Is this a problem for the 2k’s or what?
Poor clipper is having a hard time dealing with my rampant gadget-itus. Since USB has really taken over the ‘small component’ interconnect need, the number of devices connected to your standard power-users desktop machine has gone through the roof.
Well, I’ve hit the wall myself. clipper lives in it’s docking station most of the time, which provides 3 nice USB ports in the back of the dock (I ignore the 2 ports on the side of the laptop, to avoid having to plug and unplug things everytime I undock). One of the ports on the dock is a cable to my external powered 4 port hub.
Doing the math, that gives me 6 available connections. Here’s how they’re wired up:
- Labtec USB webcam (Used with Skype and MSN Live Messenger)
- USB audio dongle (Dell D620’s for -some- nutty reason have no speaker connector on the dock. So when the laptop is in the dock, I would have to plug in my desktop speakers everytime I dock. Screw that, $10 from newegg got me an external audio device.
- Microsoft 4000 ergo keyboard (IMHO one of the best keyboards ever made)
- USB ‘LED’ mouse
- HP deskjet 5150 printer (I got this printer about 2.5 years ago for $70 from CompUSA. I’ve never regretted it, it’s a great printer.)
- Dock for a Mobile Crossing GPS
- Sync cable for my Treo 650
And I’m out of ports. I’m somewhat amused that the Dell monitor I have has a pair of USB ports on the side of it, but that’s pretty ugly, and would only gain me one more port (it would take up a port to plug it in).
The search is now on for a super-geeky 8 port hub. I want lights and blinky bits and cool live activity. I have to thank Mort for finding this Evil Genius USB hub which is mighty tempting, though it’s only 4 ports. (And no, I -do not- have USB powered manicure kit 🙂
This is also only four ports, sadly. But it has lights, and it makes noise! (You can apparently turn that particular feature off.)
I saw the tardis one and thought it was way splufty, but the noise was going to be a real problem. If it’s truly disableable (short of ripping the speaker out), I may reconsider. 🙂
Looking at it closer, it has the -disadvantage- of having the 4 ‘out’ ports on opposite sides of the box. So it’ll really take up a lot of desk space 🙁
The search continues!
Don’t knock those on-the-monitor USB ports too much. My users love them because it puts a couple ports within convenient reach after I put the computer chassis under their desk. 🙂
I’ve found that some of my devices only like to be plugged directly into the computer and not hanging off of the monitor ports. My iPod is ok on the monitor ports, but the mouse has to be “closer”.
Hmmm, seems like it would be a cool project to build one!