Talk:FAQ

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Regarding "Can the Neo charge and use devices on a USB hub at the same time?", what problem needs solving if the Neo can access other devices on the hub while connected downstream? I assume that the 2nd sentence of the 1st paragraph is in fact incorrect and "It will also be able to" should be "It will NOT be able to"? Could someone please clarify? [[User:Jasonwea|jasonwea]] 2007-02-18 11:48 UTC
 
Regarding "Can the Neo charge and use devices on a USB hub at the same time?", what problem needs solving if the Neo can access other devices on the hub while connected downstream? I assume that the 2nd sentence of the 1st paragraph is in fact incorrect and "It will also be able to" should be "It will NOT be able to"? Could someone please clarify? [[User:Jasonwea|jasonwea]] 2007-02-18 11:48 UTC
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As I understand it.
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It's entirely a cabling problem.
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The neo essentially has two ports in one - there is the mini-AB port, which is missing the +5V line, and the +5V charging line.
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When used as a peripheral, the 5V line is used to charge the battery.
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It is not otherwise used in the neo.
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To connect a hub, it needs to be a powered hub, that is capable of working without 5V input (the Belkin Tetrahub for example will not recognise a host without it).
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To charge at the same time, you need to make up a special cable, that plugs into the output of a powered hub - to pick up the charge current, and into the input of a powered hub at the same time - to act as a USB host.
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These cables are wired together for +5V and 0V, but only the input cable has the data pins wired.
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In some cases (the belkin hub mentioned above) this will also allow the hub to recognise the neo as a host, when it would not before.
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In other cases - where the hub keeps the outputs unpowered until it senses a host, an external source of 5V would need to be plugged into the 'output' cable.

Revision as of 14:30, 18 February 2007

Regarding "Can the Neo charge and use devices on a USB hub at the same time?", what problem needs solving if the Neo can access other devices on the hub while connected downstream? I assume that the 2nd sentence of the 1st paragraph is in fact incorrect and "It will also be able to" should be "It will NOT be able to"? Could someone please clarify? jasonwea 2007-02-18 11:48 UTC

As I understand it.

It's entirely a cabling problem. The neo essentially has two ports in one - there is the mini-AB port, which is missing the +5V line, and the +5V charging line.

When used as a peripheral, the 5V line is used to charge the battery. It is not otherwise used in the neo.

To connect a hub, it needs to be a powered hub, that is capable of working without 5V input (the Belkin Tetrahub for example will not recognise a host without it).

To charge at the same time, you need to make up a special cable, that plugs into the output of a powered hub - to pick up the charge current, and into the input of a powered hub at the same time - to act as a USB host. These cables are wired together for +5V and 0V, but only the input cable has the data pins wired. In some cases (the belkin hub mentioned above) this will also allow the hub to recognise the neo as a host, when it would not before. In other cases - where the hub keeps the outputs unpowered until it senses a host, an external source of 5V would need to be plugged into the 'output' cable.

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Regarding "Can the Neo charge and use devices on a USB hub at the same time?", what problem needs solving if the Neo can access other devices on the hub while connected downstream? I assume that the 2nd sentence of the 1st paragraph is in fact incorrect and "It will also be able to" should be "It will NOT be able to"? Could someone please clarify? jasonwea 2007-02-18 11:48 UTC