Need 4 more USB ports and 1 firewire - best solutions?

[csicsi]

Using a large number of USB gizmos and a firewire device, so I am looking for RELIABLE and SAFE ways to add about 4 more USB ports and one firewire port to the T60 and or the ThinkPad Advanced Mini Dock (in additiopn to the 3 and 4 they already have).

Any suggestions? Any downsides of making so many ports?

Thanks a lot!

[smugiri]

Assuming that the T60 is not all ExpressCard (I am not sure what the spec is), you can add a PCMCIA USB+FireWire combo card. I bought a one of these a while back and they work well. With USB hubs, you might have issues with power getting through or speed reductions to USB 1.1. Most of these have a power plug on the side that you can use to add on additional power to drive devices as the PCMCIA bus does not provide that much power.

Resist the temptation to get one that is just USB or just FireWire, go with the combo. You should be able to get a combo with 3 USB and 1 FireWire for no more than $40 from a store and maybe $30 on eBay.

Here is a good place to start.

[Thinkpaddict]

Any suggestions? Any downsides of making so many ports?

One of the downsides I can think of right now is that 2 USB 2.0 devices would pretty much max out the bandwidth of the Cardbus port, so the more you add the slower they will get. That's assuming you want them to operate simultaneously. Then again, if you don't, why would you want so many ports?

As for ExpressCard, I have no idea of what options you have available, and what are the bandwidth specs.