The 4 lines in a USB interface carry both data and power and are normally always on, but what if you wanted to turn some of them off? USB-Helper lets you control exactly what is being transmitted between connected devices.
From a user side of things, this can be useful when charging a device on an unknown PC or public kiosk. You may not know if the device is scanning for data, or contains malware. But this little pass-through lets you switch off the 2 data lines (D+ and D-) on the USB-Helper to protect from snooping power sources.
On a more hacker-side of things, this is handy for testing and troubleshooting. If the sound from a USB audio systems is bad it might be where the PC injecting noise and humming into the sound. By switching off the 5V-line from the USB interface, you can remove this issue entirely. If you’re developing USB devices, it’s great to test failure modes when any of these four lines become disconnected.
The USB-Helper is compatible with USB 1.0 and 2.0 devices. If you choose to purchase the kit option, some soldering will be required. There is also an option for a complete version with a 3D-printed case shown below.
