View Full Version : USB Advice please - I'm clueless
Mishandled
24th Jul 2003, 17:28
Dear experts, I have a need for more peripherals than my two sole USB 1.1 ports can handle. I have no expansion slots for additional bus cards. My question is this; can I attach a USB hub type thing to one USB port and then attach more than one USB device through the hub or will my computer get all confused? At the moment I have my ADSL in one USB hole, and my CDR/W drive in the other, but I want to be able to plug in my MP3 player at the same time. My setup is a Compaq IPAQ PIII with 512 Mb Ram running W98. Thanks for all/any replies.
Lost_luggage34
24th Jul 2003, 17:31
Simple answer - yes you can !
newswatcher
24th Jul 2003, 17:38
Mishandled, here is a sample site - http://www.mrusb.co.uk/catalog/default.php?cPath=6
fobotcso
24th Jul 2003, 18:03
I do this with a Belkin Pocket hub which plugs into one of your two sockets but gives you four sockets to plug your peripherals into. There are others.
You will need to use the power supply provided because the power a single USB port can deliver is not enough for more than one ampere hungry device such as a CD Drive.
Mishandled
24th Jul 2003, 19:12
Brilliant! Thanks a lot guys.:ok:
Timothy
24th Jul 2003, 20:25
mishandled
Can I just add an illustration to fobotcso's remark about power supplies. There are powered hubs and unpowered hubs. My setup at home (Ethernet, keyboard, mouse, MP3/external disc) does work with a powered hub and doesn't with a passive one...so make sure that yours is powered.
W
SLF 999
28th Jul 2003, 21:45
One thing to watch out for is 2 high performance devices on the hub, eg modem and USB camera on a powered hub may cause some problems with each other , I had a scanner, webcam and smartcard reader on the same hub and had no end of silly problems. I them moved the scanner and webcam off and put on the wirless mouse / keyboard and games joystick and have had no more problems.
Bern Oulli
29th Jul 2003, 02:26
I have a seven port Belkin powered hub plugged into one of the USB ports on my computer. The only thing that insists on being plugged directly into the computer is the broadband modem. Doesn't want to know if plugged into the Belkin. Otherwise OK.
Naples Air Center, Inc.
29th Jul 2003, 02:33
Mishandled,
If you have any PCI Slots that are not used on your motherboard, you might want to add a USB 2.0 PCI Card. Since you are using external CD-RW Drives, it will let you burn at full speed with external USB 2.0 CD-RW Drives.
Take Care,
Richard