The yoke, throttle quadrant, joystick, TrackIR, headphones, radio panel, rudder pedals, mouse, keyboard etc. all requires USB connection and it’s sort of becoming a problem. I already have a powered USB hub with 4 ports but now I’m still short of ports if I want to fly with the joystick and yoke at the same time. I guess I will have to buy another USB hub (powered is necessary I guess?) and a power strip because I’m also running out of sockets The situation is pretty crazy.
I have never had this problem before flightsimming and I’m just wondering how you guys deal with the USB situation?
I have a 7 port USB hub from Amazon. But I use it only for non permanent hardware as I use my office space also for work. TrackIr, keyboard, mouse, headphones, Xbox controller and rudder pedals are all plugged directly into the PC and all cables are tucked away in the desk. The hub gets only used for yoke, throttle and radio panel.
The number of ports needed depends on my usage scenario - for example
Keyboard, mouse, joystick, throttle, rudder pedals, PSU (internal USB), Kraken Z73 (internal USB), FLX4, mic, smartphone - so 10 USB ports.
My motherboard MSI Z790 Tomahawk have:
1x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 20Gbps (Type-C)
6x USB 3.2 Gen 2 10Gbps (4 Type-A + 2 Type-C)
6x USB 3.2 Gen 1 5Gbps (Type-A)
4x USB 2.0
I just bought my third 10-port powered hub. This weekend I plan on rewiring everything. It’s getting to be a tangled mess back there, and that bothers me - probably more than it should.
Thanks for the replies. Is it necessary to use powered USB hubs or can you use a regular USB hub for things that don’t require lots of electricity, like headphone connector and mouse etc?
Definitely go for a powered hub. USB devices are very current sensitive. Using a powered hub decreases the risk of voltage dips thus reducing the phenomenon of ghost inputs.
Also avoid using usb extension cables for this same matter.
Thank you. Powered USB hubs are really expensive and I really only need one extra port at the moment. I’m at that point where I don’t want to spend the money on a new hub but I’m also annoyed at having to unplug something in order to fly the A320 (joystick). I guess I should buy more fun gear so that I can justify another USB hub
If its just 1 port you need extra. See if you can try out a cheap usb splitter. And use it for example just for mouse and keyboard. Not your flight controls.
I must be lucky, my PC has bazillions of USB ports, or so it seems; I’ve lost count. The ones at the back cover joystick, printer, external drive and mouse, and there’s still a few left. My keyboard is the first one I ever bought, an AT model with a PS2 adapter. And I’d still be using a PS2 mouse if I didn’t want an optical one.
The cables all come up through a hole in the desk and are held neatly together with Velcro cable ties.
Oh, and two ports at the front that are handy for phone, card readers, thumb drives etc.
I never seem to get any power loss or other glitches; I don’t know if that’s down to the power supply or the motherboard, but it’s good as gold.
You absolutely must use powered hubs or you will see disconnections and device not recognised etc. Also, there’s a limit to how far you can daisy-chain hubs, so make sure each hub is plugged directly into the back of your PC. Powered hubs are not all equal, BTW - you want to make sure all ports on the hub can deliver close to the maximum rated current (0.5A) regardless of how many devices are plugged in, which means a hefty PSU, because often if you fully load a powered hub each device gets less than the max current, and for some devices this may not be enough to work properly if they are powered solely from USB.
Get a 15/16-way USB 3 hub if you can. Anker has served me well. Generally you’re not going to care much whether it’s USB3, 3.1 or 3.2 Gen x, unless you’re plugging storage devices into the hub, but a good solid USB 3 hub is what you need. I have two but then I have a lot of devices.
The situation is pretty crazy.
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