Does anyone read these anyway?

September 27, 2006 1:30 PM

Probablynotfilter: Is there a way I can keep usb on during standby mode on my laptop, so I can charge my mp3 player?

My mp3 player annoyingly did not come with a wall charger. All it has is usb. I use a laptop, and close the lid and let it enter standby mode when I'm not using it.

But, often, I'd like to be able to charge my player without keeping the entire laptop on (the screen alone is annoying when I want to sleep, and before the blank screen sets in).

Is there a way I can do this?

posted by kingjoeshmoe to technology (9 comments total)

Just get an AC-USB adapter.
posted by kcm at 1:32 PM on September 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

"Does anyone read these anyway?"

Many people (me for example) read metafilter through an RSS reader. In that case, that Title is all I see of your question, initially.
posted by vacapinta at 1:59 PM on September 27, 2006

depends on the model, right? For some reason I remember being able to charge my ipod via my last laptop, an acer travelmate, if the notebook was plugged in but in standby. But I could be making this up.
posted by paxton at 2:01 PM on September 27, 2006

kcm, that might just be the solution. Do all things using usb accept a standard charge of 5.5V + 5%?

vacapinta, sorry (and thank), I know for next time.

paxton, I have an IBM thinkpad, FWIW.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 3:08 PM on September 27, 2006

Don't know if this will help you, but I use my PS2 to charge my wife's Nano! You've got to turn it on to make it work, but I've always liked the fact that I've got those two free USB ports in the lounge room for charging if I need them!
posted by ranglin at 4:08 PM on September 27, 2006

Oh, and to answer your question, yes, all USB ports should output a charge of ~5V, which means that all USB devices should be expecting that voltage. Don't know about the AC-USB adaptor, but one assumes that it also delivers the standard USB charge.
posted by ranglin at 4:10 PM on September 27, 2006

You can set your laptop to merely switch off the screen when you close the lid, instead of going to standby, but I'd get a wall adaptor as kcm suggests.
posted by -harlequin- at 4:33 PM on September 27, 2006

You don't mention what mp3 player you have, but my Creative Zen Micro charges from USB even when my computer is completely shut down (I have to plug it in when the computer is turned on though). So I'm guessing it's down to the model of your player rather than the laptop.
posted by saturnine at 5:06 PM on September 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

Why not buy a powered USB hub? You're bound to need the extra ports eventually.
posted by punilux at 3:32 AM on September 28, 2006