Autoslew, FTDI and AnywhereUSB

[nakbrooks]

I'm using the Digi AnywhereUSB/2 product to connect my FlatmanXL (which is mounted in the rotating dome - so no wires possible) to my Computer.  The AnywhereUSB/2 product passes USB over an IP network.  I am using a WiFi bridge to provide the IP connection between the dome and the computer.  A driver is installed in the computer which provides the USB port emulation.

 

This works absolutely fine stand-alone and in conjunction with my other USB devices.

 

However, I find that when the AnywhereUSB/2 is connected Autoslew loses the USB connection (always to Axis 1, sometimes to Axis 2 and sometimes ACC also loses the connection to the rotator/focuser/covers).

 

I am pretty sure the issue is related to running a COM port emulator (FTDI) over a USB emulator (AnywhereUSB/2).  I do not know whether the problem lies with the FTDI driver, the AnywhereUSB/2 driver or whether it is specific to Autoslew/ACC.

 

I don't think I have a COM port conflict: The Flatman is using COM 7 and this isn't being used by anything else (COM 7 only appears in Device Manager when I connect to the AnywhereUSB/2 virtual USB and it disappears from Device Manager when I disconnect).

 

This is a pretty one-off configuration so others probably haven't encountered the problem, but I would welcome any ideas as it is making it impossible for me to take Flats remotely.

 

Many thanks

 

Nigel

 

[RamaSpaceShip]

Hi Nigel,

 

What I see from the Digi documentation is that, with AnywhereUSB/2, USB 2.0 devices operate at USB 1.1 speed. This is quite slow (unless for mice and keyboards) and may cause some troubles like the one you experience.

 

Regards.

 

Bernard

[RamaSpaceShip]

Hi Nigel,

 

Another possibility is that AnywhereUSB/2 draws too much current from the USB port it is connected to, causing other USB ports to fail. You can try using a powered USB hub to connect it and see if it solves the issue.

 

Regards.

 

Bernard

[nakbrooks]

Thanks Bernard. Not sure those are the cause of my problem. The Flatman operates very slowly (basically all the USB signals do are turn it on or off and adjust the brightness) so I don't think lack of speed is the issue.

 

Also the AnywhereUSB does not connect to a physical USB hub on the PC - it passes the USB signal over an IP link and the PC has a software driver that emulates the remote AnywhereUSB as if if were a local hub. There is no current draw from any local hub.

 

Thanks anyway.

 

Nigel

Edited November 10, 2013 by nakbrooks

[nakbrooks]

If I connect the FlatmanXL directly to the computer with a USB cable then everything works fine - no problems with Autoslew.  This proves that the issue is either with AnywhereUSB (the PC driver or the remote hardware hub), possibly a latency issue with the WiFi bridge, or possibly some interoperability issue with the AnywhereUSB virtual USB hub and the FTDI virtual COM port.

 

Obviously the cable isn't a solution as I can't rotate the dome with it connected!  I've asked the question on the Digi support forum so will post any solution back here because if it works, AnywhereUSB plus a WiFi bridge is an ideal solution for connecting dome and static equipment.

 

Nigel