Around the web I've seen some pretty cool flash drives, especially here;
http://abduzeedo.com/25-really-cool-usb-drivers
I want to make something so geeky and tacky that it's awesome :O
Here's my diagram, and don't worry When built it will clean and well rounded
http://www.flickr.com/photos/18915810@N02/6319446428/in/photostream
My question will this work?

I don't see why not. What potential issues do you have in mind?

Just making sure before I start creating it So if I have this contraption plugged into a pc / laptop / etc, with the switch in the off position, the sub will not be detected until the switch is flipped to on, correct?

I'm assuming the switch isn't within the wall. As long as the wires that transmit power are properly connected I don't see how it wouldn't work. After you make a successful prototype you could try putting it inside the light switch!

Lol not quite comic, I have a bunch of those wall switch components downstairs for some reason. I'm not sure how that would work inside the wall.

EDIT please read!----
I've hooked everything up according to my picture above, but my laptop says "Cannot read, drive has malfunctioned" or something. When I hook up the flash drive just normally though it works fine. What did I do wrong?

I would definitely buy this.

Yes, as long as you keep the actual USB intact, it should work.

I should probably do a castlevania-themed one

I could be wrong, but I'm thinking your lightswitch is putting up significantly more (or perhaps less) resistance than the USB system can handle. Pictures would help though.

I once put a flash drive in a naked doll with a trenchcoat. It was my "flash" drive. I can't post pics for obvious reasons.

As long as the light switch is on the +V line, not either the D+/D- lines (and probably not on ground), you won't have an impedance-matching problem. I definitely second the suggestion that you try to fit the flash drive into the light switch itself.

I'm not sure how happy USB devices will be if you connect their data lines but not their power lines. Quite a few devices have protection diodes on their I/O lines (protecting against negative voltages) and can therefore draw power from these data lines. As the data line voltage is lower than the power supply voltage (3.3V v 5V) you may end up with strange issues even after you apply the full 5V that only a full reset (disconnecting and reconnecting all power) fixes.

The physical USB connectors have been designed with this problem in mind - the power pins are longer than the data lines, making contact first.

Hmm, you make a very good point there; didn't think of that. Do you have any suggestions other than a 3PST light switch?

2PST should be all you need, as it's safe to connect the power lines in advance - it's the data lines that are the problem.

However, I'm sure you'd agree with me that sending high-frequency data signals through a light switch is not exactly a robust design... I'm afraid I'm not really sure what I could recommend to be able to switch a USB device on or off "nicely"; Maxim make some promising-looking parts but getting hold of them can be a challenge.

For an illustration of where I think the problem might lie, here's a diagram from an AVR datasheet:



I've circled the offending protection diode in red. If the voltage on Pxn is above the positive supply voltage current will flow through the diode, powering the chip. As this accidental power supply will likely be out of range for the particular circuit design the chip doesn't work quite correctly, and needs to be properly reset (fully power cycled) before it does.

This is, of course, a complete guess as I don't know how the USB flash drive is designed but it should demonstrate why connecting data lines but not power is an unwise idea unless special consideration has been taken in the design of those data lines.

The pictures in that post you linked to look really cool (except that they posted the Lego one twice, but then I think that was one of the best). It reminds me of an article in a magazine someone showed me about hiding a flash drive in a working AA battery. I really wanted to try it, but I didn't have a soldering iron :/

I like your idea too—a flash drive with an on/off switch

I'm the last person who should be asking "why" to any sort of hardware-hacking project, I'm well-aware, but why does it need an on-off switch, exactly? Deep Thought, that looks awesome, and is very well thought-out. I'm extremely impressed at the idea to put a coin cell inside for the voltage.