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Connecting iPad to desktop question
I am successfully sending both audio and MIDI from my iPad Pro to my desktop PC set up. The audio is connected via a simple Y cable which runs from the iPad Pro to two inputs on my Focusrite audio interface. The MIDI is connected via Bluetooth. All works great.
All I am trying to achieve is to keep the iPad plugged in and charging whilst I am using this set up. I already own an Apple USB-C Digital AV Multi-port adapter and a Ugreen USB C Hub Type C to 4 Port USB 3.0 adapter. It seems however I set this up, I am either getting iPad audio into the desktop set up OR I am charging the iPad, but the audio fails to reach the PC. I'm beginning to wonder if the Apple adapter is broken? More likely I'm not connecting things correctly - any advice gratefully received.
Comments
I have just tried to test the Apple adapter. I ran a cable I know works from my normal iPad charger, then plugged the adapter into the iPad. Simple as that - no power getting to the iPad. So I guess the Apple adapter is broken. And guess what? Just out of warranty
Hmmm. Broken is very unlikely. Which model/year iPad Pro is it? What charger are you using? Watts? USB-C connection? Could you post a pic of the non-working hookup?
Have you tried turning over one end of the USB-C charging cable? They're supposed to work either way, but some cables may not.
I use a ugreen USB C hub, and it charges the IPAD while send ipad's audio to my digitakt. The Ugreen dongle has a USB-C port marked as "Power". I understand the hub usb-c input needs to have explicit indication that you can use it to charge the computer/tablet host.
What does the y cable consist of? ie what are the connectors on each end and how do you connect them to stream audio to the PC?
@uncledave @Phillix @Mountain_Hamlet thank you for replying.
Let's not confuse the issue with the UGreen, I think what I am wanting to do should work with just the Apple adapter like this:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IAPJ8crNPj7968GMAyp8TGQKT_5QyJnu/view?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18nZBOQd3MhNPy3uwtWkuR7IpOvbanPn_/view?usp=drive_link
In the image with the single black cable (it's a Y audio cable), this works perfectly - audio is transmitted out of the iPad Pro (it's a 2021 12.9 M1) to my PC DAW. The only issue is that the iPad is not charging.
In the other image, you can see the Apple adapter and a cable going off to a 30W charger. This does not charge the iPad, and audio is NOT transmitted.
I also tested the Apple adapter by attempting to charge a pair of Bluetooth headphones - if the Apple adapter is connected between the charger and the headphones, the red charging light on the headphones lights for a few seconds, then goes off. If the headphones are plugged directly into the charger, the red light stays on.
This all makes me think the adapter is faulty.
(Incidentally, I tried swapping the cable around as suggested. And @Phillix the UGreen I have doesn't have a USB-C port marked "power")
OK. That Apple adapter has 3 ports. A USB-C Power Delivery (only) port, an HDMI video port, and a USB-A port for USB devices. (Note that the USB-C port on the adapter is marked with two parallel lines, meant to indicate that it is power-only.) You cannot get data from the Power Delivery port, and you cannot push power into the USB-A port. Your pic shows that you are trying to do both of these; audio dongle to Power Delivery, and power to USB-A through adapter. You need to connect the USB-C charger to the USB-C Power Delivery port. And you may be able to connect the USB-C audio dongle through the adapter to the USB-A port. If that does not work, you will need to find a different solution. I believe there exist USB-C audio dongles that include a Power Delivery port; they've been discussed in this forum.
Also, if your USB-C hub does not include a Power Delivery port, you will not be able to power it and charge the iPad while using it.
You can learn more about USB-C Power Delivery from a web search.
I think @uncledave nailed it.
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OK - I have swapped the two cables over. The USB-C audio dongle is connected to the USB-A port and that successfully sends audio. However, the USB-C charger is now connected to the USB-C Power Delivery port and the iPad is still not charging. Also, I repeated the test on the Bluetooth headphones, this time with the the USB-C charger connected to the USB-C Power Delivery port - the result was exactly as before.
Does your 30 W USB-C charger charge the iPad using the same cable, connected directly to the iPad USB-C port?
Could you try the Apple charger and cable that came with the iPad?
The issue is that, in order to charge higher-power devices, like your iPad Pro, the charger supplies power at a voltage higher than the traditional 5V of old USB. That voltage level needs to be negotiated over a special pin in the USB-C connector. And the cable plays a part in this game as well; it has a special chip in the connector. Cable specs identify their ability to handle PD up to a certain level (watts); not all cables have this.
It does, yes.
I will see if I can find the original charger and and cable that came with the iPad.
@uncledave Just to let you know, I couldn't find the original Apple charger, but I thought I'd try buying this USB-C hub for £22, on the basis that I could send it back if it didn't work. Fortunately it works perfectly, using exactly the same set up as the Apple adapter, so I can only conclude that the latter has become faulty. Let's hope it stays working. Thanks again for your assistance
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09NJKB7JK?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
@BillS . I'm concerned that your cable may not support Power Delivery, so you may not be getting the benefit of your 30 W charger. I've done some testing with my 10" iPad Air M2. It has a 28.93 Wh battery and charges at about 1%/min. from a 30 W charger. Your 12.9" iPad Pro M1 5th gen. has a larger 40.88 Wh battery, so I'd expect it to charge at about 0.71%/min., or 2 hr 20 min for a full charge. If your iPad takes about twice as long to charge, it may be using the default 5 V voltage that USB-C falls back to when Power Delivery cannot be established. The Apple adapter may require/expect Power Delivery, so it appears to fail to charge the iPad. You could try the original Apple charge cable, or buy a new cable that explictly supports PD.
@uncledave Thanks - all I know is that it is working for my purposes right now, but I’ll store this information in case of future issues.