Can anyone recommend a good brand/model of a powered usb hub?

It's for use on an older Toshiba Satellite that only has one built-in usb port.
Only a max 4 total ports are needed. One that a friend was using has separate
on/off switches for each port, but when in use - even with just one enabled
device, the hub seemed to shut down and the attached device wouldn't work.

I forget the brand that he was using (it certainly wasn't a brand I ever heard
of), but it felt very light and cheap. He got his from an online store called
Wish for under $10.

At this point, quality brand would be a better idea?

Any recommendations?

---
■ Synchronet ■ The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada

Hello Ogg;

-=> Ogg wrote to All <=-

Og> Can anyone recommend a good brand/model of a powered usb hub?
[snip]
Og> Any recommendations?

Believe it or not, Staple's brand stuff in this realm is pretty decent.
Their USB<>Serial adapters contain the prolific chips which work darn good
and I purchased one of their 4-port powered USB hubs for a client years ago
and it's still working like a champ. Sometimes you can find gold in store
brand stuff.

.... Heisenberg may have slept here.
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Re: recommend good pwr'd usb hub?
By: Ogg to All on Mon May 10 2021 11:00:35

I was in the same boat with my old IBM T41 laptop, it only had two USB ports.

What I found as a great solution was a USB Numeric Keypad that also has two USB ports, I only got one extra port with it but it also gave me a nice keypad that's easier to enter numbers with than the laptops keyboard.

---
■ Synchronet ■ hercules - bbs.herculesworkshop.net

Hello Brian Rogers!

** On Monday 10.05.21 - 17:12, Brian Rogers wrote to Ogg:

BR> Believe it or not, Staple's brand stuff in this realm is
BR> pretty decent.

I have a Staple's branded stapler - takes the full size of a
rack of staples - and the spring loading makes for power-like
action.

BR> Their USB<>Serial adapters contain the prolific chips
BR> which work darn good and I purchased one of their 4-port
BR> powered USB hubs for a client years ago and it's still
BR> working like a champ. Sometimes you can find gold in
BR> storebrand stuff.

The one and only Staples branded hub is Out of Stock. :(

The Staples 7-Port USB 2.0 Hub - $19.99

Looked like a great choice.

But I think I will go for this one:

https://www.staples.ca/products/47869-en-aluratek-7-port-usb-
20-hub-with-ac-adapter = $32

I can't believe that some of these hub devices are over $100!

This is the site and the 4-port version my friend got
initially:

https://www.wish.com/product/5ec3ac424085a7a1a64a7b3b

Piece of junk, apparently.

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Hello Rmo70!

** On Tuesday 11.05.21 - 09:56, Rmo70 wrote to Ogg:

R> I was in the same boat with my old IBM T41 laptop, it only
R> had two USB ports.

Still have a T40p here. Same problem.. not enough USB ports!
One of them seemed to go kaput.

R> What I found as a great solution was a USB Numeric Keypad
R> that also has two USB ports, I only got one extra port with
R> it but it also gave me a nice keypad that's easier to enter
R> numbers with than the laptops keyboard.

Similar story here.. I had a "spare" iMac G3 full-size keyboard
with a numeric keybad that had 2 USB ports. I used that for
extra USB purposes - plus I liked the handy numeric keypad for
data entry of receipts.

But.. I fear that in my case, the friend would need a powered
hub.

--- OpenXP 5.0.49
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Hey Ogg;

-=> Ogg wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

Og> I have a Staple's branded stapler - takes the full size of a
Og> rack of staples - and the spring loading makes for power-like
Og> action.

<G>

Og> The one and only Staples branded hub is Out of Stock. :(
Og> The Staples 7-Port USB 2.0 Hub - $19.99
Og> Looked like a great choice.

Sounds like you have the same sort of luck I do when I go shopping!
"Outta-Stock" seems to be the brand that keeps coming up when I look for
things. :\

Og> But I think I will go for this one:
Og> https://www.staples.ca/products/47869-en-aluratek-7-port-usb-
Og> 20-hub-with-ac-adapter = $32

That should do the job.

Og> I can't believe that some of these hub devices are over $100!

Two pieces of hardware I think we've gone backwards on are:
RaspberryPi
USB
When I woke up today my USB keyboard and mouse were deadlocked! Fortunately
I was able to get in via my cellphone using JuiceSSH and killed my Xorg
session... then restarted my desktop (Trinity - a rewrite of KDE3). I also
had one of my packet TNCs on USB and that snoozed daily. Once on a real
9-pin serial port, it's been alive and well since.

Og> This is the site and the 4-port version my friend got
Og> initially:
Og> https://www.wish.com/product/5ec3ac424085a7a1a64a7b3b
Og> Piece of junk, apparently.

Another place you can check is geeks.com. I know they've changed but years
ago I got some great stuff from them at decent prices! Two "build your own"
kits I got I still have - 20 years later - and both work just fine!

wish.com just sounds like something you'd use to send John Cena to visit a
very unfortunate child :)

.... Heisenberg may have slept here.
--- MultiMail/Linux v0.52
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-=> Ogg/Rmo70 wrote... <=-

R> I was in the same boat with my old IBM T41 laptop, it only
R> had two USB ports.

Wow! I have 2 IBM R40 thinkpads which I just got new bios batteries for.
One is online for ham radio testing of my software on Fedora. Some of those
original ThinkPads just seem to go forever - although I need cooling fans
for both. Getting a tad noisy - probably dustballs <G>

.... Got my tie caught in the fax... Suddenly I was in L.A.
--- MultiMail/Linux v0.52
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Hello Brian Rogers!

** On Wednesday 12.05.21 - 11:27, Brian Rogers wrote to Ogg:

BR> Wow! I have 2 IBM R40 thinkpads which I just got new bios
BR> batteries for. One is online for ham radio testing of my
BR> software on Fedora. Some of those original ThinkPads just
BR> seem to go forever - although I need cooling fans for
BR> both. Getting a tad noisy - probably dustballs <G>

My T40p is laying dormant for a while. It needs a new cpu fan,
and probably some cleaning in the side vent. Sometimes it fails
to boot with a "Fan warning.." message. Sometimes I can just
blow gently through the side vent to force the fan to spin for
a few seconds.. and then the boot works. But the fan still
remains a bit noisy.

The plan is to dedicate the machine as my Spotify server
connected to my hifi. I love a room-filling sound from my
floor speakers. I would take the laptop to my shop to access
the DSL, fetch the tunes I want, and then play things "offline"
when I'm home.

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Re: recommend good pwr'd usb
By: Brian Rogers to Ogg on Wed May 12 2021 11:25 am

> That should do the job.
>
> Og> I can't believe that some of these hub devices are over $100!
>
> Two pieces of hardware I think we've gone backwards on are:
> RaspberryPi
> USB
> When I woke up today my USB keyboard and mouse were deadlocked! Fortunately
> I was able to get in via my cellphone using JuiceSSH and killed my Xorg
> session... then restarted my desktop (Trinity - a rewrite of KDE3). I also
> had one of my packet TNCs on USB and that snoozed daily. Once on a real
> 9-pin serial port, it's been alive and well since.
>
>
> Og> This is the site and the 4-port version my friend got
> Og> initially:
> Og> https://www.wish.com/product/5ec3ac424085a7a1a64a7b3b
> Og> Piece of junk, apparently.
>
> Another place you can check is geeks.com. I know they've changed but years
> ago I got some great stuff from them at decent prices! Two "build your own"

whoever buys shit from wish.com is nuts.
---
■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Hey Ogg;

-=> Ogg wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

Og> My T40p is laying dormant for a while. It needs a new cpu fan,
Og> and probably some cleaning in the side vent. Sometimes it fails
Og> to boot with a "Fan warning.." message. Sometimes I can just
Og> blow gently through the side vent to force the fan to spin for
Og> a few seconds.. and then the boot works. But the fan still
Og> remains a bit noisy.

I've had that on occasion where I've had to take a huge breath and blow
as hard as I could underneath to get the fan to torque up... and then you can
hear the bearings making noise. I -could- open it up and work some WD40 or the
likes into it but it's only a bandaid, and opening those cases is not a fun
task. I'd rather do it the right way and replace it - if I can find any!

Og> The plan is to dedicate the machine as my Spotify server
Og> connected to my hifi. I love a room-filling sound from my
Og> floor speakers. I would take the laptop to my shop to access
Og> the DSL, fetch the tunes I want, and then play things "offline"
Og> when I'm home.

Nice! That's somewhat similar to what I do with one of DSL.net's old mail
servers <G> (yes a former employer - I was in the NOC) It's an IBM Netfinity
5000 with Raid 5/SCSI drives. Sounds like a 747 getting ready for take-off!..
but the hot-swap raid is nice for hosting all my music. I have a very low
power FM Stereo transmitter in it so I can crank it up on my 70's audiophile
Marantz, but when people who've never been here want to come I tell them drive
slow on my street and when you hear music at 92.9 FM, you're here. Sometimes
I catch people sitting in front tuned in parked - jamming a song or two before
taking off again. I could set it up in the attic and gain a bit of ERP ;->

.... What is mind? No matter! What is matter? Never mind! - Homer S.
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-=> MRO wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

MR> whoever buys shit from wish.com is nuts.

I never heard of them until in here. I've actually had decent luck with eBay
on stuff, even used stuff. One item I almost didn't was an all-in-one Brother
unit that the post office lost on me. From NYC<>Hartford should be overnight
but took the government 2 months to get it to me. When it arrived the box
was damaged to the point the tape on it gave way. I knew inside the unit
*had* to be damaged, and it was.

Post office refused to file an insurance claim even though it was -their-
fault. Fortunately it was only slightly damaged on the inside and I found
a local place that repaired it for under $100USD. Since I paid a very low
price to begin with, the repair cost was fine and I still got a very good
unit for less than $200USD. They sold used for $300USD on average so I still
made out pretty good.

The issue it had was apparently there's a sensor inside that unit which
insures that the toner is properly lined up and that sensor somehow was moved
when it fell/was dropped/got crushed/etc. by USPS. Replacing the sensor did
the trick. It's been in service for my company with the fax off my asterisk
server for 2 years now, and I don't think it ever gave me a paper jam. :)

.... Got my tie caught in the fax... Suddenly I was in L.A.
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Re: recommend good pwr'd usb
By: Brian Rogers to MRO on Thu May 13 2021 11:09 am

> -=> MRO wrote to Brian Rogers <=-
>
> MR> whoever buys shit from wish.com is nuts.
>
> I never heard of them until in here. I've actually had decent luck with eBay
> on stuff, even used stuff. One item I almost didn't was an all-in-one

it's basically chinese selling you shit on there to rip you off.

i tried it once because a friend posted a good deal on a phone.
i got a usb cord to charge a phone instead. and it didnt look safe for that.

i got my money back quick, though.
---
■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

-=> Brian Rogers wrote to Ogg <=-

-=> Ogg/Rmo70 wrote... <=-

BR> Wow! I have 2 IBM R40 thinkpads which I just got new bios batteries
BR> for. One is online for ham radio testing of my software on Fedora. Some
BR> of those original ThinkPads just seem to go forever - although I need
BR> cooling fans for both. Getting a tad noisy - probably dustballs <G>

The 4x series Thinkpads are easy to work on and easy to find parts on eBay -
and the repair manuals are online showing you exactly how to
disassemble/assemble them. I ran a T42 until just recently and had replaced
the wrist wrest, trackpad and fan over the years.

If you're the least bit handy, you could open one up, blow the dust out of
the fan and the heat sink assembly, remove the sink and replace the thermal
grease on the CPU in about a half an hour. I fixed my noisy fan with a drop
of 3-in-1 oil on the spindle and replaced the 10+ year old grease, and the
fan ran less (and ran more quietly) as a result.

The R is the big, heavy desktop replacement model, isn't it? Huge power
brick and a desktop-class CPU? That should be even easier to work on.

.... From nothing to more than nothing
--- MultiMail/DOS v0.52
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-=> Ogg wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

Og> My T40p is laying dormant for a while. It needs a new cpu fan,
Og> and probably some cleaning in the side vent. Sometimes it fails
Og> to boot with a "Fan warning.." message. Sometimes I can just
Og> blow gently through the side vent to force the fan to spin for
Og> a few seconds.. and then the boot works. But the fan still
Og> remains a bit noisy.

See my post to Brian - T4x series laptops are easy to work on, and
replacement fans are cheap on eBay. A drop of oil, replacing the thermal
paste and a good blowing out might take care of your problems.

.... From nothing to more than nothing
--- MultiMail/DOS v0.52
� Synchronet � realitycheckBBS -- http://realitycheckBBS.org

-=> MRO wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

MR> it's basically chinese selling you shit on there to rip you off.

I do see that a lot online everywhere, even Amazon and eBay. I have ordered
stuff from a few of them and have had decent luck.

MR> i tried it once because a friend posted a good deal on a phone.
MR> i got a usb cord to charge a phone instead. and it didnt look safe for
MR> that.

MR> i got my money back quick, though.

Nice! At least you did. I ordered a phone from one who claimed it was
a model I was looking for. I love the Galaxy Note 3 and wanted the model
#5000 which is european in nature. It's the only model you supposedly can
bump the droid version up beyond 5. The one I received instead was some
Korean provider and it was locked. They fought me on a return/refund so
I asked ebay to step in and provided pics of the splash screen and other
info right off the device. Got my money back. Took a while but I did get it.

.... Is it ok to yell "theater" in a crowded firehouse?
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-=> poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

pF> The 4x series Thinkpads are easy to work on and easy to find parts on
pF> eBay - and the repair manuals are online showing you exactly how to
pF> disassemble/assemble them. I ran a T42 until just recently and had
pF> replaced the wrist wrest, trackpad and fan over the years.

I had a T-series, can't recall the specific model number. I do recall for
the time I had it, it was decent.

pF> If you're the least bit handy, you could open one up, blow the dust out
pF> of the fan and the heat sink assembly, remove the sink and replace the
pF> thermal grease on the CPU in about a half an hour. I fixed my noisy fan
pF> with a drop of 3-in-1 oil on the spindle and replaced the 10+ year old
pF> grease, and the fan ran less (and ran more quietly) as a result.

I can open these up and replace the bios battery in a matter of minutes.
Typically I do what you do as long as the fan isn't thin plastic, and that
the spindle area hasn't cracked from getting overheated. If that's true then
a touch of grease and a bit of oil in the spindle typically helps as you say.

pF> The R is the big, heavy desktop replacement model, isn't it? Huge power
pF> brick and a desktop-class CPU? That should be even easier to work on.

Not at all. The CPU is a mobile celeron, and the power is a thin brick not a
huge one. The older models had the big brick power converters, even the T
series.

.... MultiMail, the new multi-platform, multi-format offline reader!
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-=> poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Ogg <=-

pF> See my post to Brian - T4x series laptops are easy to work on, and
pF> replacement fans are cheap on eBay. A drop of oil, replacing the
pF> thermal paste and a good blowing out might take care of your problems.

I forgot to mention, there's also some great DIY vids on YouTube that
show you step by step what to do to disassemble them as well... 30lb
sledgehammer NOT required <G>

.... A model A is over 100 years old and is in better shape that most of us!
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Hello poindexter FORTRAN!

** On Thursday 13.05.21 - 06:37, poindexter FORTRAN wrote to Ogg:

pF> See my post to Brian - T4x series laptops are easy to work
pF> on, and replacement fans are cheap on eBay. A drop of oil,
pF> replacing the thermal paste and a good blowing out might
pF> take care of your problems.

I hear ya. I was forced to do exactly that job for a dearly
beloved T60 (which I am using now). The "blow in the exhaust"
trick did not work for this one. The fan simply failed to even
try to spin at boot, I guess. So, I started to take it apart.
In the meantime, I ordered a new fan and some heatsink grease
from A-n.

Upon putting it all together, I was left with one extra screw
that didn't seem to fit in any of the spots I though it should.

But the pc booted up right, the first time. The fan seems to
run most of the time, but it's much quieter than what I
remember.

Now I have some confidence to tackle the T40p.

When the T60 (w/XP) seemed to be aging (primarily because I was
running out of its original capacity of 230GB hdd, I purchased
a used T540p (w/Win7), 1TB SSD. But I don't like using that
one primarily because I can't get used to using the new-style
trackpad, and the chicklet keys.

--

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Re: recommend good pwr'd usb
By: Brian Rogers to MRO on Fri May 14 2021 09:40 am

>
> MR> i got my money back quick, though.
>
> Nice! At least you did. I ordered a phone from one who claimed it was
> a model I was looking for. I love the Galaxy Note 3 and wanted the model
> #5000 which is european in nature. It's the only model you supposedly can
> bump the droid version up beyond 5. The one I received instead was some
> Korean provider and it was locked. They fought me on a return/refund so
> I asked ebay to step in and provided pics of the splash screen and other
> info right off the device. Got my money back. Took a while but I did get it.
>
>

okay that's ebay. i'm talking about wish.com most of that shit is fake.
the asians get their postage covered by the chinese govt so it's no skin off their nose.
---
■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

-=> MRO wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

MR> okay that's ebay. i'm talking about wish.com most of that shit is
MR> fake. the asians get their postage covered by the chinese govt so it's
MR> no skin off their nose. ---

I'll count my blessings I never went there.

.... Never judge a fruit by its skin. Neelix
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Hello Brian Rogers!

** On Saturday 15.05.21 - 00:50, Brian Rogers wrote to MRO:

MR>> okay that's ebay. i'm talking about wish.com most of
MR>> that shit is fake. the asians get their postage covered
MR>> by the chinese govt so it's no skin off their nose. ---

BR> I'll count my blessings I never went there.

The first time I heard of wish.com was from the same fellow
about 2 years ago - regarding another "device" that didn't seem
to work right. The listings all seemed "too good to be true"
to me. WHY he settles for wish.com when there are more
reliable, trustworthy domestic places like bestbuy.ca or
staples.ca to choose from ..boggles my mind.

The fellow seems to have a way of owning crap or junking
something that used to work quite well. I've ended up being his
final goto person to "fix" things: replacement ram upgrades,
software issues (viruses, updates, restore-points, etc.)

Most recently he's asked me to look at of those all-in-one
iMacs that a previous friend had owned. I remember seeing that
iMac in fine operational order by the original owner. After
this next guy gets it, it looks like it was dragged through a
bomb zone. The iMac doesn't boot quite right. I haven't looked
it at length, but I dread the task. But I digress..

--- OpenXP 5.0.49
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Hey Ogg;

-=> Ogg wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

Og> The first time I heard of wish.com was from the same fellow
Og> about 2 years ago - regarding another "device" that didn't seem
Og> to work right. The listings all seemed "too good to be true"
Og> to me. WHY he settles for wish.com when there are more
Og> reliable, trustworthy domestic places like bestbuy.ca or
Og> staples.ca to choose from ..boggles my mind.

See if you can get to geeks.com. That may be another option for you.

Og> Most recently he's asked me to look at of those all-in-one
Og> iMacs that a previous friend had owned. I remember seeing that
Og> iMac in fine operational order by the original owner. After
Og> this next guy gets it, it looks like it was dragged through a
Og> bomb zone. The iMac doesn't boot quite right. I haven't looked
Og> it at length, but I dread the task. But I digress..

I believe geeks.com deals with Mac stuff too, along with newegg and a few
others. I don't know if they deal into Canada however.

.... 2 + 2 = 5 for extremely large values of 2.
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-=> On 05-14-21 09:49, Brian Rogers wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-

BR> ... A model A is over 100 years old and is in better shape that most of
BR> us!

Speak for yourself! ;P

.... The truest wild beasts live in the most populous places.
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
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-=> Vk3jed wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

BR> ... A model A is over 100 years old and is in better shape that most of
BR> us!

Vk> Speak for yourself! ;P

Unfortunately, I was. :\

.... Vegetarians beware! You are what you eat
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-=> On 05-16-21 19:59, Brian Rogers wrote to Vk3jed <=-

BR> @VIA: VERT/CARNAGE
-=> Vk3jed wrote to Brian Rogers <=-

BR> ... A model A is over 100 years old and is in better shape that most of
BR> us!

Vk> Speak for yourself! ;P

BR> Unfortunately, I was. :\

Haha, yeah I'm actually a Masters sprinter, currently ranked 8th in the state
association for the 100 metres (M50-59), but allowing for some pro runners who
are not state members, probably around 12-15th in the state. :) I'm also a
national finalist in the 60 and 200 metres. In short, not your average BBS
sysop or ham. ;)

Actually, I'm in Queensland right now, on the Gold Coast, making a family visit
at the halfway mark to my ultimate destination, which is Cairns in far north
Queensland for the Great Barrier Reef Masters Games, which are on this coming
weekend. :) I make the second half of the trip in 2 stages tomorrow and
Wednesday - train to Brisbane tomorrow and then fly from there to Cairns the
next morning. :) My last meet of the 2021-22 season on Saturday. And the next
day, I have a 5k road race. :)

.... If you try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.
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