Recommended USB Accessories
Learn how to use USB extenders, hubs, and docking stations with Time Taggers without degrading the transfer performance
When setting up a Time Tagger, you may need to place it further from your PC than a standard USB cable allows, or share a single PC among multiple instruments. High-quality USB extenders, hubs, and docking stations can do this without reducing the data transfer rate from the Time Tagger to the PC — as long as you pick accessories that are up to the task.
USB Extenders
We tested several USB extenders using a Time Tagger X and Time Tagger Ultra, connected to a USB 3.0 port on a PC (CPU AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16-Core 3.40 GHz) with only essential background processes running. The maximum data transfer rates achieved aligned with the Time Tagger Specifications .
Recommended USB 3.x Extenders (Copper):
- Lindy Active Extension Pro Series - available lengths: 8 / 10/ 15 / 20 / 30m
E.g., 10m extender: Lindy 43157
Recommended USB 3.x Optical Extenders:
For galvanically isolated extenders, we tested the following model:
For lengths >= 100m, various other extenders exist, e.g.:
This model has not been validated by us — we recommend testing it in your own setup before relying on it for critical measurements.
Time Tagger 20:
The Time Tagger 20 is powered via USB 2.0. Therefore, the USB extender must be powered as well to ensure a stable power supply. RJ45-based extenders have worked reliably with the Time Tagger 20 in our tests. We recommend the following model:
- VTOP (up to 50m).
USB Hubs & Docking Stations
We conducted tests using both a USB hub (MCD Elektronik GmbH, model: USB 3.0 HUB 6 ) and a docking station ( Lenovo ThinkPad Thunderbolt 4 Docking Station ) to connect the Time Tagger X to a PC. In both cases, we found that the transfer rate was similar to that of the Time Tagger X when it was directly connected to the computer. We expect the same behavior for Time Tagger Ultra and Time Tagger 20, but we have not specifically validated it with those models.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that this might not be the case if other devices are connected to the same hub and are also streaming data at the same time, such as an HD camera.
In cases where multiple devices need to be connected to the same USB hub, e.g., Time Taggers, scientific cameras, laser controllers, etc., using a Thunderbolt 4 docking station is advisable. It offers 40 Gbps of dynamically allocated bandwidth, compared to the 5 Gbps of standard USB 3.