Features include:

• Certified: Microsoft® WHQL approved
• High Speed: Supports 230 Kbps - twice the speed of a built-in serial port
• Detachable Cable: Use adapter with any USB cable (up to 15 feet long)
• 3 foot long USB cable included.
• LED: Shows adapter status and data activity
• Plug & Play: Appears as standard COM port
• Mobile: Easy to carry - weighs just 2 oz.
• 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

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 6™ Professional software packages 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 the Vista® OS. 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™ planetarium software.

An extremely handy feature of both this adapter and the 4-port adapter below is the Serial Assistant. This is not only helpful in establishing which COM port number has been assigned to the adapter, but the Data Monitor Window is a great tool for diagnosing problems with software that you may be using to control your mount or other devices.

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 software like The Sky or Starry Night Pro Plus planetarium programs 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.

Please Note: This device does not attach directly to your GTOCPx Control Box. A straight-through serial cable like our CABSER15 is still required to make the connection.

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.

An extremely handy feature of both this adapter and the single-port adapter above is the Serial Assistant. This is not only helpful in establishing which COM port number has been assigned to the adapter, but the Data Monitor Window is a great tool for diagnosing problems with software that you may be using to control your mount or other devices.

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 6™ programs 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.

Please Note: This device does not attach directly to your GTOCPx Control Box or other serial devices. Straight-through serial cables like our CABSER15 are still required to make the connections.

The USB 2.0 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 2.0 Server?

• Share USB printers, scanners and other USB devices via a network
• Access USB devices from a Wi-Fi laptop
• Extend a USB connection to any distance

This USB 2.0 Server is being offered for those of you whose newer imaging equipment may benefit from the higher speed of USB 2.0. Its operation is the same as the Four-Port USB Server described above. It gains the speed of USB 2.0, but sacrifices two USB ports in the process. Which you choose will depend on your particular setup.

IMPORTANT! This Keyspan USB Server does NOT support isochronous data transfer from USB devices. This can be a problem with some cameras, especially those from SBIG. If you require isochronous data transfer capability, we recommend the Icron Ranger® USB Extender (USBIEXT4P).

The USB Ranger 2204 (four-port model) extends USB 2.0 beyond the desktop - up to 100m over standard Cat 5 UTP cable using ExtremeUSB® technology.

Note that the remote unit requires AC power for proper operation. The required power adapter ships with the USB Ranger. Astro-Physics stocks units with the North American standard power adapter. UK, European and Australian adapters are available by special order and may require a small surcharge.

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?