Quote: Originally Posted by
hondamac 
Okay...I just ordered the Carnetix P5V regulator. I'll connect those things together first. As for the USB power hub. Is it simply a matter of splicing the cable ...cut the prong off..splice the cable...and connect the red to red black to black on the P5V unit? I'll have a better idea when it comes tomorrow.
Maybe, maybe not.
Check out Mike's forums for the thread about powering a USB hub.
As far as replacing your hub's PS (assuming it takes 5v), yes it is as simple as splicing the wires.
The catch is that most (maybe all at this point?) hubs have dual power supplies. This means that if you don't have the external power connected, it will draw power from the USB bus.
If you already have the hub, plug it up to your computer and attach a device (mouse is a good test) to it. Does the computer still see the device when you unplug the hub from the wall? If it does, you have a dual powered hub.
There are two issues that you have to be concerned with. The first is that it (and it's devices) will continue to draw power while the Mini is asleep. The chances of this draining your battery are small, but it is possible especially if you have an old/weak battery. The other issue is that something could cause one of the attached devices to send a wake signal to the Mini (like moving your mouse when the computer is asleep) and wake it up when you don't want it to. That is far more likely to run your battery down.
There is an easily solution though
The wiring diagram for a USB cable is easy to find with Google. Look one up, then simply modify a USB cable to not supply power (cut the + and - wires and insulate them well). Then use that as the connection between your Mini and the hub.
-dave