Conceptually simple hack turns VGA port into power-only USB socket

Seriously, it should be a Class 1 felony that there's no way to buy this. Okay, so maybe that's a stretch, but we can't get over how genius this is. As the old adage asserts, the best solutions are spawned from the most perplexing quandaries, and when one hacker determined that two USB ports on his laptop simply weren't enough, he figured out a way around it. Essentially, he utilized a VGA gender changer, a spare USB port and a bit of old fashioned solder work in order to transform an unwanted VGA connector into a power-only USB socket. Sure, the applications are limited, but are you really going to complain about an extra option for charging your cellphone / DAP / Darth Vader voice changer? No, no you are not.

[Via EverythingUSB]

[inteller @ Nov 26th 2008 8:50AM]

VGA sends 5V down the line? hmm, guess I learned something today.

[Google @ Nov 26th 2008 9:00AM]

Apparently when I woke up this morning, I was in a parallel universe where they hadn't invented USB hubs.

[Magallanes @ Nov 26th 2008 9:07AM]

What is USB?, it is edible?

[StalematE @ Nov 26th 2008 10:35AM]

Who's the Boss isn't a food....

[iEye @ Nov 26th 2008 12:06PM]

This guy does not know how to use a stove? I bet this if for the USB toaster, USB food warmer and USB mini fridge so that all 3 devices can be running at the same time...

Hope you got that extended battery for that Netbook...

[Jeff @ Nov 26th 2008 12:35PM]

Do laptops even still ship with VGA ports? that's depressing.

[KarlW @ Nov 26th 2008 8:54AM]

Actually, this idea is expandable. DisplayPort is a packet-based technology that allows bidirection communication between the display and computer. I believe it was designed to allow touch displays to get picture from- and communicate back to- the computer with only one cable.

Perhaps an adapter (with accompanying drivers) or future spec will make use of this bidirectional nature in order to support USB devices. It'd be a lifesaver on, say, a MacBook Air, which has DisplayPort but only one USB port.

[tom @ Nov 26th 2008 9:31AM]

the whole bidirection communication thing on video port has to do with HDCP.

PERIOD!

[Wwhat @ Nov 27th 2008 12:31PM]

Not true, there's also classical requesting of the supported resolutions and ID of the display, available since years before bloody HDCP.
In fact the I2C type data exchange used is hacked by some clever hackers to connect I2C devices to.
for example: http://www.paintyourdragon.com/uc/i2c/

I quote:

"DDC — supported by most graphics cards and monitors produced within the past several years — is a communication channel within a video cable that allows the computer and display to negotiate mutually compatible resolutions and permit software control of monitor functions normally accessed with physical buttons on the display.

DDC is, in fact, simply an implementation of an I2C bus with a few established rules. By tapping into this connection between the computer and monitor (or making use of the DDC lines on an spare unused video port, such as the external monitor connection on a laptop), one can interface with many I2C devices at virtually no expense, bypassing the usual need for an adapter device entirely."

[kal326 @ Nov 26th 2008 9:04AM]

I guess I'm just the crazy one that thinks a PCMCIA/Card Express USB adapter would be a much more practical solution. I mean with something like that you usually get 4 ports that work like normal USB 2.0 ports and sometimes even come with firewire. However, I guess you don't get leet haxor cred for being practical.

[nanobis @ Nov 26th 2008 9:16AM]

If you look at the picture, and read the link, it tells you its for a Netbook, now if im right, i dont thik netbooks have PCMCIA slots.

an its actually a cool idea,

[kal326 @ Nov 26th 2008 9:19AM]

@nanobis
This is engadget, nobody really reads the articles. Besides as somebody already pointed out, there are such things in this world as USB hubs.

[obiwan @ Nov 26th 2008 1:41PM]

Because practicality is what this is all about.

[Wwhat @ Nov 27th 2008 12:36PM]

a single USB port can source 500mA, adding an USB hub doesn't change that, unless it's a powered one but that's a bit inconvenient for laptops since you need an adaptor plugged in the mains.

[Jeff @ Nov 26th 2008 9:12AM]

Wait a second, I call BS- There is no 5V in a VGA pinout, Google it for yourself. Pin 14 on a DVI connector supplies 5V, however.

[ItsTheOMGShow @ Nov 26th 2008 9:21AM]

Check Wikipedia. Pin 9 does send 5V on modern VGA ports:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VGA_connector

[Zorque @ Nov 26th 2008 9:21AM]

http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15.shtml

According to that page, if the VGA adapter supports DCC2 (which all modern ones should), then pin 9 can supply +5V, whereas pin 9 is just a blank in the original specification.

[Bridawg @ Nov 26th 2008 9:13AM]

I think his reasoning was that there was not enough power or no power coming from the USBs in his E900 to power power hungry peripherals. Read about this yesterday on:
http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=52572

[pradeep @ Nov 26th 2008 9:22AM]

Does it work faster than the ports already provided..?? ;)

[R3ap3R @ Nov 26th 2008 11:00AM]

Really? You're that stupid? It provides ELECTRIC, not DATA... next time, RTFA >.

[Dopefish @ Nov 26th 2008 8:06PM]

Even if you dont "RTFA", this is just a case of reading the post!




Headlines arnt everything you know!!!

[Jonathan @ Nov 26th 2008 9:40AM]

Finally, I can keep my lunch warm!

[EricC @ Nov 26th 2008 12:20PM]

What kind of lunch can you fit in a USB port? A couple of grains of rice? =)

[EricC @ Nov 26th 2008 3:21PM]

LOL...the low-ranking is even funnier than my joke was. Nice work, guys =)

[strider_mt2k @ Nov 26th 2008 9:44AM]

Very cool! I have to build one!

[Pavelz @ Nov 26th 2008 10:32AM]

That kid is NASA material

[Adisharr @ Nov 26th 2008 10:26AM]

Another 'neat but why bother when there are tiny hubs that won't potentially fry my chipset if I screw up' idea.

[RobertEE @ Nov 26th 2008 10:35AM]

USB news story of the year!

[Owen @ Apr 6th 2009 7:45AM]

Anybody know what current you can safely draw from this 'port' ?

[Ben @ Nov 26th 2008 12:12PM]

@Owen

Spec says the graphics chipset must supply at least 100ma to the 5v line for DDC. No mention of an upper limit, though if 100ma is all that's certain, I can't imagine monitor makers are trying to pull much more than that - why risk causing compatibility issues?

There's no way I'd try to pull more than 100ma from that port, too big a risk of frying the display chipset. If he needs more ports, mod in an internal hub. If he needs more juice, there's plenty of 5v lines available inside a machine, bring one of those out into a USB power port.

I'm all for trying things out, but I hate when something this ghetto rigged gets coverage - a few more machines are going to die tonight because some idiot says "Oh, that's easy.."

[spam_from_engadget @ Nov 26th 2008 10:56AM]

The 5v on a VGA connector is intended to power the DDC ROM inside the monitor so that the PC can determine the monitor resolution at boot if you have turned on the PC before the monitor. Not all PCs provide it and many cables don't connect it through. The spec requires that the monitor draws only a tiny current; just a few mA. In some cases the PC will have a fuse or something cruder like a resistor to limit the current that you can draw. If your PC doesn't have any sort of limiter then you can probably get away with this, but I suggest monitoring the voltage; if it drops when you attach the load then you might be in trouble.

[Owen @ Nov 26th 2008 11:01AM]

So pretty useless then...

[Nathan @ Nov 26th 2008 11:59AM]

I don't know about this. USB ports have circuits that are designed to shut off if to much electricity is being drawn (as in a short circuit or worse). I assume this would not have such a feature. I wouldn't want to risk my video out because of that either as it might blow a fuse or something inside the laptop.

[Wwhat @ Nov 27th 2008 12:41PM]

Yeah since the use of power-only is charging devices, which means they draw full 500mA, you'd be burning out things if it can only supply 100mA it seems, or you'd be waiting 5 times as long for things to charge, have fun with that..

[bandigolo @ Nov 26th 2008 12:23PM]

Y'all need to stop hating. I can think of one extremely useful application for this "power-only" usb connection: Windows Mobile cell phone charger. Thus far, there is no tweak/hack that I know of to connect my Touch Diamond via USB WITHOUT engaging the computer in some way. This is irritating to me, as I'd like to just plug it in to keep it charged on my desk without having to carry around the power supply and without having Windows constantly asking me what I want to do with the "new removeable disk found on USB" everytime my phone wakes up for a call/sms.

[tiuk @ Nov 28th 2008 7:10PM]

You could just take a USB extension cable (male on one end, female on the other) and cut the data lines, leaving only the power. I did it once to use as an iPod charger at work. Wanted to change the iPod but keep it usable, plugging it in for data stops it from playing music.

If you don't want to ruin the cable, you can cover the data pins with a bit of electrical tape. Never tried that one myself, but it would probably work unless the tape is too thick and gets bunched up in the connector.

[gmgfarrand @ Nov 26th 2008 1:24PM]

THANKS for the comments!!!
The main use was to be able to power my LENOVO DVD Burner which has the option not only to use a DC brick, or power from USB. So I power it from the VGA port and use only ONE of my USB ports for the data.

Or, since they hardly ever give you a power supply with a compact USB hub, I modded the power jack on it with a MALE USB plug so that I can power it off my VGA port. :)

BTW, there wasn't alot of planning involved.
I just looked over at the EEEPC 1000H on my desk and thought "hmm... I wonder..."

[GMGFARRAND @ Dec 1st 2008 11:53AM]

The VGA port gives out a min of 300ma and a max of 1amp.

The updated product will limit what the max current draw can be.

[unforeseenfury @ Nov 26th 2008 3:52PM]

I love this idea. I have only two USB ports on my laptop and like to charge my phone, but the other port is always occupied by my USB mouse. Sure hubs work great when you're sitting at a desk, but when you're sitting on the couch it's a bit of a hassle. and my VGA port is on the other side from my USB ports, so it would add a power port on the other side of the laptop body.

[phail @ Nov 28th 2008 12:59AM]

my sansa e260 will not charge by usb while my eee is on and play music at the same time. but when my computer is off it does. this would be useful.