Can I connect the power and data USB wires to different things?

[Computernaut]

I want to make a phone stand with a built-in charger, I want to have it connect to my computer for file moving etc. but I also would like it to charge the phone when my computer isn't on. So I though I would build a wall adapter into the stand and attach the power wires to the wall charger and the data wires to a cable that would go to the computer. Would this work?

[Windows7ge]

Theoretically yes. I don't believe there is any sense line in the system that requires the detection of 5V power draw from a particular port before it opens data communication.

 

This is something you could test really quick'n'dirty. Just try it on a computer you don't care very much about first to make sure nothing goes wrong. 5V going into the data lines probably wouldn't be good.

[BobVonBob]

25 minutes ago, James Evens said:

be aware that most hubs are dangerous

What. That's not even remotely true.

 

Yes. A powered USB hub would be a cheap option to do this without messing with USB wires. Your motherboard may even have USB ports that give power all the time already, check your manual, it would probably be some of the USB 3.0 ports.

[Computernaut]

58 minutes ago, BobVonBob said:

What. That's not even remotely true.

 

Yes. A powered USB hub would be a cheap option to do this without messing with USB wires. Your motherboard may even have USB ports that give power all the time already, check your manual, it would probably be some of the USB 3.0 ports.

Except that my motherboard is from ~2009, has no USB 3.0 ports, and is just generally weird.

[BobVonBob]

3 minutes ago, Computernaut said:

Except that my motherboard is from ~2009, has no USB 3.0 ports, and is just generally weird.

That's probably not happening then. A powered USB hub is the way to go in my mind.