Which USB hub to use with Block Erupters | NanoFury NF1 | BPMC Red Fury | Ant U1

[Nemo1024]

Scroll down for the lists.

All hubs in this thread were reviewed/suggested with AsicMiner's BlockErupters in mind. There is however nothing to indicate that they should not be usable with other USB 2.0 mining sticks, such as Bitfury chip-based NanoFury NF1, BPMC Red Fury and Antminer U1.

An important point brought up by Trongersoll here:

Something that came up earlier but we might have glossed over. What you plug your hub into is as important as which hub you use. I have a PCI hub and a PCIe hub. I didn't think of them as hubs because they are in the computer. Bleh. each is rated at 2 amps. I have two hubs plugged into each. three of them are Dlink 7 port hubs. The Dlinks will only support 4 Erupters each. I tried to add a new Anker 9 port Hub and it would only run 1 Erupter. On a whim, i plugged the Anker into one of the Dlinks and was surprised to find that it would run 8 erupters and a fan! Well, 12 hours later it was only happy with 6 erupters, but that is better than one.

Apparently, the power coming into a hub is as important as the power that the Hub supplies. The symptoms exhibited when the erupters did work were the typical low power ones. New plugin, error recognising device.

An unknown/unreviewed hub?
A good point of reference made by finlof: You need to have 2.5VA per device.  So for example if the adapter says 5V 3A then you can power 15VA worth of devices which = 15/2.5 = 6. You really have to be careful with the USB hubs cause you could potentially mess up a device or computer if overloaded. Note further that, to be on the safe side, you should connect one less BE than what the theoretical max limit calculation above will give you, or run the risk if prematurely burning out the AC adapter.

An important note about Antminer U1's, posted by fractalbc here

The U1 is an exception.  It runs at stock speed at standard current.  It can draw up to 1.5 amps @ 5V when overclocked.  Knowing the weakest link (wall wart, plug, in hub regulator (if usb3) or usb plug) is critical if you want to run more than a couple of overclocked U1's.

Cooling

• ARCTIC Breeze Mobile 92mm cooling fan: 1
• Thermaltake Mobile Fan: 1 2
• HDE® Mini USB Fan, used in this setup: 1
• USB Mini Desktop Fan with stand: 1
• Premiertek USB-FAN with stand and switch: 1

Replacement AC adapters / adapter modifications
If an AC power brick burns out, you can attempt to draw power from alternative sources, such as existing ATX power adapters or replacement power bricks. Make sure that polarity is observed and that the replacement can carry the required load. Also you should by a regulated power adapter, as explained by merv77 here. You can also attempt to preemtively mod your power feed to the hubs.
Below are a few resources, pertaining both options:

• 5V @ 5A replacement adapter, along with a few other. Reviews starting here.
• Several 5V @ 30A (150W) PSU, which is used in many modifications are listed here and here.
• A list of various PSU connectors. Useful to know, if you want to hot-wire your hubs.
• A few custom farms, mentioned in this thread: By pidge: 1 2; By bagnz0r; By merv77; Monster farm by SamHa1n: 1 2; By philipma1972; By SolidBitShop; By MonocleMan; By Photon939; By x3maniac

• A recommendation by merv77 to cut the red wire to prevent power-backing
• DC barrel plugs, no soldering required: 1, 2, 3 4

Raspberry PI resources
As Aajo mentioned in one of the replies: don't forget, not all hubs work with raspberry pi, more specifically, USB 3.0 hubs will not work. Also RPi will not support hubs, which are nested more than 1 level deep. In other words, a hub with miners, connected to a hub, connected to RPi is OK, but not anything deeper. That was my experience.
Additionally, there seems to be a limit of 49 BEs that one Pi can control at once.

• MinePeon thread
• Full MinePeon setup guide
• Setup guide
• Comprehensive set of config links
• Where to get:
   
  • Unit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Bitmit, user bitly)
  • SD memory card
  • Wireless USB adapter

Featured

• External USB 3.0: Orico 10-port @ Amazon
• External USB 2.0: Rosewill RHB-500 10-port @ Amazon and D-Link DUB-H7 7-port @ Amazon
• Internal bay: 13-port InLine® Front panel for 5.25" @ Winnipeg Technology and Computer Renewal

Prices vary greatly. I take the lowest price @ Amazon whenever possible. If you find a device at a lower price, please notify here.
For the number of usable ports, assume that the lower number of the two would work reliably, while the higher number is max. theoretical limit given the supplied power adapter.

These hubs should be OK. However, your mileage may vary

_________Device_Name_________|	___Ports Total___|	___Ports Usable___|	__Power from AC__|	___Price USD___|	__Price / Usable Port__|	____Sold at Link____|
GearMo® 3DH /Orico Bokcore BC-U3H10-BK USB 3.0 18	10	10	12V @ 3A	66.95	6.69	1 2
Anker Uspeed USB 3.0 9-Port8	9+1	9	12V @ 5A	59.99	6.67	1 2 (DE)
Juiced Systems 10HUB-01 3.0	10	8-10 6, 8	12V @ 5A	52	6.5	1 2
Orico USB 3.0	10	10	12V @ 3A (4A) 17	81.99	8.20	1 2
Orico USB 3.0 Piano Black	10	10	12V @ 2.5A	34.99	3.50	1
TeckNet® USB 3.0	10	10	12V @ 4A	£29.97 ($46.15)	£2.99 ($4.61)	1 (UK)
AITech USB 3.0 12	10	8+fan	12V @ 4A	60.99	7.62	1
ViewHD Professional USB 3.0	7	7	12V @ 4A	49.50	7.07	1
D-Link DUB-H7	7	6 10	5V @ 3A	29.28	4.88	1 2 3 (NO)
ST-Lab U-500 / Rosewill RHB-500	10	8 11	5V @ 4A	25.99	3.24	1 (US) 2 (NO) 3 (EU) 4
BalanceFrom 15	10	5-6	5V @ 3A	14.95	2.99	1
7-port Hub from MCM 19	7	7	5V @ 3.5A	13.99	1.99	1 2
Plugable USB 2.0	7	5-6 3	5V @ 3A	19.95	3.99	1
Plugable USB 3.0	7	6-7 13	5V @ 4A	34.95	5.82	1
MondoHub 1	28	8-9	5V @ 4A	82.99	10.37	1
Aluratek AUH1210F	10	4-5	5V @ 2.5A	30.24	7.56	1
Tek Republic TUH-2700	7	5 4	5V @ 3A	21.99	4.39	1 2 3 (sold out)
Vantec USB 2.0 UGT-PH210	10	67	5V @ 3A	24.12	4.02	1 2
Digital Innovations 7-Port	7+1	5 2	5V @ 2.5A	19.71	3.94	1 2
Monoprice 24 Port Hub 14	24	8-9	5V @ 4A	39.91	4.98	1 2 3
Soyntec Nexoos 395 5	7	5-6	5V @ 3A	£12.67 ($19.6)	£2.53 ($392)	1 (UK) 2
Sipolar 20-Port	20	12 9	90W	¥420.00 (~$70)	5.83	1 2
Oimaster Further 1	10	6-7	5V @ 3.5A	66	11	1 2

¹ Tested by CanaryInTheMine: Not a good design for cooling.
² Tested and reviewed by OtaconEmmerich, galtbit and dwdoc here.
³ freshzive reports that only 4 ports would work reliably, which would bring the price per port to 4.9 - on par with their USB 3.0 hub
⁴ The AC adapter can burn out if loaded with 6 devices. See superfastkyle's comments here and here.
⁵ Reviewed by Josue here.
⁶ Tested by ssateneth and reviewed here. They are cheaper on eBay (link 2), especially when bought in bulk. According to 2jase it can only drive 6 units in a stable fashion.
⁷ Tested by purelithium here.
⁸ Comparison test by CanaryInTheMine here.
⁹ This hub has mixed reviews. Garfield tested this hub and posted a negative review here. And a negative confirmation by CanaryInTheMine here. And the positive ones here and here. There is also a detailed review by dave111223, using multiple Sipolars here.
¹⁰ Confirmed to handle 6 port here, here, here, here and finally by me here and here.
¹¹ ST-Lab U-500 Reviewed positively by me here. ST-Lab U-500 and Rosewill RHB-500 seem to be the same hub, though Rosewill got a negative review by Trongesroll here. More positive reviews here and here.
¹² Reviewed by sephtin here.
¹³ Reviewed by Trongesroll first here positively, and then here with a warning that 7 BEs might be a little over the limit.
¹⁴ Reviewed by suprabitz here.
¹⁵ Revied by colemab here.
¹⁷ Reviewed by DopeLabs here. May come with both 3A and 4A AC adapters.
¹⁸ Reviewed by sunsofdust here and endorsed by OldDutchman777 here.
¹⁹ A thorough review by visdude here and here, where angled adapters are used. Only 6 miner will fit without angled adapters, though there's enough power for 7.


Special hubs

_________Device_Name_________|	___Ports Total___|	___Ports Usable___|	__Power from AC__|	___Price USD___|	__Price / Usable Port__|	____Sold at Link____|
Dipo Electronic 3	19	19	Internal 5V@20A	$170	$8.95	1 2
ASICMiner 49-port hub	49	49	ATX (5V@30A?)	BTC0.29 5	BTC0.006	1 2
InLine® Front panel for 5.25" 4	13	12-13	Molex connector	BTC0.38 (~$45)	BTC0.03166 (~$3.75)	1 2 (NL) 3 (DE) 4
ORICO PVU3-5O2U 1	7	7	PCIe + Molex	49.99	7.14	1 2 (DE)
Cambrionix A6 2	49	49	ATX	1160	23.67	1 2

¹ This is a PCIe x1 card with Molex power connector, 5+2 USB 3.0 ports. Can be interesting when converting GPU-mining rigs.
² Review by CanaryInTheMine here.
³ Brough up and discussed from here onwards and a 32-port version appears here. Sold at 6% discount when paying with BTC (see link 1). Reviewed by me here and here.
⁴ This handy hub is promoted in the following post and is sold for BTC at WTCR store. It is reviewed by me here. WARNING: Do not load BE into port #4 from the left or you risk overloading a fuse, which will result in deactivations of ports 4-7. See my other review and m-sean's reply to it here.
⁵ Mentioned by CanaryInTheMine here. These are sold bundled together with 50 BlockErupters. For European customers, contact yxt. WTCR store sells them separately.


Beware of these hubs! That said, they might work fine for you.

_________Device_Name_________|	___Ports Total___|	___Ports Usable___|	__Power from AC__|	___Price USD___|	__Price / Usable Port__|	____Sold at Link____|
Juiced Systems USB 3.0/2.0	13 (4x3.0, 9x2.0)	3 1	5V @ 3A	29.99	9.99	1
BIGTec / LogiLink UA0096	10	2	5V @ 1A 2	7.60	3.80	1 2 (DE) 3 / 1 2 3 (DE)
Monoprice 12 Port Hub3	12	2-7	5V @ 1A (3.5A)	26.35	13.17 - 3.76	1 2
Satechi 10-port USB 3.0	10	0 4	5V @ 5A	59.99	~	1 2
Ativa Mobil IT 7-port	7	1 5	5V @ 2.5AC	11	11	1
Unnamed 10-porter	10	1 6	Unpowered	9.95	--	1

¹ Discussed on page 8 of the thread. BEWARE: it turns out the hub had only 3A adapter as per review by suprabitz. Review photos by Xian01 here. elite.mafia reports here it can only reliably power 3 BEs.
² BEWARE: Only has 1A adapter as per review by KyrosKrane. It appears that it can come with an 8A AC adapter, in which case you risk burning out the hub's connector as experienced by atta2k15 here.
³ Reviewed by pyra-proxy here. BEWARE: There's evidence here, that they can also be shipped with only 1A AC, which will only power 2 ports!
⁴ Can be used as a base hub, but fails to run miners themselves as per m-sean's review.
⁵ Negative experience by dwdoc here.
⁶ This hub requires heavy modification, which once done will give you a very nice price per port. Follow Photon939's instructions here.

Original post:

I am considering ordering 20 of those little beauties.

Which powered USB hub should I choose? Preferably ones, which can be shipped to Europe (from Amazon/Ebay). They are going to be controlled by a PC which runs 24/7 anyway.

Would something like this do:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Speed-USB-2-0-10-Port-HUB-with-Power-Cable-USB-Cable-EU-Plug-Sliver-/400522228637?pt=US_USB_Cables_Hubs_Adapters&hash=item5d40fc339d

Anker Hubs depicted on this thread:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=195004.0
would probably also do (though I read somewhere that the latest cgminer fails with those)?

What are the USB fans in that picture and are they available in Europe?

If I can't get them, I plan to use something like this for cooling:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Logisys-NP8-Laptop-Cooling-Pad-with-USB-Powered-140mm-Fan-Black-NEW-/350580671231?pt=US_Laptop_Cooling_Pads&hash=item51a03c82ff

[1714933549]

1714933549

[finlof]

anker's 10-port hubs are recommended.  they will power 10 devices.

http://www.amazon.com/computers-accessories/dp/B007ZWFKX8

[Nemo1024]

anker's 10-port hubs are recommended.  they will power 10 devices.

http://www.amazon.com/computers-accessories/dp/B007ZWFKX8

I edited my post while you replied, sorry. I read on some other thread that the latest cgminer had problems with those. Is that so?

Oh, and they can't be shipped to my address.

And another question: how many of those units can safely be run off a high-end motherboard's USB ports?

[Nemo1024]

Yep, only US:
http://www.ianker.com/product/68UPHUB-B10U
Are there any re-sellers in Europe?

[finlof]

Yep, only US:
http://www.ianker.com/product/68UPHUB-B10U
Are there any re-sellers in Europe?

i could order some and mail them to you if you'd like.

[finlof]

I am considering ordering 20 of those little beauties.

Which powered USB hub should I choose? Preferably ones, which can be shipped to Europe (from Amazon/Ebay). They are going to be controlled by a PC which runs 24/7 anyway.

Would something like this do:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-Speed-USB-2-0-10-Port-HUB-with-Power-Cable-USB-Cable-EU-Plug-Sliver-/400522228637?pt=US_USB_Cables_Hubs_Adapters&hash=item5d40fc339d

Anker Hubs depicted on this thread:
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=195004.0
would probably also do (though I read somewhere that the latest cgminer fails with those)?

What are the USB fans in that picture and are they available in Europe?

If I can't get them, I plan to use something like this for cooling:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Logisys-NP8-Laptop-Cooling-Pad-with-USB-Powered-140mm-Fan-Black-NEW-/350580671231?pt=US_Laptop_Cooling_Pads&hash=item51a03c82ff

the fans are these - http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-USB-Powered-Portable-Cooling-Solution/dp/B003XN24GY/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_img_y
these arent laid out as well as the ankers, but I have a few of these 7-port ones and use them to power 5 each - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Z4G3I6/ref=pe_309540_26725410_item

[Nemo1024]

the fans are these - http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-USB-Powered-Portable-Cooling-Solution/dp/B003XN24GY/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_img_y
these arent laid out as well as the ankers, but I have a few of these 7-port ones and use them to power 5 each - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Z4G3I6/ref=pe_309540_26725410_item

Thanks the offer! The fan can be shipped, but the other USB hub is not shippable to my address either.

Found these on the German branch of Amazon:
http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usb%20hub%2010-port
Ankers are expensive!

Looks like this might be a more reasonable option (if it can power at least 5 units):
http://www.amazon.de/BIGtec-externer-10-Port-aktiver-Netzteil/dp/B004YPKVW4/ref=sr_1_3/280-5326971-4907000?ie=UTF8&qid=1373487536&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+hub+10-port

[finlof]

the fans are these - http://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-USB-Powered-Portable-Cooling-Solution/dp/B003XN24GY/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_img_y
these arent laid out as well as the ankers, but I have a few of these 7-port ones and use them to power 5 each - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Z4G3I6/ref=pe_309540_26725410_item

Thanks the offer! The fan can be shipped, but the other USB hub is not shippable to my address either.

Found these on the German branch of Amazon:
http://www.amazon.de/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usb%20hub%2010-port
Ankers are expensive!

Looks like this might be a more reasonable option (if it can power at least 5 units):
http://www.amazon.de/BIGtec-externer-10-Port-aktiver-Netzteil/dp/B004YPKVW4/ref=sr_1_3/280-5326971-4907000?ie=UTF8&qid=1373487536&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+hub+10-port

that hub will only power a max of 4 devices (and that might even be iffy), because it is a 5V 2A power adapter on it.  you need to have 2.5VA per device.  so for example if the adapter says 5V 3A then you can power 15VA worth of devices which = 15/2.5 = 6.  you really have to be careful with the usb hubs cause you could potentially mess up a device or computer if overloaded.  I bought some shitty ones off amazon that were 7-port and supposed to have a 2.5A adapter but they wouldnt power more than 3 devices.  so best to go with something that have been tried with good success.

[joeventura]

Yeah there is a very special USB hub made just for folks who paid BTC1 to BTC2 for an erupter.

They are guaranteed to work perfectly with the Erupters.

They are just BTC10 each.

Let me know how many you want!

[deadweasel]

Yeah there is a very special USB hub made just for folks who paid BTC1 to BTC2 for an erupter.

They are guaranteed to work perfectly with the Erupters.

They are just BTC10 each.

Let me know how many you want!

Don't be shilled by this fool.  Buy top quality erupter USB hubs from me at HALF the price!

[viriat0]

The friedcat sells this hub, it seems good.




Price: ¥420.00

Check: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1.w4004-2539560000.14.FTpGzS&id=18952545349

[tacotime]

I use D-Link DUB-H7 for 5 devices and it works fine.  Output is 5.0 V DC at 3.0 amps, so it powers 5 devices easily.

friedcat has a pretty cool store too
http://friedcat.taobao.com/

[Nemo1024]

Yeah there is a very special USB hub made just for folks who paid BTC1 to BTC2 for an erupter.

They are guaranteed to work perfectly with the Erupters.

They are just BTC10 each.

Let me know how many you want!

Don't be shilled by this fool.  Buy top quality erupter USB hubs from me at HALF the price!

  Take my money! Take my money!  

Jokes aside, thanks for the replies.

finlof, that power consumption explanation is really handy.

As for friedcat's store, alas, I don't understand Chinese, though I would be interested in buying that 20-port hub (if friedcat sells it, it must be compatible with the miners).

On a related note, how many miners could be powered through motherboard's on-board USB ports? I have this one: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P9X79/ and it has quite a lot of USB ports (both external and internal)!

And finally, what about PCI/PCIe 4-port USB cards? I have a P4 motherboard with 5 PCI slots lying around. Would I be able to power 20 miners if I put 4 of these cards in: http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=107412
It's again a question of powering through motherboard. What about equvalent PCIe cards (4x75W through motherboard)?

There's also this interesting guy, though it's on the expensive side: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SuperSpeed-Express-Power-PEXUSB3S4/dp/B005HVPYNU

EDIT: 24 ports(!) wonder if it has power enough: http://www.amazon.com/24-Port-USB-2-0-HUB-Adapter/dp/B003WPDICM

EDIT 2: This look impressive (28 ports!) http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/eecf/ , but seems to be able to power only 8 miners (5V*4A=20VA/2.5=8)

EDIT 3: To use reverse calculations, to power 10 devices, the hub would need at least 5A AC adapter. For 20 devices it would be 10A, right?

[Aajo]

you did not tell which host system you are using
=> dont forget, not all hubs work with raspberry pi.

[Nemo1024]

you did not tell which host system you are using
=> dont forget, not all hubs work with raspberry pi.

Which powered USB hub should I choose? Preferably ones, which can be shipped to Europe (from Amazon/Ebay). They are going to be controlled by a PC which runs 24/7 anyway.

As an aside, I would perfectly fine with upgrading my GPU mining rigs with ASIC mining by swapping those GPUs with PCIe/PCI-based internal USB cards, if the motherboard can deliver enough power.

[finlof]

Yeah there is a very special USB hub made just for folks who paid BTC1 to BTC2 for an erupter.

They are guaranteed to work perfectly with the Erupters.

They are just BTC10 each.

Let me know how many you want!

Don't be shilled by this fool.  Buy top quality erupter USB hubs from me at HALF the price!

  Take my money! Take my money!  

Jokes aside, thanks for the replies.

finlof, that power consumption explanation is really handy.

As for friedcat's store, alas, I don't understand Chinese, though I would be interested in buying that 20-port hub (if friedcat sells it, it must be compatible with the miners).

On a related note, how many miners could be powered through motherboard's on-board USB ports? I have this one: http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P9X79/ and it has quite a lot of USB ports (both external and internal)!

And finally, what about PCI/PCIe 4-port USB cards? I have a P4 motherboard with 5 PCI slots lying around. Would I be able to power 20 miners if I put 4 of these cards in: http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=107412
It's again a question of powering through motherboard. What about equvalent PCIe cards (4x75W through motherboard)?

There's also this interesting guy, though it's on the expensive side: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SuperSpeed-Express-Power-PEXUSB3S4/dp/B005HVPYNU

EDIT: 24 ports(!) wonder if it has power enough: http://www.amazon.com/24-Port-USB-2-0-HUB-Adapter/dp/B003WPDICM

EDIT 2: This look impressive (28 ports!) http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/eecf/ , but seems to be able to power only 8 miners (5V*4A=20VA/2.5=8)

EDIT 3: To use reverse calculations, to power 10 devices, the hub would need at least 5A AC adapter. For 20 devices it would be 10A, right?

with those USB cards the pci bus should push enough power, but the problem is that you will have to use extension cables to fit the miners in cause they are wide.  i have 3 miners running off one of those type of cards (2 on the rear usb and one on the internal usb) and they run fine.  so yes you could load up a bunch of usb cards but that $ would be better spent on a good usb hub IMO.  coming back to the anker is always safe due to the power output and that so many people have been using them successfully.  since it's usb 3.0 it has a 12V adapter (i think 4A) so you have a total of 48VA available which is well over 10 USB 2.0 devices running at the 5V 0.5A max spec.

generally the motherboard should push enough power to the onboard/front panel USB ports, so you "should" be able to use all available ones, though you may be in the same situation as the PCI cards in respect to spacing and not being able to utilize all ports without extensions (which you should just put that money toward a good usb hub).

[aigeezer]

Interesting and timely thread. I can't help much with advice yet as most of my stuff is on order - no track record yet. I ordered an Anker hub for one 'puter and tried to find a few short (6-inch) USB 3 extension cables to make room for cooling. No luck finding very short USB 3 cables so I'll probably use 6-footers. I have some 6-inch USB 2 extension cables to use on a GWG hub on a different 'puter. I've ordered a couple of Thermaltake AF0007 USB fans to move some air over the erupters. The host machines are core i7 desktops, liquid-cooled, already running 24/7. I've got some PCI/USB cards on an old P5 XP platform that I might experiment with - it's been running 24/7 for over a decade, so I'll be tempting fate.

I'm in Canada, so "waste heat" is usually money well spent, although not in July. Newegg, Tiger and/or Amazon (all dot ca) typically have good selection here. I ordered erupters from wtcr.ca in Winnipeg - their shopping cart takes payment only in BTC, nice to see!

Edit update:

Short version - the GWC HU2SA0 USB 2.0 10-Port Hub Model #:HU2SA0 is NOT recommended, the wtcr.ca retailer is recommended if you need a source of erupters in Canada that accepts payment in BTC, and the Anker 7-port hub is recommended (for Win7 desktop).

Longer version - I had seen an online review of the GWC hub in which the reviewer (who liked it) noted that the barrel plug was a sloppy fit and protrudes from the case. I can confirm this, but it's not just cosmetic. The contact is erratic, so power to the hub switches on and off at the slightest motion of the cable. The blue LED will change brightness and a USB fan will change speed as power switches unpredictably between the USB connector and the barrel connector. Once I added five erupters things got pretty wild, with random dropouts, error messages, and general chaos. That said, it now is running stable with three erupters, a USB fan and a Logitech USB mouse connected. I'm guessing the load is now light enough that it never needs the extra power from the barrel connector. I've put the two extra erupters onto the Anker 7-port hub and the Anker is now running 7 erupters without problems - a heavier load than I had planned for it. I'm cooling it with a desktop fan that I had sitting around. I'll probably replace the GWC hub with another Anker Real Soon Now.  
Oh - I wound up not using any of the 6-inch USB extension cables. I had thought to use them to make space for better cooling, but both the Anker and GWC hubs leave enough room to mount the erupters side by side.

[Nemo1024]

I ordered an Anker hub for one 'puter and tried to find a few short (6-inch) USB 3 extension cables to make room for cooling. No luck finding very short USB 3 cables so I'll probably use 6-footers.

I would think USB 2 extension cables should suffices - if those Erupters are USB 2, they will not be using USB 3 pins anyway.

I think that for the first 9  devices I will go for Anker 10-port hub and a USB-based fan from German Amazon branch for a setup displayed here: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=195004.0

The remaining 11 will be spread across different existing motherboard ports and one PCI USB card that I already have.

Thanks for the suggestions and explanations, everyone. And if there any more setup/hub/card suggestions, do post them here.

[aigeezer]

I ordered an Anker hub for one 'puter and tried to find a few short (6-inch) USB 3 extension cables to make room for cooling. No luck finding very short USB 3 cables so I'll probably use 6-footers.

I would think USB 2 extension cables should suffices - if those Erupters are USB 2, they will not be using USB 3 pins anyway.

You're right. Thanks for the reminder - the USB 2 cables should be fine for the purpose.
 

[Nemo1024]

Anyone had any experience with Sabrent USB hubs? They have a few with AC power adapter:

http://www.sabrent.com/category/usb-hubs/

And even a 10-porter, which costs half of that you'd pay for the Anker:

http://www.sabrent.com/category/usb-hubs/HB-U10P/

Their 7-porter has the following in the specs: "- Maximum of 500Ma per USB port". Is that good or bad?