Hack that holy USB cable!

This instructable is showing how to use the power of the USB PORT of the computer or laptop instead of batteries.
Lots of gadgets are made for the USB PORT nowadays, lamps, ventilators and small vacuum cleaners.

Why don't you try to make something funny yourself, using the USB?

This instructable very low tech, demanding your inventor and designer skills more than electronics. And no programming!

We will take one of these gadgets as a starting point (they are very cheap, 1-2 euro's) and make something experimental out of it, demonstrating the paper button principle. It is like having a very superficial dream compared to working with programmable chips and sensors and complex wiring jobs.

We use the principle of the paper button:
( see this instructable:   http://www.instructables.com/id/Paper-button/  )

Step 1: Tools

You need simple tools for this instructable.
A screwdriver, scissors, a cutter, glue, tape, maybe a soldering device comes in handy too.

for the button: paper, aluminum foil, and electrical wires.

Paper is a rich material, there are a lot of different papers and quality of papers, for the buttons we use light pliable paper, but for a base you can use heavier more stiff papers. I like the Japanese papers very much, but also used paper, printed paper, paper with texture on it. Also the paper which has been in the sun, yellow is nice. Paper is very much wabi-sabi for me...

And we start with a gadget, but once you discover the principle, you can use old USB cables from a mouse, or whatever.

What you don't need is batteries!

Comments

[JesusGeek]

Look at my DIY button (click on my profile name, look at my instructable, look at DIY push button 2)

[frank26080115]

Try not drawing more than 500mA of current

[nodoubtman]

computer usb draw only 100 mA , be careful!

[contrechoc]

Good comment. Thx!
With LED's (with a proper resistor) and this kind of light motors, that will be ok.

[GASSYPOOTS]

hack a flashdrive to have a female connector :D and make a 2 way male :D

[megg]

i like the way this instructable helps demystify our computers a bit!

[plerno]

:) you will indeed have trouble reading the article in german.its in dutch

[contrechoc]

Quite true, the newspaper is in Dutch, and the writings of Heidegger are in German. The paper button is made of an article about the "outrage" of Farias in 1987. The article was hidden in my copy of "Sein und Zeit", which I read in those days. Later on, my favorite text was "Die Technik Und Die Kehre", which, although only 34 pages, took me 1.5 years to read and understand. And this text influenced me much. (To be able to understand it I needed to read a bunch of other texts of Heidegger, like "Wass heisst Denken", "Der Staz vom Grund". ) Coming from the Dutch language (closely related to German, employing the same structure, but also quite distinct) I felt having both an advantage and a disadvantage regarding the understanding of the German of Heidegger.

Indeed my making of Instructables is indirectly related to the impact of "Die Technik Und Die Kehre" on my behavior. Heidegger situated "Technik" (technology) directly in the domain of "Kunst" (art) and being an artist, from that moment on, I zoomed in on technology...

[Prfesser]

You have perfect timing! Rather than connecting to a USB port, I need to provide 5 V to a mini-USB connector on my MP3 player. Still, your Instructable showed me what I need to know. Thanks!!

[contrechoc]

Nice! It took me a while working with Arduino's to discover this 5V source. And even then - to take the step of cutting a USB cable. The reason why the word "holy" is in the title of this instructable. This USB cable seems to be protected by "magic"!