Database Develop

Alpine cradle small grill holes, whats in there?

Hi fellows,
I was wondering about the small grill holes on front of the Alpine cradle since I am using it. today I have finally opened it and that was a dissapointment, there was nothing attached to that grill as I was thinking it could be a microphone or a speaker. Have a look.
Cheers
Sidd

Ha!
Thank you for doing that. It was something I'd wondered too!
My question to you now is....
...did your cradle still work when you put it back together? lol

Yeh mate, it is working absolutely fine.
Cheers
Sidd

are there some adjustable elements? I am thinking, why my 4500mA battery does not work with it max capacity... It can not charge fully.

No Server, there were not any adjustable switches or jumper at all. This is just a simple 2 PCB cradle as you can see in the picture, 2 PCB (printed Circuit Board) one for phone and other for battery (indivisually).
Try to check your FULLY CHARGED battery with a voltage checking machine (Multi meter) and see if the mentioned "mAh & VDC" are giving the correct output, if not and if you have bought it recently, then try to talk to the seller.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=46455&criteria=multi meter&doy=23m4
:idea: GoodLuck :idea:
Sidd

pins 2 ad 3 via wich charge is going reports me 0v...
My multimeter can not see any voltage on them at all!!!
Both battery somehow senses precence of the phone(so, in phone it works)...
Is this possible with this multimeter: http://www.multimeterwarehouse.com/dt830b.htm

If the phone is detecting the batteries that means obviously the batteries has got voltage in them, seems like you are not using the right setting on your multimeter, try to check any normal AA (normal household) battery and see if the multimeter is showing anything.
GoodLuck
Sidd

Yes, on normal battery and even on Siemens SX1's battery voltage shows.
But no voltage on Qtek battery. Using pin 2 and 3, 20V DCV setting on the multimeter.

I got a serial cradle some time back to permit me to sync. to Virtual PC (since the Connectix version didn't support USB). I was also curious so I looked - on the serial cradle, there IS a microphone behind the grill. I've not been able to do much with it but it is there.

Hi server sorry for the late reply mate.
Ok The problem is I haven't got any multimeter with me at the moment, I might go to some electric shop to try one. I will let you know as soon as I got something.
Cheers
Sidd

Second Battery Slot - Does it Work?
sidd,
Do you know if the spare battery slot actually charges a battery if you put one in?
Kind regards.

Yes it absolutely does charge the battery, it also indicate by an ORANGE light where written "Aux Battery", and turns GREEN once fully charge.
Sidd

Thanks sidd ...
Bu$$er. Mine must be broken. It has never worked, never lit Aux light, any colour. Is there any selection I might have missed, or is it most likely a duff cradle, would you say?
Kind regards,
viffer

The second slot will only charge if you have the power supply plugged in, it won't work off the USB alone. I have three cradles (two USB, one serial) - they all behave the same.

Alpine Cradle 2nd Battery Slot
sidd/mtbsoft
All working now thanks. I had been using a gash multi-voltage power supply from Tandy. When I brought the original O2 power pack down from the bedroom and swapped it, everything worked fine.
Thanks all.

anytime mate,
good luck

Those grills are for a microphone but this is not included in the standard cradle supplied with the phone. You have to order the special cradle from an O2 supplier. The spare jack socket at the rear is also designed to connect to external stereo speakers but again is missing in the standard cradle. Considering the price of the XDA it is sad to think they removed these minor items so that we would need to order another cradle at $60 if we wanted to use our XDAs as desktop music players. They saved a dollar in costs and removed much of the funtionality of the cradle.....

Bit **** that, ain't it. :/

ianpac said:
Those grills are for a microphone but this is not included in the standard cradle supplied with the phone. You have to order the special cradle from an O2 supplier. The spare jack socket at the rear is also designed to connect to external stereo speakers but again is missing in the standard cradle. Considering the price of the XDA it is sad to think they removed these minor items so that we would need to order another cradle at $60 if we wanted to use our XDAs as desktop music players. They saved a dollar in costs and removed much of the funtionality of the cradle.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now this might be pushing it but, it seems we have some chaps here that aren't to daft when it comes to electronics?! So what I'm thinking if someone has the cradle that does have the mic etc in it, then we could have a butchers at theirs, and retro fit ours?

mtbsoft said:
I got a serial cradle some time back to permit me to sync. to Virtual PC (since the Connectix version didn't support USB). I was also curious so I looked - on the serial cradle, there IS a microphone behind the grill. I've not been able to do much with it but it is there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't suppose you fancy taking the base off again?
I wonder if you could compare the insides of you serial cradle that has the mic with the insides of a USB that doesn't.
The reason I ask is I'm wondering if we'd find that everything is there for the mic/speaker on the USB version, just the mic is missing. If that was a case its easy to get hold of a mic and add it in yourself.
This has all suddenly reminded me of a article I saw when I first got my XDA, some chap saying that he was doing hands free at his desk using the cradle.
Tom

xperia cradle ?

has anyone seen an xperia cradle for sale ? i prefer having my phone sitting in the cradle whilst at work so that i can see the calendar / appointments, etc.
i realise the fact that the mini usb port being on the side means that it's unlikely that the phone can be charged whilst it's in the cradle ...
has anyone spotted one ?

Haven't seen one. I'd also like this and it would be great if you could have an alarm clock similar to the new Blackberry Storm as seen in the link below.
http://blogs.eveningsun.com/AC/2008/10/blackberry_storm.html

I found a link to this one over at xperiax1.net
Cradle + extra battery charger

good spot !

really ugly though with the loose usb cable hanging out.
Has anyone seen something with a solid usb connector (i. e. side frame with connector on it to push the phone agains)?
I want something where I can just push/slide/drop/whatever the phone in with one hand and have it connected, and just pull it back out to get it back!

downloadtest82 said:
really ugly though with the loose usb cable hanging out.
Has anyone seen something with a solid usb connector (i. e. side frame with connector on it to push the phone agains)?
I want something where I can just push/slide/drop/whatever the phone in with one hand and have it connected, and just pull it back out to get it back!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I'm worried that with the position of the USB connector that it might not make cradle manufacturer's life easy for this phone. Is there president for a phone with a jack on the upper-side having a plug-and-charge cradle made for it?
I need to have a phone that can have a charge/stand that clicks right in.

i ended up buying the one in the link above. it's pretty lame if i'm honest but it's better than nothing ...
i can't see how any design is going to allow anyone to just grab the phone and remove it without having to wrestle with a connector at the side of the phone. annoyingly, there is only one input which (obviously) is the sync cable meaning that it's charged via my usb port rather than the mains (i.e it takes forever to charge ...)

we bought two of them, one is working one not. So we ordered directly by the manufacturer obo Hongkong and they arrieved yesterday. Both do not work! No connection to the PC! Error messages!

Hi guys,
I too was very suprised with the fact that I couldn't find any cradle which has a (as you call it) plug-in connection.
Enough reason for my to design and build one myself. I'm still in a very early stage of building, but I was wondering what would a cradle like that be worth for you guys, just to check if it would be furthwhile the make more than just one for myself.

They should just make a horizontal/landscape cradle that you slide out the keyboard and dock it like an UMPC. Honestly the vertical cradle looks hedious.
edit: just realized that's what the bb storm has. there you go.

mrdo said:
has anyone seen an xperia cradle for sale ? i prefer having my phone sitting in the cradle whilst at work so that i can see the calendar / appointments, etc.
i realise the fact that the mini usb port being on the side means that it's unlikely that the phone can be charged whilst it's in the cradle ...
has anyone spotted one ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/17827.htm
Sorry for the repetition.

I'm with outie. The vertical docks look cheap and lame and don't show the X1 off to it's best, nor do they allow you to use phone the way it was intended.
We need a horizontal cradle that it can sit in with keyboard open like a real desk organiser. Hell, it even looks like Sony could have planned it that way by putting the sync connector on the bottom of the keyboard!

Got one directly from Brando (with spare battery). However it sucks ass. There are several kinds made by some OEM and it differs in number of ports. The Brando one has just one miniUSB input and the adapter just gives 1A. So you can only charge OR sync. So bit useless, as charging phone and battery through USB will take forever and charging phone and/or battery with that adapter would take also significantly longer, than the original CMU-20 and you cannot sync.
I saw one with two ports so you can sync and charge from your socket.. Wonder if mine can be opened and if it has also two ports, just hidden.
But hey, what do you want for 20USD?

Recharging Options

How are you guys recharging your HD2's? I've been relying on the USB connector at the bottom of the phone, but my concern is that after 'x' number of connects/disconnects that the socket will wear out as it started doing with my Kaiser.
Do you guys know of any pin-based adapter or battery hatch modification with external contacts that would enable us to lay the phone on a stand or platform without having to use the internal USB port on the phone which will eventually wear out? The 'powermat' would be great, but it's not available for the HD2. Does the new HTC car mount recharge the phone too, or is it just a bracket?
I'm thinking of something along the lines of how bluetooth headsets recharge, where the pins are external. It just worries me that the micro USB connector will eventually fail, which on a $700+ phone is not an attractive option.
Your thoughts?

The connector will not fail. At least unless you force/damage it yourself. It has been adopted as a connection/charge connector on ALL new phones now, of any brand, so you can bet they tested it thoroughly before.
If it fails.. well that's what the warranty's there for.
To answer the original question, I charge using USB, and also an external charger for my spares.

kilrah said:
The connector will not fail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand your point, but to my way of thinking it's still a physical connector made of metal and plastic. It will fail eventually, trust me. These connectors are tested to withstand a reasonable number of connect/disconnect cycles for the average user. But cell phones tend to get used more, and this phone among other cell phones because of the cpu and screen will need to be recharged even more so.
Also, I'm not talking about the point of failure, but the limit of usability. The connector on my Kaiser got to the point where the cable wouldn't stay lodged in the housing and would drop out of its own weight. Although it still worked, it made for awkward handling while in the car trying to use a coiled charging cable that would drop out on its own.
So what I was looking for was a replacement battery hatch which would connect with the internal contacts, and a corresponding mount/dock of some sort so that it would minimize the physical stress of multiple connections and disconnections.

BillTheCat said:
How are you guys recharging your HD2's? I've been relying on the USB connector at the bottom of the phone, but my concern is that after 'x' number of connects/disconnects that the socket will wear out as it started doing with my Kaiser.
Do you guys know of any pin-based adapter or battery hatch modification with external contacts that would enable us to lay the phone on a stand or platform without having to use the internal USB port on the phone which will eventually wear out? The 'powermat' would be great, but it's not available for the HD2. Does the new HTC car mount recharge the phone too, or is it just a bracket?
I'm thinking of something along the lines of how bluetooth headsets recharge, where the pins are external. It just worries me that the micro USB connector will eventually fail, which on a $700+ phone is not an attractive option.
Your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got the car mount today. It Does recharge the phone - there's a mini usb plug built into the bracket, and a lead plugs into the base of the bracket, and then into your 12v socket. A nice touch, the lead is actually long enough to be able to route it nicely.

ebeam said:
I just got the car mount today. It Does recharge the phone - there's a mini usb plug built into the bracket, and a lead plugs into the base of the bracket, and then into your 12v socket. A nice touch, the lead is actually long enough to be able to route it nicely.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, but what I was really after is a solution that does NOT involve the USB port on the phone.

I've seen battery chargers on Ebay. That's probably the only sensible solution if you're really that worried about the USB connector...
I think I remember reading something about some sort of wireless recharging pad that you can put phones and mp3 players on that would recharge them without any cables but I've got no idea if it would work on the HD2 or if they are even on sale yet.

There was old HTC CU S400 car Update Kit. It has direct conection to the battery throug back cover http://www.slashgear.com/htc-hd2-cu-s400-car-kit-gets-priced-detailed-coming-december-1360143/#entrycontent. New mount have MicroUSB connection http://www.clove.co.uk/viewProduct.aspx?product=53E28901-63DD-4E93-99F6-BF3D0B88BD04

lachutm said:
There was old HTC CU S400 car Update Kit. It has direct conection to the battery throug back cover http://www.slashgear.com/htc-hd2-cu-s400-car-kit-gets-priced-detailed-coming-december-1360143/#entrycontent. New mount have MicroUSB connection http://www.clove.co.uk/viewProduct.aspx?product=53E28901-63DD-4E93-99F6-BF3D0B88BD04
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the former is along the lines of what I had in mind. Just surprised that no aftermarket solutions have been developed for the phone to make it easier to charge without wearing out that micro-usb connector.

As the mini USB port is a standard size, (not just used by HTC) if you should ever 'break it', most phone repair shops will be able to replace it quite easily.
A lot less hassle than opening up your phone to plug things in the back.

Friend purchasing nook for me. Should I get anything else?

I have a friend who is visting the US (I'm from Canada) and I asked him to pick me up a nook. Not finding clear info in some of the reviews, mainly concerned about charging.
This charges over usb when hooked up to your computer right? Just want to make sure it doesn't use a proprietary cable for charging. I read on the ipad side, that older computers don't give out enough power to charge over usb, is that an issue with the nook?
What adapters/cables does it come with exactly? And is it just a standard mini-sub for the charging?
Also, this has a headset jack correct? I've read no bluetooth, I guess there's no way to get a mic working on this then.

Micro USB, will charge VERY slowly using a computer. Includes a 2amp wall socket and special cable to quick charge (still micro usb, just more pins). Has a headset port but does not come with a headset.

I've only had a few mobile devices. I read the ipad can charge over usb if the mobo supports giving out that extra juice. Some mobo's have a new firmware update to enable this.
The connector is micro-usb but just more pins. Hmm. so if the cable breaks or I misplace it no other micro-usb will charge it?
edit: i read a little more and found that it's 30 pin proprietary cable to speed up charging. I also read the galaxy tab does something similar.
Does anyone know if they use the same pin configuration? probably not, but I can get tab usb cables here.

I know you didn't ask for it but I'll tell you anyway
In case you are worrying about registering your device (mandatory at initial setup).
I'm NOT in the US and it worked fine.

Good to know. Thanks.
But I'm more concerned about charging it and relying solely on their cables.
I read the ipad can trickle charge on newer computers but some wouldn't provide enough power. Asus et al have released utilities to increase the power to the usb ports.
I can't post the links but endgadget has an article about it providing links to those utilites. They just talk of apple devices but does this work with the nook?

It comes with a charger for US-type sockets and only if you charge your nook with this (and yes, it is proprietary ) it'll charge quickly. It does seem to charge when you connect it to a standard PC USB port but at an extremely low rate.
On the device Micro-USB (not Mini) is used.

You say it does seem to, do you mean from personal experience? How slow? It sounds like that if you do own one it was so slow you didn't let it finish.
Like if it's 8hrs overnight, I can live with that, but I want to confirm that there is a plan b and not solely rely on their cables.
And as I mentioned asus and others released utils to give more power output to the usb (although these seem like their were only created for ipads). Wondering if those utils speed things up.
for ex, google asus ai charger to see what I mean.

I received my nook Color a mere few hours ago so I can't tell you a lot about its charging behavior It "seems" to load slower via standard USB... if you want to know about the details check one of the large threads on the NOOK and its rooting. I remember reading some information about the USB connector and its peculiarities there.

Ah you just got it. I see.
I found this on the root thread:
'
"There are 12 pins coming off the connector. It looks like there are no pins for the standard micro USB portion, only the extended 12 pins. 2 pins are used to bring in +5V, 2 pins are for signal ground providing a hefty circuit for the 2A charging. USB takes up two pins, and as far as I can tell 2 more are for each LED via current limiting resistors. Two more pins go to discretes that I haven't identified, and two more pins are unconnected. I'll take my scope to them when I have some time."
Not sure what he means when he says no pins for the standard micro portion...

Maybe the plug doesn't have standard USB pins, but the NOOK itself does have standard USB pins as well as the proprietary ones. Because I have trouble inserting the original B&N plug, I went out earlier today and bought a standard Micro USB cable...
I connected it to the nook and it said "not charging", so I went out to do some shopping (10-20 minutes max) and left it at 89%... when I came back it was at 93 %.
So it DOES in fact seem to charge albeit slowly.

Thanks. It's weird, lots of comments of its own cable not fitting properly.
As long as it charges with a normal cable I'm good.

I guess it is charging... however there is a slight chance, that it's NOT charging and the battery charge display is lying (de-calibrated). I don't think so, but I'll only know for sure after a few more days of using only the standard USB charger cable.

[Q] Is any kind of fast charging possible?

Team,
First off, I want to say thank you for creating an amazing resource for these phones. I currently have a Galaxy S4 Active MF3. I bought the phone with the intent of using it in conjunction with my car stereo, which is a Pioneer 8500 BHS. I've paired this up with a Samsung MHL 2.0 adapter and ARLiberator. On top of this, I have installed a OBD-II bluetooth module in the car that also communicates with the phone. The end result is that the phone delivers full touch screen control of all apps on the phone, full bluetooth hands free calling, voice control, GPS (Tom Tom), Pandora, and most importantly, gives me a second dashboard where I can customize any gauge that the car did not offer stock, such as boost gauge, wideband air/fuel ratio, exhaust gas temperature, and a few other things. I'm using the full version of Torque to do this. It is amazingly useful, with one exception. The Samsung MHL adapter never lets the phone charge at more than 300 milliamps. The USB connection straight from the stereo charges at 900, and a 2.1 AMP charger with the Samsung cable will charge at 1900. However, regardless of the combination I use, the MHL always cuts this down to 300. This causes the phone to lose about 15-20% of it's charge every hour. For short trips, this is OK, but for longer trips, I can no longer use GPS, which is a big problem, as that's the whole reason I got the phone. Other users of the standard Galaxy S4 and this combination have been able to get around this issue by installing a ROM with Fast Charge enabled, which gives them 800 milliamps. This is just enough to let the phone be used and slowly charged at the same time.
I understand that currently we're limited to stock kernels with modifications layered on top (GoldenEye, ETC...), and that the Fast Charge code requires a kernel recompile in order to function. Is this correct? Do I have any other options? I've considered wiring in a wireless charger just to get the phone to charge on long trips, but I'm concerned that wireless charging in addition to the USB input and charge may cause the battery to overheat or reduce it's life.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Matt

as far as I know, there is a possibility of welding a 100 Ohm (or just short circuit (more risky, but I've read that some guys using a standard usb cable with simple bypassed Data-wires in combination with the S4A)) between the D+ and D+ wires of the USB-Cable (should be the green and white wire within the cable). Regarding http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs a resistance below 200 ohm is the sign for a dedicated charging cable/device.
I've seen a manual of an sgs user, having full loading speed in his car, using a modified cable. Unfortunately his manual is in German, u can find it here. All credits belong to him.
by the way, i am pretty sure u will find an similar manual within this xda-board using the right search patterns, cause It does not seem to be device related.

shaDNfro,
Thank you very much for your reply, but unfortunately the 'cable mod' will not work in this instance. The reason that it won't work is that the stereo needs the Data + and Data - for Audio and synchronization data being sent back to the headunit for broadcast, and the MHL blocks the D+ and D- resistance from reaching the phone. To verify this, I took a stock Samsung cable with a voltage inverter in the car, and wired the whole system up into the MHL adapater. The system still charges at 300 ma, despite the fact that I can plug the same cable going into the MHL directly into the phone and get 1900 ma. If I use a 'modded' cable without the inverter, then the MHL still charges at 300 ma, but AppRadio will not function, as it gets no signal from the data ports on the USB. To add insult to injury, the MHL input is a 12 pin interface, and shunting D+ and D- cables on the MHL output is dangerous, as the system is doing more with the 12 pins than a standard 4 pin USB. I really don't want to fry a 400+ dollar phone.
What we really need here is one of two things:
1. The ability to upload a recompiled kernel into the system (I know that we have a bounty on this and it's not going anywhere)
2. The ability to modify the input amperage without a recompiled kernel
I'm not sure if either of the above two things can be done. I'm either going to have to live with this or get a new phone.
If ANYONE has any other ideas, please let me know!
Matt

Is it possible to mod usb cable to take the power directly from car charger?
Connect usb chargin wires to car charger from phones end of usb??
Sent from my GT-I9295 using poor english.

Vaiski said:
Is it possible to mod usb cable to take the power directly from car charger?
Connect usb chargin wires to car charger from phones end of usb??
Sent from my GT-I9295 using poor english.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Vaiski,
That's not a bad idea! From some more of my recent research, it appears that I now have three options I can look into:
1. Vaiski's idea of adding a 2.1 AMP second USB line to the + and - phone input while cutting the current MHL + and - cable output. This would essentially allow the MHL to get its power from the stereo's USB input, and the phone to get its power from an external, high amperage USB line and still allow me to keep the data flowing between the phone, MHL adapter, and stereo. I've got a second 'generic' MHL adapter that I wouldn't mind cutting up to spare my $50.00 Samsung MHL adapter if this doesn't work. This wouldn't allow the system to get the full 1900 ma, but it should get me upwards of 300 ma, which is where I am now.
2. I can add a wireless charger into the mix. From what I've read, if you charge with USB and wireless charging at the same time, the wireless charging would take priority. This would give me the same results as option #1.
3. I can try using the samsung S4 Multimedia dock. It appears that the dock doesn't have the same voltage output limitations as the MHL adapter. It does cost $100.00, though, and it's rather bulky.
These are all really great ideas, but what really bothers me about all this is that it shouldn't be necessary. If Samsung/AT&T hadn't installed a bootloader kernel checksum, none of this would matter. I could simply put a custom kernel in and call it a day with my current hardware. Hopefully someone will crack the bootloader soon. That would really be the best option instead of being locked into 4.2.2.
Thanks again!
Matt

s4 active charging
mattb22 said:
Vaiski,
Thanks again!
Matt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know whether or not you found a solution to your problem yet. I discovered same problem using stock charging cable and having Bluetooth, Wi-Fi amd GPS turned on, playing music through usb to a pioneer stereo.... no Bluetooth on stereo, but was using a BT hands-free device. Anyway, same problem as you, charger wouldn't keep up. Tried turning off Wi-Fi... had mobile hotspot turned on for wife's tablet, helped some but still drained faster than charged. A couple months ago, I couldn't find the factory charging/data cable and phone needed charging, so I tried a cable from one of those battery powered phone chargers, thing is only about a foot long, but phone said "charging" it went from about 30% to full in less than an hour, this phone has never charged that fast. I've experimented with it a bit, and it won't work as a data cable but it will keep up with everything turned on. I don't know if it's the length of the cable, or if the pins on the cable are different, in any case, try different cables, if you only need charge while your driving then the lack of data won't be a problem, though I liked being able to charge and listen to music at the same time, I'd rather know that my phone won't be dead when I get to the other end of a long road trip.... besides I figured out that a flash drive plugged into stereo plays music better.
Hope this helps