What’s a modern computer user to do? You’ve got your thumb drives, your backup drives, your joystick, your drink warmer, your drink cooler, your USB humping dog, your USB blow-up doll, and a hundred other things littering your desk. And even the best motherboards only come with 10 or 15 USB ports. If only there were some way to plug in all of these things at once, in some sort of… hub. Brother, your prayers are answered at last! With this 49-port powered USB hub, you can live it up and never worry about unplugging anything ever again.
Okay, so it’s actually aimed towards a more… labratory-ish environment in which, perhaps, drives from different batches are all tested for flaws at the same time, or input from 49 different cameras must be pulled simultaneously. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one in your home. Why let the scientists have all the fun?
Update: Oops, forgot to include the damn link.
What no link on where to buy this gem?
From here (although the website is being updated at the mo) http://www.cambrionix.com/
Why thats… thats just freaking awesome!
How much is it?
A company called Cambrionix manufactures and distributes them. They charge £399+VAT per unit.
They are powered from a standard ATX power supply ie. the type you can buy for £20 anywhere!
I found the spec which is here:
http://www.cambrionix.com/CBRX49PH001A/49Port_USB-2_Hub_CBRX49PH001A_DocRev2-02.pdf
thats still not enough for a macbook Air owner…
I’d buy that
It would be good, If its doesn’t require any more power supply in same Power supply ?
It does require a power supply – it needs a single ATX PSU – the type you have in your PC or buy for about £20!
Product details:
http://www.cambrionix.com/CBRX49PH001A/49Port_USB-2_Hub_CBRX49PH001A_DocRev2-02.pdf
Is this USB 2.0 spec?
Yep.
I’m thinking thumb drive RAID.
Having that on the corner of your desk will make the guys with 4 monitors have envy. That is sure circuit board art if I ever saw it!
cool..! but why make it only 49 though?
Yeah, why not an even 50? In any case, this device is way cool. Even more impressive would be if these were port multiplier-enabled eSATA ports instead. Hey, a geek can dream, right? ;o)
because it’s a square..! how do you expect a square has 50 ports? :s hahaa
I believe they are using the SMSC USB2517 or USB2507, which is a 7-port hub. http://www.smsc.com/main/catalog/usb251x.html
First level is a 7-port hub, which has connected to it 7 7-port hubs.
Having already downloaded their datasheet and emailed Cambrionix, I am told that this was primarily designed for a professional test environment, but they told me that they will also supply private users on request.
I also asked their engineer “Why 49 ports ?” and he confirmed the use of cascaded devices to achieve this number of ports demanded by professional applications such as gang-programming and “interop” testing (whatever that is!). Tom is therefore correct in his post.
I’m already salivating over this monster for myself :o)
Gnarly!
This is on my next computer upgrade wishlist!
Awesomemust have!
cambrionix website is now up and running!! http://www.cambrionix.com
cambrionix website is now up and running and you can also purchase from ebay!!
It looks like a neat toy for lab use but…. 7 port usb 2.0 hubs cost about $30 from Walmart. I’m wondering what benifit this serves. A bunch of mains boards, some USB leads and some gaffa tape and I think I could go close to making this. Who works in a lab that isn’t a mess anyway? Maybe I’m missing something – sorry if I am.
They only cost $30 because they are made in their 100’s of thousands in China ;-)
I work in a test lab testing device drivers for USB devices. This normally involves days of extended test on a number of USB devices at once with custom test scripts.
This is the kind of device which is ideal for us – the lab is a mess but if we can save 7x power supplies and about 60x leads (we cannot use off the shelf hubs because the ports are too close together for our dongles, we need extender cables :-o) then that is a good thing.
The £399 cost is very reasonable considering the volumes they are likely to sell.
When you factor in the cost of the PCB (which is likely to be 4x layer due to the number of ports and the high currents involved (~28amp), the components, assembly, test etc it sounds like they are only making a modest profit!
Just my 4c ;-)
I know your frustration regarding not being able to plug USB devices next to each other. They should really change the spec. It seems bizarre to open the box to your new USB toy to see that it also gets shipped with a lead so it will plug in. Phooey.
As for your comment regarding build quality. Granted you prob couldn’t get a cheaper build than a mass produced USB hub, but the makers of this product aren’t doing this for the good of mankind, everything is a comprise for profit. Let’s just hope that they know the difference between consumer and professional use. For the moment I will stick to crappy build quality that lasts as long as I need it to. I hope they find their target audience.
Thanks for informatio, I need it
You would have a problem mapping the drive letters on that many USB pens. You only have A-Z: – And most likely you’ll reserve A: C: and D: for your floppy, hard drive and dvd writer.