ExploWare

Modifying a USB cable like that will break communication. You could try reading up the USB documentation, but most USB clients will need the 5v to detect a host, and nearly all communication need the shared ground. If it was just a pure UART you could leave the 5v (most commonly the red wire but not always) disconnected and still have normal communication,but for USB like here it is not the case. There are only few implementations of bi-directional communication using two wires, most have time-based-transmission to avoid collisions. If interested, search RS485 for example. Modifying a USB cable like that will break communication. You could try reading up the USB documentation, but most USB clients will need the 5v to detect a host, and nearly all communication need the shared ground. If it was just a pure UART you could leave the 5v (most commonly the red wire but not always) disconnected and still have normal communication,but for USB like here it is not the case. There are only few implementations of bi-directional communication using two wires, most have time-based-transmission to avoid collisions. If interested, search RS485 for example.