I watched a video on YouTube with some Navy guy soldering two pins to the Red/BLack wires of a USB cable(it lasted 13 minutes and 26 painful seconds). I thought I would learn something but that's all there was to it. When I connect a USB power to my Arduino widgets the voltage drops precipitously. Is there a reason for this or is my USB jack just being rude to me?
Many USB cables have fairly fine wires which can lead to some IR voltage drop. Also devices with USB sockets
usually have current limiting built in. What total load current are you needing?
"When I connect a USB power to my Arduino widgets the voltage drops precipitously."
You might explain what the "Arduino widgets" are.