Question about double headed 'Y' USB cables and power

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Netherspark

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Feb 11, 2016
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I've just bought an external optical drive, and it requires a double-headed USB cable.

Now, I'm not going to leave the drive set up all the time, I'll put it away in a drawer and only take it out to use. Normally I'd leave one end of the the USB cable plugged into the PC, so I can connect my phone or charge various things, but I'm wondering, due to the extra power on it, if it would be harmful to my phone, tablet, Ps4 controller etc?

So basically, is it safe to use a double-headed USB cable on devices that don't normally use them?
 
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The purpose of a dual USB is generally to provide extra amps of power to the device, as MCMunroe is saying. A standard USB port does not provide enough total power to run your external optical drive, so they provide a means to use power from more than one USB port. This will have zero bearing on any other USB device, unless your USB hub that you are connecting the optical drive to does not have enough total overall amperage for all connected devices. This will result in USB devices disconnecting from lack of power, but otherwise no harm done.

As far as using a double headed USB cable on devices that don't need them, it probably won't hurt them one bit. The amperage used is determined by the device while the voltage is determined by the...
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bigpinkdragon286

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Oct 3, 2012
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The purpose of a dual USB is generally to provide extra amps of power to the device, as MCMunroe is saying. A standard USB port does not provide enough total power to run your external optical drive, so they provide a means to use power from more than one USB port. This will have zero bearing on any other USB device, unless your USB hub that you are connecting the optical drive to does not have enough total overall amperage for all connected devices. This will result in USB devices disconnecting from lack of power, but otherwise no harm done.

As far as using a double headed USB cable on devices that don't need them, it probably won't hurt them one bit. The amperage used is determined by the device while the voltage is determined by the source, your USB ports, and ultimately, it's probably going to be setup in such a way as to be a standard USB voltage, with higher current capacity. The only other option would be to double the voltage and keep current capacity the same, which would be very odd.
 
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