Question 1

is power supply inluded?

Accepted Answer

Nope... and the connector is an odd one.

I built my own from a high current (2 ampere) 5 volt wall-wart that I scavenged.

It will connect USB without externel power but it won't power external USB devices. If you want to charge an iPhone you need the 2 ampere supply; the iPhone charging takes a lot of current and te usual USB hub supply provides only 500 ma.

I got this to fix my Apple Thunderbolt display's faulty USB power scheme. The standard Apple Tunderbolt display does NOT provide enough power to charge an iPhone and the display pretty regularly fails to recognize a USB keyboard. This is a known problem with the Apple Thunderbolt display. Using this hub with external power pretty much fixes those problems.

Question 2

What power supply should one order to enhance this hub?

Accepted Answer

An external power adapter will need to be rated at 5 volts DC with a 3 millimeter outer diameter tip.

The official USB specification limits power draw to half an amp per port, so a 4 amp power adapter will have no trouble powering a fully populated hub.  Most devices like keyboards, mice, and flash drives use much less power, so you can get away with a 3 amp power supply or possibly even 2 if you don't connect anything with a motor.

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