Powered USB HUB do or don't

[Cougar_DK]

Hi, I finally crossed over and bought CH gear (again), and even though I'm still waiting for my Pro Throttle, I'm having a great time to learn how to program them. But....I'm running out of USB ports, so is it ok to buy a powered USB hub for the CH gear or is it better to plug them directly to the pc?

[DonULFonso]

Weird name ;) for a CH-user :D , but anyway :rolleyes: : Welcome to The Hangar :cheers: , Cougar_DK :salute: !

When I happened to run out of USB-ports I bought a PCI-USB-card and never had any issues THX to a quality power-supply. AFAIK and IIRC CH recommend using a PCI-card, so if you're sticking to quality and known manufacturers (which is just some few bucks more than a cheapo) you shouldn't do anything wrong.

If you're going with a HUB, be sure it is powered! Your CHs need power (and bandwidth), so you should stick to quality and known manufacturers.

[Revvin]

CH Products recommends an add-in PCI card but there are a lot of users out there using hubs and I myself used one before buying a PCI USB card. If you buy a hub make sure its a powered one i.e it has its own power supply you plug into a power socket. You may experience problems if you use an unpowered hub and try to use other devices with your CH gear such as camera's, PDA's etc.

[Cougar_DK]

Weird name ;) for a CH-user :D , but anyway :rolleyes: : Welcome to The Hangar :cheers: , Cougar_DK :salute: !
[/b]

Hmm I'm pretty sure we have talked to each other before.... :cheers: ..... let's see....some manual translations a couple of years ago..... pretty sure you remember.

But I'm not going to rename my handle anymore...Cougar_DK it is :P


Thanx for the advices guys, but please give some more info about which brands of card/hubs you are referring to.

Cheers
Mark

[DonULFonso]

Hehe, I wasn't sure - some years ago all the world suddenly came up with "Cougar-something-or-other" handles ;) , you know...

The one name you'll see repeatedly whenever HUBs are the topic is Belkin. Other than that I don't have any clue, sorry. And I've forgotten what card I've got, I gotta admit :rolleyes: ...

[ruggbutt]

I just bought a Belkin 7 port powered hub. I'm running the FS, PT, PP, TQ, DT225, Track IR and an XKeys off of it. Everything works fine so I'm going to hazard a guess that it has enough power. ;) This one (http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesProductDisplay?prodCatType=1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&productId=122113&cmArea=SEARCH) is the one I'm using.

[lawndart]

I purchased a (powered) hub to address my port shortage. However, I left all my CH devices connected to the PC direct and put everything else in the hub. Just another way of looking at the solution.

[Cougar_DK]

Great, I will go for a Belkin then.

[d3v1ld09]

i'm using non-powered and have'nt had any problems

[Corsair8X]

I'm using a powered Belkin hub (not the cool 7-port but only the 4-port) and I had zero problems at all. I'm not particularly hardware-savy so the ease of use was a big plus for me. I don't suspect you will have any problems at all.

[Doorknob1968]

I have all my CH stuff running though a D-Link 7 port hub without any issues.

Only thing I hate about the powered hub is the fact it stays powered all the time even with the PC off. I am anal about leaving things "turned on" when Im away from home :)

[Cougar_DK]

I got a D-link (DUB-H7) with 7 ports, since they had it right next to my newly arrived Pro Throttle. I works just fine, even though the power led is always on :P

[Hrdina]

Only thing I hate about the powered hub is the fact it stays powered all the time even with the PC off. I am anal about leaving things "turned on" when Im away from home :)
[/b]
I use the Belkin 4-port powered hub. I also insist on powering everything down when I'm away, so I have the hub plugged into the same power strip as my rig.

The hub has worked for a couple of years now, with no problems.