[Dr. Gough] purchased a generic USB 3.0 hub on an Asian web site. Certainly, USB 3 is mature sufficient that even the most affordable hub can have some IC in it that may work properly, proper? You’d suppose so, however a little bit exploratory surgical procedure confirmed that the solely factor about this hub that was USB 3 had been the blue port connectors.
Now we have a couple of downside USB hubs ourselves, so it could be price doing this to any you may have mendacity round. The primary clue: many of the connectors on the PCB solely have 4 pins. On nearer examination, the hub seems to be a USB 3.0 extension cable with a USB 2.0 hub created from two HS8836A chips.
Not solely are these USB 2-only, however all of the ports on an HS8836A additionally share the identical USB 1.1 bandwidth. Some hubs can present a number of ports full 1.1 bandwidth, utilizing the higher-speed USB protocol to the PC as a backhaul.
There have been fairly a couple of different points. Lacking solder, cables soldered to the board immediately, and no bypass capacitors. The per-port switches lower off USB energy, however that wouldn’t cease a tool with its personal energy from connecting. The hub has a barrel jack for energy, however it will feed again to the PC, which is unhealthy apply at finest.
When you use Linux, strive lsusb -t and take a look at the negotiated velocity on your hubs. In the event that they aren’t what you anticipate, it may very well be a cable subject, or it might simply be that you just even have an inexpensive USB hub. Don’t be stunned in case your USB 3 hub reveals each a USB 3 and a USB 2 hub; that’s widespread. However in case you solely see the USB 2 hub, one thing is amiss, or somebody’s mendacity.
You’ll be able to study loads about USB 3 studying Hackaday.
