How can a magnetic micro usb cable work in both directions?

[supak111]

Hey all, just wondering about this cable. I have one of these Micro-USB magnetic cables and it charges my phone no matter which way you connect the magnetic top. I don't understand how it works when usb pinout has v5+ on one side and ground on the other? Shouldn't it only work one way than?

PS maybe a tiny micro controller in the head of it?

I understand it should work on iPhone because the connect can be plugged in both ways anyways.

My cable is just like the one below, it has 5 pins.

 

[Bluejets]

Maybe something like a-this

 

[supak111]

how would that help? bridge rectified turns ac into dc, here both sides are dc...

the cable also has a little green/red led. when you connect it it turn red when its charging which makes me think there is some kind of microchip in there deciding which pin to connect to which so that + - power and 2 data wires connect to correct pins...? I'm extremely tempted to destroy the cable just to find out lol

 

[Bluejets]

Take a GOOD look at the drawing.

DC applied in either direction gives dc out at the required polarity.

Pretty sure that's what you were after...

 

[supak111]

Ohh so you are saying the little tip that stays in your phone has a tiny bridge rec in it, not the cable itself?

 

[Alec_t]

... or it could simply be wired with, say, pins 1 and 5 +ve, and pin 3 -ve.

 

[supak111]

Ahh that is probably what it is. But that still leave pin 2 and 4 open for usb data transfer and they need to be + and - as far as I know so how to deal with that?