How to charge iPad and transfer data via Apple Lightning camera adaptor?

[Rosco99]

Hi, just wondered if anybody could help/advise as I'm not getting this for some reason....?!?!
Surely there must be a product/product device to afford this problem solving? -

Basically, I use ForScore app for reading PDFs on an iPad (lightning connection) but in addition this app also transmits MIDI program change messages that are received by a Yamaha DTX Pro drum module and the app also outputs digital audio (backings) as well (given that the drum module has a USB channel to balance/route this audio).

This all works perfectly together via a lightning/camera adaptor to USB lead (with the more expensive Apple camera adapter in use).
However, the iPad is always running off battery in use in this scenario.

So, is there any way of charging the iPad in use and still transmitting the same USB data from the device from its lightning port that will actually work?

Is a hub type device required and if so I'm not sure what product will actually do this?

Can anybody advise?

Again, I've found only the official Apple camera adapter seems to work so I'm even more wary/confused as to what to get that will work?

Thanks in advance for any help....

[adrian_k]

I have been thinking about getting one of these, apparently allows simultaneous usb access and lightning charging. Not official Apple, but cheap enough to give it a try:

https://amzn.eu/d/3rN7uL8

[James Perrett]

Apple make 2 camera adaptors - does yours have the USB-C connector in addition to the USB-A or does it only have USB-A?

[Rosco99]

Thanks for the replies.
I have the £30 official Apple one with the single USB-A connector that works fine (but doesn't afford charging obviously!).
Originally tried a very cheap one of these before and for some reason it just didn't work but this Apple one does.
As you say, there is another £45 version which has the USB-A and USB-C connections.
Maybe this official Apple £45 one will actually do what im after re both the iPad charging and data transfer?
It's just confusing in the product description for it as there is no mention of the charging aspect and it doesn't make sense what it is describing to me...!
I appreciate the suggested cheaper version from Amazon (that looks the same to me) mentions about the charging functionality but im just mindful of it working.

https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/M ... 5J3ZM/A-UK

[Jimmy B]

I have the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter, which I bought 3 years ago. I am guessing that they are still the same. It actually has a Lightning socket (not USB-C) in addition to a USB-A socket. This allows you to plug in your existing Lightning charger. I can confirm that this charges my (oldish) IPad, which has a Lightning socket.

I previously had a non-Apple adapter that stopped working after a few weeks. I don't know if I was just unlucky.

It appears that newer IPads have Thunderbolt ports. If you have one of these, then presumably this adapter would not be suitable.

[Rosco99]

Ok, thats great to know and many thanks for the reply/info.

[Martin Walker]

I previously had a non-Apple adapter that stopped working after a few weeks. I don't know if I was just unlucky.

This is a very common problem that 's caught most of us out at some time or other, whether it's iPad adaptors or just cables, and particularly if they involve Lightning connectors.

Now that I have one of the lastest iPads with a USB-C socket I can finally use industry standard replacement USB-C charging cables without Apple deciding after a few days that I've not plugged in one of their far more expensive 'official' versions.

[Jimmy B]

Yes, that was my suspicion as well. But I couldn't (be bothered to) prove it.
The Apple branded device works well, but I'm not really in favour of the modern trend to move near-essential ports to external adaptors, with the associated inconvenience and risk of losing them.

[Martin Walker]

The Apple branded device works well, but I'm not really in favour of the modern trend to move near-essential ports to external adaptors, with the associated inconvenience and risk of losing them.

I totally agree - it's a very bad design decision by Apple. I have a friend with a Lightning-connected iPad who bought a Lightning Digital AV Adapter from Apple, so she could watch iPad movies on her large screen TV via a long HDMI cable.

It cost £50, but because the much heavier and less flexible HMDI cable ends up flexing the thin adaptor cable about half an inch from the Lightning connector, the adaptor cable has already become intermittent.

The slightest movement while watching a film now results in momentarily breaking the video connection, and then you have to reboot the iPad to get its video signal re-recognised by the TV's HDMI connection.

Apple eh?

[ManFromGlass]

I did overspend for an apple adapter that looked like the above photo. It has USB and lightning slots side by side so I could charge while doing USB things.
My ipad is 2nd gen so lightning is the connector on the ipad side.
I went apple as I didn’t want to mess around with testing and sending knock-off adapters back.
It has lasted awhile and is still going strong but I’m very careful with trying not to stress the adapter.
If I was using a thicker cable like HDMI I would probably duck tape the HDMI down or put a brick on it so it would stay put and not stress the cable so much.

[Martin Walker]

If I was using a thicker cable like HDMI I would probably duck tape the HDMI down or put a brick on it so it would stay put and not stress the cable so much.

Sage advice MFG, and if now bought any official Apple adaptor I'd also reinforce the half inch of sleeve next to the Lightning plug itself (the break occured exactly where this ended and the cable was suddenly more vulnerable) with several inches of decent heatshrink.

However, in this particular scenario, the large TV was in the bedroom, while the iPad controlling the chosen streaming movie was several metres away, balanced on the bed. Somehow I doubt that a brick or duck/duct tape would be a popular solution here

[ManFromGlass]

Oi! A bigger brick!

Or bed closer to TV!