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Surface Pro - More USB ports

Hey guys, I just got my Surface Pro yesterday to replace my old HP Pavilion laptop which was really slow and has its fair share of problems. The one gripe I have with the Surface Pro is its lack of ports.
I want to be able to plug in a mouse and at least on USB drive but a singular USB 3.0 port just isn't going to cut it. So my question is, does anyone have an idea or know of anything that will allow me to plug in both a mouse and a usb stick? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
p.s I am aware of the docking station but its price point is a bit ridiculous. I just want a cheap alternative that won't detract from the design too much as there is a case but it's added size is very unreasonable.

The device you are looking for is incredibly common and so common that you can walk into walmart and have a whole selection of them available. USB Hub. Surprised you havent come across one before.
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Depending on the number of ports and whether it is mains or bus powered they can be pretty cheap.

SixSixSevenSeven said:
The device you are looking for is incredibly common and so common that you can walk into walmart and have a whole selection of them available. USB Hub. Surprised you havent come across one before.
Depending on the number of ports and whether it is mains or bus powered they can be pretty cheap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks heaps for the reply. I was actually thinking of these but I wasn't sure if they would work correctly. I'm not very familiar with USB 3.0 and what it can and can't do. I just need a USB hub that has a USB 3.0 upstream and at least 2 USB 2.0 downstreams so I can still plug in my mouse and hardrive and all those other things that have a USB 2.0 upstream. I was looking at these in particular and was wondering if they were 4 USB 3.0 ports or if it was a 3.0 male connector and 4 USB 2.0 female connectors.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/4-Port-U...Laptop_Accessories&hash=item4ac5d3e8e3&_uhb=1
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/m-Speed-...Laptop_Accessories&hash=item51b73b7190&_uhb=1
Any help would be greatly appreciated. If you are able to link me to a cheap one then that would be awesome

Both of the devices you linked claim to be USB3.0 downstream, so would indeed convert 1 USB3.0 slot on the surface to 4 USB3.0 slots, in theory anyway.
Of course in reality, you are sharing 1 ports bandwidth among 4, but for a mouse and a memory stick this is not a problem at all. I've run mouse, keyboard, xbox 360 controller and an external hard drive from a USB2.0 hub without issue, you get the massively faster USB3.0

SixSixSevenSeven said:
Both of the devices you linked claim to be USB3.0 downstream, so would indeed convert 1 USB3.0 slot on the surface to 4 USB3.0 slots, in theory anyway.
Of course in reality, you are sharing 1 ports bandwidth among 4, but for a mouse and a memory stick this is not a problem at all. I've run mouse, keyboard, xbox 360 controller and an external hard drive from a USB2.0 hub without issue, you get the massively faster USB3.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks heaps for that. I just realised that I can plug in a USB 2.0 into the 3.0 port. Sorry for sounding like an idiot but it's just my first device with a 3.0 port.
So now I guess my only question would be whether or not having a switch on each port would make a difference vs no switch?

boss. said:
So now I guess my only question would be whether or not having a switch on each port would make a difference vs no switch?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not particularly, if it is a hub with switched ports you could save some battery but alot of hubs are autoswitching anyway and the difference isnt significant.

I use a bluetooth mouse with my surface pro. It connects directly to the bluetooth in the Surface, without anything plugged into the usb port. I find this very convenient and it leaves the usb port open for whatever else. I use the Microsoft bluetooth mouse 5000.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

I have a USB3 hub, a inateck round hub, makes for easy plugging in various items and is powered, so not using battery up. Jim

Thanks heaps for the responses guys.
I was thinking of using one of the powered ones or the ones with switches so extra battery consumption is kept to a minimum. I have a bluetooth gaming mouse that i'm going to use but will end up getting a USB hub just so I can still have a memory stick plugged in if I need it.

I find that *in most cases* the load on the tablet battery is fairly low and doesnt warrant the extra fuss of a powered USB hub versus a bus powered hub. However, if you do decide to go with a self powered one, find that uses a usb style connector instead of a proprietary power connector. Then you can just use a regular usb cable to power the hub off of the surface's usb charging port on the power cord "brick". That eliminates the need to carry two power supplies with you.
Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

The main advantage of a powered (vs. host-powered) hub isn't the battery life impact, but rather the limit on how much energy the host port can provide. Things like keyboards take almost nothing. Things like mice take a bit, but not too much. Things like external HDDs take a lot. Things like charging a phone or other device may take all the power the port can provide. Using a powered hub lets you connect several such devices (for example, your phone and your hard disk, in addition to your mouse and keyboard) without worrying that there won't be enough power for them.

Agreed. Its a question of amperage. Anything I connect to my Surface Pro has minimal power draw, such as a card reader or usb drive. If Im going to charge my phone (which draqs 2amps) I just connect it to handy chargung port on the AC adapter. All my other accessories (mouse and gps antenna) are bluetooth so they are not part of the equation. Im not debating anything above, but just offering the OP that you should consider your power needs and then you can decide if you need a powered hub or not.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

Officially you can draw 1.2A from a usb3 socket, reality is that you probably won't from my the surface. Mouse, keyboard and thumbdrive combined should be under 0.1A, 0.2 at the most. Not a massive impact on battery so I wouldn't be concerned.

[REVIEW] Inateck 4 Port USB Hub HB5001

Overview
Hi all. So i’ve got my hands on another product from Inateck, one of the new up and coming tech firms that seem to do a little bit of everything. Im quite excited about this product, its something i’ve been in the market for a little while as im getting more USB3.0 gadgets and I couldnt wait to open it! My Review today is on one of the new products which is a 4 port USB3.0 hub with an additional 2A charging port for phones / tablets etc.
Unboxing
The hub arrived in a small black, fairly solid feeling box with a brief description and small picture of the product on the front. On the back there are a lot of features and specs listed.
The features listed on the back are:
Superspeed (5Gbps)/high speed(480Mbps)/full speed (12Mbps)
Status led indicates the operation mode of each USB port
The 5V/2A port is equipped with intelligent charging chip to support battery charging for Samsung tablets, iPad and smart phones.
Compliant with USB2.0 and lower version
Compliant with large capacity hard disk
Plug&Play, Hot Swappable.
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The Specifications listed are:
Product Model: Inateck HB5001
Product Name: 4 Port USB3.0 HUB with 1 Port Charging
Product Interface: USB3.0x3 + 5V/2A Charging
Product Dimensions: 125x63x15mm
Product Weight: 80g
OS Support: Windows XP/ Vista / 7/8/8.1, Mac OS
Certificate: CE&FCC Approval
So a lot of info on the outer box. Without further waiting im going to open it up and its time to finally play with the device ive been looking forward to for the past week!
So opening up the box im greeted with a very well packed, plastic wrapped hub, sitting in a protective plastic tray, under which is an adaptor plug with a 1.5m lead and a USB3.0 which is 1.2m long.
Lead Length
I just want to highlight this fact, i really like the lead length, I know it sounds like a silly thing to highlight and people are probably wanting me to get on with reviewing the actual hub but lead length is important. Keep in mind that to keep USB3.0 speeds if you want to use an extension lead you it will need to be USB3.0 compliant and honestly thats a pain. My home PC case is almost up to my waist and I wanted a hub that would plug in down the depths of the back of the PC and I could put the hub on my desk to plug in devices. I know its very much personal preference but this has a nice lead length to reach down the back of a tower and sit on my desk without much messing around so im really please about this. The USB3.0 lead is a standard lead with the normal USB micro B plug to go into the hub so the lead is interchangeable if you do want something different.
Hands on
Ok so the plastic wrap has been removed and its time to place with the device. Can I just pause to say though that its nice to hold a product that the manufacturer cares enough about to add plastic wrap on the top and bottom to protect the device. makes it feel very premium and new!
The hub is nice and light and feels fairly hollow as you would expect. On the top is black and silver plastic that is about half and half the device. The black is on the back end and houses the power button on the top in the middle. The power button doubles as a power LED which is only illuminated when the hub is turned on and is not always on when plugged in. There are green connection LEDs for each USB port which light up on connection.
On the bottom side are 4 small rubber feet to stop the hub from sliding about the place while its in use / in place. Moving round to the front of the device is the 4 USB3.0 ports with a good spacing between each to allow bigger devices such as USB memory sticks to be plugged in without taking up 2 slots. On the right hand side is the USB 5v / 2.0A charging port for charging phones / tablets etc. Finally round the back is the USB 3.0 micro B input and power input.
Overall the device feels fairly solid in my hands and not like its about to come apart.
Testing
Playing around with the hub on my HP Elitebook 9470m, the first thing I tried was to see if the hub can be used without plugging it into the mains. To you use hub you plug is in (obviously!) and you need to press the button on top to turn the hub on, good news is that it can be used for USB devices without plugging into the mains but with the caveat (as usual with hubs) that if you are plugging in multiple high power devices not all will work e.g. more than 1 portable hard drive. My PC detected the hub as a USB2.0 and USB3.0 hub, no information on the driver chip in use.
One thing I noted is that unplugging and re-plugging the hub means you have to turn it on again in order to use any connected devices. Its the same upon reboot, even if the hub is on when the PC powers off, it will need to be turned on to be used. I can see plus and minus points for this and it really depends on how you want to use if. Me for example, I have several USB3.0 drives that I dont use every day but its nice to have them all plugged into my PC ready to go if and want and when I can just hit the button to power the hub and allow me access to the devices. If you are planning on using this as a hub on your desktop do keep in mind that you have to plug in your device and perform a button press to access a device. Not sure how I feel about this, I think I would rather have a switch so I have the choice of hub on or off and my preference will save, im tempted to perform a teardown and change the button to a switch.
Plugging in my Western digital portable hard drive, the green light above the port comes on and its detected no problem without the power adapter being used. I’ve performed several speed tests with my Jetflash USB stick and my USB3 western digital hard drives and performing speed tests side by side showed no slowdown suggesting that this hub used a good chip to manage data flow and not bottleneck at any point during transfer. My tests were transferring large data files to several devices at once, which is a worst case scenario, and even under this stress the hub performed admirably not showing any slow-downs or dips during transfer. Plugging another device in during the speed tests also had no effect.
So onto the phone charging feature that this hub offers. I tested this on my good trusty Samsung Galaxy S4 and measured the amperage going into the phone under various scenarios e.g when a new device is plugged into the hub to test the robustness under everyday use.
Pricing
Currently the hub is on offer on Amazon UK, and its a really good price, especially after playing with it im really pleased with the build quality and host of features for the very low / competitive price. It is currently on a 60% reduction so £20 for a charger and premium hub is a good deal in my eyes so im happy!
Positive points
+Good cable length, both the adaptor and USB3.0 cable
+Sleek looking design
+Connectivity LEDs for each USB port.
+Switch to turn on and off
+5v 2A USB phone / tablet charging port
+Can use as a USB hub without plugging into the mains
+High quality build
+very low competitive price
+Good performance, no slowdowns during stress testing
+USB2.0 compatible
+Rubber feed to stop it slipping (you wont believe how many hubs ive had that dont have this!)
Uses standard USB pinout, no proprietary cable.
Negative points
-Black plastic is a bit of a fingerprint magnet, not really a problem if its sitting on a desk.
-Have to turn it on at every PC boot to use
Conclusions
Overall a very nice little product at a reasonable price. Ticks all the boxes id be looking for with a hub.
Score
My Score out of 5:
:good::good::good::good::good:
5 out of 5 - it didn't feel like any points should be knocked of for my minor annoyance with the power button.
Bottom Line
Very impressive little device, long cables and easy to use.
Links
Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inateck®-Charging-Samsung-Computers-Smartphone/dp/B00GT7LDDG

Nice review
Thanks for your review:good::good:

PSA - Right Angled USB OTG cables wont fit

just thought i would throw it out there that you can forget about using a right angled otg usb cable. i just unboxed my nexus player and was excited to hook up my ethernet adapter. grabbed my right angled otg cable (only 1 i have) and failed miserbly, stupid hdmi cable. thank god for prime.
just thought i'd throw that tidbit out there to maybe save others some time/frustration

thecrunked said:
just thought i would throw it out there that you can forget about using a right angled otg usb cable. i just unboxed my nexus player and was excited to hook up my ethernet adapter. grabbed my right angled otg cable (only 1 i have) and failed miserbly, stupid hdmi cable. thank god for prime.
just thought i'd throw that tidbit out there to maybe save others some time/frustration
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which OTG cable did you go for? I was planning on getting one soon.

i ordered this one. looks like it should fit. ill repost when it arrives with the verdict
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8YZ2SA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

thecrunked said:
i ordered this one. looks like it should fit. ill repost when it arrives with the verdict
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D8YZ2SA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the recommendation, I was meaning to buy one for some time, just slipped my mind a time or two !

was thinking OTG and hub , but what about a together ?
getting my nexus player tomorrow , and realized i only own right angle OTG , considering the below OTG/hub , i know it requires a power adaptor , but i am a junky for ports and power .
any owners see a issue with this ?
http://www.amazon.com/aLLreli®-Adap...ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1416286919&sr=1-1
manufaturer site
http://www.allreli.com/allreli-7-in...laxy-note-3-s4-s3-s2-xoom-archos-android.html

bkdg100 said:
getting my nexus player tomorrow , and realized i only own right angle OTG , considering the below OTG/hub , i know it requires a power adaptor , but i am a junky for ports and power .
any owners see a issue with this ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A good powered hub is near a must for a device like the NP as there are so many uses for peripherals: hard drives, keyboards, mice, USB keys, Flirc IR controller, usb ethernet, etc. I highly suggest getting a decent powered hub with a lot of ports and a good track record. Monoprice sells a pretty good powered 7 port unit that has great reviews (I have four all over my home) and is relatively cheap:
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=103&cp_id=10307&cs_id=1030702&p_id=5328&seq=1&format=2
The hub you were looking at above is limited to 3 ports and doesn't come with an a/c adapter. I'd look elsewhere, imho.

So far I have had good results with a bus powered hub. Granted, it's not going to work for a bus powered power hungry accessory, such as an external hard drive. But it powers my wireless dongle for my F710 and a USB flash drive just fine.

I've noticed my Logitech K400 had some pretty bad range issues when the receiver was connected directly to an OTG cable, but when I use a powered hub it's working great. So, it may be worth considering, if you notice any problems with an unpowered setup.

Just want to update. This cord works fine

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4GGW5Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I have this one and it works great. I broke my rightangled one trying to force it to fit with the hdmi plugged in...glad they are not expensive.

I bought my right angled USB OTG before I got the unit and also had some trouble getting it in there. The problem was that the power cord was in the way. I resolve it by simply plugging the USB OTG in first and then inserting the power cord.
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30 seconds with a razor blade, and I simply cut away the right angled part all together, and hot glued it into a straight otg

CrustyMcLovin said:
I bought my right angled USB OTG before I got the unit and also had some trouble getting it in there. The problem was that the power cord was in the way. I resolve it by simply plugging the USB OTG in first and then inserting the power cord.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are lucky because yours bends towards the power cord and not the HDMI cable like mine did...there was no way of having both installed at the same time.

djwyman said:
You are lucky because yours bends towards the power cord and not the HDMI cable like mine did...there was no way of having both installed at the same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh yeah... makes sense.
This is the one I purchased.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GM0OZ4O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

USB hub with Type C pass through charging

Came across this hub with 2x USB3 ports, sdcard and microsd slots, and type c pass through for charging.
https://www.hypershop.com/products/usb-c-5-in-1-hub-with-pass-though-usb-c-charging
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Looks useful with the limited storage available on the PixelC

I am curious if those ports will work as OTG hosts. That would be quite useful, but I'm not willing to pay $4o to test it myself lol

oRAirwolf said:
I am curious if those ports will work as OTG hosts. That would be quite useful, but I'm not willing to pay $4o to test it myself lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I preordered one for the card slots as the only flash media i buy is in microsd format.
It says it should ship in december, I'll post results here when I receive it.

I messaged Benson Leung on Google+, asking him if he recommended any USB OTG hosts. He said that OTG does not exist anymore with Type C. He recommended that I get this cable: http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VTZ7GM0
Hopefully that hub meets the Type C spec, since it seems that 90% of cables and adapters don't.

That cable looks identical to the one I received from google in the UK, purchased from google with the tab.
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

I would love to know if this guy works. That would be awesome.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Just to let you guys know:
I contacted Benson Leung and asked him about USB-C hubs for the Pixel C and he said he has one on its way and will review it shortly.

Ok, I received it. I tried powering the PixelC and it works but not at the same speed as the same charger connected directly. I estimate about 1-1.2A
I connected microsd card and it seems to work fine. Not tried using the usb type A ports yet.
My main issue is that it the position and size make it feel quite delicate. It is in the exact place I hold my pixel C and the length makes it feel like a lever on the port. I tried adding a small tab to brace it against the tablet at the other end but that feels no better. I would prefer it connect with a short cable.
I might use it in extreme cases, when wireless is not an option such as on flights, but the aesthetics and the power compliance issue make it hard to recommend.

Does this Hub really work on the Pixel C ? I mean, can i use a USB Ethernet Adapter, or a USB Stick while charging the Pixel ?

skally said:
Ok, I received it. I tried powering the PixelC and it works but not at the same speed as the same charger connected directly. I estimate about 1-1.2A
I connected microsd card and it seems to work fine. Not tried using the usb type A ports yet.
My main issue is that it the position and size make it feel quite delicate. It is in the exact place I hold my pixel C and the length makes it feel like a lever on the port. I tried adding a small tab to brace it against the tablet at the other end but that feels no better. I would prefer it connect with a short cable.
I might use it in extreme cases, when wireless is not an option such as on flights, but the aesthetics and the power compliance issue make it hard to recommend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. Do you possibly have a USB A to ethernet you could try it with? I'm curious to see if it'd work.
Could it be an idea to use it with a USB C extension cable, something like this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-C-USB3-...main_0&hash=item3cfbf467bb&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true

sindrefyrn said:
Thanks a lot. Do you possibly have a USB A to ethernet you could try it with? I'm curious to see if it'd work.
Could it be an idea to use it with a USB C extension cable, something like this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-C-USB3-...main_0&hash=item3cfbf467bb&afsrc=1&rmvSB=true
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a USB3 3 port hub with ethernet (an Anker AH212). I get ethernet connectivity just fine, although I don't see any options for configuration, so you're stuck with DHCP.
Nice idea on the extension cable, I was hoping one would appear. I wonder if Benson Leung has tested any.

Skally could you please elaborate on that? Do you know the exact Name of the Hub you have? (mby even with Link) would love to get my hands on that!

Anyone have pictures of this thing on your Pi-C?

This:
http://www.amazon.com/HT-UC001-Shuttle-Delivery-MacBook-ChromeBook/dp/B019R9ILTG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1459363576&sr=8-2&keywords=hootoo+usb-c+hub
It might be the thing we are after with a short extension cable. Its just super pricey, and only the two most expensive versions have the charge pass through at $60 and $70 USD.
Has anyone used any accessories from HooToo and can remark on the quality?

Well I went ahead and ordered the cheapest mode. It has 3 USB3 and the SD card reader for $35. That gives me what I need on the road, and should give me some impression of the build quality and compatibility with the C. Should have it next Tuesday.

awlllwa said:
Well I went ahead and ordered the cheapest mode. It has 3 USB3 and the SD card reader for $35. That gives me what I need on the road, and should give me some impression of the build quality and compatibility with the C. Should have it next Tuesday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did ypou receive it already? how is it?

The usb-c is a bit loose... have to really press it in to get a confident fit. I did get it to read an SD card, this was my most needed feature. Have not yet tested the USB ports. I feel that for the price it could be better.
Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk

awlllwa said:
The usb-c is a bit loose... have to really press it in to get a confident fit. I did get it to read an SD card, this was my most needed feature. Have not yet tested the USB ports. I feel that for the price it could be better.
Sent from my Pixel C using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have one of these. I've yet to use it extensively but can confirm that the USB ports work (4Gb stick used so far) but haven't tried them along with pass-through charging (though this works independently). Build quality seems pretty reasonable but a lot of money seems to have been spent on the presentation/packaging, a little Apple, with sculpted box and foam holding the hub.

Hi,
I've recently received a Pixel C as a replacement for an older tablet which insurance paid for (Thankfully).
Before I seen this thread I got one of the Satechi Passthrough hubs pictured at the start.
I havent had a huge play with it, But soo far I would say I'm fairly happy with it. it feels a little loose but thats not an issue when being used with the magnetic keyboard (So I dont touch the tablet)
Best bit about it tho, if you connect a mouse you basicly have a full laptop!!
I'm stoaked.

taddyj said:
Hi,
I've recently received a Pixel C as a replacement for an older tablet which insurance paid for (Thankfully).
Before I seen this thread I got one of the Satechi Passthrough hubs pictured at the start.
I havent had a huge play with it, But soo far I would say I'm fairly happy with it. it feels a little loose but thats not an issue when being used with the magnetic keyboard (So I dont touch the tablet)
Best bit about it tho, if you connect a mouse you basicly have a full laptop!!
I'm stoaked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does that mean it charges the Pixel C as well?
---------- Post added at 04:42 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:41 PM ----------
awlllwa said:
This:
http://www.amazon.com/HT-UC001-Shuttle-Delivery-MacBook-ChromeBook/dp/B019R9ILTG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1459363576&sr=8-2&keywords=hootoo+usb-c+hub
It might be the thing we are after with a short extension cable. Its just super pricey, and only the two most expensive versions have the charge pass through at $60 and $70 USD.
Has anyone used any accessories from HooToo and can remark on the quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This works as advertised, though I couldn't check the HDMI. Only one problem: the external power doesn't seem to reach the Pixel C, which makes it kind of useless to me. Not sure where the problem is.

Is there an OTG cable that works with Samsung?

I have an SM T290 tab A. Is there a specific OTG cable that I can use? Has anyone had any success?

scampo77 said:
I have an SM T290 tab A. Is there a specific OTG cable that I can use? Has anyone had any success?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know it gets to where you're pulling your hair out in frustration, but.... someone on XDA has nudged me in a new direction and helped, always friendly, and ALWAYS FREE. I had the same problem with cables, I thought anyway. I'm enclosing a pic of the OTG adapter that worked for me, and with every cable and thumb drive, etc. It says SAMSUNG, its just hard to read. Hope this helps Scampo.
Pony
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Ponius said:
I know it gets to where you're pulling your hair out in frustration, but.... someone on XDA has nudged me in a new direction and helped, always friendly, and ALWAYS FREE. I had the same problem with cables, I thought anyway. I'm enclosing a pic of the OTG adapter that worked for me, and with every cable and thumb drive, etc. It says SAMSUNG, its just hard to read. Hope this helps Scampo.
Pony
View attachment 5227033View attachment 5227033
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can you attach a thumb drive to your tablet and watch a movie on it while charging at the same time?

scampo77 said:
can you attach a thumb drive to your tablet and watch a movie on it while charging at the same time?
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What I did instead was to connect a small powered USB hub and connected my thumb drive to the hub. That way you reduce the power draw on your tablet and can run a wireless USB mouse with your thumb drive. (And yes, I watched movies that way). Hope it helps.
Pony

Here is the cheapo I've been using bought off eBay for like $1.50

Thank you but I need to charge while the thumb drive is attached and I need to be able to do this 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Ponius said:
What I did instead was to connect a small powered USB hub and connected my thumb drive to the hub. That way you reduce the power draw on your tablet and can run a wireless USB mouse with your thumb drive. (And yes, I watched movies that way). Hope it helps.
Pony
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On amazon you can get an adapter which gives you 3 X usb 2.0 (thumb drive) input plus one usb-a micro (usb 2 charger) input. Mine has a switch between OTG and charge, but if I keep charger in during OTG, it supplies power to thumb drives, and the battery supply barely gets touched.

lifeModder19135 said:
On amazon you can get an adapter which gives you 3 X usb 2.0 (thumb drive) input plus one usb-a micro (usb 2 charger) input. Mine has a switch between OTG and charge, but if I keep charger in during OTG, it supplies power to thumb drives, and the battery supply barely gets touched.
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This is an automotive install and I've tried all of these options and none work. These tablets and fiberglassed into the dash and need to be charging all day. Then a female USB mounted in the dash to transfer data via a thumb drive.

scampo77 said:
This is an automotive install and I've tried all of these options and none work. These tablets and fiberglassed into the dash and need to be charging all day. Then a female USB mounted in the dash to transfer data via a thumb drive.
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You'd think that anything installed into the dash like that would run on the car battery. I just use mine for development, which means nothing more than saving / loading text files. I am able to leave it on charge and just flip the switch for 30 seconds or so at a time to access the thumb drive. What about the usb to sd card readers? Same result, I suppose?

lifeModder19135 said:
You'd think that anything installed into the dash like that would run on the car battery. I just use mine for development, which means nothing more than saving / loading text files. I am able to leave it on charge and just flip the switch for 30 seconds or so at a time to access the thumb drive. What about the usb to sd card readers? Same result, I suppose?
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Yes, same result. This was a headache when I started this 10 years ago with the Nexus 7. But someone came out with a specific automotive installation where the tablet would turn on and of with the key and it would charge with a thumb drive attached and it worked beautiful until it fell out of service.

After a year of working on this problem I found a charger made by a company called lava. The charger is about $100 and it does charging while having usb support. The charger is worth more than the tablet but I didn't have a choice.

scampo77 said:
After a year of working on this problem I found a charger made by a company called lava. The charger is about $100 and it does charging while having usb support. The charger is worth more than the tablet but I didn't have a choice.
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I know it’s been a bit since this post, but curious if the lavalabs adapter you mentioned worked with your sm t290 ? And if so, which adapter model was it? Trying to figure out the same thing, they are pricey but need to figure this out thanks ++