Can I please ask what the voltage range requirements are for the usb powered controllers?

lukepmullen

I have a Maschine Mikro and a Traktor controller.

My new PC seems to have an issue with the power these controllers are trying to draw from the pc? Any help would be greatfully recieved.

Thanks

Luke

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/31525/can-i-please-ask-what-the-voltage-range-requirements-are-for-the-usb-powered-controllers

When designing a piece of electronics that will be powered by the USB socket on a PC (which is what you imply) then that device ought to have been designed to not draw a current from the port higher than what the port type is specified to deliver. If you are experiencing problems with USB powered units and you think it power related then you should try to use a external power supply for those units that support it. And else try to use a self powered USB hub for those units that do not require a direct connection to computer USB port to work so that it will lighten the current draw on the computer. Also check for other things connected to the USB devices that may worsen current draw. Otherwise then also consider computer motherboard or computer PSU as sources for errors. This will also include if your computer is not cooled well enough or have blocked ventilation ducts that could make the internal current limiters kick in because of circuits being too hot .

USB Maximum Power Output Standards
In general, the specifications for a USB 1.0 and 2.0 standard downstream port, delivers up to 500 mA or 0.5A. Also, with a USB 3.0, it can provide up to 900mA or 0.9A, which translates into 4.5 watts. These power output specifications are a rating based on the 5 volts from each standard output. However, the USB 3.0 dedicated charging and charging downstream ports provide up to 1,500 mA or 1.5A, which translates into 7.5 watts.

Meaning that a device like Maschine Mikro which specifications says that it has been designed to be powered by e.g. USB 2 ought not have a current draw above 500 mA unless defect.

lukepmullen

Hi

That's really helpful thank you very much for taking the time to answer my question. I have been trying to get some information from Dell about the power range spec for the usb ports.

I have wondered if the issue I am having relates to the settings on the usb ports by default. When I try to connect the Maschine Mikro device I get a pop up saying

Power Surge on the USB port
Unknown USB Device needs more power
than the port can supply

From some online searching I did come across various mentions of USB Selective Suspend.
Windows enables a power saving feature on USB ports known as USB Selective Suspend. The advice for people encountering problems with USB devices is to change the USB settings and disable this feature.

My concern being if it is advisable to disable this feature, if a device then draws too much power would it damage the USB port.

Again thank you for your help and support

Luke

PoorFellow

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/157118#Comment_157118

Power Surge on the USB port
Unknown USB Device needs more power
than the port can supply

I have honestly never in my life seen this error myself on any computer so to me it appears as something that could be manufacturer specific - but your guess is as good as mine.

The error itself suggest to use caution but I am not in a position to advice you so you would have to ask computer manufacturer.

From some online searching I did come across various mentions of USB Selective Suspend.
Windows enables a power saving feature on USB ports known as USB
Selective Suspend. The advice for people encountering problems with USB
devices is to change the USB settings and disable this feature.

My concern being if it is advisable to disable this feature, if a device
then draws too much power would it damage the USB port.

Not having any insight into if there exists specific computers that could be damaged by turning off Selective Suspend. What I can say is that it in my personal experience is a very normal thing to do to turn off e.g. USB Suspend to avoid this or that problem with attached USB units, people do it all the time and I have done so myself sometimes. But I couldn't possible advice you of what will happen to your specific computer or not.

I will say thought that if you turn off USB suspend then when not using the computer then I would not just close and use suspend , but rather shut-down the computer completely to avoid the USB units are powered all the time for days , weeks , months , years . (which might also be a strain on the computer) (some units might have built in sleep anyway when not used) Sometimes , some computer BIOS is set to keep power on some ports anyway. But that is a matter of settings and preferences.

Kubrak

@lukepmullen

It is strange, at least Mikro does not draw much from USB… Some Traktor controllers might take more….

Have you tried different USB sockets on computer. Some of them may be designed to deliver more, some of them less current (power).

If problems persist, you could use powered USB hub. If that does not contradict your usecase…