USB multiway adapter: any good?

If it works, it must have more than just a few passive components. If it really only has a few passive components, then chances are it doesn't work.

By 'work', I mean handle more than one USB device simultaneously.

If its a true USB hub, it shouldn't affect how XP (or any other O/S) talks to the peripheral devices. If XP is messing up, its doing it on its own. Its possible that there may be a conflict between the device drivers for two devices that only surfaces when both are plugged in.

Maybe there is a chip hidden on the other side of the circuit board ?

This datasheet has some sample schematics for hub designs. Download is about 400KB or so.

It must have (an active) chip on it to support more than one port.

If it really doesn't have the chip it is a bizarre defective design, not even a USB hub regardless of what it's labeled as. Keep in mind that some "chips" are now integrated, might look like a blob of (black?) epoxy directly on the circuit board with the chip die embedded in (under) it. While this is a crude ultra-low cost way to do it, it could still work fine if made like that, if it were the only issue at play which certainly isn't the case.

It could be defective, have you any other hubs that work properly on that system, "now"? I ask "now" because a windows box can be dynamic, with the service packs and other patches things can become working or non-working.

Also if it is a passive hub (no external power), you may find some hi powered (beyond about 80(?) mA, to give the hub electronics themselves a random, though probably inflated,

If you are plugging such a device into the hub, try a mouse or keyboard, or some other device with it's own power supply (and that is also designed to use that power supply while USB linked, as some only use it while un-linked and turned "on" in working, not data-transfer, mode).

I think I know what you are looking at.

Here in the UK, we have a chain of discount stores (PoundLand) that sell a USB 2.0 4 port hub for just a pound(!). Bit like a dollar store in the US. The item is a transparent tatty-toy-plastic 2" by 2" square, 1/3" thick, 4-ports arranged mid-lengthways and 4 passives (2 electrolytics,

Quite frankly, at it's cost I didn't expect this thing to work at all - and bought it just for some entertainment value and eventual butchering for PCB mount USB sockets. It is however OK at USB 2.0 support, and ran with quite a few memory sticks and other USB items connected through other hubs!

Worth another try. Could have been unrelated?

Definately sounds interesting... I wonder how a bloke could get a handful mailed over to Canada?

; )

You can probably find something similar if not exact same thing on ebay. It might be worth the extra couple bucks to get a powered one instead though, unless it's only for notebook use.

Here's an example of USB proliferation:

oops - bottom of page 1, top of page 2. Click on thumbnails and resulting larger version for full-size version.

Nah... just something to pull apart, etc...

That is exactly it! Oh so that raised blob on the edge of the circuit board is a chip? I hadn't realised that.

The USB 2.0 devices which I attach to this adapter seem to be constrained to USB 1.1.

I too didn't expect it to work. However I have had an XP blue screen and wondered if I was experiencing a hardware problem due to this device.

I am *guessing* that this adaptor (which is detected by XP as a separate USB-attached device) does not have its own unique serial number. If so then it may trigger that rather nasty XP problem. encountered

Ummm, that is a lot of USB devices!

Yep!

Works just find.

Just about all of them have provision to bring in juice from a "wall wart" but usually the computer has plenty of power to spare. Things like printers don't draw any juice from the USB and things like "thumb drives" don't use much power in the first place.

Enjoy.

There is so little to it that it is almost trivial.