4 USB-C hubs to expand your computer ports | Technology

Users of the new Apple MacBook laptops with limited USB-C ports know how important port hubs are to increase the capacity of connections. They can include Ethernet ports, memory card readers, USB-A ports for accessories and more USB-C ports for power delivery.

The latest round of hubs from electronics company Satechi includes the USB-C Pro Hub Mini — something perfect for everyday users at home, in offices or when traveling.







Satechi Pro Hub Mini adapter

$70, available at satechi.net and Amazon


The Pro Hub Mini ($70, satechi.net) is built as an extension of a MacBook’s built-in USB-C ports, connecting to the laptop via two USB-C dongles and a 3.5mm audio jack. It gives users a secure connection without the need for drivers or installation software. The device can be easily removed if needed.

Six ports adorn the Pro Hub Mini: a pair of USB-C ports (one with power delivery) and a 3.5mm audio port to compensate for what it takes up with its mounting connection, two USB-A ports and a Gigabit Ethernet port. (Note: Some newer MacBooks have a 3.5mm audio port on the opposite side of the computer’s USB-C ports. The Pro Hub Mini’s 3.5mm jack can be folded into the device if no audio port is available for connection.)

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According to Satechi, one of the Pro Hub Mini’s USB-C ports supports up to 6K 60Hz display output and up to 40 Gbps of data transfer. The other USB-C data port and USB-A ports supports up to 5 Gbps. When using the USB-C Pro Hub Mini as power delivery, it provides 96W of charging power, so check the requirements of your computer.

The device measures 3.97-by-1.5-by-0.47 inches and is available in Apple-matching colors of silver or space gray.

Desktop ports







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Thunderbolt 4 Dock is built with 11 ports on the dock with a single computer USB-C connection (cable included). (Satechi/TNS)




MacBook Pro M1 Max users with Thunderbolt 4 will flourish with Satechi’s matching expansion dock. It hooks up to the computer via a single USB-C connection (cable included) and features 11 ports:

Four Thunderbolt 4 ports (capable of up to 40 Gbps data transfer, with one channeling 96W of power delivery)

  • Four USB-A ports
  • 3.5mm audio jack port
  • Ethernet port
  • UHS-II card reader

Additionally, an AC adapter is included to give the Thunderbolt 4 adapter dock an external power boost to run any high-powered peripherals.

USB-C Multimedia M1 adapter







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Satechi USB-C Multimedia M1 adapter has six ports, including dual USB-C, dual HDMI 4K HDMI ports (60Hz/30Hz), and two USB-A 3.0 data ports. (Satechi/TNS)




Six ports are in the Satechi USB-C Multimedia M1 adapter, including dual USB-C, dual HDMI 4K HDMI ports (60Hz on one, 30Hz on the other) and two USB-A 3.0 data ports. One USB-C supports charging up to 85W, and the other data port is rated up to 5 Gbps. The adapter connects to a computer’s USB-C port through its built-in cable.

USB-C Multiport MX adapter

Satechi’s USB-C Multiport MX

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Flaws in U.S. Tactic to Electronics Manufacturing Call for Urgent Alterations, or Country Will Expand Far more Reliant on Foreign Suppliers, New Report Suggests

U.S. circuit board sector is in even worse hassle than semiconductors, with possibly dire implications

BANNOCKBURN, Sick., United states, Jan. 25, 2022 (World NEWSWIRE) — The United States has dropped its historic dominance in a foundational space of electronics technology – printed circuit boards (PCBs) – and the deficiency of any substantial U.S. Authorities aid for the sector is leaving the nation’s economic climate and nationwide protection dangerously reliant on overseas suppliers.

These are between the conclusions of a new report printed by IPC, the world affiliation of electronics producers, which outlines measures that the U.S. Government and the market itself ought to just take if it is to survive in the United States.

The report, written by business veteran Joe O’Neil less than IPC’s Considered Leaders Application, was prompted in portion by the Senate-handed U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness Act (USICA) and equivalent laws becoming geared up in the Dwelling. O’Neil writes that for any these kinds of actions to achieve their stated goals, Congress should be certain that printed circuit boards (PCBs) and related technologies are protected by it. Otherwise, the United States will become more and more not able to manufacture the slicing-edge electronics techniques it layouts.

“The PCB fabrication sector in the United States is in worse problems than the semiconductor sector, and it is time for both equally sector and governing administration to make some sizeable changes to address that,” writes O’Neil, the principal of OAA Ventures in San Jose, California. “Otherwise, the PCB sector might quickly encounter extinction in the United States, placing America’s foreseeable future at danger.”

Given that 2000, the U.S. share of global PCB generation has fallen from more than 30% to just 4%, with China now dominating the sector at about 50%. Only 4 of the top rated 20 electronics producing expert services (EMS) corporations are based in the United States.

Any decline of accessibility to China’s PCB generation would be “catastrophic,” with personal computers, telecommunications networks, clinical devices, aerospace, cars and trucks and trucks, and other industries already dependent on non-U.S. electronics suppliers.

To repair this problem, “the market needs to intensify its concentrate on study and advancement (R&D), requirements, and automation, and the U.S. Governing administration needs to supply supportive coverage, which includes increased expense in PCB-related R&D,” O’Neil suggests. “With that interconnected, two-keep track of technique, the domestic field could get back the potential to meet up with the needs of vital industries in the coming decades.”

Provides Chris Mitchell, vice president of worldwide govt relations for IPC, “The U.S. Authorities and all stakeholders need to understand that every piece of the electronics ecosystem is vitally vital to all the other people, and they will have to all be nurtured if the government’s aim is to re-create U.S. independence and management in advanced electronics for significant apps.”

IPC’s Thought Leaders Program (TLP) faucets the information of industry experts to notify its efforts on crucial alter motorists and to offer useful insights to IPC users and

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Wheeler Mission to expand programming, as neighbor voices concerns

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the origin of the funds Wheeler Mission used for the purchase.

Wheeler Mission in Bloomington is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on an expansion, and organizers hope the additional space will produce better outcomes for its homeless clients, many of whom are struggling with addiction and mental illness.

The nonprofit organization in the past 16 months has purchased two additional buildings on Westplex Avenue, in part to spread out its living quarters. The organization also plans to expand its programming areas to help people stay or get back on their feet. Officials expect renovations to be completed at the end of next year.

“It’s going to be fantastic,” said Dana Jones, director of Wheeler Mission Ministries in Bloomington. “We’ve wanted this for a long time.”

No majority:Proposal aimed at creating public space for Bloomington homeless fails

The nonprofit struggled to provide adequate space even before last year, Jones said, but the pandemic, which required greater physical distances between clients, made the situation worse.

The organization, at 215 Westplex Ave., in June 2020 bought the building at 135 S. Westplex Ave., which formerly housed a bearing manufacturing business. Wheeler Mission uses that building for its commercial laundry, bathroom facilities and a day room, where people can get water, watch TV, get help from a case manager and access the internet for job searches or online therapy. The building also serves as a warming shelter in the winter and a cooling shelter in the summer.

The three Wheeler Mission properties in Bloomington, including the longtime facility at right and the two newer acquisitions at left.

In June, Wheeler Mission also bought the building at 201 S. Westplex Ave., which formerly housed a Jazzercise center. That building is in between the other two buildings the nonprofit already owned.

Wheeler Mission serves men on its Westplex campus but also has a nearby women’s shelter that is funded through August 2022 thanks to the city, county and United Way. Wheeler, which has been operating shelters and programs for the needy in Indianapolis for more than 100 years, added Bloomington to its operations in 2015, when it merged with Backstreet Mission and Agape House.

Jones said the newest Bloomington structure will house 84 beds, showers and restrooms as well as another day room and an outside courtyard with lockers. The beds will be moved into the new building from the Wheeler Mission’s Center for Men, which is now in the southernmost of the three buildings.

“We’re not adding beds,” Jones said. “We’re adding space.”

He said Wheeler Mission obtained a $550,000 Federal Home Loan grant, and used $350,000 of it to buy the property. That leaves $200,000 for renovations, though Jones said the nonprofit soon will begin fundraising for another $200,000 that likely will be needed to complete the project. While the 11 Federal Home Loan banks are overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, an independent regulatory agency established by the U.S. Congress, they are supported by private funds, meaning no tax dollars are involved.

He said Wheeler Mission hopes the additional space will provide

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