Is it safe to have USB gadgets connected all the time?

[ElizabethD]

I have a laptop. I use standby a lot and boot daily.
The Widget and JP1.2/1.3 usb cables are plugged into a powered hub.
But I do not leave remotes attached.

Everytime I come out of standby, Windows seems to refresh the remote cable (along with DHCP, external drive etc).
I don't know whether it handshakes the Widget - no lights on it.

Question: is there any harm to those devices always plugged in or should I just hook'm up when I plan to use them?

[jetskier]

I keep mine unplugged after use. I came back one time after leaving it plugged in overnight and the JP1.x was hot to the touch. Hasn't happened again, but since then I removed them from the PC when finished.

[eferz]

Question: is there any harm to those devices always plugged in or should I just hook'm up when I plan to use them?

Unfortunately, its not easy to make a sweeping generalization like this for all USB devices. The problem is that it all varies from the USB device, the cables, the hub, the controller, the operating system, and the drivers. Each of these variants adds a large degree of uncertainty. Even though USB is a fairly mature standard, we never know how each individual device is implemented. So, the blanket answer should air on the side of caution which is to unplug them if you're not using it.

With Vicky's battery explosion and Jetskier's overheating JP1 USB cables, I'd definitely recommend you unplug at least that cable.

I have an iPad which requires at least 500 mA in order to initiate a slow charge while 2 A is required for quick charge. Under the USB 2.0 specification, a single unit load is equivalent to 100 mA, and each USB port has a maximum threshold of 5 loads (500 mA). Low-power devices may only draw a single unit load, with minimum operating voltage of 4.4 V, whereas high-powered USB devices will draw the maximum.

Also, I have a powered D-Link DUB-H7 USB 2.0 Hub. This hub can be used with the included AC adapter as self-powered or not and have it bus powered. Whether or not the AC adapter is plugged into the hub, the iPad will indicate that its "Not Charging" while it is connected. However when I have the iPad plugged in directly to a USB port which is integrated with the computer's motherboard then it will indicate that it is charging.

[vickyg2003]

I have a laptop. I use standby a lot and boot daily.
The Widget and JP1.2/1.3 usb cables are plugged into a powered hub.
But I do not leave remotes attached.

Everytime I come out of standby, Windows seems to refresh the remote cable (along with DHCP, external drive etc).
I don't know whether it handshakes the Widget - no lights on it.

Question: is there any harm to those devices always plugged in or should I just hook'm up when I plan to use them?

If I leave my toys plugged into the laptop and the laptop goes to standby, the laptop won't come out of standby.