Long cables for Canon 1100D

[lp6916]

Hi

I'm a newbie!  I have a Canon 1100D and BackyardEOS.  The connection works fine with the Canon supplied 12" long USB-A to USB-cable.  However that's not a practical length to use in the field.  I bought a 5 metre long cable off Ebay (admittedly quite cheap so not sure of quality), however I cannot get the camera to connect to BackyardEOS no matter what I try.  Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong and if I need a specific or better quality cable?  If so, I'd appreciate any ideas where I can get one.

Regards

Andrew Pearce

[admin]

The USB 2 protocol states that the maximum length is 15 feet / 5M.

Any longer than that and the signal gets lost. 

The way around this is to purchase a quality "Active Repeater" USB extension cable.

Regards,

[s3igell]

3 hours ago, admin said:

The way around this is to purchase a quality "Active Repeater" USB extension cable.

You've spent 100's of Dollars on your DSLR, more on your Laptop, and significantly more for your Scope and Mount and Rig.  You invest significant time in waiting for Clear Nights and Dark Skies.

Don't cheap-out on something as necessary as USB Cables.  You don't have to spend absolute Top Dollar, but not Bargain Basement either...

Active Repeater Cables that work well cost money - and require Powered Hubs (always at the Camera End and usually also at the Laptop End - something has to power the Active Repeater and Laptop Ports are notoriously Power-Stingy).  And then you need to deal with Power Supply - Field Battery or Utility Power...

So, since you are going to have to Invest some Money to secure your 5-meter Connection, perhaps you should try first the Investment of the Powered Hub for the Camera-end and a Higher Quality 5-Meter "standard" USB Cable.  The better Wire in such a Cable combined with a Powered Hub at the far end might get you your 5-meter length for about 30% of an Active Repeater solution.

 

[s3igell]

And, as always:  Don't wait for a Clear Dark Night to do your Testing.

[dkerber]

18 hours ago, lp6916 said:

Hi

I'm a newbie!  I have a Canon 1100D and BackyardEOS.  The connection works fine with the Canon supplied 12" long USB-A to USB-cable.  However that's not a practical length to use in the field.  I bought a 5 metre long cable off Ebay (admittedly quite cheap so not sure of quality), however I cannot get the camera to connect to BackyardEOS no matter what I try.  Any suggestions as to what I'm doing wrong and if I need a specific or better quality cable?  If so, I'd appreciate any ideas where I can get one.

Regards

Andrew Pearce

Do you really need 5m? Will 2 or 3 work? You'll work a lot more reliably when you use the shortest cable that will reach. It's also VERY worth it to buy higher-quality (I.E. not from Amazon) cable. Last winter, I went through several cables (the cold seemed to kill them) until I spent $20 on a good one, which has been working for nearly a year with no issues at all.