USB Hub..what for?

[sciencekinetics]

Hello,
Just got my new 48x96 PRS Standard up and running for the first time yesterday. Very exciting! It included a 4-port USB 2.0 Hub. Can anyone tell me what this is for? My computer has plenty of USB ports. Should I be using this hub for some reason?
Thanks!!

[Gary Campbell]

Jeff...
The usb hub should be installed between the SB Control Box and your computer. This forces an enhanced USB 2.0 port and results in much better communication rate to the machine.
Gary

[frank134]

what if the computer already has a usb 2.0 port?

[dana_swift]

Gary, I'm curious to know more about the USB issue.. if the SB Control Box is 2.0, and the computer is 2.0 what does the hub contribute (other than delay?)

Jeff a quick experiment with the communications rate test will reveal if it helps anything..

D

[jerry_stanek]

I just ran a test on my machine and without the hub I was getting 56% connection speed and with the hub It jumped up to 79%

[frank134]

Jerry does your computer have a usb 2.0 port or a usb 1.0 port?

[david_gardner]

Using a powered hub will significantly increase the connection speed of a 2.0 port. It forces the port to run in "enhanced" mode.

[rhfurniture]

On mine, without hub, it ran at about 74. With a hub it does 83.
R.

[jerry_stanek]

It has a usb 2.0 ports

[frank134]

THANK. I did not know that. we can learn something new every day.
frank hooking up my USB.

[Gary Campbell]

Dana, et al...
I am not 100% sure on this, but the SB control board does not "force" the port into enhanced mode. Enhanced mode almost always gives higher comm rates and for some reason adding a USB 2.0 hub makes this happen. I dont know why, but it works. Also gives you a good connection point for a spindle control board.
Gary

[dana_swift]

Thanks for the speed tests.. if it is true- there is a reason. Someday I will dig into why it is true, for now it is enough to just know the fact of it!

Thanks all-

D

[erik_f]

I put in a usb2 PCI card and still can't get a com rate much above 74% even with the usb hub. I was getting strange errors in location without the hub and a com rate of around 63%. I would love to get my com rate into the 85% range...but don't know enough about it to make it happen.

[frank134]

may i ask how you do the speed test?
thank you

[jerry_stanek]

it is under utilities diagnostic tools