Re: Connecting SCT to desktop

From: Roger Hamlett (rogerspamignored_at_ttelmah.demon.co.uk)
Date: 10/05/04 

Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 15:19:57 GMT

"Dennis Allen" <dennis@dennisallen.com> wrote in message
news:10m5d1f1hjf3r2a@corp.supernews.com...
> Well, the serial/parallel ports on the laptop are used, but
> we could use the USB to do ethernet (see
> http://store.yahoo.com/priceshock/smc2206usbeth.html )
>
> Question. Could we controll the telescope directly with one
> ethernet cable and run the web cam with the other? We have two cat5
> lines...Dennis
You'd end up spending a lot more, more, and probably having more problems
than just using remote desktop to control the laptop over one ethernet
cable with the USB-Ethernet adapter.
However one key question is whether the USB port is USB1.1, or USB2. If it
is USB1.1, then your ethernet 'rate' will be limited by the USB speed to
only 12Mb/sec (and in practice a lot less than this). Now this can be
unacceptably slow when using remote desktop, with a reasonably large
colour depth, and image size. Generally, a PCMCIA network card will give
much better performance, in this case, and would be the 'better' solution
(you do not mention PCMCIA ports on the laptop, but it should have at
least one such port). If the USB port is USB2, then the performance should
be fine, but I'd still prefer a PCMCIA card if possible!.
USB, is still to my mind a bit of a 'dog'. It is perhaps worth reflecting
why there have been five different releases of USBport driver for XP so
far released. Unfortunately to keep the cost of peripherals down, USB cut
corners, and while on some combinations will work fine, it can at times be
a pig....

Best Wishes

> "Steve Maddison" <steve@cosam.org> wrote in message
news:cjtm94$9cq$1@news.cistron.nl...
> > Chris L Peterson wrote:
> >> On Mon, 4 Oct 2004 22:56:50 -0400, "Dennis Allen"
<dennis@dennisallen.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hi. Our club just finished a new observatory. It houses a
Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with a wedge and permanent mount. We
> >>> got the scope connected to a laptop using the serial port to run the
scope and the parallel port for the web cam.
> >>>
> >>> We want to hook the telescope to the desktop computer in a nearby
building. We have two 100' cat5 lines from the new
> >>> observatory to
> >>> the building with the desktop. Question. What's the best way to
> >>> control the scope and web cam from the desktop?
> >>>
> >>> Could we hook the desktop to the laptop? The laptop's ports are
used up, but could we hook up one of the cat5 lines to the USB
> >>> port? Could we remote control the laptop from the desktop? Both
computers are XP and both have USB ports. Any advice would be
> >>> greatly appreciated...Dennis
> >>
> >>
> >> Is the laptop in the observatory running XP Pro? If so, all you need
> >> to do is set up a local area network and use Remote Desktop (client
> >> on the desktop machine, server on the laptop) to remote the laptop
> >> to the desktop. It's very simple, and works great. No need for USB
anywhere in the solution, just Ethernet.
> >>
> >> It would also be simple to convert the mount's serial port to
Ethernet and control it directly from the remote computer,
> >> bypassing
> >> the laptop completely. But the webcam is probably always going to
require a local computer.
> >>
> >
> > Yes, I'd definitely go the Ethernet way - much more reliable,
especially
> > over any distance more than a couple of meters. Even if the machines
> > aren't running XP Pro, you can get the same effect using VNC - a free
> > version is available at http://www.realvnc.com/
> >
> > Another advantage is that you can share files and directories between
> > the laptop and the desktop (or even other computers) which would make
> > copying images, etc. a breeze.
> >
> > --Steve
>

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