Description
This splitter separates the 5V power and data lines in a USB cable. Power and data go to different places, while ground remains shared. This prevents power conflict and protects your devices. It is designed primarily for DIY PiKVM setups based on Raspberry Pi 4B but will be useful for many other DIY projects based on Raspberry Pi.
This USB splitter safely separates power (5V) and data lines inside a single USB connection.
Why you need the splitter in DIY PiKVM
When building a PiKVM from scratch, you need to supply power to the Pi board and transfer USB data to a host. The USB-C port on a Raspberry Pi 4B can receive both. However, the Pi easily starts feeding power back into the computer's USB port. This can damage the port or cause instability.
The solution: This splitter isolates the 5V line while keeping data (D+/D–) and ground connected:
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Pi gets clean 5V from a dedicated supply
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No need to rig up a power supply through GPIO pins
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Data flows normally to/from the computer
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No backpowering, boot failures, or random host reboots
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No USB device detection issues
Other use cases
Use this splitter whenever you need USB data without shared power:
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USB gadget mode on Raspberry Pi (4B, 5, Zero, Pico)
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Embedded Linux devices with USB OTG
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Custom KVM or remote management projects
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Any DIY setup mixing USB data and external power
Bonus feature: thanks to the USB Type-C design, you can rotate the splitter to choose where you want power/data sockets to be, on the left or on the right.
How to connect
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Connect the power input to a 5V (up to 3A) power supply.
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Connect the data port to the target laptop, worsktation, or server.
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Connect the USB-C output to the Raspberry Pi.
Power and data will remain electrically separated and function as a single USB interface.
Key advantages
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Prevents reverse power flow (backpower)
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Protects host and target USB ports
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Ensures stable Raspberry Pi power delivery
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Maintains full USB data functionality
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Simple plug-and-play installation
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No firmware or configuration required