I have two Orico USB hubs, the powered one has four 3.0 ports, and the unpowered one has one 3.0 port and five 2.0 ports. If I plug the powered hub into the pc then chain the unpowered one into it, will the unpowered hub run into power issues if I plug high-power-consuming devices into it? And does it make any difference if I switch the hubs order?
Interesting question!
If I’m not mistaken, charging works by the voltage potential difference of the connected devices. Think of a wall outlet, having the highest voltage in your house probably, vs a phone out of charge with effectively 0 voltage. The high potential will move towards the low potential, pushing power to the low voltage device.
The mechanism requires a specific difference in voltage to work. Most electronics have very lower voltages, relatively speaking. So for your idea to work, you’ll need to find a device that doesn’t require a high voltage difference, and either a series of connected and fully charged devices or an electronic with high voltage. I think it doesn’t exist because they won’t be functional or unsafe if they do, but I’m not sure as I’m not as expert. I just took university electricity classes so there’s a good Chance I’m wrong.
I hope an expert answers though because I’m curious now too!