From: Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>

Date: April 20, 2009 12:22:49 PM MDT

To: Astro_IIDC@yahoogroups.com

Subject: Re: [Astro_IIDC] OS X on a Dell Mini 9

Hi JIm;

As I explained in a previous message:

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Astro_IIDC/message/2903

a USB to FireWire converter will never work. All of them are Windows only and require Drivers for  the USB converter to behave as if it's a DV device, and there are no Mac Drivers for such a beast. It really isn't a general purpose FW adapter, as it passes through specific DV Video camcorder commands over USB.

Secondly USB 1 or 2 doesn't provide enough power to run most cameras without a power adapter. The FireWire spec supports 8 to 40 volts and multiple amps, where as USB is ~5 volts and max 0.5 amps.

http://pinouts.ru/Slots/USB_pinout.shtml

The only way it would work with Astro IIDC is if I re-write the code to support PGR's single EXView HAD 1.3 mp USB2 Camera. The good news is it's basically pass through of the IIDC Commands. The bad news is it it still requires a fair bit of screwing around (i.e. doesn't use isochronous transfers, only bulk transfer which has no means of allocating bandwidth). And you likely can't run more than one camera at a time, especially at higher frame rates - USB 2 simply doesn't work as well for bandwidth management as FireWire does.

HTH..

Milton Aupperle

On 20-Apr-09, at 11:44 AM, Jim Chung wrote:

Milton,

This is great stuff, I'm going to get one!  It's interesting to see on

a poll in the mini9 support forum that fully equal proportion run only

Win and only OSX.

Do you think this adaptor would drive our CCDs under AstroIIDC:

http://www.usbfirewire.com/Parts/rr-527950.html

If I splice in some external power source to the missing two lines?

Jim

Quoting Milton Aupperle <milton@outcastsoft.com>:

Hi Folks;

Very interesting, hands on review

http://www.xlr8yourmac.com/systems/OSXonDellMini9/OSXonDellMini9.html#storytop

of a fellow who has loaded up OS X on a Dell Mini 9.

I'll have to look at accelerating my efforts on adding support for

PGR USB Cameras (there are only 2 available right now, and the Fly

MV is not really usable for astronomy), as then Astro IIDC would be

able to run on it then.

TTYL..

Milton Aupperle