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DS development > usb cable and nintendo ds

#32152 - boxroega - Sat Dec 18, 2004 5:41 pm

if i were to build this what would i be able to do with it???


http://www.darkain.com/portability.php?portid=1&page=5
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#32154 - RiZeUp - Sat Dec 18, 2004 5:55 pm

you'd be able to recharge your DS using a usb port.
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#32159 - EaDS Milliways - Sat Dec 18, 2004 7:46 pm

And since there are products like this for purchase (I have one made by Pelican), what you end up with wouldn't be any better than what you could buy. Of course, you can always say you BUILT it :)

#32160 - jambo - Sat Dec 18, 2004 8:14 pm

boxroega wrote:
if i were to build this what would i be able to do with it???


http://www.darkain.com/portability.php?portid=1&page=5


- Recharge your DS via USB
- Put one end down your pants and pretend you have a tail
- Trip up young children
- Floss a giant
- Etc.
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#32166 - PhoenixSoft - Sat Dec 18, 2004 10:35 pm

boxroega wrote:
if i were to build this what would i be able to do with it???


Did you even read the whole thing? Surely you couldn't have read it all and still be left clueless.

Quote:
Nintendo DS (Dual-Screen) - HomeBrew USB Power Cable!!! WARNING !!!Attempt the following AT YOUR OWN RISK! If you don't have a strong understand on electronics and wiring, I strongly advise not attempting this on your own. Messing with electronics can mess up you system, as well as possible yourself, if you are not careful. How to make your own USB power cable for the Nintendo DS I start off with a basic power adapter, and an extra USB cable I had laying around.
Then I used my wire cutters to snip off the ends of the two cables.
Now I stripped off the outer shielding for the USB cable.
USB has 4 wires. +5v, Ground, Data+, and Data-. The only wires I am concerned with are the power. Red is +5v, black is ground. I strip these two wires for preperation...

#32173 - isildur - Sun Dec 19, 2004 12:32 am

jambo wrote:


- Put one end down your pants and pretend you have a tail
- Trip up young children
- Floss a giant
- Etc.


lol, good one!

#32188 - Alex Atkin UK - Sun Dec 19, 2004 4:49 am

On the subject of that cable.

Did anyone else have their DS PSU cable red instead of green?
Its quite interesting as that makes it EXACTLY the same colour as the corresponding USB wire, almost as if it was intended to be used this way.

Of course red is just a common colour for positive but I found it odd that the tutorial mentions green and mine was red.

Also, im not sure if its an illusion but it seemed my DS charged up quicker from USB than the normal PSU. I was wondering if this is simply because it has 500mA to chew on rather than the 350mA of the official PSU.
Normally this probably isnt used but as I was playing the DS at the time I wonder if with more juice to suck up it can actually charge at full power while the DS is being used, whereas with only 350mA MAX it has to charge slower.
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#32212 - netdroid9 - Sun Dec 19, 2004 1:44 pm

Alex Atkin UK wrote:
Also, im not sure if its an illusion but it seemed my DS charged up quicker from USB than the normal PSU. I was wondering if this is simply because it has 500mA to chew on rather than the 350mA of the official PSU.
Normally this probably isnt used but as I was playing the DS at the time I wonder if with more juice to suck up it can actually charge at full power while the DS is being used, whereas with only 350mA MAX it has to charge slower.


Somehow, I'm getting a picture in my head:

Somebody plugging in the cable.

Their DS booting.

A couple of minutes later: "My screen looks a little bright."

A few more minutes: "The sound is a bit loud."

Even more waiting: "Oh great, my DS isn't working and I didn't save my game :(."

Somebody takeing the DS to a store.

"Sorry, you voided your warrenty by using a 500mA power cable on the DS, a device designed for 350 MAX."

"Is it fixable?"

"No, the power circuts blown."

#32216 - Zlodo - Sun Dec 19, 2004 1:59 pm

It's not "sending 500ma instead of 350 ma", it's more "allowing the DS to draw up to 500ma rather than 350ma". That is, the amount of current that passes through the wire can't exceed what the DS needs, so it won't damage anything.

#32218 - gb_feedback - Sun Dec 19, 2004 2:17 pm

I often feel saddened by young people's understanding of Ohm's Law, and of electricity in general. The DS power supply (if it is really like the SP one) provides a voltage source stated to be 5.2V. It also states that it is rated at 350mA which means that it will remain at 5.2V (more or less) until more than 350mA is drawn. A USB port *may* be able to supply 500mA; the USB voltage is 4.75 - 5.25*. But current drawn depends on the device drawing it. In this case the DS will draw no more than 350mA. If it drew more it would not be meeting the specification of its own power supply.

By the way, strictly speaking, you can only guarantee to be able to take a 'unit load' from a usb port (100mA). It is contrary to the usb spec to draw more without negotation with the host. Actually it is also forbidden to draw any current from usb without allowing yourself to be enumerated by the host, and specifying how much current you are taking. A lot of products are ignoring this (eg usb lights etc) but it *could* cause you problems.

* a 'low powered hub' may not be able to supply more than 100mA, and its voltage may be as low as 4.4V. These tend to be battery powered hubs though - I've never seen one.

And sorry Zlodo - I started this before you made your post...
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#32249 - AdamW - Mon Dec 20, 2004 4:30 am

charging li-ion batteries is a bit more complicated than NiMH anyway, isn't it? Sure I read that somewhere. If you don't cut the charge once they're full, Bad Stuff (tm) can happen. Do these homebrew / cheaply bought USB power doobries actually cut off charging once the battery's full?

#32252 - tepples - Mon Dec 20, 2004 5:08 am

How would the official adapter know when the battery's full either?
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#32256 - yaustar - Mon Dec 20, 2004 6:04 am

I thought that would be the DS's job to trickle charge/stop charging when the battery's full.
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#32259 - Skydogg - Mon Dec 20, 2004 6:36 am

the DS has to be doing someting because when mine is done charging the orange light turns off