In the era of information technology, in almost every home you can find a computer connected to the World Wide Web. To access the network in small towns and even more often in villages, users often use a 3G modem, and are constantly faced with the fact that such a modem has poor network reception. Buying special remote antennas is expensive and not everyone can afford it. It is almost always enough to take such a modem to another room or into the attic, sometimes it is even enough to raise the modem a couple of meters from the ground so that the coverage picture changes for the better. Today we will show you how to make a USB extension cable for a 3G modem with your own hands, because... Such extension cords are not sold in every store.
About the pinout of USB plugs and sockets
The picture shows the pinout of the USB 2.0 socket and plug.
To transmit data (+Data and –Data), you can use any of the four available twisted pairs.
To connect power, you can use any of the three remaining twisted pairs or all three pairs connected in parallel.
Do-it-yourself active USB extension cable. What is an active USB (USB) extension cable over twisted pair
It would be more correct to say. In general, OTG is a technology for expanding the functions and capabilities of USB (serial interface for connecting peripheral devices). In this case it is USB 2.0.
The ideal design option for a flash drive will be when it has a standard USB connector on one side and a micro USB connector on the other. Which, however, I personally haven’t encountered yet. So I use an OTG adapter.
Fortunately, it was included in the standard package of the purchased one. From the very beginning, clearly understanding that I would be completely useless without it, I use it carefully and never take it out of the house. I also hide it from cats, but that’s a different story.
At the same time, I don’t really like this adapter. The flexible cable, albeit of short length, allows the flash drive to move freely in all planes and... in short, dangles on all four sides, but especially strives to be placed on the side of the screen.
If you shake it too hard, it will crack the touch screen.
Suddenly I came across this adapter on AliExpress. Visually, of course, it is difficult to determine how functional and “viable” it is, but I definitely liked it. I paid for four pieces.
What you can see in the top screenshot is the cost of the product at the time of its receipt, a month later. Now for 4 adapters the seller wants 3 dollars. Then their cost, at the time of order, was 80 cents.
It is not difficult to guess that many people liked the product and there are plenty of orders for it.
And then, after a month, I found a square envelope in the mailbox - a parcel post. It contains four individually sealed clear cellophane bags with adapters. Each has a label indicating the country of origin and product designation XYQ50914125
.
The photo shows the adapter itself, one would like to call it tiny, the overall dimensions are 15 x 12 x 2 mm.
Structurally, on the one hand, it is designed as an insert for a standard USB plug, and on the other, the plug itself, but a mini USB. The outer, base shell of the plug is metal.
Inside is a plastic element with metal contacts enclosed in it, coated in a pale yellow color.
The process of bringing the adapter into working position - installing it inside a standard USB plug, in this case a flash drive, is extremely simple.
You take it and insert it, but at the same time it is necessary to control the alignment of the contacts inside the USB plug and the contacts of the adapter, because the latter fits into the plug without interference in both positions, both in the correct and in the incorrect one.
So if the flash drive is installed in the tablet slot and does not function, then the first thing you need to do is check that the adapter is installed correctly. Yes, this is a defect, but it is not a defect of the manufacturer; the existing design of the USB plug does not provide an unambiguous installation option.
This spatial arrangement of the flash drive relative to the tablet computer looks familiar and is more natural. Rigid fixation is always preferable. The connection process is easier and faster. During operation, there are no negative moments of a distracting nature caused by arbitrary movements of the flash drive as on a cable adapter.
Two different versions of the OTG adapter. The only advantage of the cable option is that it is harder to lose and easier to find.
The compact version puts the opponent to shame simply because it allows you to place the external drive as close as possible to the device using it, which ensures 100% and unconditional stability of operation. I recommend purchasing an adapter. Posted by Babay iz Barnaula
.
Discuss the article REVIEW OF COMPACT USB OTG ADAPTER
DIY USB extension cable
Let's say you want a powerful computer for gaming or work, but you don't want to tolerate the slightest noise.
Or you want to use one desktop computer both in the room and in the kitchen.
Or your familiar CEO, fearing the performance of a “mask show,” wants to keep the accountant’s computer not under the accountant’s desk, but on the floor above, with a third-party individual.
What to do? Take long wires and, depending on the situation:
Move the computer to the hallway, closet or balcony, where it will make noise for its own pleasure without disturbing you; - or one floor above to a neighbor, where it will be relatively safe from invaders;
- or put the computer in the room, and run additional wires to the kitchen (or vice versa).
The question is, where can I get long wires? And you only need two of them: HDMI and USB. A ten-meter HDMI is not a problem; you can buy it at Yulmart for 370 rubles. It is not difficult to find longer ones on sale. Next we will talk about how to make a ten-meter USB 2 yourself.
0 extension cable (if this is not enough and five meters are still not enough, use a wireless mouse and keyboard).
Theoretically, you can buy a cable with a signal amplifier TU2-EX12, but it is sold in some unfamiliar stores; it was easier for me to make it myself.
1. The USB extension cable will be plugged into the computer at one end, and at the other end there will be a USB hub into which we will plug flash drives, mice, boxes with HDDs, a printer and other USB devices. I recommend the well-proven D-Link DUB-H7 7-port. It’s a pity that it unexpectedly increased in price, until recently it cost 640 rubles.
2. Depending on what input the hub has, we take a printer cord (AM-BM) or a simple USB extension cable (AM-AF). The required cord usually comes with the hub. Cut off the ends and throw away the rest.
3. We borrow from a system administrator friend or buy 10 meters of FTP-type twisted pair cable (in foil) and strip the ends for soldering.
4. The wiring diagram is clear from the figure (pictures enlarge by clicking). In my USB cable, the colors of the wires were black, green, white and red. The figure shows H, Z, B, K. That is, the FTP cable was soldered to USB using this layout:
In the picture, the white-orange wire is in error, see the table! (Thank you
for the correction)
5. It’s good if you have a thin heat-shrink tube for each core of the USB connectors, so as not to bother with electrical tape. Soldered wires and finished extension cord:
Tests:
Copying files to a USB hard drive. The copying speed lasts up to 100 megabytes per second, but at the end of the file the copying process may freeze for 2-3 seconds, causing the copying speed to decrease, but then increase again:
The check showed that there were no copying errors:
Without a hub to supply power to connected devices, the voltage drop in the cable takes its toll. The old laser printer worked without problems, but the scanner, which did not have its own power supply, was detected every other time and could not scan at all.
upd: more correct tests and conclusions
Recently I came across a rather interesting device: an active USB extension cable, or RJ45 Extension adapter.
At the same time, the seller promised that with the help of this device, I would be able to extend the USB cable
, connected to a computer, up to 45 meters.
I didn’t immediately appreciate the full potential of this device, and it never occurred to me that I could connect such a smart device to a computer at a distance of 45 meters. ) However, I became very interested in the capabilities of the device. And I started connecting and subsequent tests. But first things first….
So, in the packaging this device looks like this:
On the package we see the inscription: RJ45 Extension adapter up to 150ft length.
What does
RJ45 extender
up to 150 feet or 45 meters mean?
The back of the package looks like this:
The labels say the following: This
allows you to connect USB devices to your computer over a distance of up to 150 feet (45 meters) using a Cat5/ Cat5 e/ Cat6 cable, which is not included in the package. This adapter allows you to extend your USB cameras, printers, web cameras, keyboards and mice to the desired distance without moving the computer.
We can also read below that this device does not require any external power source.
The kit includes: - basic male connector - remote female connector
- package
the extension cord out of the package
, let's take a closer look:
How to use an active USB extender?
So, it's time to use this device and run some simple tests.
For this we need: - a computer with a USB 2.0 output
- active USB extension cable over twisted pair
- 10m network cable (I only had this length at hand) - USB flash drive
- Webcam.
During the test, we will assemble the device and use it to connect a webcam to the computer. If everything goes well, then we’ll connect the USB flash drive to the computer and check its read/write speed with and without an extension cable to see if it makes any changes to the operation of USB devices.
Assembling a USB extension cable
In the USB extension cable
there is nothing special.
The whole process becomes clear upon first inspection of the device. So, we need the USB extension cable
, which consists of 2 parts and a network cable (twisted pair).
We connect both parts of the active USB extension cable
using a network cable.
We connect the webcam via an active USB extension cable
First, let's try connecting a web camera to the computer using an extension cord. To do this, connect the camera to an extension cord
, and
the extension cord
to the computer.
The computer detects the camera, and the camera can be used almost immediately. Separately, I would like to note that the computer is already “familiar” with this camera. When working with the camera, I do not notice any presence of an extension cord
in the connection between the camera and computer.
Next, I take a photo with the webcam itself, connected via an extension cord
, of the entire connection.
With webcam extension cable
It works fine, no comments yet.
Testing a USB extension cable
Now let's try connecting a USB flash drive to the computer.
The computer detects a removable disk without any problems, navigating the disk, reading files occurs without any freezes or delays. It seems like everything is fine. To complete the picture, I decide to test the flash drive with and without an extension cable
with the help already described on this site.
As can be seen from the test results, the read/write speed to flash memory when using a USB extension cable
, drops significantly, but at the same time I would like to note that the connection remains stable and no breaks or interruptions in the operation
of the extension cord
were detected.
conclusions
My review and small tests of the device confirm the functionality and suitability of the active USB extender
, for use on certain systems.
Personally, I plan to use a similar extension cord
How to attach a USB socket to a hard network cable
The assembly of my cable was somewhat complicated due to the fact that I had at my disposal not a USB cable socket, but a socket for printed circuit boards.
I had to first isolate the contacts from the back wall of the case.
And then from the bottom wall of the case (shown in the photo above).
For a cable that is not very rigid, for example, consisting of only two twisted pairs, you can use this method of attaching the socket to the cable.
First, using sewing thread, we attach a piece of polyvinyl chloride tube (cambric) to the cable. The end of the thread can be secured with melted rosin. We make two longitudinal cuts on the cambric and cable insulation.
It should look something like this. The resulting “petals” should be arranged in the form of a cross.
You can then solder the ends of the twisted pairs to the corresponding pins.
We attach the “petals” to the nest body with sewing thread. Secure the end of the thread with rosin.
Now you can improve the nest by putting on a heat-shrink tube or covering it with polyethylene (from a gun).
But, I only had a very rigid cable, so I had to make a more serious fastening.
First, I wound a copper wire with a diameter of 1.3 mm around the edge of the cable. Then I soldered the ends of this wire to the side walls of the USB socket.
To give additional rigidity to the structure, I covered the junction of the cable with the USB socket with low-temperature hot melt adhesive.
To give it a more attractive shape and improve the appearance of the connector, I covered it with heat-shrinkable tubing. IN
Attention! As the tube shrinks, hot melt adhesive may seep through the cracks into the inside of the socket. To prevent this, you can insert a gasket between the tube and the socket body or a plug into the socket. Then you won’t have to pick out the hot-melt glue from the socket.
Extension cord manufacturing process
It should be noted right away that making a USB extension cable yourself requires special knowledge and practical skills in working with a soldering iron and other power tools. Otherwise, it is recommended to purchase a finished product of the required length, although it will be more expensive than a homemade one. However, many still try to make a USB extension cable on their own.
First of all, you need to stock up on a short-length standard USB cable. If possible, it should have a ferrite core, which can absorb high-frequency interference and indicates a high quality cable. You can ask for such a piece or buy it inexpensively from people who deal with cable lines. You can also ask them for the required amount of UTP computer cable, preferably one of the high categories, for example, 5e, 6 or 6e. The speed of operation of the equipment at the opposite end will depend on this.
The tool you will need is wire cutters or scissors to cut the cable. This is done with a special tool, but if you don’t have one, you can get by with a simple knife. For connections you will need a soldering iron, solder and rosin, since twisting the wires is not allowed due to their high resistance. The joints are insulated with heat-shrinkable tubes. You can use electrical tape instead.
Work begins with cutting the cables into pieces of the required length and stripping the ends. The insulation from all conductors is removed by approximately 3-5 mm. A USB cable contains 4 conductors, a UTP cable contains 8. One pair of UTP cables includes two wires - a colored one and a variegated one. Instead of a colorful one, there may be a white wire. Each such pair is soldered to a separate USB cable wire in accordance with the corresponding colors. Using the same scheme, a USB extension cable with additional power is made with your own hands, known as an active extension cable.
Upon completion of soldering, you need to check that there are no torn spots left. After this, the heat-shrinkable tubes are moved to the soldering areas and heated with a hair dryer until they are completely adjacent to the connected conductors. After all the heat shrink on the conductors has cooled, they are collected together into a single bundle, on top of which a common heat shrink tube is installed in the same way. Before connecting the equipment for the first time, it is advisable to check the contacts using a tester. If the check shows the norm, then the homemade extension cord can be used for work.
The theoretical part of the question of connecting a computer (laptop) to a TV via USB
We have two communication interfaces USB and HDMI. Both work with a digital type of data transfer, and if so, what could prevent the video signal from being transmitted from a computer to a TV in such an exotic combination. The USB data transfer capacity should more than cover the needs of the HDMI channel. And the ability to supply a video signal to the USB port must be provided by special driver programs.
By the way, it is precisely because of the inability to install the driver on the TV that the hdmi (output) – USB (on the TV) connection cannot be implemented in real conditions. But we are talking about a USB – HDMI (input) connection, and now this possibility looks quite real.
Operating Parameters
A self-made USB extension cable with power allows you to connect products over a long distance. The master needs to take into account the fact that the quality of the transmitted information depends on the length. Factory models have a maximum length of 5 meters, but homemade cables can reach 50 meters. Special attention should always be paid to attenuation. The wire itself consists of four copper wires, two of which are responsible for power, and the rest carry the signal. All of them are enclosed in a special braiding that effectively shields data transmission from external electromagnetic signals. It's worth noting that the different ends of the cable are physically oriented. Using a cable, an interface is formed for exchanging information between the USB tail and any other device.
Effective signal amplification
To implement this idea, the master will need a small sheet of aluminum. If this material is not available, then you can use regular foil. You will also need an extension cord and available tools. The metal sheet must be bent into a small arc, which will enhance reception. In the center you need to build a mount for the modem. The prepared structure is fixed outside the window. The reflector must be directed towards the main operator's tower. The modem is attached to the holder and an extension cord is connected. This product is perfect for signal amplification. It is worth noting that this option is not suitable for those who live in an apartment on the ground floor, as attackers can simply steal the equipment. At night, it is better to hide the structure. You can also buy a finished product that is designed to amplify the signal. The choice always depends on the wishes of the user himself.
Factory models
If the master cannot make a 15-meter USB extension cable with his own hands, then it is better to buy a ready-made product. Specialized models include two ports at once, which significantly reduces the voltage drop in the conductors. Such extension cords are actively used by many users to connect external optical drives, modems, and other gadgets. In addition to them, you can find active extension cords on sale, in which manufacturers have provided for the presence of a repeater circuit signal.
Cases of application of the adapter
As a rule, two such cases stand out. Their classification depends on the type of device to which the adapter is connected. In some situations, a computer is used as a primary source, usually an outdated model or a budget version with some limitations. In these cases, an HDMI to USB adapter is connected to compensate for the shortage of additional HDMI outputs or their complete absence. When a phone or tablet is used instead of a computer, the gadget is used to repeat the image on a monitor or TV. This method of use has received many positive reviews.
