Generic Chinese USB hub teardown. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Homer J Simpson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2014, 01:11:53 am
content: Here is a YouTube video I found that has a teardown of a generic USB hub.The quality is so poor it is actually funny to watch.KT

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2014, 03:34:28 am
content: Everyone should be sadder when thinking about the demand side of these things.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2014, 07:12:14 am
content: USB hubs and phone chargers are the 2 worst fake items to buy as the models from some more reputable resellers are just as bad (had a dick-smith phone charger self destruct) with only the ones coming directly from the mobile companies being worth the trouble (at a much higher price i may add)

author: jwm
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 12:19:36 am
content: ANKER reliably makes very high quality chargers/battery packs I have found. (http://www.ianker.com/). They have some smart people working for them that for some reason decided to make really good USB chargers. My guess is they had one too many cheap ones almost burn their house down.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 12:25:10 am
content: This is the brand I like, that is often available at Fry's:http://www.myinnergie.com/It seems like just another generic brand, until you go on that web site and see Delta at the bottom.

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 02:53:11 am
content: I like him. Could be Dave's long lost cousin or something.

author: lapm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 09:45:50 am
content: I have to say you do present it nicely in video. Seems like you would be professional youtuber...I have similar experiences from those cheap usb hub. had one die me last weekend...

author: cybermaus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 11:36:52 am
content: LOL I have that exact same USB hub.I only needed it to have a switch for two non-USB but USB powered items. And mine did not short anything. And I only paid $2.99

author: katzohki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 05:07:58 pm
content: A lot of the comments state "you get what you pay for" and I think this is a problem with the attitude of the manufacturers of these products. They make things absolutely as cheap as possible and it's your fault for expecting to get so much for so little.I remember hearing a story of a guy who bought a supposed external hard drive that when he opened it had only a steel washer for weight and a USB stick that was hacked to act like it had much more capacity than it does. When he confronted the seller he was told only that he should not expect so much for cheap and that it was his fault. I've been scammed in China Town by smooth and fast talk as well. I guess you just have to be very street smart.

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 05:12:17 pm
content: Too many people just don't make use of their rights ... they throw it in the bin, so the shops don't feel the need to do any QA either.If this cost the retailers money they would be more careful with their purchasing.

author: cyr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 05:18:46 pm
content: Quote from: lapm on February 03, 2014, 09:45:50 amThe presenter (Bruce Simpson) is in fact a professional youtuber AFAIK...

author: cybermaus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 05:32:06 pm
content: "you get what you pay for"If only that were true. Yes 'cheap' is often 'not good'. Yes, 'good' is often 'not cheap'. Though both have some exceptions, those rules do stand fairly robust. Problem is it does not work the other way: 'not cheap' (or expensive) does not mean 'good'. It may just means you are being scammed more boldly.Or to put it differently: If you pay little, you get little. But if you pay much, you may still get little.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 05:51:54 pm
content: I would argue that you don't get what you didn't pay for.I have no sympathy for those buyers: if they don't know what quality is expensive, they deserve to be con'd. If they do, well, they deserve to be con'd more so.Those low quality junk exists because of those buyers who shop on prices at the expense of quality.High cost of low prices.

author: MatCat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 06:01:09 pm
content: That guy is a pro youtuber, he is WELL known in the RC community, his primary thing is jet engines for models. He once built a full ICBM in his garage just to prove it could be done.

author: cybermaus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 06:03:29 pm
content: You don't get what you didn't pay for?Yes, I think I can agree with that one. Good find.

author: cyr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 06:12:30 pm
content: Quote from: MatCat on February 03, 2014, 06:01:09 pmA cruise missile... ICBM would be impressive (and scary)!

author: Marco
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 06:23:52 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on February 03, 2014, 05:51:54 pmBut I can't judge quality before the purchase, all I can judge is the price. I've bought car USB chargers for a couple of bucks which were perfectly decently constructed, I've seen incredible crappy ones in tear downs.The only way to judge quality is by looking at how well it works and what's inside, not by the brand and not by the price.I'll just buy it and stuff the retailer with the cost of selling faulty wares if it stops working ... I think that gives better market incentives than trying to judge the quality by the size of the manufacturers marketing budget and margins.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 06:41:57 pm
content: -He once built a full ICBM in his garage just to prove it could be done. -I guess it depends on how you define icbm.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 07:02:50 pm
content: IIRc he built a scale model autonomous aircraft that could take off, fly to a waypoint series and land without any intervention from the start to the end, and it would do a 1000km trip without refuelling. All built with off the shelf hardware and software.

author: os40la
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 07:11:04 pm
content: Quote from: dannyf on February 03, 2014, 06:41:57 pmWould a bottle rocket shot across the Panama Canal count?

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 07:17:31 pm
content: I'm sure he did: you described an airplane - many of then can be bought off the shelf.

author: MatCat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 07:44:22 pm
content: Ok, Cruise missile, I might of slightly miss-labeled it.

author: jolshefsky
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 08:38:52 pm
content: I don't know if anyone who's saying "you get what you pay for" watched the video, but he said he boughtthe most expensive one.I made a big USB hub out of a bunch of cheap ones (bypassing the power circuitry; PC power supply; yada yada) and when I was shopping for them I could not find quality. It's not like there's a review that says, "Cisco makes a $40 USB hub that is top quality and will last a lifetime." In fact, based on Amazon user reviews, the "quality" brands like DLink made worse ones (e.g.a 7-port hub with 5 standard 500mA ports and with two 1.2A charging ports with a 3A power supply) than some"no-name" Chinese ones.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 08:43:27 pm
content: QuoteI don't think anyone said that you will get what you paid for.

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 08:57:53 pm
content: An ICBM is in part defined by a ballistic trajectory, not controlled powered flight such as a cruise missile. A fired sub orbital rocket is considered a ballistic trajectory. Still pretty damn impressive though to build something like that from off the shelf parts.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 03, 2014, 09:07:00 pm
content: Bruce is a forum member, "RCMR".