Axiomtek AX92321-4U 4 Port USB 3.0 PCI Express Card

USB 3.0 cameras and instruments share bandwidth when they hang off one controller, and a busy device can slow the others. The AX92321-4U is the four-port build in the Axiomtek AX92321 series, a USB 3.0 PCIe card that gives each port its own host controller. Axiomtek aims it at vision and factory automation, and we specify it for the systems we build and supply.

The card has four USB 3.0 Type A ports, each driven by an independent Renesas uPD720202 host controller that complies with USB 3.0 and Intel xHCI revision 1.0. Axiomtek states up to 5 Gbps per port even when all four ports run at the same time. Ports also handle high speed (480 Mbps), full speed (12 Mbps) and low speed (1.5 Mbps) devices. The host interface is PCI Express x4 Gen2.

Output current is set per port by jumper, at 900 mA or 1500 mA, to feed bus-powered devices. Each port’s power can be switched on or off in software, which helps when a device needs a remote reset. For more devices, the AX92321-8U carries eight ports on the same four controllers. Where cameras need power over a network cable instead, the AX92320-4GbE is Axiomtek’s four-port PoE card.

Power comes from the PCIe slot, with up to 20 W of total USB power output, or from the 6-pin ATX connector (5 A at 12 V or 2.5 A at 24 V) or the 4-pin Molex connector (5 A at 12 V). The card operates from 0 to +70 °C and stores from -20 to +80 °C. It measures 168 x 107 mm, carries CE compliance and supports Windows 7/10 (32/64-bit) and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.