Author Topic: Teardown -- a really cheap 4-port USB hub (Read 24609 times)

RCMR · « **on:** April 05, 2013, 05:58:10 am »

I've seen some dodgy Sino-gear in my time but this $6 USB hub takes the crown for "worst ever seen" by me.

So I thought I'd share:

amyk · « **Reply #1 on:** April 05, 2013, 12:01:36 pm »

At least they tried to make it a USB hub...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/drug123/5127906425/#
http://www.george-smart.co.uk/wiki/Cheap_CCY-01_USB_Hub
http://jaanus.tech-thing.org/teardowns-and-reviews/gp3974-high-speed-usb-2-0-4-port-hub-for-laptop-480mbps-fake/

mikeselectricstuff · « **Reply #2 on:** April 05, 2013, 12:56:37 pm »

Just be glad it didn't come with a PSU... At least a shoddy hub won't kill anyone.

c4757p · « **Reply #3 on:** April 05, 2013, 01:20:31 pm »

It really is awful that these are designed from the very beginning to be fake. I can see if they started as real hubs and then somebody in the factory decided to drop blobs of epoxy without installing the chip underneath, but with the ports paralleled on the PCB it's just too shady...

The crystal footprint connected across +5 and ground

SeanB · « **Reply #4 on:** April 05, 2013, 03:27:26 pm »

I did buy one, but i wanted it as an extender anyway, and it made it easier for me to do what I wanted to do, which was to supply an external supply to the USB device ( audio output) so that it would have a supply with lower noise.

ResR · « **Reply #5 on:** April 05, 2013, 04:33:48 pm »

I have one cheapy usb hub too, although for 4€ from around-the-corner shop in Märjamaa it do has a chip and a crystal and it works, for experiment I put 4 usb devices into that little hub including this cellphone Sony Ericsson Elm - where those picture came from, and they all worked. Unnamed brand, I removed the sticker when taked a look inside first time many months ago and the sticker is gone with model name. Lead-free solder looks awful though.

nuhamind2 · « **Reply #6 on:** April 05, 2013, 05:04:18 pm »

I bought hub a few month ago for about 3$, it has crystal and qfp package chip. Out of curiosity I google it and found the datasheet and this chip has feature like " optimized instruction set for USB protocol". Do USB hub chip need that, I mean "instruction set " thing ??

SeanB · « **Reply #7 on:** April 05, 2013, 06:24:49 pm »

I have a few that have a "feature" in that the power led flickers after it is on for a while. Poor led dies that have broken bonds and thus oscillate with thermal expansion.

amyk · « **Reply #8 on:** April 05, 2013, 07:30:11 pm »

Another thought that occurred to me is that a USB hub is really more like a switch in the network, as you can get passive Ethernet hubs wired much like these fake "USB hubs".

peter.mitchell · « **Reply #9 on:** April 05, 2013, 07:45:32 pm »

I have been using these for a little while, i like the small tails on them, means you don't have issues with big devices blocking other ports.

A couple of decoupling caps, a couple of resistors, a crystal and a mini soic

Unsure if flux residue (no corrosion yet) or that horrible yellow/clear glue you would find on older electronics

They're pretty good.

paulvos · « **Reply #10 on:** April 06, 2013, 08:27:08 pm »

WOW. Almost as bad as some of the Chinese multimillion installations I've encountered.

free_electron · « **Reply #11 on:** April 06, 2013, 08:55:01 pm »

the manufacturers of those 'hubs' should be tracked down and nailed to the wall by their balls...

Monkeh · « **Reply #12 on:** April 06, 2013, 09:00:36 pm »

Quote from: ResR on April 05, 2013, 04:33:48 pm

--

Please resize your photos. There is no point inlining images if they're still too big to be displayed.

jahonen · « **Reply #13 on:** April 07, 2013, 07:02:34 am »

Seeing this kind of stuff makes me wonder why on earth I worry so much about correct USB pair impedance when laying out a PCB containing USB traces

Regards,
Janne

amyk · « **Reply #14 on:** April 07, 2013, 11:03:40 am »

Quote from: jahonen on April 07, 2013, 07:02:34 am

Seeing this kind of stuff makes me wonder why on earth I worry so much about correct USB pair impedance when laying out a PCB containing USB traces

Regards,
Janne

Low and full speed are not very sensitive to signaling conditions, high speed is.

free_electron · « **Reply #15 on:** April 07, 2013, 03:29:39 pm »

Wait till you have to do a usb3 layout... That is really scary....

jahonen · « **Reply #16 on:** April 07, 2013, 06:11:54 pm »

Quote from: free_electron on April 07, 2013, 03:29:39 pm

Wait till you have to do a usb3 layout... That is really scary....

Well, I just hope that USB3 signalling obeys Maxwell's laws of electromagnetism so I don't need to go to school again for USB3.

Regards,
Janne

tom66 · « **Reply #17 on:** April 07, 2013, 06:46:19 pm »

USB2 has error correction. I would not be surprised if these cheap hubs can cope with it but drop so many packets that the performance is poor... I don't see how else they can do it.

nukie · « **Reply #18 on:** May 10, 2013, 01:24:24 am »

Im sure everyone can imagine who's the person making these USB hubs. They either work in an assembly line or one person completes a whole unit at a time. This example looks like the later. The person probably being paid for every unit produced and not by the hour so the number counts. It's just a job for the assembler and non of the persons business if the product fails or sells. Its probably packed by another person down the line. The price is $2, do you think we need an extra head for QC?

T4P · « **Reply #19 on:** May 10, 2013, 07:45:17 pm »

Spend some really money, guys.
http://dx.com/p/4-port-high-speed-usb-2-0-hub-black-white-60cm-cable-length-132870

At least i bought 3 of them (3!) and they all worked. And they are quite solid as well

metalphreak · « **Reply #20 on:** May 13, 2013, 02:59:34 pm »

I got some of the long 10port hubs off DX. They work fine and the soldering seems ok.

Nobody makes a 10port USB hub chipset either... It's a 7port with a 4port connected to one of those!

Monkeh · « **Reply #21 on:** May 13, 2013, 03:06:16 pm »

Quote from: metalphreak on May 13, 2013, 02:59:34 pm

I got some of the long 10port hubs off DX. They work fine and the soldering seems ok.

Nobody makes a 10port USB hub chipset either... It's a 7port with a 4port connected to one of those!

There are no true 7 port hubs either, they're 4 port with a 4 port attached. There may well be ICs which do that internally, though.

T4P · « **Reply #22 on:** May 13, 2013, 05:20:07 pm »

Well i'll just say it actually works with 7 devices attached

SeanB · « **Reply #23 on:** May 13, 2013, 05:36:30 pm »

I have a lovely 7 port USB hub, works well, well made, has a provision for either bus or external 6V power, and a nice 3A regulator for the external power as well, along with proper per port power switches. Only reason I do not use it is because it is USB1.0 only.

amyk · « **Reply #24 on:** May 14, 2013, 10:42:42 am »

Quote from: Monkeh on May 13, 2013, 03:06:16 pm

Quote from: metalphreak on May 13, 2013, 02:59:34 pm
I got some of the long 10port hubs off DX. They work fine and the soldering seems ok.

Nobody makes a 10port USB hub chipset either... It's a 7port with a 4port connected to one of those!

There are no true 7 port hubs either, they're 4 port with a 4 port attached. There may well be ICs which do that internally, though.

Plenty of 7-port single-chip hub controllers:
http://www.smsc.com/Products/USB/USB_Hubs/Standalone_USB_Hubs/USB2507
http://www.ti.com/product/tusb2077a
http://pdf.dzsc.com/GL6/GL652.pdf
http://www.zxkdznet.com/download/FE2.1.pdf

Odd that once you go past 7 there don't seem to be any...


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Author Topic: Teardown -- a really cheap 4-port USB hub (Read 24609 times)

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