USB A to 3513 Barrel Power Cable

Overview

A 3513 barrel cable takes 5 V from a USB-A host and presents it on a DC 3.5 x 1.3 mm coaxial plug – the 3513 size. It exists because a large number of small consumer and network devices were designed around a barrel jack that is smaller than the 5.5 x 2.1 mm plug everybody knows, and because USB-A ports are everywhere those devices get installed. One end is a standard USB-A male plug; the other is a molded barrel with strain relief.

Key Specifications

Which barrel does your device actually take?

The barrel family is named for outside diameter x inside diameter, both in millimeters, and the second number is the one people get wrong. Two barrels with the same outside diameter are not the same part. The table below is the set of sizes we are asked for most often; treat it as a measurement guide and confirm against the device label or the jack on the board before you order.

The practical test is physical. A plug that is too small rattles and arcs; a plug that is too large either will not enter or, worse, enters part way and spreads the jack contact. If you are buying for a device you do not have in hand, a caliper reading across the jack center pin settles it in a minute. Where a device is documented only as “3.5 mm DC”, confirm the inner dimension – 3.5 x 1.3 and 3.5 x 1.35 are close enough to confuse and different enough to matter.

How much current the USB-A host will really give you

The cable does not set the current; the host does. A USB port advertises what it can supply and the device is expected to stay inside that figure. The values below are the ones defined by the USB specifications for the common host types – they are the ceiling for the port, not a rating we assign to this assembly. The figure your build is verified to is the one stated on your drawing.

Two traps follow from that table. The first is that many small wall chargers are marked for a figure they only deliver on one port of a multi-port brick with a shared budget. The second is that at 5 V you have very little drop to spend: a device that tolerates 5 V +/- 5% has a quarter of a volt of margin, and a long thin lead will eat it. If the device reboots under load, measure the voltage at the barrel, not at the charger.

When a 3513 barrel cable is the wrong answer

• The device needs more than the host port will advertise – use a dedicated supply.
• The device draws high current intermittently, such as a printer head or a motor – the transient is what trips the host, not the average.
• The run is long enough that drop at 5 V matters – go to a higher voltage supply at the device end, or shorten and thicken the lead.
• The device jack is a 3.5 mm audio socket rather than a DC jack – they look alike and are not the same part.

Typical applications for this 3513 barrel cable

• Mini travel routers and pocket access points powered from a power bank
• Label printers and small receipt printers on a bench or cart
• Hobby electronics and single-board builds documented with a 3.5 x 1.3 mm jack
• Small fan modules and USB-powered display adapters
• Field kits where one USB power bank has to feed several odd devices

How to specify your build

1. Barrel size – OD x ID, measured or from the device label.
2. Polarity – center positive is standard; say so if not.
3. Load current and whether it is steady or pulsed.
4. Length, and the conductor gage you want sized against it.
5. Jacket color and material, plus any print on the cable.
6. Quantity – sample lot or production.

Workmanship and testing

USB A builds are made to IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 workmanship inside an ISO 9001 system, over a 32 to 12 AWG range. continuity and pinout are verified on each USB assembly before packing, and seal checking is quoted whenever an ingress rating is on the drawing.

Material declarations against RoHS and REACH are issued per project, alongside the dimensional and electrical reports agreed at quotation; see certifications, compliance and material declarations. Where your drawing names a UL style or another approval, the build follows your drawing and ships with the supporting document rather than a claim of our own. Where this build needs an overmold, the tool is designed, cut and maintained in our own shop under in-house mold making and overmold tooling, and it is never used for another customer’s program. Related reading: cable assemblies for marine and outdoor equipment.

Custom builds and ordering

For USB A builds, prototypes run from 1 to 50 pcs with a 3 working day turnaround; volume orders begin at 500 pcs and ship 14 working days after approval. Tooling not already held adds around 10 working days. OEM and ODM USB work ships under your part number and labeling, and material certificates plus first-article reports are available.

Related DC plug power cables

• USB A to 3-5mm DC Female Cable
• USB A to 2-5mm Barrel Power Cable
• USB A to DC 5521 Male Power Cable
• DC Plug Adapter Set, 5521 / 5525 / 4017 / 3513
• USB-C PD Trigger Cable to DC 5.5×2.1mm
• Mini UPS Splitter Cable DC 5.5×2.1mm

Full range: DC plug power cable assemblies.

Frequently Asked Questions