Yes, every USB port supplies a different voltage, some are even designed just for charging cell phones etc. It sounds like the hub is still in working condition.
Just an FYI. I had this same exact hub that I bought off ebay. It was very cheap, which is why I bought it. It ran regular peripherals just fine (printer, mouse, keyboard, etc.) but it seemed to have a bit of a struggle with my external hard drive. It wouldn't read it sometimes. When I moved to a port that had a power cord, the problem was fixed. I think this hub just doesn't have the power to run anything that NEEDS power. Doesn't mean it doesn't work. Just means it's not strong enough.