HDMI Expansion Card mod to save power

[kjhoerr]

There are screws on the expansion card, so it’s possible to disassemble + reassemble. Someone did something similar for the USB-A expansion card:

Passifying the USB-A Card

I read a lot about how the USB-A cards cause additional power-draw even when no device is plugged in so I modified a card so it only uses power when a device is plugged into its USB-A port. The Card signals to the main board that it is plugged in by having a 5.1k resistor pull-down to GND. [top] I started my mod by first isolating the shield of the USB-A socket by de-soldering the 4 tabs. This will isolate it from GND unless a shielded USB plug is inserted. [bottom] The next step is to re…