12 ms·

I'd pay decent money for a small, neat little power-only USB passthrough/condom for peace of mind. Hotel clocks, planes, there's all sorts of places I'd like to

by msy 13y ago

I'd pay decent money for a small, neat little power-only USB passthrough/condom for peace of mind. Hotel clocks, planes, there's all sorts of places I'd like to charge my phone and every time it feels like a risk.

pinko 13y ago
From the last time this came up, I found a few: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5814193 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5814193
MattJ100 13y ago
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/portpilot-charge-with-speed-and-security http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/portpilot-charge-with-spee... :) (not affiliated)
voltagex_ 13y ago
I'd pay decent money for a small, USB adapter with the ability to swap the pins (for international travel) and a guarantee that it would reach at least 1.8A and 5V.
- nwh 13y ago
  You pretty much just described the Apple charger. 10W, with multiple duckheads, will take any voltage and has the option to plug any standard figure 8 cable in if you have one lying around.
  - voltagex_ 13y ago
    I'm so conflicted right now... I don't own any other Apple gear.
    - mitchty 13y ago
      And? Its just a charger, not like you're supposed to convert to a new religion or anything.
    - kirubakaran 13y ago
      Use this instead: Amazon Charger (usually shipped with a Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DOK8NW/ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DOK8NW/
      - jlgreco 13y ago
        I believe those are 5 watts. That is the kind I've gotten with my eink kindles but my, kindle fire came with a different charger that I believe is 10 watts. I don't have any of them on my at the moment to check though.
        mh- 13y ago
        the product name is Amazon 5W USB Charger
        jlgreco 13y ago
        Ha, so it is. I only glanced at the picture.
- jsight 13y ago
  This looks like it would do what you want: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/david-toledo/the-practical-meter-know-your-power?ref=discover_pop http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/david-toledo/the-practic...
bigdubs 13y ago
I have a 10,000ma/h battery pack i carry with me that I charge my phone with; when that runs out i charge it with any wall jack / usb port i can find. Effectively the same thing, and portable!
- dmix 13y ago
  Swappable battery > plugging in to charger in everyway. I'm amazed only a few phones have the ability to swap batteries.
  - zokier 13y ago
    Battery swap requires a reboot (usually) which is bit annoying.
    - fsck--off 13y ago
      Do you know of any devices that don't require a reboot when you switch batteries? It shouldn't be difficult to implement. All you have to do is build a small second internal battery into the device that could keep the volatile memory alive during the switch.
      - TeMPOraL 13y ago
        But then there's no perceived need for it for 99% of users so, like many neat things, it will unfortunately never be built into mass-produced phones because it doesn't make business sense.
      - Scene_Cast2 13y ago
        That same idea is apparently there in the upcoming Thinkpad T440s laptop (3 cell internal + 3 cell swappable). I really hope it catches on in other laptops and phones - I find I often go past a typical phone & laptop's battery span without a power plug around.
        bingaling 13y ago
babuskov 13y ago
There are already such devices on the market. I just bought one three weeks ago for about $12. It even has a plug for car cigarette lighter (which is actually why I bought it). It's called "3-in-1 charger" here in Europe and it looks like this: http://mireltech.ru/node/614 http://mireltech.ru/node/614
- StavrosK 13y ago
  What the GP is talking about is a little female-microusb to male-microusb that disables the data pins so you're sure the only thing going on there is charging.
polshaw 13y ago
You could just cut the data wires of the USB cable you wish to use. Simple, cheap and effective.
- peterwwillis 13y ago
  That would not work. Data pins are used to provide power negotiation, and in Apple's case using a proprietary protocol. At the very least you need some specific voltages on the lines to make it charge. http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/05/21/apple-power-adapter-teardown/ http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/05/21/apple-power-adapter-... http://learn.adafruit.com/minty-boost/icharging http://learn.adafruit.com/minty-boost/icharging
  - mindslight 13y ago
    I imagine basically all of those convenience ports only put out 500mA anyway, so the negotiation isn't needed.
    - jonny_eh 13y ago
      iPads require more juice. Whenever I plug my iPad into anything other than Apple's 10W adapter or a Mac, nothing happens.
      - MichaelApproved 13y ago
        I plug my original iPad into other USB devices that put out 5W and it still charges. The iPad says it's not charging but it does, slowly.
  - kin3tic 13y ago
    Good thing Apple kept that proprietary, keeping us safe and all.
dt7 13y ago
Not exactly what you want, and limited to UK use, but I carry one of these around with me most of the time: https://www.themu.co.uk/ https://www.themu.co.uk/ It's even smaller than I thought it would be, and so much more portable than a normal UK plug.
canthonytucci 13y ago
I found this http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/671390578/juicebee http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/671390578/juicebee recently which looks like a good compromise. There are many similar products on amazon as well.
pudquick 13y ago
Like this? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Only-Charging-Cable-Extension/dp/B005HRSI3C http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Only-Charging-Cable-Extension/... "The CDL-02POWER is a type A male to type A female extension cable with only the + and - power pins connected. This is extension for charging devices like ipods, Sat Navs etc. It allows you connect the appropriate device cable and charge the device through your USB port on your PC/Laptop with out opening up your webstore, itunes etc. While a device cable has data and power only the power from the extension is carried through. Please note that due to limitations of 500ma output from a USB port, some devices may take longer than others to charge. "
- jevinskie 13y ago
  The last line is the disadvantage. You need the data pins to enable high-current charging. I suppose you could create a digital "transformer" to isolate the iDevice from the port while still enabling high-current charging.
  - weaksauce 13y ago
    Could you include an inductor to prevent the data bits from changing fast and connect both lines to the power line so that if the power line was actually compromised the inductor would stop the attack.
celwell 13y ago
http://wesawit.com/app/event/5179d0638022f http://wesawit.com/app/event/5179d0638022f

by msy 13y ago

pinko 13y ago

From the last time this came up, I found a few: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5814193 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5814193

MattJ100 13y ago

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/portpilot-charge-with-speed-and-security http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/portpilot-charge-with-spee... :) (not affiliated)

voltagex_ 13y ago

I'd pay decent money for a small, USB adapter with the ability to swap the pins (for international travel) and a guarantee that it would reach at least 1.8A and 5V.

nwh 13y ago
You pretty much just described the Apple charger. 10W, with multiple duckheads, will take any voltage and has the option to plug any standard figure 8 cable in if you have one lying around.
- voltagex_ 13y ago
  I'm so conflicted right now... I don't own any other Apple gear.
  - mitchty 13y ago
    And? Its just a charger, not like you're supposed to convert to a new religion or anything.
  - kirubakaran 13y ago
    Use this instead: Amazon Charger (usually shipped with a Kindle) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DOK8NW/ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005DOK8NW/
    - jlgreco 13y ago
      I believe those are 5 watts. That is the kind I've gotten with my eink kindles but my, kindle fire came with a different charger that I believe is 10 watts. I don't have any of them on my at the moment to check though.
      - mh- 13y ago
        the product name is Amazon 5W USB Charger
        jlgreco 13y ago
        Ha, so it is. I only glanced at the picture.
jsight 13y ago
This looks like it would do what you want: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/david-toledo/the-practical-meter-know-your-power?ref=discover_pop http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/david-toledo/the-practic...

bigdubs 13y ago

I have a 10,000ma/h battery pack i carry with me that I charge my phone with; when that runs out i charge it with any wall jack / usb port i can find. Effectively the same thing, and portable!

dmix 13y ago
Swappable battery > plugging in to charger in everyway. I'm amazed only a few phones have the ability to swap batteries.
- zokier 13y ago
  Battery swap requires a reboot (usually) which is bit annoying.
  - fsck--off 13y ago
    Do you know of any devices that don't require a reboot when you switch batteries? It shouldn't be difficult to implement. All you have to do is build a small second internal battery into the device that could keep the volatile memory alive during the switch.
    - TeMPOraL 13y ago
      But then there's no perceived need for it for 99% of users so, like many neat things, it will unfortunately never be built into mass-produced phones because it doesn't make business sense.
    - Scene_Cast2 13y ago
      That same idea is apparently there in the upcoming Thinkpad T440s laptop (3 cell internal + 3 cell swappable). I really hope it catches on in other laptops and phones - I find I often go past a typical phone & laptop's battery span without a power plug around.
      - bingaling 13y ago

babuskov 13y ago

There are already such devices on the market. I just bought one three weeks ago for about $12. It even has a plug for car cigarette lighter (which is actually why I bought it). It's called "3-in-1 charger" here in Europe and it looks like this: http://mireltech.ru/node/614 http://mireltech.ru/node/614

StavrosK 13y ago
What the GP is talking about is a little female-microusb to male-microusb that disables the data pins so you're sure the only thing going on there is charging.

polshaw 13y ago

You could just cut the data wires of the USB cable you wish to use. Simple, cheap and effective.

peterwwillis 13y ago
That would not work. Data pins are used to provide power negotiation, and in Apple's case using a proprietary protocol. At the very least you need some specific voltages on the lines to make it charge. http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/05/21/apple-power-adapter-teardown/ http://www.idownloadblog.com/2012/05/21/apple-power-adapter-... http://learn.adafruit.com/minty-boost/icharging http://learn.adafruit.com/minty-boost/icharging
- mindslight 13y ago
  I imagine basically all of those convenience ports only put out 500mA anyway, so the negotiation isn't needed.
  - jonny_eh 13y ago
    iPads require more juice. Whenever I plug my iPad into anything other than Apple's 10W adapter or a Mac, nothing happens.
    - MichaelApproved 13y ago
      I plug my original iPad into other USB devices that put out 5W and it still charges. The iPad says it's not charging but it does, slowly.
- kin3tic 13y ago
  Good thing Apple kept that proprietary, keeping us safe and all.

dt7 13y ago

Not exactly what you want, and limited to UK use, but I carry one of these around with me most of the time: https://www.themu.co.uk/ https://www.themu.co.uk/ It's even smaller than I thought it would be, and so much more portable than a normal UK plug.

canthonytucci 13y ago

I found this http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/671390578/juicebee http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/671390578/juicebee recently which looks like a good compromise. There are many similar products on amazon as well.

pudquick 13y ago

Like this? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Only-Charging-Cable-Extension/dp/B005HRSI3C http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Only-Charging-Cable-Extension/... "The CDL-02POWER is a type A male to type A female extension cable with only the + and - power pins connected. This is extension for charging devices like ipods, Sat Navs etc. It allows you connect the appropriate device cable and charge the device through your USB port on your PC/Laptop with out opening up your webstore, itunes etc. While a device cable has data and power only the power from the extension is carried through. Please note that due to limitations of 500ma output from a USB port, some devices may take longer than others to charge. "

jevinskie 13y ago
The last line is the disadvantage. You need the data pins to enable high-current charging. I suppose you could create a digital "transformer" to isolate the iDevice from the port while still enabling high-current charging.
- weaksauce 13y ago
  Could you include an inductor to prevent the data bits from changing fast and connect both lines to the power line so that if the power line was actually compromised the inductor would stop the attack.

celwell 13y ago

http://wesawit.com/app/event/5179d0638022f http://wesawit.com/app/event/5179d0638022f