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Driving Power-Hungry Dongles With DAPs/Android Devices and iPhone (E1DA Splitter and Apple Camera Adapter Review)

Current-hungry DACs drain our DAP/Android Devices fast – and Apple’s current-draw limit frequently just results in an error message. The solution is an external power bank – which is easy in the DAP/Android case, but still problematic with iOS devices. Here’ s how to do it…with the E1DA splitter (2 kinds) and the Apple Camera Adapter.

This article is based on discussions with Alberto and I thank him for his insights…which have cost me lots of sweat in the meantime. Gordon Rankin or Wavelength Audio pointed the Apple restrictions out to me. I purchased all these cables myself. My testing refers to extreme cases. The E1DA splitters work as advertised as they are optimized for their own products.

Introduction

Dongles are little DAC/amps that draw their operating current from the host, which is either a computer, phone, DAP, or tablet. They have the advantage that they do not subscribe to planned obsolescence as they do not rely on an internal battery that dictates their life span. And they are small because of it. That’s why I like them.

E1DA Splitter, error message
Oh no! iPhone tells us it does not want to supply more than 100 mA. We are SOOL.

There are principally two kinds of dongles, such that limit current draw to preserve the host’s battery, and such that…don’t (I wrote about this here). The first are limited in their performance, and the second drain the host (too) fast. Remember the 36 hours we got out of our iPod Classics?

Apple adds the “fun fact” of limiting current draw to 100 mA for most of their iOS devices. Reason is their fear of dissatisfied customers falsely claiming battery failure on warranty when their phones’s batteries drain “too fast”. If we connect our dongle with a current draw exceeding 100 mA, we get no music but a cryptic error message instead. Not good.

There are exceptions, when the iOS device is fooled to believe the draw is below 100 mA…by means of fudging the descriptor table in the software (according to Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio). Hidizs S9 Pro and ifi Go Bar (both around 140 mA), for example, appear to get around the restrictions, as both work with my iPhone SE (1st gen.), Astell & Kern’s PEE51 does not.

Luckily, some third-party Lightning cables exist that trick the iPhone to believe the current draw is lower than 100 mA…which is only a short-term solution, as it does not stop the battery from draining fast. E1DA have published a useful spreadsheet that tells you which Lightning cables work with which iPhones with their 9038SG3 and 9038D DACs (which draw above 130 mA).

E1DA splitter, current draw
Current draw of some dongles.

Android devices and most DAPs are more forgiving – and work even with the biggest current w**res (excuse my Italian). But not for long in each case before you have to hook your device back up to the charger.

Therefore, in order not to run out of juice prematurely – and to entice Apple devices to play through our monster dongles – we need to use an external power source to drive those – and the readiness of the host to accept them.

The theory is simple: just separate power line and data line in the cable connecting host and dongle. As a result, the dongle draws its power from an external 5V power bank (or out of our 5V wall charger), and its data (“music”) from the phone/DAP/tablet. Computers are exempt in our discussion as they always provide enough power to any dongle (USB 2 up to 500 mA).

Stop! The theory may be easy for Android devices/DAPS, but things can be way more complicated for iOS devices, when the 100 mA current-draw limit needs to be circumvented.

E1DA splitter, ddHifi TC28i, Hidizs LC03
Two E1DA splitter cables. The upper one is the $19.99 USB-C to Lightning version, the lower is the $4.99 USB-C to USB-C version. Both are physically identical, the lighting plug must account for this huge price difference. The USB-C to USB-C splitter can also be turned into a makeshift lightning cable using the ddHiFi TC28i adapter or the Hidizs L03 adapter (centre of image).

What we need for DAPs/Android devices is a splitter cable (with separate data line and power line), an external battery, and the music host. This also works for iOS devices with <100 mA draw, but the Apple Camera Adapter is needed for anything higher. And that’s not all: you also need an MFI-certified USB-A (or USB-C) Lightning charging cable to make it work. Let’s test all possible cases.

DAPs/Android Devices with external Battery and E1DA Splitter

The easy case first to warm you up for things to come. What we need:

We plug it all in – and it works. The source device is not charged during music play and the Groove receives the required current from the power bank. Easy peasy!

E1DA Splitter, Hidizs AP 80 Pro-X, Apogee Groove
E1DA USB-C to USB-C splitter works even with the most power-hungry dongles…and a power bank.

iOS Devices with external Battery and E1DA Splitter vs. Apple Camera Adapter

1. Dongles with a Current Draw <100 mA (or a Software Manipulation pretending it is <100 mA) –> E1DA Splitter and Apple Camera Adapter work

Well, that’s smooth when the connected dongle draws less than 100 mA as it essentially works like the DAPs/Android device above. It just need a different E1DA USB-C to Lightning splitter cable that sets you back $19.99. Just in the case above, your iOS device is not being charged during operation.

E1DA splitter, Questyle M15
E1DA LIGHTNING SPLITTER WORKS FINE IN THIS CASE: Questyle M15 draws only approx. 90 mA current, the cable therefore does not have to trick Apple’s chipset (which this cable cannot do anyway). In this setup, the iPhone is not charged during play as all power goes into the Questyle M15 DAC/amp. When the phone is unplugged, the DAC still gets power from the bank.

2. Dongles with a Current Draw >100 mA (and without Software Manipulation pretending it is <100 mA) –> only Apple Camera Adapter works, E1DA Splitter does not

In this case, the E1DA USB-C to Lightning cable does not work. All you get is an error message. The power bank fuels the Groove properly, but there is no chip telling the iPhone it does actually not have to supply power to the Groove. Hence the iPhone reacts as it would without power bank: it does not want to do it. Thank you, Apple.

E1DA Spliter, Apogee Groove
E1DA LIGHTNING SPLITTER DOES NOT WORK IN THIS CASE: iPhone recognizes Groove’s high draw of >100 mA, but is unaware it does not have to supply it, as it comes from the power bank. That’s because splitter cable lacks a controller chip to communicate with iPhone’s power management.

We still can drive the Groove but need different equipment to do so. Please fasten your seat belt! We need the following ingredients:

  • iOS device
  • $49 Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter
  • Power bank
  • MFI-certifed Lightning charge cable
  • Dongle (here again the current hungry, 280 mA consuming, very powerful Apogee Groove)
  • Micro USB to USB-A cable
  • Headphone

This works beautifully. The power bank funnels current into the Apple Camera Adapter with its controller chip that informs the iPhone that it does not have to supply current to the Groove. And the Groove draws its power from the power bank, which is controlled by the iPhone. On top of that, the iPhone charges while playing.

What is MFi?
MFi stands for “Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod” and is a quality approval from Apple themselves. Manufacturers run their iPhone, iPad and iPod accessories (Lightning cables, gamepads, Bluetooth controllers, and so on) through compliance and safety tests. Apple collects a licensing fee for each lightning adapter, which adds to the cables’ price. You can check for MFI-certified products here.

But there is still another hurdle: the charging cable has to be MFI certified to be able to communicate with the Apple Camera Adapter’s controller chip. Lightning cables by Amazon (Basics), Apple, IKEA, Startech and UGreen worked in my tests, OTG cables by ifi Audio, ddHiFi, and OE Audio did not (they are unidirectional “the wrong way” and not designed for charging). No power through the latter – and the well known error message appears on my iPhone. Bummer!

E1DA splitter, Apogee Groove, Apple Camera Adapter
Using Apple’s camera adapter, the iPhone is charged while playing (a fundamental difference to the E1DA splitter). This only works when the power line (white cable) features an MFI-licensed chip (cables by Amazon Basics, Apple, IKEA, Startech, and the depicted UGreen work for me). You can search here, whether your cable has such a certification. The Apple adapter is intelligent enough to supply both devices (phone and DAC/amp) with power. If the phone is unplugged, the DAC gets no power at all.
E1DA splitter, Apple Camera Adapter
Apple’s Camera Adapter. Data are transferred from the iPhone to the dongle via the lower black cable. Current is supplied by the power bank via the upper white (MFI-certified) cable.
E1DA splitter; Apogee Groove, Apple Camera Adapter
Same as above but power supplied through an MFI-certified Startech cable. The OETG, ifi Audio, and ddHiFi Lightning cables I tested are not designed for charging and DO NOT WORK.
E1DA Splitter; DragonFly Cobalt.
AudioQuest DragonFly Cobalt is designed for low current draw. It works fine as is with a phone. No power bank and therefore splitter cable are needed. As downside, DragonFly’s power and current feed to the headphone is limited. That’s why AudioQuest recommends using the Cobalt not with earphones/heapdhones below 24 ohm (16 ohm works fine in my experience).

Concluding Remarks

Driving dongles with DAPS/Android devices and power bank using the E1DA USB-C to USB-C splitter cable works universally.

In contrast, iPhones (tested with SE 1st gen. and 13) do not like to draw zero current when they are not told to do so by a controller chip. As it appears, the Apple Camera Adapter draws some current from the iPhone but also from the power bank. E1DA’s USB-C to Lightning splitter works different from Apple’s Camera Adapter as it talks to the dongle and not to the iPhones’s power management. Therefore, iPhone does not charge while being connected to the E1DA splitter.

And I wished E1DA added a chip (as in Apple’s Camera Adapter) to make their Lightning splitter universally usable (Apple apparently makes this impossible for audio designers without an MFI license – and E1DA are probably not an accredited MFI contract manufacturer). E1DA’s USB-C to Lightning splitter is therefore of limited use for third-party dongles – but it works as intended with E1DA’s own DACs. This cable is not MFI certified.

As a rule of thumb, E1DA’s USB-C to Lightning splitter will only work with dongles that iPhone believes are drawing less than 100 mA current. And Apple’s Camera Adapter only works with MFI-certified charge cables. Nothing is perfect.

Until next time…keep on listening!

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Author

  • Jürgen Kraus

    Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

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Jürgen Kraus (Calgary, Canada)

Head-Fier since 2016. He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community. - For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on. - This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

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