So, not quite an upgrade, but I’m very pleased from a nostalgia perspective nonetheless.

I found this beast in a cupboard at work a few months back, but missing its power pack. A few orders from aliexpress later, I finally found a USB (it’s 5v 2A, which is very handy) power cable that fits, and as you can see it still works. I very slowly downloaded a load of updates using it earlier.

The 4 port version of this hub was the very first piece of networking equipment that I ever bought when I was at university, all the way back in 1999. It let my housemates and I play networked Doom, which was pretty cool back then.

Hubs these days are practically useless, except that you can use them for network taps. Not that 10M is going to let you capture much traffic!

This will now live on a shelf somewhere and make me smile whenever I spot it.

  • ieatrox@alien.topB
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    10 months ago

    Im just going to drop a mention here, that usbc can drive most common electronics dc voltages, and if you grab a tip pack you can power many things off your laptop charger

    • deicist@alien.topB
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      10 months ago

      Er…what?

      Do the tips handle the PD negotiation? Have you got a link to one, I’ve never seen such a thing.

      • cgimusic@alien.topB
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        10 months ago

        Yep, they do exactly that. I got a 12v one that means I can charge my electric razor and toothbrush from the same charger as my phone and laptop.