A USB Charger that works

jgray · 09-26-2010, 11:31 PM

Sorry for starting a new thread, but the other one has not only gotten lengthy, but has turned into a cat fight.

I mentioned in that other thread that a friend of mine recently bought a quantity of USB chargers. They have a USB-A connector on the charger body and come with a cable that has a USB Mini connector on the other end.

I just got my hands on a PRS350 (more on that in another thread) and tried that charger, using the Sony USB Micro cable. It did not work. However, the charger is held together with two screws -- and I own a soldering iron

As mentioned elsewhere, there is indeed a USB Charging specification. I downloaded and read it. According to the spec, it is simply a matter of shorting the two data lines together to make it work.

After reassembly, it charges the PRS350 just fine, using the Sony USB Micro cable. As a further test, I used the USB Mini cable included with the charger to make sure that the original funtionality was not changed. It also charged my jetBook (with a USB Mini) equally well.

So, I will pass this information on to my friend and see if he is willing to modify some of those chargers for use with the PRS350, PRS650 and PRS950. This assumes that anyone here is interested in a modified charger that is known to work with the new Sonys.

Joe

mwheinz · 09-27-2010, 09:20 AM

Actually, that's great news Joe - it confirms that the Reader is using the 2009 spec which, while annoying, is understandable.

Basically it means that the 650 won't charge with most adapters made before 2009, although anyone with minimal skills could hack a USB data cable to make it into a "charging only cable".

09-26-2010, 11:31 PM	#1
jgray Fanatic Posts: 554 Karma: 2928497 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Clara 2E & Sage	A USB Charger that works Sorry for starting a new thread, but the other one has not only gotten lengthy, but has turned into a cat fight. I mentioned in that other thread that a friend of mine recently bought a quantity of USB chargers. They have a USB-A connector on the charger body and come with a cable that has a USB Mini connector on the other end. I just got my hands on a PRS350 (more on that in another thread) and tried that charger, using the Sony USB Micro cable. It did not work. However, the charger is held together with two screws -- and I own a soldering iron As mentioned elsewhere, there is indeed a USB Charging specification. I downloaded and read it. According to the spec, it is simply a matter of shorting the two data lines together to make it work. After reassembly, it charges the PRS350 just fine, using the Sony USB Micro cable. As a further test, I used the USB Mini cable included with the charger to make sure that the original funtionality was not changed. It also charged my jetBook (with a USB Mini) equally well. So, I will pass this information on to my friend and see if he is willing to modify some of those chargers for use with the PRS350, PRS650 and PRS950. This assumes that anyone here is interested in a modified charger that is known to work with the new Sonys. Joe

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09-27-2010, 09:20 AM	#2
mwheinz award-winning bozo Posts: 258 Karma: 172703 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Philadelphia Device: Kobo Libra 2	Actually, that's great news Joe - it confirms that the Reader is using the 2009 spec which, while annoying, is understandable. Basically it means that the 650 won't charge with most adapters made before 2009, although anyone with minimal skills could hack a USB data cable to make it into a "charging only cable".

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