or it flat out won't work. Get something industrial that can handle -40C to +40C.
I get the sense that nearly all the "industrial" hubs Ive seen are basically the same, rebranded units. Even startech sells a wider range temperature unit, but it looks like it has some sort of active heating/cooling added to the same chassis. I guess for now Ill run a cable. Thanks for replying.
The key difference between a low-cost desktop hub and an industrial hub is the components used. No heating is required. The big difference is that a cheap hub uses a ceramic resonator as a frequency source - they're pennies - and they aren't stable over temperature. Spending 20 cents more for a crystal oscillator makes it a lot more stable.
Is there any update on this? Id really love to use the STF8300 on a hub. Particularly Im looking at several mounts that include hubs for cable management reasons.
Bryan - what are you looking for from us? We don't make hubs. Your best bet is always go direct from the camera to the PC, and to never mix device speeds on the same USB bus.
"Bryan - what are you looking for from us? We don't make hubs." Thanks for that. Great customer service. I was looking to use my STF8300M on a hub. A pretty straight forward ask. So it's the company's position that this camera is designed to go directly to a computer only? I had it on a hub for a long time, this hub died and I don't have it anymore. Any subsequent hub Ive tried has exhibited the error. I have other brand cameras with hubs built in even that work on hubs. I guess it's about simplicity of wiring as my setup is already too complex. If I were to get a mount with built in hub, I would have to add a separate cable just for this camera. My older St4000 series camera also didn't have this problem and I suspect newer cameras also do not. So the reason for asking is: Adam stated: "We believe the communication issues we see most commonly with hubs has something to do with our low-level driver and malformed USB packets, but we won't know for certain until we can evaluate an updated version of our USB chipset drivers". Seems to be an admission that the problem is with your software/driver/hardware somewhere. Id like the camera to work as it should.
Sorry - I didnt mean it to come across that way. The last discussion on this was 18 months ago. We released new versions of the SBIG Driver Checker and firmware for the cameras since then. You might want to download and install the latest from here: ftp://ftp.sbig.com/pub/SetupDriverChecker64.exe After you install, get the latest updates to the drivers and install them. Then reboot. Launch SBIGDriver Checker again, and check the firmware version in the camera. Update it if a newer version is available. The old ST camera ran at USB1.1 speed, 12mpbs, not USB2.0 peak 480bmps speed. I've successfully used Startech USB2.0 industrial hubs with the current cameras. ST7200USBM https://www.startech.com/ca/Cards-A...e-Rugged-Industrial-7-Port-USB-Hub~ST7200USBM Best wishes, Colin
Thanks.. I have the USB3 version of that hub ST7300USBM. So you're saying with the latest firmware/driver the ST7200USBM should work?
Salutation, to update this publication I corrected the problem by installing a computer in my observatory and connect the camera directly on the pc with a cable of 10 feet, my extender usb of $ 600.00 does not work since with this camera, all my accessories works well but not the sbig, my pc and a tower with more than 15 usb ports so now for me hubs and stuff like that, the direct connection is the best solution to a lot of problems, I've been doing this since over 4 years old and i have not had any problem since !!!!
While I have not seen any issues with our STF-8300M cameras (possibly because these came after my solution), I did see the same problem with the original ST-8300 when connected to either a standard 2.0 hub or powered hub. The distance between the 0.5-m telescope and the control room is about 20 feet. My solution, which has not failed since, was to purchase a 30 foot Active USB 3.0 cable from Amazon. An STF-8300M, ST-8300 and STX-16803 (1st Generation) are all attached to a non-powered hub, which is carried to the control room with the active USB cable. Most active cables shorter than ~50 feet typically don't require an external power source making them perfect for our observatories. Regards, Don
