Convert a USB cell phone charger to a remote USB power supply
Good for USB devices that may be power hogs; offload your laptop computer USB port's power source

Some cell or smart phones can be recharged off a USB port, and there are plug in chargers designed to provide the 5V over the same USB cable that was used to connect that phone to a computer. Here this charger is modified to make its USB connector's data lines able to be connected to a computer's USB port. This mod is mostly a mechanical thing, you crack open the charger's case to get access to the circuit board. Obtain a USB cable (keep the end with the type A plug attached) and strip the other end to have the green, white, black, shield and red wires available. My cable came off a Microsoft Xbox accessory; I kept its molded on cable strain relief. Keep the exposed wires short, use heatshrink to insulate the braid shield wires. Look at the data connections of the USB connector that is mounted on the circuit board, they are likely shorted together. Separate them, probably you can cut the trace between them.

To get the USB wires to the back side of the circuit board, I drilled a hole in the circuit board in an empty area, away from the "hot" (non isolated line connected) circuitry. Connect the USB cable wires as per the table upper right, but leave the red wire unconnected. Tuck the red wire under some heat shrink or some other secure method to keep it disconnected and to not touch anything. Carefully test it (as you'd have exposed powerline portions exposed) with a thumb drive, and be sure your computer can see this thumb drive. Check you didn't get the data lines backwards or shorted if it doesn't work right. Assuming success, reassemble the charger, cutting a slot or hole in its case to pass the new USB cable.