Ethernet Hub and USB Hub w/ Micro USB

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darkmatter
 
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Ethernet Hub and USB Hub w/ Micro USB

Post by darkmatter »

Ethernet Hub and USB Hub w/ Micro USB OTG Connector
PRODUCT ID: 2992

I just purchased one of these to use with my new Raspberry Pi Zero W and I see that it has a barrel jack connector on one side and am wondering if I can use that to power my Pi Zero W?
If so what power supply should I get?
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blnkjns
 
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Re: Ethernet Hub and USB Hub w/ Micro USB

Post by blnkjns »

The connector is there to feed extra power into the USB ports.
The docs say nothing on the power supply, but they usually are for 6-9V barrel-jack style adapters somewhere 1.5-3A, similar to those used for powering musical instruments, Arduino like boards, stomp-boxes, ethernet hubs, small amplifiers, turntables, wifi routers and stuff like that.
These are not meant to power the Pi, but hey, just give it a try. These USB hubs are usually so stupidly simple, I would not be surprised if it just connects all data lines and injects some extra 5V into the whole hub from USB cable to ports. You probably have a barrel-jack style adapter somewhere in your house, and lets assume the input is reverse-polarity protected, one cannot go much wrong.
You can also use another micro-usb cable and return that into the PWR plug of the Pi. Just experiment, if you do something too weird, the USB protection will kick in.

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darkmatter
 
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Re: Ethernet Hub and USB Hub w/ Micro USB

Post by darkmatter »

Ok I found these 2 the jacks both physically fit in the receptacle on the hub. Both are positive tip negative sleeve. Which one should I try first?
The volts and Amps are slightly different on each.
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blnkjns
 
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Re: Ethernet Hub and USB Hub w/ Micro USB

Post by blnkjns »

Both are below 6V, so I doubt it will be enough if there is some 5V regulating circuit, those usually need some headroom to shave of a volt or more.
Just try, things won't explode. Maybe the Dell is the best option, but if it does not work, search for a higher voltage.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Ethernet Hub and USB Hub w/ Micro USB

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

We strongly suggest ignoring the power jack if you want to use the hub with a RasPi.

As far as we know, there's no voltage regulation in the hub, and the RasPi's USB-OTG jack connects directly to the board's 5V supply. That means you'd be putting an external power supply in parallel with the RasPi's 5V system, and no two power supplies put out exactly the same voltage. That would still be true, and would cause the same problems, if the hub did have an internal 5V regulator.. the usual tolerance on regulators is 5%.

The RasPi Zero is an exercise in designing down to the lowest reasonable price point, which means giving up a lot of things like fault tolerance on the supply rails. In a fight with an external supply, the Zero would probably lose.

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darkmatter
 
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Re: Ethernet Hub and USB Hub w/ Micro USB

Post by darkmatter »

So, I used the CyberPower 5V 2.6A which did power the Pi Zero through the hub with no issues but the hub itself received no power so I couldn’t use the ports on the hub. Defiantly not the result that I was hoping for but a learning experience all the same.
Thanks for all the replies!

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