Database Develop

How to use USB Host without an HD Dock (Updated 11/7/12)

In light of the EOL status of the Bionic, this method may no longer be the most cost effective, as the HD dock is now $24 on Amazon, before shipping. Still, this is a cheap way to use usb devices away from a tv or monitor. Please keep all of this in mind before considering this option.
Many Bionic users have wondered if they could somehow use USB host without having to buy an expensive dock. Well, I have just finished testing a method that works. Now please note it's not the sleekest or most portable of methods. Still, it works.
Test Build - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/silversonic1/GEDC0056.jpg
You may be wondering why I am using a Y USB cable. In my testing, I have come to the conclusion that Motorola intentionally crippled the phone's OTG functions. It appears that the host mode only works when TWO priorities are met. First, the phone MUST be receiving power. Second, a hub MUST be used. If either of these is not met, the OTG mode stays offline.
Because this method requires extra power, you have to have a powered USB port nearby. Some USB power packs may put out enough power, but it's still uncertain. However, since my Scosche solar battery pack worked both for the Bionic alone and for this build, it could be possible that anything that works for the Bionic will work for the build as well. Also, I have no way of testing this in a car at the moment.
Action Shot - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/silversonic1/GEDC0052-1.jpg
In the action shot, I am testing a 4GB SanDisk Cruzer. I did run other tests and usb keyboards and mice will work. I used a wireless Targus mouse, as well as a wireless HP mouse and keyboard. They all worked. Sadly, that is the extent of my current HID tech at the moment.
One thing I have observed in my tests is that you should have all of your rig connected before hooking it up to your phone. That includes external power. Not doing so could cause your hub to be recognized much more slowly, or not at all.
I would also like to note that although many hubs allow for AC/DC power adapters to be used, most hubs won't send power through the host port. That is why the Y cable is necessary. But don't worry! I believe that if you attach the power connector of the Y cable to one of the ports of your powered hub, this should give you all the power you need for the phone to charge and activate the OTG mode.
Here's what you need.
USB hub with mini USB port for connecting to host device($5-$20)
Y USB cable($4)
USB Type A Female-USB Micro Male adapter($1-2)
Build subtotal-$10-$26, before tax or shipping. Depending on what you already own, this could still be cheaper than an HD Dock.
All hubs with a mini usb host port should work for this build. But if there are any that don't, please give me the make and model info so I can add them to the list below.
Hubs Confirmed Unusable
None so far
Thank you for looking this through. I hope it helps.
Update 11/7/12- Still works on the 246 OTA.

silversonic1 said:
Many Bionic users have wondered if they could somehow use USB host without having to buy an expensive dock. Well, I have just finished testing a method that works.
Now please note it's not the sleakest or most portable of methods. At this writing, I am still waiting on USB OTG connectors that are known to work for other devices. However, I didn't want to hold back a successful result while waiting on an unknown.
Test Build - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/silversonic1/GEDC0056.jpg
You may be wondering why I am using a Y USB cable. Put simply, it gives the power needed to charge the phone and to power the hub. EXTERNAL POWER IS NECESSARY. Because this method requires extra power, you have to have a powered USB port nearby. Some USB power packs may put out enough power, but it's still uncertain. However, since my Scosche solar battery pack worked both for the Bionic alone and for this build, it could be possible that other packs that work for the Bionic will work as well.
Action Shot - http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v148/silversonic1/GEDC0052-1.jpg
In the action shot, I am testing a 4GB SanDisk Cruzer. I did run other tests and usb keyboards and mice will work. I used a wireless Targus mouse, as well as a wireless HP mouse and keyboard. They all worked. Sadly, that is the extent of my current HID tech at the moment.
One thing I have observed in my tests is that you should have all of your rig connected before hooking up your phone. That includes external power. Not doing so could cause your hub to be recognized much more slowly, or not at all.
Here's a list of the parts used. (Will update specifics if requested.)
USB hub with USB-mini interface for host device($5-$20)
Y USB cable($4)
USB Type A Female-USB Micro Male adapter($1-2)
Build subtotal-$10-$26, before tax or shipping. That's a lot cheaper than $55-$100 on an HD dock.
Thank you for looking this through. I hope it helps.
(Also, if this thread is in the wrong place, I'm sorry. I didn't think this was necessarily an accessory thing, but rather a way to utilize a built-in feature.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats freaking awesome dude

iNsAnEmOd said:
thats freaking awesome dude
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you see it that way. It's my hope that this works for any Motorola device that is built with a lapdock mode.

I'm hoping someone makes an app that allows me to use my tablet for a keyboard and mousepad for the webtop. I'm not a fan of hanging out within 6 feet of my tv when using the webtop.
Sent from the Evil Empire

smokedkill said:
I'm hoping someone makes an app that allows me to use my tablet for a keyboard and mousepad for the webtop. I'm not a fan of hanging out within 6 feet of my tv when using the webtop.
Sent from the Evil Empire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, this rig works with wireless keyboards and mice. True, not the same as a tablet, but it'll get you further from the tv.
As for what you are suggesting, I thought I had heard some people were working on something similar. I'll PM you if I find it.
xda premium is insane! ... In a good way.

What Components
What is the amperage output of the power source your using? Also what is the model number of the usb hub your using? i tried a usb hub i had but it didnt work. Also did you have to bridge the pin 4 to ground on the micro plug in essence creating a otg cable?

codenamefly21 said:
What is the amperage output of the power source your using? Also what is the model number of the usb hub your using? i tried a usb hub i had but it didnt work. Also did you have to bridge the pin 4 to ground on the micro plug in essence creating a otg cable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. One thing a a time.
Power.
In the action shot, I used my laptop. However, the charger that comes with the phone works as well. That's 5.1volts, 850mA
Model of hub.
I have tested 2 different hubs at this point. At the moment, the one from the photos is unavailable, so I can't get the model info from it now. However, the other I tested is a Manhattan 4-port USB hub, model 160612.
Connector.
I made no modifications to the connectors that I have used. They were, however, already being marketed as OTG adapters. I ordered the one from the pictures on dealextreme. I recently bought newer ones from ebay that are angled up the side of the phone. The new ones work as well.
I suggest that you make sure all of your connectors are secure. A proper connection will have the phone charging while the hub receives power. If it fails to connect to a device after 1 minute when you make your first connection, disconnect the phone and than reconnect.
If you still have trouble after, please post what you're using along with a pic of your setup. With any luck, we'll get it all sorted out.

Working portable prototype
I have a working portable prototype using a 9v battery as the power source. I think the problem with the initial test is that i wasnt waiting long enough for the phone to detect the usb hub and the memory card. Now i have it working fully. I have tried 2 different usb hubs and both worked. 1 was the micro innovations usb204n it worked but was a bit bulky. The second was one i bought from a store local to my home called biglots its an E Source brand 4port usb 2.0 $7. Its nice and slim with an extra ac port on the side. The setup ill be creating is i will wire a 9v battery to a 7805 voltage regulator (with an inline power switch of course) soldered directly to the pins of the ac port. Then i will desolder the usb plug and solder in my homemade otg cable. So all you will have to do is plug it directly to the phone plug in the usb drive and then flip the power switch. i dont wanna post pictures of the ugly prototype so ill have pictures of the final product this weekend. I will say that i found out a usb hub is not needed to use a mouse but the otg cable is. Thank you silversonic for your help

codenamefly21 said:
I have a working portable prototype using a 9v battery as the power source. I think the problem with the initial test is that i wasnt waiting long enough for the phone to detect the usb hub and the memory card. Now i have it working fully. I have tried 2 different usb hubs and both worked. 1 was the micro innovations usb204n it worked but was a bit bulky. The second was one i bought from a store local to my home called biglots its an E Source brand 4port usb 2.0 $7. Its nice and slim with an extra ac port on the side. The setup ill be creating is i will wire a 9v battery to a 7805 voltage regulator (with an inline power switch of course) soldered directly to the pins of the ac port. Then i will desolder the usb plug and solder in my homemade otg cable. So all you will have to do is plug it directly to the phone plug in the usb drive and then flip the power switch. i dont wanna post pictures of the ugly prototype so ill have pictures of the final product this weekend. I will say that i found out a usb hub is not needed to use a mouse but the otg cable is. Thank you silversonic for your help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am certainly looking forward to seeing what all you have come up with. Just take your time. After all, I'm sure there are those who are willing to build a more stylish solution than I have up top.

Battery powered usb hub
Ok so i finished the battery powered usb hub that connects to any micro usb phone but it was to bulky using the 9v battery. So i came up with another design using an old cell phone battery. So it is rechargeable as soon as i add the on off switch it will be finished.
---------- Post added at 09:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:44 PM ----------
The usb hub was just too bulky using the 9v battery
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Rechargeable battery powered usb hub with otg cable
Here is the finished hardware. I took pictures before i seal it all up so yall could see what all i did. The usb hub has a otg cable that plugs into your phone. It has a 950mah cell phone battery and the circuitry from an emergency charger that converts 2 aa batteries (3v) to 5v. Also on the circuitry was an led flashlight so i decided to keep it in there just in case . The only problem was that the off switch that was on the circuit wouldn't shut off the power to the hub for some reason so i put a secondary switch on the power wire to the hub. I had a problem with the charger charging the battery because it charges the battery based on voltage and the capacitors were screwing that up so i put a diode on the power going into the up-scaling circuit board but not as to break the connection with the charger to battery wires.

That is certainly the most mobile solution to USB host so far. Kudos!

problem
I was having a problem soon after I put everything together. Anytime I plugged the phone in the circuit would shut down because to much amperage was being pulled from the battery and as a safety thing lithium batteries will shut down so they wont over heat I finally realized all I had to do was put an 8ohm resistor on the power wire going from the usb hub to the phone. 8ohm only because that was what I had. I tried a 1/2ohm resistor and it worked but the less amperage being pulled from the battery the longer it lasts and the circuit doesn't get as hot.

hey man, thanks a lot for your research! i hopped on this thread and about 30 seconds later i had my wireless (unifying usb receiver) logitech keyboard and mouse working
had a male->male usb cable, usb hub, and micro usb male -> full female lying around. plugged everything in and presto!
the touchscreen monitor doesn't work though for webtop

More than likely because touch screen drivers aren't as generic as mice or keyboards. But it was a good thing to try out. Mind sharing the make and model info? It will be helpful to others to know what to expect.

Mine works, cheapo Micro Center hub
I actually spoke with the OP this weekend, and before I read his reply, I was up and running. Sadly, I bought a Manhattan hub based on his findings, which was a bit pricey given the current price of normal USB hubs. I paid $15 on ebay for one, and when I got it, it didn't work. I then bought a usb Y cable from ebay as well, and that was the culprit, that cable was necessary for any hub, regardless if it uses an AC power adapter or not.
On a good note, that means that there's a good chance cheaper (and easier to find) USB hubs may work. The one I'm currently using is Gear Head brand, was $9 at Micro Center. That hub without using the included power cable, and just using the Y usb cable bought separately and the OTG adapter on ebay got me up and running.
Hmmm...now that I look, it seems the hub I got for $9 went up to $15 anyway, but here's what I used incase you have a MC closeby and don't feel like waiting for shipping. Search for SKU 280750 on Microcenter's site. I'm new here so it won't let me post URL's.
Bad news is you'll be paying a total of around $20 for this project, the good news is that may be the maximum you'd be paying, and that's if you buy a $15 usb hub. Honestly, I'd say just look around local stores for one cheaper that has a mini USB port to connect it to the phone + external power usb port (i.e. a laptop next to the phone), and if it doesn't work, return it as long as you can box it up without it looking demolished. Best of luck to everyone, but I hope my verification shows there may be more hope since the Manhattan model is fairly hard to find at a cheap price.

silversonic1 said:
You may be wondering why I am using a Y USB cable. In my testing, I have come to the conclusion that Motorola intentionally crippled the phone's OTG functions. It appears that the host mode only works when TWO priorities are met. First, the phone MUST be receiving power. Second, a hub MUST be used. If either of these is not met, the OTG mode stays offline.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd imagine they didn't want both the phone and Lapdock trying to send power over USB simultaneously.
Thanks for the guide, it was useful

mossadacity said:
I'd imagine they didn't want both the phone and Lapdock trying to send power over USB simultaneously.
Thanks for the guide, it was useful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. I have updated to the ICS leak, so I will have to test again, just to be sure that nothing has changed.

3d printed docking station
silversonic1 said:
More than likely because touch screen drivers aren't as generic as mice or keyboards. But it was a good thing to try out. Mind sharing the make and model info? It will be helpful to others to know what to expect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for the delayed reply.
I buy generic cables from meritline.com, so there is no brand on them :good:
I think I'm the first person on Thingiverse to create an accessory for the droid bionic, what do you guys think of it:
That was iteration #1, to get the dimensions correct. From here, I can go anywhere. Do folks have any dock dreams they'd like to see come to fruition?

For a while now I've wanted to be able to use my waterproof camera to take pictures, and use my phone to upload them to the web without needing to fire up a computer to do a transfer from the SD card to the phone. This thread inspired me to finally take the leap to work up an OTG adapter. I went on Amazon to buy the Y-cable and the little adapters, but found something better.
This (board won't let me post a link because I'm new) is a USB hub that connects a phone to one of the four downstream ports with a built-in micro USB connector cable. I ordered one up, suspecting that I could mod it to be an OTG adapter. I was right.
To do the mod, the first step is to pry the endcap off the micro USB connector and slide the cover back. This exposes the soldered wire connections. One side of the connector has three wires.
The other side has one wire and an empty solder pad.
Solder a jumper wire from the empty pad to the black wire on the other side.
Then slide the connector cover back over the connector, and press the endcap back into place. If necessary, you can secure the end cap with a drop of super glue.
Next, open the case of the hub. Mine pulled right open with only finger pressure. Use a small screwdriver to remove the circuit board. It is not held by anything other than a light press fit.
This is the back side of the circuit board.
This is the chip that runs the USB hub.
I googled the chip number and downloaded the data sheet, just to be sure there were no gotchas. There weren't any. The only modification is swapping the regular and the micro USB cables. It goes without saying that this requires a very fine soldering iron and a steady hand. Desolder both cables and reattach the micro USB cable on the Host end of the circuit board.
This lets your phone control the hub. As was mentioned earlier in the thread, the Droid Bionic won't power the hub, so you need to hook up the other USB cable to the device side of the circuit board to provide power. Only hook up the power wires. Just cut the data wires short.
Then reinstall the circuit board into the case.
And press the cover back on.
It would be easy to wire a battery to the hub either by connecting to the USB port cable, through the 5VDC power input jack, or by removing the jack and hard wiring directly to the circuit board.
To use the adapter, I plug my SD card reader into the hub, plug the power USB connector into my wall adapter (or car adapter), and plug the micro USB cable into the phone (in that order). The phone immediately loads the card as an attached storage device.
Enjoy,
Todd F.

Dell Streak 7 Host OTG Adapter for usb devices: Game pad, usb drive, mouse,keyboard

You can buy a Dell streak 7 usb otg host cable (100% working): -
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221061467218
there are other sellers listing the same items, and you can check it on ebay, I live in canada and ordered from china. It took around 15 days to deliver.
I recommend buy a usb female to dual (2) male usb Y cable: -
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-2-0-A-F..._USB_Cables_Hubs_Adapters&hash=item27ba21e9e4
steps to follow:
1. Root your dell streak and install USB OTG Helper.apk from android play store.
2. Switchoff dell streak 7,
3. Connect dell usb host cable (pdmi to usb otg adapter) to male connector of usb Y cable, and then connect usb device to female connector of usb Y cable.
4. Switch on dell streak 7.
5. After, Dell streak lock screen, connect another male connector of usb Y cable to power source (Dell Ac adapter).
6. go to usb otg helper and click on mount, it can may start adobe reader, don't worry.
7. go to es file explorer, and your drive is usb_drive_1.
Thanks & Regards,
Sahota

If the streak 7 is on the dell dock which has a micro USB input on the back... is it safe to assume that the docks power could sufficiently charge the streak and supply enough juice to a otg micro USB y cable to two female? I want to have a keyboard with a built in mouse pad connected, and have a 32gig flash connection available simultaneously
Edit: forgot to point out, dock is hard wired in my car, and thought it obvious that the dock would bypass the need for the 30pin. Just trying to learn if anyone has been successful at getting the streak to host through the oem dock.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

No, the dock does not work for OTG purposes. The dock is wired the same as the USB data cable, which is different from an OTG adapter. That's why you can't use the USB data cable with just a USB gender changer for OTG purposes. The only way to use USB devices with the Streak 7 is with an OTG adapter and a USB Y cable with two male USB and one female USB ends and plugging one male end into the OTG adapter and one male end into a USB AC adapter to supply power for the USB device as the Streak 7 does not supply power over USB. You also need to power off the Streak 7 and then plug in the OTG adapter and power it back up then plug in the USB Y Cable, USB AC adapter, and USB device. There are two useful apps on Google Play for setting up and using USB devices with your Streak, or any Android device. One is USB Host Controller to monitor when the device is plugged in and working, and the other is USB Mass Storage Watcher which allows you to set an option for auto-mounting USB flash drives when plugged in.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft

Works as posted. It did take me a bit of to get set up. Thanks again.
Sent from my Dell Streak 7 using xda app-developers app

Loading Streak
Just a short question:
will the Streak (and not only the device) get power from the y-cable ?
Thanxs in advance
Zorbas

Unfortunately no, it only powers the device. The OTG adapter prevents it from charging.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft

OTG and Power
zenisnotchosen said:
Unfortunately no, it only powers the device. The OTG adapter prevents it from charging.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any solution ? Together with an external ssd the Streak would make a wonderful car music and movie station. Without external power - not so much.
I am capable of modify or add some cable. Couldn´t it be done like that ?
And thanks for your quick response.
Zorbas

I'm not 100% so I could be wrong, but I don't think it's possible. By the way the OTG adapter seems to work you have the choice of USB functions or charging. you have to power off the device and plug in the OTG adapter then power it back on to get it to work, and once you unplug it and plug the data/charge cable back in it turns off OTG functions and you have to reboot again. I know the data/charge adapters and the OTG adapters are wired differently (that's how the OTG adapter enables USB function on boot if plugged in) so you could try taking apart both adapters and combining the pin connections of the two. I'm almost positive this won't work though. Plus if it did I'd imagine we'd already see them available just like the OTG adapter.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft

If you want to both charge and use otg you need an official dock as that's the only one with all the pins exposed (as in available to the user).
I'll have to (re)check, but I believe it can both charge and accept otg devices.
Dock charging is serviced by different pins then the normal usb charge. afaik only the official dock has an otg port, generic docks dont.
It might be possible to hack a cable to do both, but the sold ones are not wired to do this by default.

The dock will not support OTG without modification though (maybe that's what you meant). I've tried without modifying the wiring and it will not enable OTG.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft

My 2nd gen dock does without modification, you are using the actual OTG port correct? And you're providing power right? The S7 will not provide power period.
Of course it requires using a custom rom as the stock rom doesnt support OTG.
I've been able to use otg and hdmi out on my tv simultaniously, I dont recall if it can charge but otg definitely works.

My dock only has the mini USB data port, HDMI port, 3.5mm audio jack, and power port. The mini USB port does not work for OTG. Maybe it's because my dock isn't second gen though, I don't know if it's first or second gen. Yes the stock kernel does support OTG. I have stock 3.2 and OTG works perfectly with the OTG adapter.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft
---------- Post added at 08:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:34 AM ----------
Must be first gen, it's labelled Rev. A00.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft

As far as I'm aware:
Gen 1: Designed for S5
Gen 2: Designed for S5 and S7
And both contain the following ports:
Dock power connector
USB-OTG (usb mini-AB female)
USB-Slave (usb mini-b female)
Line out
Speaker out
(see wikipedia for usb port definitions)
I have not heard of a version not containing both usb ports.
I personally have a 2nd gen dock and I believe that my info is correct for the 1st gen dock.
Could you provide pictures of the dock/original box? By what you're saying it's an official dock from dell I assume?

Yes official dock. Only one mini USB port. it supports both Streak 5 and Streak 7, it has both clear plastic pieces that support the phone/tablet standing. Came with Dell AC USB power adapter, Dell mini USB to USB make cable, and Dell power cable (barrel plug to male USB).
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Couldn't find the box. If I do I'll post pics. Let me know if you need anything else.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft

Also here's the bottom.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft

Whoops! my memory was playing tricks with me, it only has one port.
But we have the same dock, that's the 2nd gen dell dock.
As I said though, you can do otg though that dock as long as
you have a rom that supports otg (stock roms do not)
you have a powered usb hub (as the S7 does not supply power)
an approporate cable
The 2nd gen dock (and I believe the 1st gen also) has a micro usb-AB port, and not the standard micro-usb B port.
It's one of the few devices fully in-spec for usb-otg. (nearly all devices are out of spec in that they use have a micro-uub A female port and yet support otg, otg devices were always supposed to use micro-usb AB female ports, but micro-usb A is depreciated now)
You're 'supposed' to use one of these:
To properly use otg, but you can functionally get away with using a Mini-A male <-> Standard-A female.
This is what I used and I can confirm it works as long as you meet all 3 requirements up above.
I'm not sure how important it us to use a Mini-A male <-> standard-a female instead of the more common mini-B male <-> standard-a female.
If you dont supply your own power, the S7 will simply not detect anything at all.
Even with a powered hub it took a lot of fiddling with it to get it to initialize the hub (hub turns on if it detects a host, and it took much time to get it to power up).
I can only confirm that a keyboard and mouse work though, none of the roms are set up to accept drives (mostly config issue, not inherently unable to).
Edit: I had already dicussed this in a previous thread, repost:
TheManii said:
The 2nd gen dock has a mini-AB port.
Left is a mini-A connector, right is a mini-B. Thusly the 2nd gen dock can accept either and you can use either host mode or slave mode.
I assume host and slave both use the same pins on the dell 30 pin port, if that is the case then I guess you cant use it as both a host and slave at the same time.
The original standard used mini A/B ports and connectors. The current standard is to use their eqivilent micro A/B ports and connectors. This is the proper way to do USB-OTG support.
Off topic: micro usb OTG cables are technically out of spec (if I am understanding it correctly).
The host device should have a micro-AB port if it supports hosting and the cable should be micro-B <-> micro-A.
The point of A ports and connectors is to physically indicate the device is capable of OTG support on that port. Otherwise you would have to randomly guess and plug things in to see if it'll work or not (at the hardware level, we'll completely ignore software support for now)
The above two cables are techincally out of spec, though the USB-IF isnt going to raid their factories and stop them or anything.
Is the proper way with usb-mini, I cant even find the equivilent usb-micro cable though. Admittedly it's rather useless though, as things such as usb keyboards and flash drives are perfectly compatable, but never have a port.
I use a mini-A male <-> usb-A female cable, which is a close compromise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I tried using mini USB to female USB and using a gender changer on a mini USB to USB male cable and it doesn't work for me. I wish it would. And my stock ROM does support OTG. I can use it fine with my standard OTG adapter.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft

Which rom are you using exactly?
I dont remember how much testing I did on stock roms, I spent most of it testing on ICS (i think?, it was months ago)

Dell official Honeycomb 3.2 514 21700 if I remember correctly. It also worked on 503 19535 which is what my Streak 7 came with preinstalled. And thanks for trying to help.
Sent from my Streak 7 using witchcraft

TheManii said:
As I said though, you can do otg though that dock as long as
you have a rom that supports otg (stock roms do not)
you have a powered usb hub (as the S7 does not supply power)
an approporate cable
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have recently got myself the Dell Official HOME Dock for my Streak 7 (4g version, Stock HC, rooted). I also have a "mini USB male to USB female" like the one you have shown. I tried connecting my Flash drive using these, but obviously it would not work.
So I wanted to understand:
What custom ROMs support OTG?
What exactly do you mean when you say a "powered usb hub"? Do you mean I need a USB "Y" cable and have one male connected to the power?

[Q] Nook HD/HD+ connector pinout and serial?

I see there was excellent work done by others to determine pinout for Nook Color/Tablet connector.
Now it would be great if we can get somebody to do the same for Nook HDs.
Additionally I really-really need a serial port out of the new Nooks for my kernel experiments (hopefully there's a serial in the big connector, but even if not, and somebody can help me to just solder wires somewhere on the pcb to gain serial, that would be great).
Please hit your hardware techie friends for me if you have any
If there is a serious person interested in this with no Nook to play, please contact me and I'll arrange for something.
(I already researched the Nook Color way of getting serial via twl on usb connector, but the newer twl in the newer Nooks does not have this car kit mode).

verygreen said:
I see there was excellent work done by others to determine pinout for Nook Color/Tablet connector.
Now it would be great if we can get somebody to do the same for Nook HDs.
Additionally I really-really need a serial port out of the new Nooks for my kernel experiments (hopefully there's a serial in the big connector, but even if not, and somebody can help me to just solder wires somewhere on the pcb to gain serial, that would be great).
Please hit your hardware techie friends for me if you have any
If there is a serious person interested in this with no Nook to play, please contact me and I'll arrange for something.
(I already researched the Nook Color way of getting serial via twl on usb connector, but the newer twl in the newer Nooks does not have this car kit mode).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm surprised no one has done this yet. I read somewhere that b&n simply modified an iPod connector and often times I've found that means they simply changed the order of the wires in order to gain propriety and therefore extra revenue. I have Two hd+ sitting on my desk with no charge because I'm too cheap to pay 30 bucks for a cable from b&n. I also have one charging cable cut in half so maybe I'll get on this myself, not that I can really take on another project at the moment.

The standard USB cable that came with the Nook only has 4 pins inside (going to the nook), so even if you cut your cable I don't think you will find anything useful.
I'm not sure about the HDMI one, it should have some extra pins inside to enable the video output, but I think that, without finding a compatible male plug with all the pins intact, it will be quite hard to find out the purpose of each pin.
Someone brave can do it on the nook side but I haven't open mine yet

Linux can use usb serial as console.
But I don't know is it possible to switch Nook usb subsystem to usb host early at boot.

lostnick said:
Linux can use usb serial as console.
But I don't know is it possible to switch Nook usb subsystem to usb host early at boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, and by the time usb is up it's way too late in the booting game.
The big benefit of a real serial out is you get the output from bootloader and then transitioning into kernel including very early booting.

The nook end of the cable has only six pins. Two top and bottom on one side and one top and bottom on the other side. It would be easy to see what they connect to on the USB side. I'm definitely not an electronics engineer so I'm wondering if that is what is being discussed here and how that would do us any good? I would like to diy a car charger if I can.

pinout
I opened my Nook HD+, and there is a test point near the dock connector labeled usb-id. If this TP is shorted to GND with a slave USB device attached thru a USB-A to A gender bender, the Nook acts as host as expected per USB-OTG standard. This TP maps to pin 24. Unfortunately, this isn't one of the pins to a Nook HD+ USB cable.
The Nook HD+'s motherboard is labeled EXCELLENTLY. I've gotten most of the pins I can get easily. I think the remaining pins are for HDMI (which makes sense seeing B&N makes an HDMI adapter cable...). The HDMI adapter cable will probably get the remaining pins.
Here's the pinout I've got so far:
Pin - Signal
--------------------------------------
1 - USB VBUS (+5VDC)
2 - USB VBUS (+5VDC)
3 - HDMI 5V
4 - LINEOUT-DTC
5 - USB D-
6 - USB D+
7 -
8 -
9 -
10- GND
11-
12-
13- GND
14-
15-
16- GND
17-
18-
19- GND
20-
21-
22-
23-
24- USB-ID
25- LINE-L (Audio)
26- GND
27- LINE-R (Audio)
28- GND
29- GND
30- GND
---------- Post added at 06:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:04 AM ----------
Also, there are two test points, SDA2-TX and SCL2-RX. These are I2C test points but I can't tell if they are the HDMI side or the system side. The HDMI chip is the TI TPD12s015, datasheet can be googled. Just a hunch that these are the HDMI side, since the datasheet says SDA_B and SCL_B are HDMI side, and they're labeled as SDA2 and SCL2.

connector type
Also, the Nook HD+ connector is NOT the same design as an Apple Dock Connector. The Apple connector has all the pins on one side of the internal fitting, while the Nook's connector has the pins on both sides.
So anyone attempting to mod their own connector should use a Nook connector.

Crud, i just bought one of those Samsung 30 pin to micro SD adapters hoping I could pull it apart and mod it, maybe I can't after all.
#edit# Is this our connector?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDMI

Nope, not a PDMI...
myjess said:
Crud, i just bought one of those Samsung 30 pin to micro SD adapters hoping I could pull it apart and mod it, maybe I can't after all.
#edit# Is this our connector?
(link deleted, I'm too much of a noob to post links, I guess!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, from what I can tell, a PDMI connector is very similar to a Apple Dock Connector, with different pinouts assigned. The Nook HD+ has a unique connector layout from what I can tell.
It's similar to this:
...1...3...5...
...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|..|...|...|
.+-v---v---v---v---v---v---v---v---v---v---v---v---v---v---v---+
.|
.+---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^-+
.....|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|...|..|...|...|
.....2...4...6...
The Apple and Samsung have all pins on one side only, at double the density.

octachoron said:
Here's the pinout I've got so far:
Pin - Signal
--------------------------------------
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
Also, there are two test points, SDA2-TX and SCL2-RX. These are I2C test points but I can't tell if they are the HDMI side or the system side. The HDMI chip is the TI TPD12s015, datasheet can be googled. Just a hunch that these are the HDMI side, since the datasheet says SDA_B and SCL_B are HDMI side, and they're labeled as SDA2 and SCL2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the TX one is the serial out, I got Adam Outler here at ABBQ to solder into it and I got the console out. Sadly it's not mapped anywhere in the connector, but at least I got my serial out now. We are less sure about the RX one, but I'll try it out once I get back home on Sunday.
Big thanks to Adam too!

TX & RX
verygreen said:
ThankDCCs!
the TX one is the serial out, I got Adam Outler here at ABBQ to solder into it and I got the console out. Sadly it's not mapped anywhere in the connector, but at least I got my serial out now. We are less sure about the RX one, but I'll try it out once I get back home on Sunday.
Big thanks to Adam too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is just a guess, but would not TX = transmit & RX = Recieve ?

Jimcisme said:
This is just a guess, but would not TX = transmit & RX = Recieve ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
So TX definitely transmits the console output, we see it.
But tryign to input stuff onto RX pin does not result in anything visible, so that's why we are less sure if that's the input into the serial console.
But even if not, the console output is the more important one anyway for my kernel debugging plans.

Host Mode?
Does this imply that using the app to change USB to host mode will not work? I have seen several articles on using app with gender changer to get external keyboard or storage to HD+

I opened my Nook HD+, too. And I took some photos.
i40.tinypic.com/6yljxx.jpg
i40.tinypic.com/2yyrspi.jpg
Sorry, new user prevented from posting outside links in their messages.
Now I wonder if 5 test points of USB VBUS (+5VDC)、USB D-、USB D+、GND and USB-ID are connected to a MicroUSB Female adapter (5 pin) like most of Android smartphones and pads, will a MHL MicroUSB to HDMI cable work with the Nook HD+ ?

Has anyone ever opened up the HDMI adapter?
I would like to see whats inside before I rip mine open.

emottau said:
I'm surprised no one has done this yet. I read somewhere that b&n simply modified an iPod connector and often times I've found that means they simply changed the order of the wires in order to gain propriety and therefore extra revenue. I have Two hd+ sitting on my desk with no charge because I'm too cheap to pay 30 bucks for a cable from b&n. I also have one charging cable cut in half so maybe I'll get on this myself, not that I can really take on another project at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
octachoron said:
I opened my Nook HD+, and there is a test point near the dock connector labeled usb-id. If this TP is shorted to GND with a slave USB device attached thru a USB-A to A gender bender, the Nook acts as host as expected per USB-OTG standard. This TP maps to pin 24. Unfortunately, this isn't one of the pins to a Nook HD+ USB cable.
The Nook HD+'s motherboard is labeled EXCELLENTLY. I've gotten most of the pins I can get easily. I think the remaining pins are for HDMI (which makes sense seeing B&N makes an HDMI adapter cable...). The HDMI adapter cable will probably get the remaining pins.
Here's the pinout I've got so far:
Pin - Signal
--------------------------------------
1 - USB VBUS (+5VDC)
2 - USB VBUS (+5VDC)
3 - HDMI 5V
4 - LINEOUT-DTC
5 - USB D-
6 - USB D+
7 -
8 -
9 -
10- GND
11-
12-
13- GND
14-
15-
16- GND
17-
18-
19- GND
20-
21-
22-
23-
24- USB-ID
25- LINE-L (Audio)
26- GND
27- LINE-R (Audio)
28- GND
29- GND
30- GND
---------- Post added at 06:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:04 AM ----------
Also, there are two test points, SDA2-TX and SCL2-RX. These are I2C test points but I can't tell if they are the HDMI side or the system side. The HDMI chip is the TI TPD12s015, datasheet can be googled. Just a hunch that these are the HDMI side, since the datasheet says SDA_B and SCL_B are HDMI side, and they're labeled as SDA2 and SCL2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is an updated pinout + PCB fragment with connector
Pin - Signal
--------------------------------------
1 - USB VBUS (+5VDC)
2 - USB VBUS (+5VDC)
3 - HDMI 5V
4 - LINEOUT-DTC
5 - USB D-
6 - USB D+
7 - GND
8 - GND
9 - HDMI CLK-
10- GND
11- HDMI CLK+
12- HDMI D0-
13- GND
14- HDMI D0+
15- HDMI D1-
16- GND
17- HDMI D1+
18- HDMI D2-
19- GND
20- HDMI D2+
21- GND
22- SDA2-TX(SCL2-RX?) - To be checked. Tx/Rx contact order according to HDMI connector pinout
23- SCL2-RX(SDA2-TX?)
24- USB-ID
25- LINE-L (Audio)
26- AGND
27- LINE-R (Audio)
28- AGND
29- GND
30- GND
As you can see, there is full HDMI signals set, so adaptor is just pass-through connection, no external chip needed in adaptor.
Regarding RX, it goes through TI TPD12s015. The PCB pad sits on chip output (system side), which is open-drain and can suppress this signal when HDMI 5V is not activated (reflecting connector's side not powered from HDMI 5V pullup). To activate it TPD12s015 input LS_OE and CT_CP_HPD must be set high (OMAP GPIOs) - VDAC-HDMI pad near processor?
But maybe CONS_2700_UART1 connector near processor will be more suitable for console?

the becalab
onlycash said:
Has anyone ever opened up the HDMI adapter?
I would like to see whats inside before I rip mine open.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that.
Have you done any ripping? I don't really have a use for the HDMI cable, but would buy and rip if I could get my mitts on the line level outputs. Can't imagine they'd plumb those, but I can dream.

Here is photos of my hdmi adapter(remove spaces from urls):
Code:
dropbox .com/s/f0tymbsva3cwwcb/hdmi1.JPG
dropbox .com/s/lpvubhb8at7lc8q/hdmi2.JPG
dropbox .com/s/pdw6ibn2zema04n/hdmi3.JPG
It is not so simple as i thought.

This is all very interesting, and some nice pics. I wonder, has anyone attempted (or even considered) to replace the annoying proprietary connector by soldering a replacement micro-USB onto the PCB? Is it even viable?
I can't understand why they would be so daft as to introduce a non-standard connection. Apple can just about get away with it because, well, they're Apple.

[MOD] PDMI Charger Port to MicroUSB Port Hardware MOD Completed!!

Since it almost impossible to find a PDMI Port, I retrofited a MicroUSB port.
I even contracted FOXXCON, got a reply contract DELL for replacement part.
I have Charging and Data + / - (Detected by PC) working fine.
Only Issue is that the device shows it's not charging when Power ON and connected to PC (Hardware Charging LED is lit).
-Maybe this is Normal??
It does show charging when power on and connected to Charging Adapter.
I will post pictures when I get home today.

Last Pic:
Basically Gutted bad PDMI Socket and Shove MicroUSB port in PDMI frame.
Looked up Pin out for PDMI and Micro usb for data +-.

DJ_MiX said:
Since it almost impossible to find a PDMI Port, I retrofited a MicroUSB port.
I even contracted FOXXCON, got a reply contract DELL for replacement part.
I have Charging and Data + / - (Detected by PC) working fine.
Only Issue is that the device shows it's not charging when Power ON and connected to PC (Hardware Charging LED is lit).
-Maybe this is Normal??
It does show charging when power on and connected to Charging Adapter.
I will post pictures when I get home today.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you able to reach Fastboot with this mod?

PDMI connector to mini usb connector
Hello man. My name is Mario. I come from Italy. I'm a psychologist,but on the spare time I like to play with linux & mobile & tablet & technology in general. I was searching for a OTG adapter that was able to recharge my nexus 10 and at the same time that accepts an external sd card and someone has suggests this to me :
eKit 4 in 1 Data Sync Connection Kit For Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 & Note 10.1
you can read the full story here :
http://android.stackexchange.com/qu...ard-and-recharge-the-battery-at-the-same-time
the problem is that I haven't read very well what he says and I haven't understood that it is not good for the nexus 10. For this reason I have tried to search a way to convert the PDMI connector to a mini usb connector and I have found this thread. I would like to ask you if I can make the same thing that you have done and if you can tell me which electric modification I have to make to the board of this connector to convert it as a mini usb connector. Thanks.

Pogo pins

Hello,
I was wondering what the pinout is for the 7 pogo pins on the side of the RM3(s). I want to 3D-print a holder for the phone, with some extra functionality, just like the Magic Adapter. I can't find a pinout or even what protocol is used to communicate between the phone and the Adapter. Anyone know anything about the pins?

Insyder28 said:
Hello,
I was wondering what the pinout is for the 7 pogo pins on the side of the RM3(s). I want to 3D-print a holder for the phone, with some extra functionality, just like the Magic Adapter. I can't find a pinout or even what protocol is used to communicate between the phone and the Adapter. Anyone know anything about the pins?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I posted the info a long time ago. You have audio and mic. L,R and Mic, power and gnd, then USB d+ and -. Careful powering stuff off the power and gnd it's not made to power devices. Inside the dock is a 4 port USB 2.0 hub controller not all the ports are hooked up that's how I added a micro SD card reader to my dock.

bignazpwns said:
I posted the info a long time ago. You have audio and mic. L,R and Mic, power and gnd, then USB d+ and -. Careful powering stuff off the power and gnd it's not made to power devices. Inside the dock is a 4 port USB 2.0 hub controller not all the ports are hooked up that's how I added a micro SD card reader to my dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your reply. I will test if I can get a USB output from the pins!

Insyder28 said:
Thank you for your reply. I will test if I can get a USB output from the pins!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can. It's got data + and -
How it works is that goes to a USB hub controller that goes to a USB Ethernet.

The micro SD card adapter I put on one of the unused ports.