Thread: Garmin and dash cam have non standard USBs.

I have a Garmin and dash cam in my D2 with a twin adaptor in the cig lighter and the step down plugs for the dash cam and Garmin in the double adaptor.
This is a great lump of a thing to have on the console.
So I thought that a much more elegant setup would be to fit a USB step down plug and then buy USB to Mini USB cables to run the dash cam and the Garmin.
ALAS it seems not to be possible.
At first I tried plugging both into the USB port of my Pioneer stereo, but both Garmin and dash cam thought they were connected to a computer.

So I thought Hmm, maybe because the stereo IS a computer it is causing problems.
So then I plugged both into a USB converter panel mount I have , which is connected to a wire with a Merit plug. This is definitely only a charger.

The result is the same, the Garmin starts getting a green line which indicates it is linking to a computer rather than being charged.

So my conclusion is that the wiring in the mini 5 USB plug and/or the other end is not standard configuration.

Has anyone got any ideas on how to achieve charging of the dash cam and Garmin via a USB to mini 5 USB plug, without resorting to pulling apart and resoldering, which I think would be in practice impossible for me anyway. Is there a converter available?
Regards Philip A

Hmm, I just had another thought. The USB to mini USB cable I was using was a Garmin one. I don't think I have another non Garmin one to try, but that could be an issue.

So by Googling I found the answer, but it still doesn't help much unless you are a tech.
Garmin Nuvi GPS Power Connector pinout diagram @ pinoutsguide.com

It seems you need a resistor between pin 4 and 5 of the mini 5 USB.

Regards Philip A