Thoughts on expanding connectivity for a dedicated sim racing/flight sim rig?

[boteh35959]

Hey everyone, I’ve been lurking around the forums for a while and finally decided to reach out. I’m currently putting together a more permanent sim rig, and I’m hitting that classic wall where I’m running out of connectivity options way faster than I expected.
I saw a discussion elsewhere recently about the importance of streamlining cable management to maintain high-speed data integrity, and it really got me thinking about my own setup. Right now, I have my flight stick, throttle, pedals, head-tracking hardware, and a few other peripherals, and I’m finding that standard motherboard I/O just isn't cutting it. I’ve been experimenting with a few different 10-port expansion modules https://serverorbit.com/network-devices/network-expansion-modules/10-port-en and powered hubs to centralize everything, but I’m worried about latency and signal stability when daisy-chaining too many devices, especially since I need a stable network connection for online sessions.
In my experience, trying to save a few dollars on cheaper hubs usually ends in frustration when things start dropping mid-flight. I’m curious if anyone here has found a reliable way to expand their port count without introducing unwanted lag or power draw issues. Are you guys mostly relying on high-quality powered industrial hubs to manage your peripheral load, or have you found better ways to route your data and network traffic so the main rig stays stable? I’d love to hear what your hardware chains look like for complex setups.

[hazmatt]

Is this for real? I have 4 vr gaming rigs with hotas and I've never used anything but the onboard ports.

[Animl-AW]

The notion it doesn't matter where you plug a USB device is erroneous.

If your devices have LED lights they draw power and can make things like a joystick develop spikes in signal strength. Not smooth reactions in travel.

Computer USB 3.0 Port
Computer Motherboard power source outputs 4.5 Watts

Best for ingle devices, flash drives, peripherals.

In short, it has lower power limits

It's also drawing power from your PC power supply


Unpowered Hubs
These hubs do not plug into a wall outlet; they draw all their power from the single computer port they are plugged into.

The Catch: They must share that single computer port's power across all the hub's ports.

If you plug a 4-port USB 3.0 unpowered hub into a computer, all 4 ports must share the 4.5 Watts provided by the computer. If you plug in four devices, each port might only get about 1.1 Watts.

Best for low-power devices like mice, keyboards, and flash drives.

It's drawing power from your PC power supply


Powered Hubs
These hubs plugs directly into a wall outlet for power. They do not rely on the computer for power.

They can provide the full maximum power (2.5W for USB 2.0 or 4.5W+ for USB 3.0) to every single port simultaneously. Many modern powered hubs also include dedicated "charging ports" that can output 12W to 60W+ specifically for smartphones and tablets.

Best for high-power devices like external hard drives, webcams, and charging phones.


I doubt an expensive "industrial" quality powered hub is required, but it certainly doesn't hurt. It comes down to the quality of the brand.

A permanent install it's best cables and hubs are mounted stationary so that the cables and hub do not move. Most cables and connectors go bad from repeat movement and weight at the connection. It's common for the cable to go bad within 3" of the connector. Same applies to the flimsy USB port connectors, they can bend with weight making the connection become questionable

I built a cable loom where the trunk of the loom includes all cables and is fastened to the desk and never moves. This makes it stationary and relieves the cable weight in the cable branches at connections.  This is cable stress relief. Nothing moves.

If you want to get the fancy and smart you can view these vids for cable stress relief.

For USB cables
https://animl-aw.com/cable-stress-relief/

For VR cables
https://animl-aw.com/vr-cable-strain-relief/

[Animl-AW]

Just FYI, under-powering electronics can cause them to malfunction or go bad more so than over-powering, It draws what it needs.

I can blow a speaker much faster if I under-power it, than if over-powered/ The extra power is "available" if called upon. Under-powered the source will clip and heat up.

Same with a GPU, if it's under-powered it's going to run run hot to meet demands.

[The Fugitive]

This is more than likely an A.I. generated post designed to draw people to the link site.

[Animl-AW]

This is more than likely an A.I. generated post designed to draw people to the link site.

HA!
I don’t pay attention to that, you guys do. Decent call. I don’t click links like that.

If nothing else the info can still be helpful

I replied cuz someone said it doesn’t matter.
On my phone without reader glasses on I prolly miss things, like speeling

[hazmatt]

This is more than likely an A.I. generated post designed to draw people to the link site.

That's what I suspected and I didn't click on the link. Did anybody click the link and have their bank account emptied? Mines already empty so no fear there.

[Eagler]

It's called SI now...

Eagler

[captain1ma]

Is this for real? I have 4 vr gaming rigs with hotas and I've never used anything but the onboard ports.

ive been using powered USB hubs for years because of power loss. its a thing, trust me! hehe <S>