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.
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.
Once hooked up to the mac, just eject the iPod then you can listen to the songs and have it charge.
You should be fine simply supplying power over the USB connector. Make sure you get the pins and polarity correct.
USB pinouts are Here.
...lots of handy pinouts at that site for other projects, too.
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
) in there that can short anything else out.
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!
dan k
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.