FLX4, iPad Pro, Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter

DJ Hardware
1

Hi!

I’ve been using this setup:

  • iPad Pro 1st Gen (latest IOS release with Lightning port)
  • Djay2 (latest release)
  • Pioneer WeGo4

Everything has worked fine thru the years. I have now replaced the WeGo4 with a Pioneer FLX4:

Now, I have seen some posts about power supply to the iPad during play. The FLX4 has a USB-C port for connecting devices. If I use a USB-C to Lightning cable everything works fine but the iPad runs out of battery as the FLX4 does not charge the iPad.

The posts I have seen mention “Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter” to solve this issue. But is it working as I have seen post where the user haven’t got it working.

So should I go about and buy a Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter and will it solve the power supply issue for the iPad?

Thanks.

2

I don’t see why that shouldn’t work. The power supply unit could be a weak point, but it could easily be replaced with a model with higher performance.

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3

“I don’t see why that shouldn’t work. The power supply unit could be a weak point, but it could easily be replaced with a model with higher performance”

Thanks! I guess i’m just a bit confused by that adapters name that has “camera” in it but nothing about “power supply”.

4

Originally, the adapter was designed to connect external cameras to the iPhone, but of course you can also connect other USB devices with it. In addition to the USB port, there is also a Lightning port for power supply. You plug the adapter into your iPad, and to connect to the Flx4, you need a USB A to USB C cable, and then you also need the normal iPad charging cable, which is also connected to the adapter. This supplies power to the iPad, and the controller gets its power via the USB connection to the iPad. However, since both devices now need to be powered, the power supply must also provide sufficient voltage.

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6

→ Get a USB charger (and cable) that supports 15 watts.

  1. The USB charger for the 1st gen iPad Pro only supplies 12 watts
  2. The FLX 4 needs 15 watts.
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7

Thanks as usual @Chris_R and @Michael_Wisniewski. Perfectly explained!

8

Thanks for the info.

I have connected the FLX4 with a USB charger that can push up to 120W but no charging of the iPad. And i’m using an original USB-C to Lightning cable from Apple.

I saw this on the spec for the FLX4:

Power Consumption
Via USB power adapter: DC 9V, 3A
Via USB bus power: DC 5V, 500 mA

Terminals - USB
2 sets USB Type-C port (PC/Mac connection & power supply ×1,
Only power supply ×1)

How should the “Via USB bus power” be interpreted? Does it mean that the FLX4 can supply DC 5V, 500 mA if it itself has sufficient power supply??

9

Yes, the FLX4 will charge your iPad - if it is getting enough power, but, I made a mistake in my previous post → the FLX4 needs 27 watts of power (9V x 3A) to charge an iPhone/iPad. For reference, the standard Macbook Air USB-C charger/cable supplies 30 watts, while most phone/table chargers (and cables) provide less than 15 watts.

Notes:
The FLX4 can output 15 watts (5V x 3A) of power to the iPad/iPhone, if it is being supplied at at least 27 watts on the power port.

from the FLX4 manual

Screenshot 2025-10-06 at 11.33.39 PM
Screenshot 2025-10-06 at 11.33.39 PM882×590 133 KB

Screenshot 2025-10-06 at 11.17.21 PM
Screenshot 2025-10-06 at 11.17.21 PM1920×424 62.2 KB

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10

Thanks! I will give it a try tonight, The 120W charger has a very long cable that could affect the power output, I will use a short USB-A to USB-C cable to power the FLX4 and then try the original Apple USB-C to Lightning to connect the iPad.

Fingers crossed :slight_smile:

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11

Thanks again @Michael_Wisniewski.

@amar.andersson I also recommend that you use the following exact connection sequence:

  1. Disconnect all cables and adapters from your iPad and DJ controller.
  2. Close djay.
  3. Perform a Forced Restart of your iPad.
  4. After restarting, connect your genuine Apple Camera Adapter to your iPad and confirm there is a blue peripheral icon in the top right of your iPad screen.
  5. Connect your charger and high quality cable to the Camera Adapter and confirm that your iPad is charging.
  6. Connect the charger to your DJ controller.
  7. Connect your DJ controller to the Camera Adapter using a high-quality USB cable (ideally with dual ferrites on either end).
  8. Confirm that your DJ controller powers up.
  9. Launch djay.
  10. Open the djay Settings>MIDI Devices and confirm that your controller is shown under MIDI DEVICES.
  11. If not, scroll down to the bottom and press Rescan for MIDI Devices.
  12. If this doesn’t work, unplug the USB cable from your DJ controller for a second then plug it back in.
  13. If this doesn’t work, try a different USB cable.
12

Thanks! I will try that.

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13

I think I have found the issue and a how to resolve it:

I have been using a cable that is supposed to be low resistance together with a 120W phone charger. The length of the cable (USB-A to USB-C) is 3 meters. When calculating the resistance and voltage drop then it showed that it would never work with that setup: Here goes (Please excuse any errors on my part):

A typical high-current USB cable pair (e.g. 20 AWG power conductors commonly used in 6 A cables) has approximately 0.0328 Ω per meter per conductor (example value based on measurements). Since current flows back and forth, we shoulduse round-trip length = 2 × cable length when calculating resistance.

Round-trip length = 6.00 m

Resistance per meter (example):

AWG20 ≈ 0.0328 Ω/m (common in many 6A cables)
AWG18 ≈ 0.0210 Ω/m (thicker cable)
AWG16 ≈ 0.0133 Ω/m (very thick cable)

AWG stands btw for American Wire Gauge and the number for the wire’s gauge size.

AWG10 - 2.59 mm
AWG14 - 1.63 mm
AWG18 - 1.02 mm
AWG20 - 0.81 mm

If the cable is ~AWG20 (R ≈ 0.0328 Ω/m)

  • Round-trip R = 6.00 m × 0.0328 Ω/m = 0.1968 Ω

  • At I = 3.00 A → voltage drop ΔV = I × R = 3.00 × 0.1968 = 0.5904 V

  • Voltage at the device = 9.00 − 0.5904 = 8.4096 V

Result: the device sees ≈ 8.41 V, i.e. below 9 V.

If the cable is thicker, ~AWG18 (R ≈ 0.0210 Ω/m)

  • Round-trip R = 6.00 × 0.0210 = 0.1260 Ω

  • ΔV = 3.00 × 0.1260 = 0.3780 V

  • Voltage at the device = 9.00 − 0.3780 = 8.6220 V

Result: ≈ 8.62 V, still below 9 V (but closer).

If the cable is very thick, ~AWG16 (R ≈ 0.0133 Ω/m)

  • Round-trip R = 6.00 × 0.0133 = 0.0798 Ω

  • ΔV = 3.00 × 0.0798 = 0.2394 V

  • Voltage at the device = 9.00 − 0.2394 = 8.7606 V

Result: ≈ 8.76 V, still below 9 V.

So I could never have come up to the required 9V 3A.

I tested with a shorter cable and another adapter. And “et voilà”! The iPad started the charge via the FLX “device” port.

I have now bought a special cable that should be able to handle up to 240W (SS USB-C) and an adapter that can push up to 65W (9-24VDC). I hope that will do the trick.

Thanks everyone for helping me :slight_smile:

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14

Perfect! Glad you were able to sort it out. Very often, I find that the cable is the issue. Thanks for sharing your detailed solution.

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