First of all: If you’re not familiar with DeadDrops, visit deaddrops.com!
You surely know these new type of USB sticks which are very thin because they don’t have the classic-iron USB connector. I had a bunch of them at home and wanted to use them as DeadDrops, but in my opinion the plastic connector is not solid enough for a DeadDrop’s life of rain, physical stress, and vandalism. I solved this problem by soldering an end of an USB cable to them. I think that’s really easy, so get your slim USB stick and an old cable or connector and get started!
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Step #1:
Next- What you'll need:
- A slim USB stick
- A male USB connector with or without a cable
- Soldering iron
- A pair of scissors or any kind of nipper pliers
- Hot glue (optional)
- Heat-shrink tubing
- And some plumber's tape or any kind of waterproof tape (not in the image)
Step #2:
Next
- If your stick has got any kind of a non-solid plastic casing, remove it.
- Removing the plastics can be done using a knife, a screwdriver or a Dremel-kind-of-tool.
- You should end up having the circuit board (as in my case) or the elemental plastic part with the connectors.
- Be sure that you are opening only the outer plastic casing and not the inner one!
Step #3:
Next
- To get ready for soldering, you have to prepare your USB cable / USB male connector first.
- If you are using a cable end:
- Gently remove about 1-2 cm of the outer plastic insulation of the cable.
- Remove the tinfoil shielding by peeling it back and cutting it off. (Sometimes the shielding consists of many small wires. Don't worry, cut 'em off too!)
- Now strip the four colored wires.
- If you are using a male connector:
- Remove any plastics that are covering the inner parts of your connector using a knife.
Step #4:
Next
- Now it is time to solder the USB stick and the connector or wire together.
- Be sure to solder the connections right and stick to the image if in doubt. (Oh, and sometimes the green wire is blue.)
Step #5:
- If you like you can use heat-shrink tubing and/or hot glue to secure the solder connections.
- After that you just have to wrap the finished USB stick with some tape to make it waterproof and you're done!
- A finished Dead Drop can be seen here at the Dead Drops Database
