USB Power problem please help

**Uconnputer** · 12-05-2004, 09:03 PM

Hi all,
This is my first post, hope its in the right place.
Ok, here is the situation, I am running many USB devices off of a laptop that is connected to a powered 4 port hub. That laptop is powered by a 300Watt cheapo inverter. Here are the symptoms:
1. USB devices going on and off

Here is the breakdown of USB devices:
1. GPS
2. MOUSE
3. Wireless keyboard
4. Soundblaster Live USB (helps eliminate buzzing noise from laptop)
5. USB hard drive
6. USB cell phone internet

300watts isn't enough power for all this?
Thanks

**DaRacerz** · 12-05-2004, 09:15 PM

Sounds more like a problem with the hub. When you say devices doing in and out, are these devices limited to whats connected to the hub or any computer usb port?

You may want to go into device manager, and check out the information on each USB Port and the Hub. See what it is saying, cause it will tell you if you are out of power.

**Cris** · 12-05-2004, 09:16 PM

Hey Uconnputer, and welcome to the board. This problem could appear if you were using a non powered USB hub. So,what Kind of USB hub are you using?

**Uconnputer** · 12-05-2004, 09:21 PM

Wow,
Thanks for the quick responses,
The HUB IS powered, Indeed there is to little power for the devices, there is only one single USB port on my laptop and the 4 port POWERED hub is connected to it. I also have a PCMCIA 2 port hub (non powered) where I have 2 devices plugged into.

Thanks, hope this info help you guys understand some more about the problem

**jbors** · 12-05-2004, 10:37 PM

Does the behavior for devices connected to the laptop different from the hub ones ?
Usually 3 devices connected to laptop takes no more than 7.5W, so you're safe there. I would check the hub power adapter if it capable of prividing 10W( ~1A @ 12V ).

**Uconnputer** · 12-05-2004, 11:36 PM

Well the power adapter is the oem one that came with the hub, so I don't think its the adapter. Perhaps I just got a crappy hub? But for some reason I don't think so, I think that the power isn't quite getting to the hub the way it should, perhaps its a problem with the 300watt continious inverter. Perhaps having the laptop AND the hub plugged into it is just to much for it to handle. Please let me know if you think this is a possibility.
Thanks for all the help

**Cris** · 12-06-2004, 06:42 AM

Oh, so you're running the laptop on a transformer plugged into you're inverter. Could be that PSU of the laptop won't support the powered required for the hub. Try on another computer, see if you have the same problems. My guess is you'll not...

**Uconnputer** · 12-06-2004, 12:00 PM

Thanks Cris,
I will try another computer and see what happens. I appreciate all the help, perhaps I will need to sell this laptop and get a different one, or a nice little desktop. But, I wanted to avoid the desktop because of shutdown issues (when turning the car off I want the desktop to suspend to ram) but I dont know how to do this without spending money on a shutdown controller.
Thanks,
Uconnputer