Pre-charge circuit for USB devices
I ended up implementing a time-triggered switch using a MOSFET:



simulate this circuit &ndash; Schematic created using CircuitLab
The time constant responsible for switching the FET (R1xC1) is 10 times larger than the precharge time constant (R3xC2), so by the time M1 starts conducing, C2 is already charged to &gt; 90% via R3.