Electronic – Will cutting only the Power Lines damage the Data Lines or the Device

datasdswitchesusb

A USB 2.0 Cable should have 4 cables.
They are the Vcc, Data+, Data- and Ground.

Will only disconnecting the Vcc OR Ground Wires damage the Connected Device or the Data Wires?

I currently have a USB SD Card reader that I like to Disconnect and Connect. The reader is mounted on the table, so to disconnect the reader, I would plug off the USB Cable connecting the reader and the computer.

To solve this problem, I would like to place a switch in the power lines, but I wonder if this will break the device since the Data cables are still connected but the power lines are disconnected.

Any answer will be Appreciated. Thanks in Advanced

Best Answer

Put a disconnect switch in the power line, but leave the ground connected all the time. This works fine and does what you expect.

(Obviously if you try this with a self-powered USB hub or device it may ignore you turning the power off, but most are bus-powered devices.)