Targus Desktop USB 2.0 4-port hub with audio pass-through :: Description and Usage

The Targus ACH80US USB hub is a sleek little number. As you can see from the dimensions given above, it is not a large device, which is a good thing, considering that it is geared mainly for notebook and laptop use, where you generally don't have a lot of room for peripherals. It is also extremely lightweight, so having it in your notebook case will not add anything noticeable. Even the AC adapter is not very big nor does it weigh much. These are things that anyone who uses a notebook will immediately appreciate. As a PC user, the weight obviously doesn't matter as much, but the small size is a plus as I don't need any bulky peripherals overcrowding my desk or the top of my PC case.

After opening up the plastic store hanger display case the hub came in, I checked out the Hub itself and then the accessories that come with the unit.

You get a USB 2.0 upstream cable that connects to the hub via a mini USB connector, which is approximately 6.5' long, a two lead headphone and microphone pass-through wire also of the same approximate length, the AC adapter, a plastic removable base and the User Guide.

The User Guide is very straightforward with easy to read print and excellent diagrams. It also lists the websites and phone numbers for Technical Support should you need it.

The ACH80US hub has two USB ports on the top of the unit and two more on the "back" of the unit.

On the same side of the hub are the upstream mini port, and AC port and the headphone/microphone pass-through ports, which connect to your PC or laptop.

You will notice that two of the USB ports have a lightning bolt symbol next to them. One port is on top and one is on the side. This shows which of the two USB ports are "high power" and can be used for high-speed applications such as DVD burners, external hard drives, etc. These two ports are also "always on" so that even when you power down your PC or laptop, you can still have power to peripherals that need to charge up such as iPods, PDAs, phones, etc. The "high power" ports provide up to 1000mA, or 1 Amp, of continuous power.

On the opposite side from the main connectors, are the headphone and microphone ports.

On the one flat side of the hub, you see the Targus logo and a small clear plastic strip, almost like a half smile, that is numbered 1 to 4. These are the LED indicator lights that let you know which port you are using and that it is plugged in correctly. If you try putting in a plug and the light doesn't come on, try again till it does. The lights are a nice green color that is not too bright, so you don't have to worry about it blaring in your eyes, especially at night. I popped on the plastic removable base, which only goes on one way, and placed the hub on my PC after taking a picture of it.

The base gives the hub excellent stability, so unless you're swinging or throwing stuff in its direction, the hub isn't going to just fall over.

After plugging in the upstream cable into my PC and plugging in the power, Windows XP spotted the hub immediately and assigned it as a removable device. I then started putting in USB connectors and the headphone/microphone pass-through leads. Here I have my mouse, a flash card reader, a printer and a memory stick taking up all four of the ports. XP saw all of my peripherals right away, assigning a drive letter to the flash card reader and memory stick and recognizing my USB mouse. I then printed out the PDF version of the User Guide, which can be found on the Targus website, and it printed without any problems. All of the devices were viewable in Device Manager.

I then plugged in my Jensen headphones and fired up WinAmp and listened to some tunes. The audio pass-through worked as advertised without any fuzziness or interference. I tried out the microphone port with my Labtec desktop mic, using Windows audio recorder, and it recorded cleanly and clearly.

I personally don't have any devices that need to be charged through a USB port, so I borrowed a friends PDA and plugged it into one of the two lightning bolt "always on" ports and left it overnight. Even with the PC turned off, and the lights not lit on the hub, the PDA was charged up when I checked it in the morning. I can definitely see how this would be an advantage over trying to charge up a device with just a laptop.

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