Features include:

This was the first Keyspan unit that we tried here at Astro-Physics. It worked right out of the package on the Windows XP machine in the Technical Support office. Loading the drivers from the included CD was a no-brainer. We simply accepted the defaults and it all performed flawlessly. Connections to a mount with PulseGuide and the Sky were totally routine and uneventful. We even re-programmed an Astro-Physics keypad, again without a hitch. Next, the adapter was tried on a laptop running Vista. As hard as it may be to believe, that also went smoothly. Finally, the USB / Serial Adapter was tried on a Mac Powerbook G4 running OSX. There were no issues, and we were soon controlling a mount on the Mac with Starry Night Pro Plus.

Basically, if you only need to use one of the mount’s COM ports for such things as keypad firmware upgrades, or to occasionally use a planetarium program like The Sky™ or Starry Night Pro Plus™ to control the mount, then this is the adapter for you. Two of these adapters will also work together without problems if you want to use both COM ports (for example to run both PulseGuide™ and The Sky™) and if you have two available USB ports on your computer.

Features include:

• Certified: Microsoft WHQL approved
• High Speed: Supports 460 Kbps - four times the speed of a built in serial port
• Detachable Cable: Use adapter with any USB cable (up to 15 feet long)
• 6 foot USB cable supplied
• LEDs: Show adapter status and data activity
• Plug & Play: Appear as standard COM ports
• Bus Powered: No external power adapter required
• Analytic Tools: Includes Windows line monitor and data trace software
• Field Upgrade: Easy to update over time with free software downloads
• Easy Expansion: Supports use of multiple adapters on one PC
• Lead Free RoHS compliance

We had been so impressed with the single port adapter described above that we decided to try the four port model. Like its smaller brother above, installation was simple and straight-forward, and the unit worked without any problems right out of the box. It has been used with the Vista laptop and the Mac Powerbook G4 as well without any issues.

This package is ideal where more than one serial port is required. It is fast and reliable and has proven trouble-free in our tests. By locating the four port adapter on the pier, you can minimize much of the cable nightmare in your system, since only a single USB cable is required to the computer to control four serial devices. We have controlled two mounts simultaneously with this adapter having both PulseGuide and The Sky each open in two separate windows on the same desktop. This setup was demonstrated at the 2008 North East Astronomy Forum (NEAF) using a Windows Vista laptop, a 3600GTO “ El Capitan” mount and a Mach1GTO mount. The four open windows were arranged so that they could all be seen together on the laptop’s screen. We issued a slew command to one mount and then another different slew command to the other mount and had both mounts whirring along at the same time while all four windows updated in easy communication with the mounts.

The Keyspan USB Server makes it possible for USB printers (including multi-function printers), USB scanners and other types of USB devices to be used and shared by PCs on a network. It is ideal for home office, small office or classroom use. We have also found it to be perfect for an observatory setting, especially where remote operation is being performed.

The USB Server supports both Ethernet and Wi-Fi networks -- making it easy to print to a USB printer or connect to other USB devices from a Wi-Fi based laptop.

Why Buy the USB Server?

• Share USB devices -
  Make USB devices available to multiple PCs and Macs on your network.
• Access USB devices from a Wi-Fi laptop -
  Eliminates the need to take the laptop to the USB device in order to connect the two with a USB cable.
• Break the 5 meter USB cable limitation -
• Separate the USB device and the host PC by any distance (100 ft, 100 miles, or more).

Since Astro-Physics is located in northern Illinois where night-time winter temperatures spend way too much time below zero, the ability to control a mount and run an imaging session from inside the comfort of a warm building is rather important to us. One of the limitations of any USB based system is, of course, that distances between the USB device and the PC are very limited. The USB to serial adapters displayed above are great, but you either need to have the computer near the mount, or else run very long serial cables between the mount and the computer with its USB to Serial adapter. This Ethernet based USB Server solves that problem and also opens up additional new opportunities for remote operations.

This Ethernet based USB server allows you to run a long cable from the warm house to the observatory. It also allows for connection to a Wi-Fi wireless router eliminating the need for direct cable connection to the computer at all. Additionally, it should be able to allow connectivity over the internet, although we have not tested this capability here at Astro-Physics yet.

The USB Server can be used in conjunction with either of the USB to Serial Adapters described above. We have successfully used a configuration consisting of a USB Server and the USB to Four Port Serial Adapter to control our mounts with both PulseGuide and with The Sky. In our testing, we had all four of the serial ports in successful operation for mount control with this setup. This potentially gives four serial ports and three additional free USB ports available in the observatory all connected via one Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection.

Please note that on our Vista laptop, we have to disable the Windows Firewall to establish connection to the USB Server. Once connected, however, the firewall can be turned back on without any problems. We did not have this issue with Windows XP or with the Mac.

You would think that a serial cable would be a straight-forward simple device that would be confusion- and mistake-proof. This is unfortunately not the case. The most common source of computer / mount communication failure is the wrong cable! There are straight-through cables and reversing cables. The reversing cables are also called crossover cables, null cables, modem cables, and null modem cables just to add to the confusion. Then there is every possible configuration of male / female plug - with locking screw or nut, without locking screw or nut. Many are not even labeled as to their orientation. (Maybe it isn't considered politically correct!) It is simply ridiculous. And the flunky at the big box computer store is no help.

Your mount MUST be connected with a straight-through cable. Straight-through cables are wired with the corresponding numbered pins of the connector wired to each other: pin #1 on the male end to hole #1 on the female end; #2 to #2 and so on. Other serial cable types cross or reverse some of the wires making communication with your mount impossible.

We have found a source of genuine standard straight-through serial cables and selected these 15 foot cables as the most universally appropriate. They have molded connectors, are fully shielded, and are lead-free for RoHS compliance (and all-around environmental friendliness). They also employ gold-plated contacts for superior data retention and corrosion resistance. They can even be used for monochrome or CGA/EGA monitor cable extension. Finally and most importantly: They actually work, and you don't have to drive all over town to find one! Need we say more?