User login

Navigation

Macintosh Support
York, Harrisburg, and Lancaster, PA.

By Tom Owad
Foreword: Steve Wozniak
Free McCAD EDS SE Included

Who's new

Links

Personal Fabrication
The Work of Our Own Hands.

Macintosh Support
York, Harrisburg, and Lancaster, PA.

Seiko Datagraph
Classic PDA wristwatch - $89.95

digital.forest
Web Hosting Solutions, including FileMaker, MySQL, and Media Streaming.

EFF
Defending Freedom in the Digital World.

making a cable to draw power only from USB

Submitted by CubKid on September 5, 2006 - 3:34am. Hardware Hacks

Basically that's what I'm curious about doing. This is probably a borderline hack/iPod question but here we go.

I've got a 30gb iPod video, and the only means for charging it is either to hook it to my mac, or to the charger in the truck. Sometimes I listen to it in the house at my desk and on the rare occasion it isn't charged. It sounds better than the headphone out on my speakers for some reason. What I'm wondering is, I have a USB extension cable that I'm not using. If I cut the data contacts off and hook my USB data cable to that, then to my mac, will I blowup the iPod? It sounds like I wouldn't, but I'd rather not fry the iPod doing something like that. Also, what are the pinouts for a USB port? If not I'll just buy a charging brick, but that's $20-30 I don't have at the moment.

» login or register to post comments | previous forum topic | next forum topic

Oh, I also forgot to mention

Submitted by CubKid on September 5, 2006 - 3:37am.

Oh, I also forgot to mention that I know it'll charge how it is, but then I can't listen to songs directly from the iPod.. no brainer there but I just want to make clear that I'm not that dense.

» iPod video 30gb | eMac 700, 768mb, 40gb, combo, leopard | MacBook 2.2ghz, 2gb ram, 120gb, leopard, superdrive | Frankenbox G4 - ATX'd sawtooth single 450, 256, tiger | Mac Mini 1.42PPC, 1gb, 80gb, combo, tiger

login or register to post comments

eject

Submitted by Tiger G5 Kid on September 5, 2006 - 10:54am.

Once hooked up to the mac, just eject the iPod then you can listen to the songs and have it charge.

» (\ /)
(O.o)
(> <)
This is Bunny. Copy Bunny into your signature to help him on his way to world domination.

login or register to post comments

You should be fine simply sup

Submitted by Ex-parrot on September 5, 2006 - 11:31am.

You should be fine simply supplying power over the USB connector. Make sure you get the pins and polarity correct.

» - Michael "trouble at the mill" Fincham
2 stories posted
login or register to post comments

USB pinouts are [url=http://p

Submitted by eeun on September 5, 2006 - 2:01pm.

USB pinouts are Here.
...lots of handy pinouts at that site for other projects, too.

» "If you give someone a program, you will frustrate them for a day; if you teach them how to program, you will frustrate them for a lifetime."
(Unknown)
4 stories posted
login or register to post comments

AC-USB PS cheap

Submitted by dankephoto on September 5, 2006 - 6:46pm.

I bought several USB power 'bricks' for under US$10 (incl shipping) off eBay. In fact, I just picked up a set of dock-style iPod cable, AC-USB adapter + auto(12v)-USB adapter, all for ~US$14 delivered.

re: your original Q
Yes, you can snip out the data pins from a USB cable and use the result to charge your iPod. Just be sure you don't leave any bits (or bytes! Grin ) in there that can short anything else out.

dan k

» || web page | Applish goodies servers Carracho (port9700) & Hotline (port9500) ||
» email macdan at comcast.net

login or register to post comments

Ok, sounds good. I know I can

Submitted by CubKid on September 6, 2006 - 12:34am.

Ok, sounds good. I know I can eject it to listen to it, but I usually take it out to smoke and usually thats at the end of the day when the battery is about to die. I'll get a brick eventually, but this is a free alternative for now since I've already got a few of those cables laying around.