usb extension cords

[nonsequitur]

my office pc doesn't have any usb ports readily available, however, i did recieve a usb extension cord of sorts with a usb thumb drive once upon a time.

i table tied this extension cord so that it fastens to my keyboard tray, and it worked well with the usb thumb drive, and it saved me from having to get under my desk just to attach the drive.

now i'm trying to sync an ipaq by plugging into the extended usb port, and ms active sync will not recognize the ipaq. it will sync when i plug the sync cable directly into the workstation.

interestingly enough, the ipaq turns on when plugged into the extended cable, but does not begin charging or begin a sync (so i know *some* signal is getting though).

does anyone think it's worth getting another extension cable, or just f* it and get a usb hub?

 

[Jeff]

How long is the extension cable, and what quality? The biggest problem is with quality. You can check by the thickness...usually thicker=better since there is more shielding. I got a extension cord with my flash drive also and it is a shoddy USB cable (only about 2-3mm diameter, good cables are usually 4-6mm diameter). Im betting that is your problem. Every extension in cable length reduces singal quality.

The USB flash drive plugged into the extension cord is probably barely enough power to make the data connection. However the extension cord + ipaq usb cord length might just be long enough to reduce the signal to an unusable state. Try gettin a higher quality cord and see if that solves your problems.

Note: don't goto compusa and get one of those $30 cords. You can get the same on ebay for $5 or so. Just make sure the cable quality is good.

 

[nonsequitur]

thanks for the reply. only in the most dire of circumstances would i pay compusa/bestbuy cable prices.

it's only about four feet long, and just a skosh thinner than my keyboard cable.

i'm more concerned about *any* cable in said cirumstance being usable. i may need to get a powered usb hub afterall.