How to make OGG cable by hand

Everyone knows that any electronic device can be connected to a computer via a standard USB cable. Thus, using a laptop or personal computer, you can connect various devices, for example, printers, cameras, smart phones and storage devices (USB flash drives and external hard drives).

What is OTG?

Is there a way to do without a computer? Easily, the market has long appeared many adapters under the common name OTG-cable. Their cost varies from a few dollars to a dozen or even two. However, their difference from simple data cables is so insignificant that it is easy to make an OTG cable by hand. For example, from the remains of old connectors, cables and adapters.

So, first you need to decide what we need an OTG cable for. The power of another device due to the battery may be necessary in the absence of power grids nearby, for example, on trips or hikes, but this option is not the most effective. We must immediately decide whether we will connect two specific devices permanently among themselves or better make a universal OTG cable with our own hands for the use of any USB-devices, by the type of store. It is also better to check immediately whether your device is capable of supporting such connections.

Tools and safety technology

In working with cables, you will need:

• A knife for stripping from insulation;

• Nippers or side cutters (remember the saying: "7 times measure - 1 cut"), an excess spike on the cable will worsen the quality of communication between devices and increase the resistance in general, which will affect the loss of data or the inability to charge due to the resistance of the conductor;

• Soldering iron, solder and flux; At the end of the article we will consider how you can do without this device.

When working with soldering iron, remember the safety measures. This device is dangerous for its high temperature, not only during operation, but also for several minutes after shutdown. Protect the working surface of the table from ingress of molten tin or rosin. Protect the exposed skin from touching the heated parts of the soldering iron.

What is what?

To begin with it is necessary to disassemble, what contacts in plugs and sockets for what are necessary, as in mini- and micro-variants on 1 pin it is more, rather than in sockets of the universal serial bus. So, the first pin is marked with a red insula- tion inside the wire, it is designed to supply voltage. The second and third pins, marked with white and green insulation, are designed for data transmission. The fourth black pin is zero or ground, working in tandem with the first supply wire. In mini-and micro-USB, such functions are assigned to the fifth, last pin, and the fourth is the marking or identifier. It is designed to provide information about the connection to the device and in the data cables is generally not connected anywhere.

The simplest version

First of all, let's consider the option of connecting two specific devices, for example, a tablet computer and a camera. Since they both have nests with 5 contacts, be it micro or mini USB, you just need to gently weld the corresponding wires together. Suitable 2 unnecessary data cables with suitable plugs. It is necessary to cut them and clean the wires from the insulation, then connect according to the color differentiation, that is, black with black, yellow with yellow and so on. Each joint must be isolated from others with the help of hot melt adhesive or at least an electrical tape. If you connect such a cable to the devices on the screens, a dialog menu will be displayed, where you will have to choose which device will be the main one in this mini-network. You can forcefully designate the main and secondary device in the cable itself. To do this, connect the 4th and 5th contacts in the main device plug, and in the other plug the 4th contact simply does not connect to any one. Thus, the device will automatically determine itself as the master in the connection, since the token contact will indicate the presence of the connection, whereas on the second device it will be "empty".

For a variety of devices

Let's consider a variant, how to make a universal OTG-cable with your own hands. In addition to the micro or mini USB plug, depending on the device, we will need a USB connector. You can take it from old motherboards, cut off the USB extension cable or disassemble the USB-splitter (the so-called YUSB-hub). The latter option is preferable, since it will allow connecting several peripheral devices to the host device, just like a computer. The connection sequence is the same as above, the main device is connected to the device plug in the same way, connecting the 4th and 5th pins. The diagrams clearly show the scheme for connecting the pins in the connectors and plugs.

With power connection

Some devices are characterized by increased power consumption, which leads to a rapid discharge of the battery of the main gadget, whether it's a smartphone or a tablet. In this case, the OTG cable can be improved with your own hands by adding a power cable with a USB-plug for the network adapter. To do this, you can use the rest of the data cable, from which the micro- or mini-USB plug was previously cut off. The connection is made on two current-carrying contacts, black and red, ignoring the wires for data transmission. It should be remembered that at long distances, the resistance of the wire, reinforced with soldered connections, will reduce the voltage and current, so using long cable lengths will most likely not achieve a stable connection of devices. Use approximately 20-30 cm of cable for each plug and connector to avoid interruptions and interruptions.

Finally, I would like to mention how to assemble an OGG cable by hand without a soldering iron. The principle of assembly is the same as that described above, but the connection of the wires is done in several other ways. Here we indicate two of them:

1. Solder paste contains powder solder and flux and does not require the use of a soldering iron. Such paste is applied to the parts to be joined and heated with a conventional lighter.

2. There are compounds at all without the use of high temperatures. The so-called Scotch Lokas are connectors for low-current systems with a special contact cutting into the wires using a clamping device, pliers for example.

Whatever you decide to do with your own hands, remember that cutting cables is not a guarantee and replacement is not possible.