USB hubs

[HelenF]

I bought a few USB hubs with short male connectors on eBay, so thought I'd report on them.

This one works pretty well. It's a little too thick but not enough to cause a problem. It can be turned both ways, to get it out of the way of the ports on one side or the other. I got it here (shipped from UK), but there seem to be other sellers shipping from China with the same thing.



This one is the wrong shape because Pandora's USB port is upside down.



This one is clearly not as good as the first. It blocks both sides when unfolded, and is too thick when folded. It doesn't turn completely to one of the sides. Plugging the mouse into the end of a wing rather than opposite the male connecter crashes the USB.



This one is not a hub. I didn't really expect it to be, but it's a pity because this one has the best shape

 

[TrashyMG]

If I just need to use a mouse I use the smaller OTG USB port and this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JK1OFOM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[elwing]

I'm using this:

http://www.dx.com/p/1-to-3-usb-2-0-3-port-hub-white-silver-225738#.VV8s96eHHLI

it works quite nice, trough, as I use it only for an external wireless your solution seems much better Trashy...

 

[HelenF]

I have OTG adapters too. I tested all the hubs with a mouse because it's quick to see whether it works or not. I tested some other devices on the hub I liked, and it seems to be fine so far. (Currently interested in the Sparkfun Pro Micro, which is an Arduino Leonardo relative and doesn't work on the OTG port.)

Elwing's one looks nice for using multiple devices.

 

[TrashyMG]

Elwing's one looks nice for using multiple devices.

Yeah that has got my attention too.

 

[elwing]

build quality is cheap...

for the moment it's still working great, but I'm only using it with a mouse USB dongle... wouldn't be surprized if it got pretty loosy performances when using USB keys and such... but for the price it's pretty good...

 

[Rockthesmurf]

I got this http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00IZA09SU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00for 13.99 GBP and am pretty pleased with it it has 3X USB3 ports and RJ45 for network. I can confirm it works on Pandora by default, including the networking side of it. Of course you aren't going to get USB3 speeds (but I thought it would be nice to have as I can plug it into my home PC too).

I thought it was a bargain for the price!

 

[matti1234]

Here's another two.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/S13012-HAPTIME-YGH383-Newest-Design-Mini-USB-2-0-High-Speed-4-Ports-USB-Hub-/261818624550?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3cf59b2a26 (better pictures at DealExtreme but it's sold out there: http://www.dx.com/p/haptime-ygh-383-fashion-4-port-usb-2-0-hub-black-182734#.VV888ryPePB)

This one is small and has four USB ports but the hinge on the turning USB connector is too loose so it won't stay in the position you'd probably want it to stay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Micro-USB-2-0-Hub-SD-TF-Card-Reader-OTG-Combo-Stand-for-Smart-Phone-Tablet-PC-/221753540236?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item33a18a7e8c

This has only two USB ports but it also works as SD and MicroSD card reader (haven't tried the MicroSD slot though).

 

[rygD]

Some good options here.  I really want what Steven Craft has.

 

[levi]

Does the LAN port on that kick out any feelable heat?  I used to have a USB2 hub with RJ45 attached, and the area around that port got noticeably hot when plugged in.

 

[renegadechic]

I wish that the Pandora only needed hubs for multiple devices. I hate that if I want to pair up a controller I need to go buy a hub for that single use because instead I just don't bother and I end up not using my Pandora in that way. I have absolutely no other use for a hub so buying one seems infuriating.

 

[rygD]

I was thinking of trying out some Wii stuff.  I don't know what I will do with all my USB controllers now since I have a Pandora and will be getting a Pyra, and for most console games I just use an actual console.

 

[ekianjo]

If I just need to use a mouse I use the smaller OTG USB port and this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JK1OFOM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Is the mouse recognized automatically with this ?

 

[TrashyMG]

If I just need to use a mouse I use the smaller OTG USB port and this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JK1OFOM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Is the mouse recognized automatically with this ?

yeah

 

[Binky]

Those things are normally wired to put the host into host mode, while using USB miniB plugs. Strictly thats not how its supposed to be done, but they do seem to work.

I was lucky enough to be able to track down a mini-A version.

Either way, its just a passive adaptor.

(the point being that the pandora's small (otg) USB port supports USB low, full and high speed in both host and slave directions, as long as the slave doesn't need too much power. Very few modern devices both need more that half a Watt, and also insist on low-speed mode.)