Motorola TBH Cables - Motorola Droid 3

Does anyone know how the Team Black Hat factory cables work? What's different internally that allows the phone to boot normally, but without the battery?

I made my own. On a normal cable pin 1 is 5v+, pin 2 and pin three are transmit and receive(Tx-Rx), Pin 4 is unused, and Pin 5 is Neg-.
On the TBH cable (also known as a Motorola Factory Programming cable) Pin 4 is used as a 5v+. So essentially if you can find a cable that you can get access to the pins (I went through a few till I found an accessible one) you can solder a jumper wire from the #1 pin to the #4 Pin and it allows you to flash your phone in fastboot no matter what the current charge status of the battery is (or potentially whether there's even a battery at all)
It's a lifesaver if you do a lot of flashing or modding to Motorola phones. Especially phone like the RazR that have an internal battery. I've been stuck in fastboot a cvouple times on a dead battery unable to flash and had to hardwire the battery. This solved that issue. I also find I have a lot less failed flashes as well.
If you're not the small electronics savvy kinda person, I highly reccomend grabbing one up from any available source.

queberican351 said:
I made my own. On a normal cable pin 1 is 5v+, pin 2 and pin three are transmit and receive(Tx-Rx), Pin 4 is unused, and Pin 5 is Neg-.
On the TBH cable (also known as a Motorola Factory Programming cable) Pin 4 is used as a 5v+. So essentially if you can find a cable that you can get access to the pins (I went through a few till I found an accessible one) you can solder a jumper wire from the #1 pin to the #4 Pin and it allows you to flash your phone in fastboot no matter what the current charge status of the battery is (or potentially whether there's even a battery at all)
It's a lifesaver if you do a lot of flashing or modding to Motorola phones. Especially phone like the RazR that have an internal battery. I've been stuck in fastboot a cvouple times on a dead battery unable to flash and had to hardwire the battery. This solved that issue. I also find I have a lot less failed flashes as well.
If you're not the small electronics savvy kinda person, I highly reccomend grabbing one up from any available source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't I just cross over a few wires in the actual cable instead of trying to work with the tiny plug?

Queberican, also, how does Moto make it so that other/older USB cables are only seen as power. Are the transmit & receive crossed over internally? I have an older cable I carry with me for on the go charging and it's only seen my by D3 as a power supply, but my friend's D Inc sees this same cable as data and power.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1077414&highlight=motorola+factory+cable
Before we had our cables produced for us and started making them available, MotoCache1 wrote up the procedure and explanation and posted it.
We were very sensitive to accusations that we were trying to exploit users who had bricked their phones by selling them overpriced cables.
The truth is that having these custom made in very small quantities is expensive, especially doing it domestically in the US using premium quality components.

I dont know if any of you guys know this but if you call moto and till them the phone you got from verizon was referbished they will send you a new charging block and usb data cable for free i did this and my new moto cable works good
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA

So, basically, all I need to do is add a split to the pin 1 wire so that I can provide power to both pins 1 and 4?

redsox985 said:
So, basically, all I need to do is add a split to the pin 1 wire so that I can provide power to both pins 1 and 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Moto will send you a free one
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA

leerpsp said:
Moto will send you a free one
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A free programming cable?! I doubt that.

redsox985 said:
A free programming cable?! I doubt that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a free usb data cable with power block is what im talking about all you have to do is till them that verizon did not send you one and they send you a new one and you get it by fedx 2day

leerpsp said:
a free usb data cable with power block is what im talking about all you have to do is till them that verizon did not send you one and they send you a new one and you get it by fedx 2day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may do this just so I don't have to butcher my current cable. I want to build a "factory/programming cable" that allows me to flash and/or boot without a battery.

redsox985 said:
I may do this just so I don't have to butcher my current cable. I want to build a "factory/programming cable" that allows me to flash and/or boot without a battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep thats what i did new is the way to go
Sent from my DROID3 using XDA

The same exact type of cable is used with the Kindle.
If you don't wish to make your own. You can get them on ebay around $10. Search kindle factory cable or fastboot cable.
I have used it with the Droid 3 to flash and power without battery.

Related

Broke my NC USB Cable

Well most of you already know that NC's USB cable's tip is delicate & today I broke it
I Googled & found that those Non B&N cables take a lot of time compared to original ones. Is it true ? Or Cheap cables also work ?
Some Black Berry phone cables are also similar [USB Hot sync] can I use them ?
Problem is I am from India & importing original cable costs a bomb :-/
they still giving free cable replacement or stopped ? I know they never ship it to India
Cheap cables do not have the necessary extra pins. A cable at B&N is $15. I understand the shipping may be costly but other cables will barely work if at all.
I had great luck repairing mine with super glue. The outer shell had started to crack but did not completely shatter. Super glue bonded the connector shell back together and is holding the plug in place. Your mileage may vary.
B&N definitely need to redesign the connector though.
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
Check out this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1090369
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
avi! said:
Well most of you already know that NC's USB cable's tip is delicate & today I broke it
I Googled & found that those Non B&N cables take a lot of time compared to original ones. Is it true ? Or Cheap cables also work ?
Some Black Berry phone cables are also similar [USB Hot sync] can I use them ?
Problem is I am from India & importing original cable costs a bomb :-/
they still giving free cable replacement or stopped ? I know they never ship it to India
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm from the Philippines, and Barnes&Noble had replaced my NC's USB cable free of charge TWICE now. The original USB cable broke after two weeks of using it. I called them through Skype, which didn't cost me anything. All you need to tell them is that your USB cable broke and you want a replacement. All NC's USB cables are covered by a 1 year warranty. Everyone knows how crappy the NCs USB cables are--even b&n admits it. Once you get them on the phone, all they would ask you is to provide the email you used to register your nook, the shipping address you put in your b&n account, and sometimes they ask you about the last four digits of your credit card if you put it in your b&n account as well. Lastly, of course, the serial no. of your NC which you can find in the NC's box or by logging in your b&n account. Your main problem is that b&n doesnt ship warranty items outside continental US. In my case, I had a friend in the US whom I made as the recipient of the USB cable, and had her ship it in the Philippines.
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
elherr said:
I had great luck repairing mine with super glue. The outer shell had started to crack but did not completely shatter. Super glue bonded the connector shell back together and is holding the plug in place. Your mileage may vary.
B&N definitely need to redesign the connector though.
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree with you, having had to call Barnes to replace my NC's USB cable twice now.
Sent from my NookColor using xda premium
Guys thank you for replying I will try free cable from nook color, will ask my friends....
What is amp rating of Nook cable ? What if I use my iPhone 4's charger with Nokia's mini USB cable ? Will that do ? or any harm ?
I am using the stock charger with Nokia's cable & I think it will take 10-15 hours for a full charge :-/
I also found a black berry mobile's cable whose rating is 0.5A.
Thank you !
Nothing will work, i am also from India. I tried everything, even root level kernel modifications to allow high current charging. In the end had to get a new one, someone here on xda was kind enough to ship it for me though. Seriously xda rocks...!!
What were they thinking when they designed the cable??
Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk
les02jen17 said:
I called them through Skype, which didn't cost me anything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey can you tell me how ?
avi! said:
Guys thank you for replying I will try free cable from nook color, will ask my friends....
What is amp rating of Nook cable ? What if I use my iPhone 4's charger with Nokia's mini USB cable ? Will that do ? or any harm ?
I am using the stock charger with Nokia's cable & I think it will take 10-15 hours for a full charge :-/
I also found a black berry mobile's cable whose rating is 0.5A.
Thank you !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nook's AC adapter pumps out 1.9amps, most USB cables and adapters pump out around 1amp(at least most around my house). I can't say for sure how much the cable is rated for but considering the Nook's adapter pumps out 1.9amps I'd say it's about the same. If you don't have the Nook's AC adapter you'll have to use you're computer's USB port.
____________________________________________________
Sent from NookColor CM7 uSD using Tapatalk
I have it's adapter, it is working fine. But cable ? it is broke now. So I have to find a 1.9AMP cable ?
duplicate entry
avi! said:
I have it's adapter, it is working fine. But cable ? it is broke now. So I have to find a 1.9AMP cable ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nook's cable is pretty much proprietary when it comes to charging(notice it isn't your average micro usb plug on the end). Normal micro usb cables work fine for data transfers and trickle charging(ie: takes forever to charge and will actually continue to loose charge if you use the Nook while charging) In the end I'd look into a way to get the official cable. If you aren't in the US you might try looking elsewhere online or ask someone here on XDA if they'd be kind enough to forward the package.
____________________________________________________
Sent from NookColor CM7 uSD using Tapatalk

[Q] USB Cable model number

I hope this hasn't been asked yet, I searched all over and couldn't find it. So here goes...
I bought a Bionic on Ebay, however it didn't come with the USB cable. I then come to find out that the Bionic is quite particular about the cables it associates with. I've tried ordering several Motorola cables but none seem to work.
In short, could someone look at their Official, Came-in-the-box, Bionic USB cable and tell me the model number on it? It should be on one of the tags attached to it.
SKN5004A Motorola MicroUSB Cable Made in China
If you need one I have a bunch...PM me and pay for shipping and it's yours.
I believe the USB has to be Verizon branded to sync to your computer. Any of them should let you charge though. Motorola and Verizon have some deal worked out that it has to be Verizon branded for transferring files. This might not apply to every single bionic but for the most of them. Its there way of ensuring that you pay $20 for something that's only worth $5.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA
I have a ton of USB cables and they all work fine. I think there are some misconceptions about USB cables for these phones. I've heard all kinds of things, but the following is the truth.
First you have to understand the USB cable's construction. Inside there are five wires: 5V, D+, D-, ID and GND. The 5V and GND connections are used for supplying power. The D+ and D- are used to transmit data using differential digital signaling. The ID (sometimes called X) pin is not part of the USB protocol, but some manufacturers use it as an additional signal. You can read more about all this stuff here.
There are two kinds of USB cables that are sold: cables for 'data' and cables for 'charging'. The data cables have all the USB lines and meet the full USB spec. These are the ones you want. The 'charging' variety only have the +5V and GND wires, and have the data wires missing, or tied together. These will not work well.
I want to be clear that the labels 'data' or 'charging' are used in the marketing and product descriptions, and don't accurately describe the usage of these cables for your smartphone.
I use a mix of USB cables successfully with my Bionic. I have a USB cable from my old Samsung Droid Charge that works, one that came with a bluetooth headset that works, one for an LG phone I 'borrowed' from a hotel, and one I bought from monoprice.com that also works.
Ok, I've got one on order from Newegg and one on order from Amazon, both of which should be the SKN5004A... hopefully one works. If not, CellZealot I may be sending you a PM
Also, Tuckmobile, I wish it were that simple, unfortunately, I believe all the cables I have are "data" cables since my old phone syncs like the Titanic on all of them.
It is that simple. Today I'm syncing with a Nokia cable, not sure where it came from, but it's working great. What motorola cables did you order that didn't work? Links?
Micro USB Cable: http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10303#1030307
This is a good example of the kind of cable you DON'T want:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=8310&seq=1&format=2
Notice that it says 'charging' in the description. And, if you read their description, it contains this warning in bold, red font:
Note: This is a charging cable ONLY! It contains only the two power lines and does not contain data lines at all. Therefore it cannot serve as a sync or data cable and may not charge devices from low power sources, such as some Motorola phones, which require data lines to enable their charging mode.​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See my previous post explaining how to know you have the right kind of cable.
Otherwise, any of the MicroB type USB cables sold below should work fine
Mer2112 said:
Micro USB Cable: http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10303#1030307
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well... I finally got my hands on the correct cable, right out of the box of a new Bionic thanks to a cooperative store associate. But still no dice. I'm thinking at this point it's either the phone (more likely) or possibly my USB ports (though I've tried several different computers).
Looks like it might be time to return it and try again with a different phone.
smokedkill said:
I believe the USB has to be Verizon branded to sync to your computer. Any of them should let you charge though. Motorola and Verizon have some deal worked out that it has to be Verizon branded for transferring files. This might not apply to every single bionic but for the most of them. Its there way of ensuring that you pay $20 for something that's only worth $5.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i thought i had been losing my mind, because i have both moto SKN6378A and the verizon vcast branded SKN5004A USB cables and the verizon one wouldn't even mount the phone for USB storage. i realized eventually that the verizon cable was probably from my old Incredible (could also be ICS ROM being picky?). at any rate, its some what asinine that the more advanced these devices get the more unnecessary fragmentation there is..
is it possible that it is an issue with the phone and not the cables?
Tucknology said:
I have a ton of USB cables and they all work fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same goes for me Tucknology. I have like 5 Different USB cables. Two of them are 8ft long. I have absolutely no issue with charging and syncing with my computers, laptops, HD dock, and Car dock. I purchased just standard micro USB cables. Got the two long ones from local Altex store, two others I have had from my last 2 phones(non-Motorola's), and the standard Motorola Micro USB one that came with my Droid Bionic.
Simplest thing is go to the Verizon store and buy a wall-charger--all the ones I've seen of late have a detachable USB cable. We probably have 4-5 of those now-useless chargers sans cable laying around the house now

USB Droid 3

OK I had a USB cable that Verizon sent me with my like new phone aka used and the USB cable is a data cable and will I can not root with it or any thing it will charge the and that's it my bro let me use his USB cable that came with his Droid 3 using the same computer and it works I can movie my stuff to the SD card but not with my data cable all I can do is charge my phone with it and the box says its a data cable so can you guys give me more info and yes the drivers are installed right because my bros cable works
Sent from my XT862 using XDA
Ye heard other say that..
But I use about 6 different cables and all of them work the same
Sounds like a somewhat faulty cable. I'd recommend just using a different one or take that one to a Verizon store and seeing if they'll swap it out for a new one.
DoubleYouPee said:
Ye heard other say that..
But I use about 6 different cables and all of them work the same
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have one cable that will charge it and one that will let me plug in too USB but will not charge it I just need a link to a cable that will work
Sent from my XT862 using XDA
I think the Moto cables are crossover data cables. This pin configuration would render normal cables as only power cables. It helps them make ONLY their cables work for data, so you buy theirs. **This is merely my theory as to why only Moto cables do data though. Switched pins on phone and crossed over wires.**
If someone has one that currently just charges it, and wouldn't mind maybe ruining it for the better of society , could you open it up and cross over the data wires?
redsox985 said:
I think the Moto cables are crossover data cables. This pin configuration would render normal cables as only power cables. It helps them make ONLY their cables work for data, so you buy theirs. **This is merely my theory as to why only Moto cables do data though. Switched pins on phone and crossed over wires.**
If someone has one that currently just charges it, and wouldn't mind maybe ruining it for the better of society , could you open it up and cross over the data wires?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your right and moto is sending me one made for the Droid 3 they told me that's y it was not working I just called them up they told me what you just told me and they are now sending me a new charging data cable with power brick for free you got to love moto
Sent from my XT862 using XDA
And thank you for your help
Sent from my XT862 using bad ass cm9 using XDA
redsox985 said:
I think the Moto cables are crossover data cables. This pin configuration would render normal cables as only power cables. It helps them make ONLY their cables work for data, so you buy theirs. **This is merely my theory as to why only Moto cables do data though. Switched pins on phone and crossed over wires.**
If someone has one that currently just charges it, and wouldn't mind maybe ruining it for the better of society , could you open it up and cross over the data wires?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My Kindle cable works fine with my Droid 3 for data and charging - I travel with only micro-USB cable, it's the Kindle cable, and that works. In fact, I just plugged in a cable from a WD Passport external hard disk - that also works fine.
I do suggest people to use the Moto cable if they are having trouble using others, but I have never had an issue using non-Moto cables with the D3 for anything, from charging to USB data connection to a computer.
Sounds like a bad cable. The data wires are more sensitive to physical issues than the Vcc and ground wires. I one had a cheap generic USB cable I was using and while it charged devices fine, it would cause Windows or the device to hang if i tried transferring data.

Cables cable cables

I'm in the market for a new cable to charge my Note but there is so many in the market that i'm quite confused.
I know that the Note uses a micro usb to usb wire. I'm using a 1.8m cable that i
got when i bought a kindle and i am looking to purchase one at the same length
as the kindle wire is peeling near the connection point , and it is quite un sightly...
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...id=1344947903&sr=1-4&keywords=micro+usb+cable
This would work right? It is named micro b instead of micro usb though. .
lqrt said:
I'm in the market for a new cable to charge my Note but there is so many in the market that i'm quite confused.
I know that the Note uses a micro usb to usb wire. I'm using a 1.8m cable that i
got when i bought a kindle and i am looking to purchase one at the same length
as the kindle wire is peeling near the connection point , and it is quite un sightly...
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...id=1344947903&sr=1-4&keywords=micro+usb+cable
This would work right? It is named micro b instead of micro usb though. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will work but its not ideal to charge/connect a mobile phone.
Sent From My GT-N7000 Using XDA Premium.
sahilarora2003 said:
It will work but its not ideal to charge/connect a mobile phone.
Sent From My GT-N7000 Using XDA Premium.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any reason you can say why it is not ideal to use USB cable to power a phone ?
I have been using USB cable most of the time to charge my phone from laptop. I was under the impression that slow charge is always good for batteries.
Please explain
I believe it would be because he has read the product description. It doesn't state that it shouldn't be used for charging, but just to make sure that your device can take the amperage of the cable. This cable is specified for use with Continually connecting devices (eg printers, HDD etc), and not for charging. The Link below can be purchased in a 2m Length (slightly longer).
http://ubercable.com.au/product_info.php/micro-usb-usb-cable-p-90?gclid=CLqS0tSl57ECFSFLpgod2UcA6w
Thanks all.
Found out that amazon doesn't ship to singapore. Have decided to purchase from gmarket although refunds are harder.
The seller is here: http://list.qoo10.sg/item/FREE-GIFTS-SAMSUNG-GALAXY-S3-CASES/405902986
And to those saying that other wires apard from the one given by samsung.
I have been using the kindle one since i bought my note. And it is still going
strong. Apart from the ics brick bug that got repaired by warranty.
Also by the time it really starts to show that your battery is spoilt. Your plan
with whatever telco should have expired and you are entitled to a cheaper phone
with renewal. Live free guys

Case with plug extension?

Hi I am looking for a case that will plug into the microusb and provide an alternate port. The port being the weakness on every mobile device by plugging/unplugging all the time. Ive lost more than 1 phone this way. i just want to preserve the life of my Nexus. I dont mind if it increases the length overall. Has anyone heard of such a thing?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Here is how I solved it, I have:
1. Asus Nexus 7 Dock
2. Sena Ultraslim pouch
So if I need to charge, it easy to remove the tablet from it, as for transferring files, I use wifi or Google Drive, simple as that.
Maybe I'm lucky, I've never broken a charging socket on a phone....but...the idea of a socket extension on a case is a great one. I've had to 'mod' a few charger plugs to get them to fit into the space left by case manufacturers around the socket.
craigviar said:
Hi I am looking for a case that will plug into the microusb and provide an alternate port. The port being the weakness on every mobile device by plugging/unplugging all the time. Ive lost more than 1 phone this way. i just want to preserve the life of my Nexus. I dont mind if it increases the length overall. Has anyone heard of such a thing?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you mean something like the battery pack cases for phones cause I have never seen one for any tablet. You could get an otg cable and mod a case to hold it in place to do what you want I believe.
Acela1230 said:
do you mean something like the battery pack cases for phones cause I have never seen one for any tablet. You could get an otg cable and mod a case to hold it in place to do what you want I believe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I've thought about doing that but was hoping for something more professional. Also I use a $35 seido case (already broke 2 N7's so I need the heavy case), would have to buy a second one to extend it to make the mod, with a good chance of doing a bad job of it and wasting $70.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
I still don't get it, according to Wikipedia, micro USB port, can handle like 10000 cycles of connect/disconnect, and will be fine..so how do you destroy them?
quote:
"The newer Micro-USB receptacles are designed for up to 10,000 cycles of insertion and removal between the receptacle and plug, compared to 1,500 for the standard USB and 5,000 for the Mini-USB receptacle. This is accomplished by adding a locking device and by moving the leaf-spring connector from the jack to the plug, so that the most-stressed part is on the cable side of the connection. This change was made so that the connector on the less expensive cable would bear the most wear instead of the more expensive micro-USB device"
E15i said:
I still don't get it, according to Wikipedia, micro USB port, can handle like 10000 cycles of connect/disconnect, and will be fine..so how do you destroy them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My HTC Thunderbolt disagrees. Ive been having to swap the battery 3 times a day for the past year, using external chargers. For a while I could still connect to PC with a usb cable, not to charge but for file transfers, but now I can't do that either.
...

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