USB hubs and arcade controls

[epetti]

I just got two light guns for my system. The combination of the guns and the IR bar has put me at a point of having more USB devices then I have available ports. So I bought a 4 port hub.

When I was first calibrating my guns I was having a lot of intermittent problems of them losing their connection. I finally got them calibrated and since then haven't had any problems, but I was curious of other people's experience of using USB hubs in their setups.

Any recommendations on the most reliable ones? Any positive or negative experiences with using them in general, or specific devices that are more or less likely to work well with them?

Thanks.

[PL1]

Is your 4-port hub un-powered?

If so, the USB spec only requires it to provide 100 mA per port (even though many can exceed that) -- pretty sure the LED bar needs more current than that.


Scott

[epetti]

Is your 4-port hub un-powered?

If so, the USB spec only requires it to provide 100 mA per port (even though many can exceed that) -- pretty sure the LED bar needs more current than that.


Scott

It does not have its own power adapter. It currently has both guns, the bar, and a keyboard plugged into it, and at the moment everything SEEMS to be working. But that's good to know if I need to upgrade it.

[drventure]

unpowered Hubs can be notorious for intermittent problems when several devices (particularly higher powered devices) are attached to them.

I'd just spring for a powered hub and be done with it. But make sure you check the power rating on the power supply that comes with the hub. Many will only provide a fraction of what a fully loaded hub might require (ie, a 4 port hub +could+ require a little over 2 amps if fully loaded (each port taking 500 ma and the hub itself using a few ma).

Also, 8 port hubs are really bad about coming with underpowered supplies.

[PL1]

Confirmed the possible current draw problem here.

2) Plug the LED strip into an available USB port and place it centered above your monitor. For best results, the strip should be centered left‐to‐right and as close to the top of the picture screen as possible. There may not be enough power available on a passive USB hub (such as a port on a keyboard or un‐powered USB hub), so use a port on the back of your computer, or a USB hub that has it’s own power cable.

Scott

[epetti]

Interesting. Didn't realize there was a difference between the ports on the back of the computer and those on the front.

Thanks for all the tips.

[PL1]

The difference isn't necessarily front/back.

If you use a non-powered hub, each port is rated for 100 mA

If you plug into a USB connector on the motherboard, those are rated for 500 mA.

If you use a USB plug on the front of your system, it might be a direct connection to a USB header on the motherboard (500mA) or it might run through a non-powered hub to allow a card reader and USB ports.   


Scott

[RandyT]

On an average PC, there are two, maybe three physical ports.  Each port is specc'ed for 500ma of current.  These ports are then divided up to provide 4-6 USB connections.   So splitting the current draw between a couple of physical ports, can often take care of issues where there is not enough available current.