USB Hub

[jabberwock48]

I have a 7 port USB powered hub on my scope which is working very well with a computer in the 'warm room' via a 5m cable. I now find there are more than 7 USB bits and pieces to plug in although not all at one time.

Now I know if you plug something into a different socket on the hub it causes problems. Could somebody who is cleverer than me tell me this. Can you alternate two different pieces of equipment into the same socket without Windows XP claiming it has never heard of the item. I would not necessarily need to do this with the computer on. Thanks for any help

[dmahon]

Yes.

You only get problems when you put something in a new socket - it is then detected as "new hardware" even though it has been used before in another port. Normally that isn't a problem, but for things that use USB-serial conversion, it creates another virtual COM port on the computer and you may have to change your program settings (eg from COM 15 to COM 16) to suit. If you plug it back in the original socket, you have to change your program settings back.

Just alternating between hardware bit #1 and hardware bit #2, but always using the same socket for both, will not have this effect and should not cause any trouble.

[jabberwock48]

Thanks very much. I do have serial to USB converters in a couple of the sockets of the usb hub but will not touch those.

[pete_l]

Someone explained to me that a 7-way USB hub is really just a 4-way hub with a secondary 4-way hub daisy-chained off one the the original hub's ports - thereby giving you 3 free ports off the original hub and the other 4 from the secondary. If so, is there anything stopping you from just using one of the ports on your 7-way to add another 4-way off one of it's ports (pref. a port off the original hub, not the secondary one)

[Chris Rowland]

Maplin do a 13 port hub, I've got one and it seems fine.

Chris