Powered USB hub for Latitude 505

Joined
Sep 13, 2005
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A colleague needs a scanner for her Dell laptop, so I picked her up a used Artec 1236 USB scanner that draws it's power from the USB port. When we try to use it we get a "Power exceeeds the port's capacity..." type of error. Apparently it's drawing too much juice. I ordered a powered USB hub, presuming that will fix the problem. Correct?

The Artec scanners have always performed well with desktops. Do laptops have lower USB output, is it just the Dell, or is there a workaround that I'm missing?
 
No, pretty sure the spec says 5V/500mA either per port, or per pair of ports (I think that's the LCD of USB ports, units of 2). 500mA is actually not a whole lot of current...(hell, my mouse at work draws .1A) assuming the Dell is putting out the .5A, even adding a mouse could trip the OCP.

Powered USB hub will help, as I think the power brick is designed to provide the 500mA to each of the ports (probably a 2A power brick). Don't know if the hub is smart-enough to do any power-juggling though. Saw a hub once that would intelligently distribute current (sudden surge on one port, and that's the only one being used? Up to 2A on that one!)
 
I'll hope for the best with the powered hub. I can't find any info on the power draw of the Artec. I have a powered HP scanner that I can give her if it comes to that.
 
Nifty, cheap ($10 delivered) little powered USB hub came today. Plugged it in and there ya go. Works great...
 
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