Pegasus Astro has introduced a new USB Control Hub for the astrophotography market. One of the unique features of the hub is that it is certified to work from −40°C to +85°C and offers electronics has been selected to support Industrial grade temperature ranges. The hub also has the ability for the user to switch ON/OFF for each USB port.
As the Pegasus Astro team notes, “Lack of a trusty USB3.1 Hub in the astrophotography market, triggered us to develop a USB3 Hub controller which also has the ability to switch ON/OFF each USB port. And most USB Hubs in the market (well…nearly all of them) operate under room temperatures as they were designed to work inside your cozy warm room. This is one of the reasons why you experience USB disconnects and instability during a cold night.”
The Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub is a SuperSpeed (SS), low power, switchable USB3.1 Gen1 hub that is fully compliant with USB-IF’s USB 3.1 Gen1 specifications. The Hub supports Hi-Speed (HS), Full Speed (FS) and Low Speed (LS). The new SuperSpeed hubs operate in parallel with the USB 2.0 controller, so 5 Gbps SuperSpeed data transfers are not affected by slower USB 2.0 traffic.
The hub has 6 x USB 3.1 Ports. All ports are backwards compatible with USB 1.0 and USB 2.0 devices and each port can deliver up to 2.5 amps of current. There is a smart current limit sensor in every port which automatically limits or cuts power in case of a short-wire or power consumption that is above 2.5 amps. Each port is monitored by the USB Controller and in case of a current limit, triggers a warning popup in the operating system.
A high quality robust, blue anodized aluminum enclosure houses the electronics of the USB Hub. The metal enclosure was designed and tested to survive ±5kV ESD strikes
Each USB port can be controlled and switched ON/OFF by the available Pegasus Astro standalone software. The software provides the ability to switch ON/OFF individual USB Ports on demand, monitor USB voltage levels and name each USB port based on the device that is attached to it. The hub is also ASCOM compliant and users can switch ON/OFF each USB port via ASCOM supported software.
The hub accepts 12-14V of operation which means that users can plug unregulated 12V power from a battery. A RJ12 external ports allows future device expansion. The hub is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows 10, 8, 7, XP, Apple OS X 10.4+, and Linux hub drivers.
The Pegasus Astro USB Control Hub package includes the hub, a cigarette lighter plug to 2.1mm socket and a 1.5 meter Male A to Male B USB3 cable.
Technical specifications include:
– Size: 100mm x 72mm x 24mm / 3.9” x 2.8” x 0.94”
– Weight: 200g /7 oz
– USB Ports: Six downstream USB3.1 Gen1/2.0 ports
– USB Switchable Ports: All 6 ports are switchable for power & data
– DC Input: 12-14V DC
– Amperage on individual port: 2.5 Amps
– Maximum Total Amperage: 8 Amps
– Operating Temperature: −40°C to +85°C
And if you are tired of carrying multiple power packs and dealing with a of jumble of power and data cables, the recently introduced Pegasus Astro Ultimate Powerbox v2 power control unit is the perfect solution. Check out our review of the Powerbox here.
To learn more about the new hub or other Pegasus Astro products visit their product website.
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