DIY USB extension cable.

Hey guys!

I recently moved my desktop to a different place. Unfortunately it's too far from the router and I didn't have such a long Ethernet cable.
I did have a WiFi adapter which I started using with my computer. 
The desktop sits on the floor and hence the WiFi connection was unstable.

A 3m long USB cable was the ideal solution.
USB extension cable on Amazon was  priced at 500 rupees (about $8),  hence I decided to make my own cable,  Which would cost less and also be fun  to make.
Let's get to the things you need to make one yourself . 
Things needed:

1)USB female and male  ports -  new or salvaged from old hardware.

2) Perforated PCB
3)Cat5 network Ethernet cable (any other good quality wires can be used. They'll work! )
4)Heat Shrink Tubing -  2mm - 10mm
5) Necessary tools.

You  need to know the pin diagram of an USB port . This is a USB 2.0 type A connector and is the one I'm using.   There are 4 Pins.  Pin 1(red) and 4(black) are the power,  2(white) and 3(green) are the data pins.
The pins on the female and male ports need to be connected accordingly.  1 to 1,  2 to 2, 3 to 3 and 4 to 4. 

1) Gather all the parts needed.

2) Cut the perforated PCB to the size needed.

3) Insert the female and male ports onto the PCB's and Solder them.(widen the holes if needed) . You don't have to do this if you use ports with pre-attached cables.  You'll need to strip of the insulation to expose the 4 wires and then pre-tin them.  For both the male and the female connectors .

4) Now it's important that the length of the wire is LESS than 5 meters .
USB cannot be extended for more than 5m without adding a buffer.

5) strip both ends of the wires off the insulation and pre-tin the individual wires. Make sure to use heat shrink tubing(you can also get away with duck tape or electrical tape).

6) In the CAT 5 cable I'm using,  there are 4 pairs or wires.  I'll be using the 4 colored ones and leave the other 4 wires for future use. 

7)Solder one of the port at one end of the cable.  Keep note of the wires and the pin numbers as you'll have to connect the wires in the same order at the other end.

8) Solder the other port and you're DONE!! .  Do a quick test and check if it works properly.  If it doesn't work then check if you have wired the pins properly and if the wire has good Continuity using a multi-meter .

You can also make you own Audio Cables too, custom length for very cheap. It will be a different post.
You can buy Electronic components from this website they have a big collection and also ship internationally.

Well that's about it.  Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more Electronics tutorials. 
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