On Wed, 16 Apr 2003, Greg Miller wrote:

> On Tue, 15 Apr 2003 20:40:14 -0700, you wrote:
>
> >I would like to extend the reach of the interface cable from an LX200GPS to my computer.
> >Where could I get a longer cable and how long can this cable reach between the scope and the computer?
>
> You can use either a standard phone extension cable (make sure
> it has four wires in it though), or a standard serial cable
> extinction. The phone cord will be by far the cheaper of the two.
> As for how far it can be, if I recall correctly, the RS232
> standard is 10 feet. Of course, I doubt the LX200 complies with the
> standard, and if you're using a laptop, it most certainly doesn't
> comply with the standard. So, officially, it's shorter than 10 feet.

Not really - the reach of rs232 depends on the data rate used. At 9600,
it's way longer than 10'. One should be able to run over 100' with no
problems using telephone wire.

> In reality, I was able to use a 30' cable to a desktop
> computer, and a 10' cable to my laptop with no problems (I never tried
> the 30' with the laptop). I don't know enough about electronics to
> know if prolonged use of a very long cable could eventually damage the
> RS232 port, so take that for what it's worth.

There's noting is a long cable to damage the ports. The only thing to
consider is that if you have a very long cable, the two ends of it may
plug into equipment powered from different main branches. To avoid any
problems, make sure that the scope and computer are disconnected from the
mains when you plug in the serial cable.

>
> If you want to do it with minimal risk. Use a RS232 to USB
> converter, then use USB repeaters to go as far as you want. But that
> could get expensive and messy.

Expensive and messy indeed. It's much likely that you can reach a long
distance over simple rs232 than using usb repeaters. USB _does_ have a
hard length limit imposed by the standard.

Radu

>
> Greg Miller (gmiller at gregmiller dot net)
> http://www.gregmiller.net
> http://www.net-chess.com
>
>
>

--

The future isn't what it used to be.

-------------
Radu Corlan Snail Mail: Bucuresti sect. 1,

You can still escape the "Gates" of Hell!
Use Linux!

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