My Kyros uses 5v to recharge the battery. So I thought I would create a USB cable that could be used to recharge the Kyros anywhere I had access to a 5v power source (computer, portable battery, or 12v USB charger). Building the cable was very easy.
List of parts.
- AC to DC power adapter with interchangeable ends.
- USD 2.0 Cable
- Heat shrink tubing.
- Electric tape.
I took a USB 2.0 cable and trimmed it down to about 2 feet. Then I took a universal power adapter and cut the end off about 4 inches long. I bought a piece of heat shrink tubing and placed it on the USB cable. I then trimmed back the rubber cover and shielding on the USB and power cable.
You will have to determine which wire is the positive and negative on the power adapter. However with an interchangeable ends you can make the cable and then figure out positive and negative. I say this because I didn’t want to connect the power connector to my tablet with the polarity reversed.
Take the USB cable and cut off the green and white wires. Then take the red wire and connect it to the positive side of the power cable end. Then connect the black to the other wire. I cut down the electric tape to a small strip and then wrapped it around the positive wire and once it was covered I wrapped the rest around the negative wire.
I slid up the shrink tubing and heated it to shrink it around the portion of the cable I just wrapped with electric tape. Make sure it is long enough to cover the entire area. This will seal the cable and keep the tape in place and help keep the cable together.
Then you need to take the tip shown in the previous picture and trim the yellow tip down. I used a razor blade and trimmed off about three quarters of it. You can compare it to your Kyros AC charging plug to get the right size.
One thing I will say is that if you use a USB 1.0 cable the power level sent through the cable is about 10 to 20% lower than if you use a USB 2.0 cable. I did test this.
I can use the Kyros and charge it at the same time. I can now charge it on my computers or I have a portable battery to charge my phone and now my Kyros. This helps to address the battery life issues.
Here is what my cable looks like, also you can now use this to charge any USB device that you can get the interchangeable tips for.
If you do this an it fries your Kyros I am not responsible for any damage to your device. You do this at your own risk. However I have built two cables and have used them for about 4 months now.
12 Comments To "USB charging cable for Coby Kyros"
#1 Comment By Wayne On May 31, 2011 @ 00:13
Thanks for the great idea. However you can save some cash by going to Radio Shack and getting an Enercell Replacement adaptaplug socket (p/n 273-350) and an adaptaplug tip “A” (p/n 273-334). I did this and not only made the USB cable but also replaced the tip on my OEM charger since it was straight which meant that eventually the wire would break from using the tablet while plugged in. (NOTE: The mid7024 has a 90 degree plug.) The only downside is that you don’t get the other plugs but the Shack has all of them too so you can just get the ones you need
#2 Comment By Alan Murray On June 26, 2011 @ 13:54
Great now I can buit this plug for my daughters unit since the plug broke.
#3 Comment By ogwatermelon On June 27, 2011 @ 12:16
If you still want an AC charger, just buy the universal AC charger and modify the tip as I did in the post.
#4 Comment By Eddie On September 26, 2011 @ 12:17
Hi Wayne,
I just went to Radio Shack & bought the Enercell socket
and tip “A”. How do I connect the two wires from the
socket to the 4 colored wires of the usb cable?
#5 Comment By Eddie On September 26, 2011 @ 13:15
Hi Wayne,
I just bought the Enercell socket and tip from Radio Shack. The socket has only to wires. How will I connect it to a usb cable that has 4 wire?
#6 Comment By ogwatermelon On September 27, 2011 @ 00:23
You will connect the red and the black wires only to the two wires on the socket. The red is +5 volts and the black is ground. Just cut off the other two wires and then I used electric tape for the initial wire insulation. Then I used black heat shrink tubing to seal and help keep the cable together. He was just adding another list of parts you can use to the article above.
#7 Comment By Laura On January 27, 2012 @ 11:29
I’m wondering if you can charge without using the DC input. My daughter’s is very touchy and we have to wiggle the cord to get it to work. We’ve tried different chargers so I know it’s the connection inside the tablet that is the problem. I really don’t want to go through the hassle of dealing with the warranty, just to get a refurbished one with new ‘issues’. Any suggestion other than a replacement?
#8 Comment By ogwatermelon On January 27, 2012 @ 22:43
The Kyros uses a separate charging port from everything else. There is only a few things you can do. If it is the charging socket that is bad you can try to solder it back together or replace it. The circuit board has a regulator in it so bypassing it and connecting to the battery is bad idea. Warranty may be the only route. Once you open it up you void the warranty. Just somethings to think about.
#9 Comment By Ron On March 14, 2012 @ 04:04
Hi, great idea. Just ordered MID7022 and want to take this a step further & buy an already made solution. Do you know what the original charge plug dimensions are? According to Radio Shack adaptaplug “A” dimensions are 2.3mm/0.7mm. This seems close to Nokia (2.0mm/0.6mm), but probably would not fit (you can get Nokia USB power cable for a few $)… Would be great if someone can test this.
Anyway, If you go to dealextreme.com and search for “usb phone charger” you get a bunch of USB interchangeable tip power adapters, but all seem to have the new Nokia tip (too small?) & a bigger tip (old Nokia?) which might be too big…
Would be great if someone checked which of those adapters has the correct tip for Coby.
#10 Comment By ogwatermelon On March 14, 2012 @ 17:48
This is the same tip that this YouTube video uses for his MID7022. I trimmed down the yellow tip to about half the size to make it fit better. Here is a link to the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHFgo817lz4
#11 Comment By Kay On August 6, 2012 @ 11:41
The part on Mid7015 that takes the wall charger no longer works is there anyway I can charge it using the usb part of the tablet? I can plug the usb into my laptop would that work? I need it for school and i need it to work.
#12 Comment By ogwatermelon On August 6, 2012 @ 22:51
The charging system on the mid7015 is not part of the usb. So charging can only be done through the 5v charging jack. Is it the jack that is bad or the charger? If it is the jack it will take some work to get a new one soldered on. You can build a usb charger cable if the charger is bad.