Hardwiring USB Power

Hello,
I’d like to mount an Aeon Multisensor outside on a junction box (replacing an old dumb motion sensor). Ideally, I’d like to hide the USB power supply inside the junction box.

Does anyone know of a clean way of doing this? Particularly a 120VAC to 5VDC power supply with screw terminals would be perfect. I’d like to avoid hacking the included USB power supply.

Thanks

bazillions on ebay…

If you find one with screw terminals, let me know, I’m looking for that type as well…

You could always buy something like this and just use a standard USB wire:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_369050-63374-WP2UWF_0__?productId=50281801

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@ritchierich I’m trying to hide the connection inside the junction box to keep it out of the weather. I’m gonna stop by the local electronics shop and see if they have anything with screw terminals.

I realize this is ancient but did @NorCalLights or @Mike_Maxwell or anybody else find the solution here?

I’m trying to figure out how to hide USB power to devices as I re-wire my house. I can obviously put in normal wall plugs that have USB but then I’ll have them in extra places where I don’t need them for anything but the single USB cable and I’ll have the cable dangling along the wall. I do plan on having those plugs separately, I just don’t want to have to place that many extras.

Also, I’m honestly not sure how those modules from eBay work? Without the screw terminal do you have to solder the wires?

@Sparhawk2k if you’re comfortable with a soldering iron, the best way by far is to ask your electrician to run 22 gauge ethernet cable (which is cheap and versatile) or thermostat wire (which is really cheap, but can be harder to solder because it’s 18gauge) to all of the locations you want sensors. Run those cables back to some central location. Then once your drywaller is done, solder on USB-A receptacles, and use the supplied USB cables that came with your sensor to connect. At the other end, you just need a source of 5V DC power. A large USB hub would work.

If you don’t want to solder, the best way I’ve found is with a recessed single-gang receptacle and an off-the-shelf USB power supply (from any smartphone).

http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/SectionDisplay.jsp?section=39935

But that means running 120VAC power everywhere you need 5VDC power, which will be more expensive.

One of the other option is buy a 10,000mAh usb battery pack and hide it in the junction box. You will probably need to charge it once in a while but that will get you away from running wires and soldering.

Here’s a link to some neat solderable USB connectors:

It should be a piece of cake to solder those on the end of some ethernet cable. They make USB type A (for the utility closet end) and USB type A receptacle (for the sensor end).

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I’ve also taken to utilizing the available 3.6v output on the aeon micro controllers to power sensors that are used in the vicinity of the micro’s. Granted this is not often, but it is there as an option.

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