# Controlling USB power with raspberry pi or Arduino **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [13 August 2018 01:14 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242 "2018-08-13T01:14:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John11754](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/john11754/32/871_2.png) [@John11754](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/John11754)\ **Post date:** [13 August 2018 01:14 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242/1 "2018-08-13T01:14:50Z")
I have a USB device I want to turn off and on via a Pi or NodeMCU device. I tried the trick “echo 0 \> /sys/devices/platform/soc/20980000.usb/buspower” on the PiZero, but it didn’t work. Could someone suggest a component or software solution to be able to turn on/off a USB power source? I could build something for 5v and wire a USB cable, but I had hoped there was something already out there. Thanks. -John ---
**Author:** ![Stephen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/stephen/32/1599_2.png) [@Stephen](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/Stephen)\ **Post date:** [15 August 2018 02:56 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242/2 "2018-08-15T02:56:30Z")
Hi John! Here is a link where some methods to pull this off are available, but they are using a RPI 3B+: [https://lb.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=162539](https://lb.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=162539) This one also has some less specific Linux methods to give a try: > If those don’t work you could always trigger a relay to shut off USB power externally. ---
**Author:** ![dave50358](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@dave50358](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/dave50358)\ **Post date:** [15 August 2018 20:14 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242/3 "2018-08-15T20:14:21Z")
John, I have to ask Why? Is the USB used just to provide power or something else? If it’s just power, hack the lead from a USB charger and put a relay in it. Dave ---
**Author:** ![John11754](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/john11754/32/871_2.png) [@John11754](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/John11754)\ **Post date:** [16 August 2018 00:08 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242/4 "2018-08-16T00:08:23Z")
Thanks Stephen, I’ll have a look. ---
**Author:** ![John11754](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/john11754/32/871_2.png) [@John11754](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/John11754)\ **Post date:** [16 August 2018 00:09 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242/5 "2018-08-16T00:09:10Z")
Dave, Yes, it is just for power. Would you be able to suggest a relay device for this method that would be controllable by the Pi? Thanks. -John ---
**Author:** ![dave50358](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@dave50358](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/dave50358)\ **Post date:** [16 August 2018 20:10 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242/6 "2018-08-16T20:10:00Z")
John, have a look at [https://core-electronics.com.au/raspberry-pi-relay-board-v1-0-seeed-studio.html](https://core-electronics.com.au/raspberry-pi-relay-board-v1-0-seeed-studio.html) . This has 4 relays on a Pi compatible board, but have a look around for “Raspberry Pi relay board”. Dave ---
**Author:** ![John11754](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/john11754/32/871_2.png) [@John11754](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/John11754)\ **Post date:** [16 August 2018 22:43 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242/7 "2018-08-16T22:43:48Z")
Dave, Thanks. This would work, but I’d need to have a think about how to wire in USB ports. I don’t want to cut the USB cables for the devices I want to switch on/off. -John ---
**Author:** ![Stephen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/stephen/32/1599_2.png) [@Stephen](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/Stephen)\ **Post date:** [17 August 2018 01:16 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242/8 "2018-08-17T01:16:09Z")
Great suggestion Dave! Before this conversation I wasn’t aware that there was a way to remove power from a USB port via software. John, I would take a USB hub and wire that up to the relays for power, then you could shut your devices off without compromising the original USB cords. ---
**Author:** ![John11754](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/john11754/32/871_2.png) [@John11754](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/John11754)\ **Post date:** [19 August 2018 11:24 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/controlling-usb-power-with-raspberry-pi-or-arduino/3242/9 "2018-08-19T11:24:52Z")
Interesting… The bind/unbind work on the Pi3B+. Cool. Unfortunately, it turns off ALL usb ports and ethernet. To shut off power on USB ports (this shuts power on ethernet as well): **echo ‘1-1’ |sudo tee /sys/bus/usb/drivers/usb/unbind** To turn power back on **echo ‘1-1’ |sudo tee /sys/bus/usb/drivers/usb/bind** I have no idea what this ‘bind’ and ‘unbind’ are doing… -John