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
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

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.

USB OTG?

i recently bought a cheap USB On-The-Go cable for the Razr hoping to be able to use my droid 4 with the DSLR controller app https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.dslrcontroller&hl=en but i am having no luck. i'm on stock w/ root, recently did the 219 update with no change. problem is i have no solid means of troubleshooting. i have a touchpad with cm9, droid 1, droid 2, and my droid 4, but i cannot get the cable to work with any of them even for mounting a usb drive. but i'm also having trouble finding solid info on if it should work with any of them.
has anyone had any luck using usb otg with the D4?
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA

I've gotten it working with a cheap Staples USB hub, a USB Y cable (2 male USB one end, 1 male microUSB on the other end for the hub), and a USB charging brick, the USB OTG cable itself. From what I've put together, it's sensitive to where it gets power from. That's why I had trouble with it at first.
Long story short, USB OTG does work on the D4 stock rom, updated and bone stock

bohhad said:
I've gotten it working with a cheap Staples USB hub, a USB Y cable (2 male USB one end, 1 male microUSB on the other end for the hub), and a USB charging brick, the USB OTG cable itself. From what I've put together, it's sensitive to where it gets power from. That's why I had trouble with it at first.
Long story short, USB OTG does work on the D4 stock rom, updated and bone stock
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. i actually was fooling around with my touchpad last night and found out it needs external power as well. so with a y-cable from a seagate portable harddrive, i was able to test that the OTG cable i have is indeed working. however, i could not get my D4 to work using extra power from my PC, but I picked up a kodak power brick today and its charging, so here's hoping that works.
actually nevermind, after playing around with a hub and a usb stick, it decided to work with my PC supplying extra power. after that, DSLR controller worked as long as there was extra power supplied. i imagine the battery pack i picked up should work quite nicely. now to go take HDR photos of the entire world! bwhahaha

Glad you got it working. From my reading, the thing to do is get power on the +5v rail of the micro-usb 'input' port, that will allow power to flow from the USB hubs power brick, thru the hub, up to the phone. Can't help you with that however, it's a bit beyond me.

[Q] USB OTG: usb1 found, cannot use keyboard

Hello,
I have a USB OTG cable and dell keyboard that I have tested and work in OTG mode on a Nexus 7, however i cannot get them to function with my HP Touchpad 32gb, running CM9 2.6.35, built on Sun Oct 28.
The device recognizes when I plug in anything via USB, but only as a generic Linux USB hub, and not as any particular device. Are there any steps to take to debug this? Has anyone had experience with this type of an issue?
Thanks for your help,
Cory

I don't know if this is the issue, but I know the touchpad doesn't support OTG like the the Nexus does. I think you need a Y-adapter + OTG to provide power since the micro usb port doesn't give any power to the device you connect. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though.

Apparently even a powered USB requires a powered Y cable to be properly recognized. I hacked together a quick Y cable manually, by splicing in another USB cable's power and ground (Red and black) to the respective locations on a female USB cable. Works as expected.
I am now communicating with an Arduino over Serial
Thanks!

Read this thread, should give you all the info you need:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1582771
Basically the Touchpad has OTG but it provides no power.

wcdolphin said:
Apparently even a powered USB requires a powered Y cable to be properly recognized. I hacked together a quick Y cable manually, by splicing in another USB cable's power and ground (Red and black) to the respective locations on a female USB cable. Works as expected.
I am now communicating with an Arduino over Serial
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm curious if you are able to charge with this cable hack while using usb devices?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app

ZedZardoz said:
I'm curious if you are able to charge with this cable hack while using usb devices?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if so , he is the first of the many many many who has used this cable..HPTP just is not set up for charge + usb data at the same time

amkaos said:
if so , he is the first of the many many many who has used this cable..HPTP just is not set up for charge + usb data at the same time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. I think people just are not stating reality regarding the ability to charge and use OTG Hosting to USB devices at the same time.
My goal here has been to attach a flash drive with video/audio media and play & charge on long flights. It looks like play, charge are mutually exclusive on my beloved TouchPad.
I've asked for the specific confirmation of this from this YouTube but have never had the poster reply:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p10LgZFIawo&feature=BFa&list=PLCED27D4A23068E04&index=7
There are devices out there that have very advanced micro USB device implementations. Sadly the HP is only superficially supportive.
I for one cannot wait to get my SGN2 smart dock which offers:
Charging
OTG (x3 USB)
Audio out
HML HDMI out
Docked Profile

OTG w/ charging

like most MHL cables that include the charging port (where you just plug in from wall), is there anything like this for OTG??
tried finding and searching but nothing.....

If you're looking for power going to the USB device, then you can use this.
If you want to charge your Note while using the OTG feature, then I've not yet come across anything like that.

Just wondering if it is possible to charge the Note 2 while using the OTG yet? I'm in my car all the time and use an external SD card. My 64gig internal card is already full.

cajunflavoredbob said:
If you're looking for power going to the USB device, then you can use this.
If you want to charge your Note while using the OTG feature, then I've not yet come across anything like that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How about a scenario where I have External Battery charger and OTG adapter with usb stick. I want to watch the movie on usb stick while also have External battery connected charging the phone. I guess it's the same problem as not being able to charge up phone from any external source while using another device connected to OTG?

vectron said:
How about a scenario where I have External Battery charger and OTG adapter with usb stick. I want to watch the movie on usb stick while also have External battery connected charging the phone. I guess it's the same problem as not being able to charge up phone from any external source while using another device connected to OTG?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could make your own micro USB OTG cable. I still haven't seen one for sale anywhere.

cajunflavoredbob said:
You could make your own micro USB OTG cable. I still haven't seen one for sale anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I don't have issues with OTG cables. I have adapter and cables, and modified cables before: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107985
I just want to figure out how I can watch movie from usb-stick while charging my phone at the same time. There seems to be no solution for that yet? Or are you suggesting there is a way to make a custom cable to do that? I think once you attach OTG cable to connect a peripheral device, you turn Note 2 into host and it will not accept charging from micro-usb port. No way around it

vectron said:
Oh, I don't have issues with OTG cables. I have adapter and cables, and modified cables before: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2107985
I just want to figure out how I can watch movie from usb-stick while charging my phone at the same time. There seems to be no solution for that yet? Or are you suggesting there is a way to make a custom cable to do that? I think once you attach OTG cable to connect a peripheral device, you turn Note 2 into host and it will not accept charging from micro-usb port. No way around it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I understand what you mean now. In that case, you are correct. You cannot charge your phone and use an external thumb drive at the same time through the usb port. When you plug in an external drive, your phone switches the USB power cables to send the juice instead of receive it.
The only ways I know around that are to use a wireless charge stand or the desk dock.

cajunflavoredbob said:
Oh, I understand what you mean now. In that case, you are correct. You cannot charge your phone and use an external thumb drive at the same time through the usb port. When you plug in an external drive, your phone switches the USB power cables to send the juice instead of receive it.
The only ways I know around that are to use a wireless charge stand or the desk dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't this exactly what sammys smartdock does? Charge and otg simultaneously?

farfromovin said:
Isn't this exactly what sammys smartdock does? Charge and otg simultaneously?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. Not possible with just a cable. It needs a microprocessor to regulate the current in and out. Devices plugged into the dock are powered by the dock's power, not the phone's.

cajunflavoredbob said:
Yep. Not possible with just a cable. It needs a microprocessor to regulate the current in and out. Devices plugged into the dock are powered by the dock's power, not the phone's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hear what your saying, but looking at threads in the S3 section like this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1953061 got me thinking... I'm just trying to make an audio cable for my car that charges and has 3.5mm out to my radio. And I need it to work with every 4.1.X kernel and above, especially stock.

farfromovin said:
I hear what your saying, but looking at threads in the S3 section like this one: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1953061 got me thinking... I'm just trying to make an audio cable for my car that charges and has 3.5mm out to my radio. And I need it to work with every 4.1.X kernel and above, especially stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you get a pinout for the s3, might be able to modify a cable to do both.

USB Port

Does the USB port have any other function other than power?

Don't think so, only power AFAIK.

I plugged it into my computer and even tried pressing and pressing/holding the button on the Chromecast but my computer didn't indicate any hardware plugged in.
I wonder if the data pins are even wired to anything internally.
UPDATE: The USB cable that comes with it may not work for data transfer, tried it with my phone and it didn't work. So I tried a normal microUSB cable but still nothing.

spunker88 said:
I plugged it into my computer and even tried pressing and pressing/holding the button on the Chromecast but my computer didn't indicate any hardware plugged in.
I wonder if the data pins are even wired to anything internally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If we could plug a mouse or keyboard into it would be great!!

comatose1978 said:
If we could plug a mouse or keyboard into it would be great!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has bluetooth... so in theory that could be a simple alternative... we just need to figure out how to access hidden menus.

comatose1978 said:
If we could plug a mouse or keyboard into it would be great!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this with a self powered USB OTG cable, just to see if the Chromecast would blink, bing, or do anything to show recognition, no dice. Also tried booting with a USB drive in, no difference.

Universal Charger
Universal Charger:victory:

Examining board
Based on examining the photos of the motherboard on ifixit.com...
Component EM1 appears to be a USB Common Mode Choke. That goes on the D+/D- pair which you can see routed from the USB port, so it wouldn't be present if there wasn't some use for data communication over the USB port. (Cost sensitive equipment.) The flip side of the PCBA shows TP1-TP20 (Where TP19 and TP20 appear to be GND). My guess is in that mix you have a JTAG port for programming/testing the unit initially with a pogo pin rig (evidenced by the dimples observed in each of those locations), and there might be more high/low GPIO pins where one might allow the unit to enter its USB data mode.
-Jon

ften said:
I tried this with a self powered USB OTG cable, just to see if the Chromecast would blink, bing, or do anything to show recognition, no dice. Also tried booting with a USB drive in, no difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there any special kind of powered otg cable to work with this? I looked on Amazon but not sure. I want to grab one incase they make any progress on rooting this.
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 4 Beta

mustang_52 said:
Is there any special kind of powered otg cable to work with this? I looked on Amazon but not sure. I want to grab one incase they make any progress on rooting this.
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like its already been rooted. With what looks like a dual usb otg. They don't go deep into what specific cable but, I would guess it is a generic dual usb one off ebay, or amazon, heres a quick one i pulled from amazon http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Cable-P...8&qid=1375052489&sr=8-3&keywords=Dual+Usb+otg
But if you read into it, they say you can root, but unless your a developer you probably wont get any benefit of rooting....yet, if at all.
Obtaining root Link: http://blog.gtvhacker.com/2013/chromecast-exploiting-the-newest-device-by-google/

OneAn9ryN00b said:
Looks like its already been rooted. With what looks like a dual usb otg. They don't go deep into what specific cable but, I would guess it is a generic dual usb one off ebay, or amazon, heres a quick one i pulled from amazon http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Cable-P...8&qid=1375052489&sr=8-3&keywords=Dual+Usb+otg
But if you read into it, they say you can root, but unless your a developer you probably wont get any benefit of rooting....yet, if at all.
Obtaining root Link: http://blog.gtvhacker.com/2013/chromecast-exploiting-the-newest-device-by-google/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please correct me if Im wrong, but the cable you linked only charges the thumbdrive/keyboard/mice/etc NOT the Chromecast so how would one root it since it does need power from usb plug? I've been searching for correct cable and cant find it; link to correct cable would be greatly appreciated!!!
This cable wouldnt work, right? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Usb-type-A-..._USB_Cables_Hubs_Adapters&hash=item4857e3608e

eurominican said:
Please correct me if Im wrong, but the cable you linked only charges the thumbdrive/keyboard/mice/etc NOT the Chromecast so how would one root it since it does need power from usb plug? I've been searching for correct cable and cant find it; link to correct cable would be greatly appreciated!!!
This cable wouldnt work, right? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Usb-type-A-..._USB_Cables_Hubs_Adapters&hash=item4857e3608e
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I own that cable from Amazon and it should work. It brings in +5v from a charger connected to the female microUSB port and then splits it to the female full size USB port and the the male microUSB port so both the USB host device and the USB peripheral device are getting power.

spunker88 said:
I own that cable from Amazon and it should work. It brings in +5v from a charger connected to the female microUSB port and then splits it to the female full size USB port and the the male microUSB port so both the USB host device and the USB peripheral device are getting power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered this cable http://r.ebay.com/QgwBIW Will report back if it works when I get it.

eurominican said:
Please correct me if Im wrong, but the cable you linked only charges the thumbdrive/keyboard/mice/etc NOT the Chromecast so how would one root it since it does need power from usb plug? I've been searching for correct cable and cant find it; link to correct cable would be greatly appreciated!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also bought that powered OTG cable off Amazon and it will power the Chromecast as well as provide the means to flash the Chromecast via a USB thumbdrive. When you apply power to the Chromecast, it automatically flashed the bin from the USB drive. There was no interaction required (or even possible). Of course this was on the original firmware - if your Chromecast updated itself, you have lost the ability to root the device at this time.
Clearly the Chromecast does sense the USB drive and pulls data from it during the initial boot sequence. However I'm not sure if it would ever work for other devices such as keyboards or storage devices, etc.
I'm not sure why anyone would want to hook those types of devices up to the Chromecast however. Once you have root, you can telnet into the device, so adding a keyboard doesn't seem that important. The whole idea of the device is that you send it media from other devices and control it via that other device. Adding storage for example doesn't seem important since it can pull media off the network already (ie a NAS or another computer).
Anyway. That has been my experience with it so far. It's a long winded answer to more than just your question about the OTG plug.

I would personally love the ability to send audio out without having an hdmi TV be on through the usb somehow...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

USB Tethering not working - SGH-i997
Hi all,
i have install Avatar 7.0 to my Samsung SGH-i997 from "http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2174227". it's look cool.
But when i am trying to USB Tethering, the massage shows as "Unfortunately,Setting has Stopped".
how to Fix this issue.