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USB data input use on a non USB Host smartphone

Hy everyone,
First of all, thanks for this great forum which never fails to impress me.
I have a question which some of you might help answering: I'm wondering if it's possible to use the mini-usb port of my smartphone to get some data input.
Let me explain myself a bit more: I know that smartphones (HTC Touch for me) aren't USB hosts. However, the data connexions are still present.
Here's what I'd like to do: even though the smartphone can't control another peripheral, I'd like that external peripheral to send data to the smartphone, and the smartphone to use that data to control the screen. That would give an alternative way of controlling the screen.
The input would come from another touch surface, so my guess is that using the data to control the screen shouldn't be much of a problem.
So? Any idea if it's possible? What kind of platform/language would be nice to do that? C#?
(I have JAVA development experience, but I'm quite a newbie as far as Win Mobile devs are concerned. I'm willing to learn though
I think I searched this forum (and others) quite extensively before posting. If by any chance I missed a related post, I'd be glad to know about it

No ideas? Anyone?

Last up before I stop...

prob. not
i dont think that is technically possible. i think one has to be the host, and that host provides power. so to power the input device(im thinking keyboard) it would need the smartphone/ppc to be a host....
but i have no clue in this area...maybe someone could prove me wrong?

Hey, thanks for your answer.
The powering issues could be overcomed by cutting the cables and giving power from an external power source (I think several people have tried doing it, I need to find the links again). By the way, the peripheral itself is plugged on 110V, so there's plenty of available power
I'm not seeking here to "control" the device, just to aquire the signal it's sending... Does that seem feasible, or does the peripheral need to be somehow "activated" by a Host before sending anything?

Well, in order to get data, the host must ask the slave each time it needs some. Other things must be done by the host, like usb enumeration. That means there has to be a host or it won't work, unless you use usb on-the-go, but I do not know many devices that support it.

according to the qualcomm website, the msm chipsets support otg

Help with creating hardware keyboard

Hi everyone. I'm an Engineer and I graduated back in 2007. Since then, I've been a Systems Engineer working software and I'm fairly clueless in modern hardware development. I'd like to start playing around with android hardware creations. My first desire is to make a keyboard. I want it to be as simple as possible, to work through the usb and include a pass through so as to allow charging and other peripherals, and to have it's own power source that would be charged while charging the phone.
I'm not worrying about the casing/buttons/manufacturing right now, I just wand to get the hardware working. Anyone have any suggestions for getting started? I've found a few of the development boards through the android developer site, but the look like a bit of overkill for my needs. I do have experience with PIC microprocessors and so the pic one doesn't look bad.
Basically, what would you recommend and what resources should I be looking at to make this happen?

Can't comment on specifics regarding the keyboard, but I've programmed a lot on PICs and recently moved to an Arduino, which I've found much quicker to develop with. I can't post a link as I'm < posts, but google "Android Open Accessory Development Kit".

With cheap keyboards selling for under $5 I don't really see the point.
If you wanted to do some custom USB HID device, that's a bit different.
There are some things already to support this easily: http://www.ultimarc.com/JShopServer/section.php?xSec=13
If your goal is just to make a wired docking station,
I'd just use a back-powering hub and an off-the-shelf USB keyboard.

It has been done, look up "Motorola lapdock" and "USB otg android" and "USB host android".
Sent from my MB855 using xda premium

honestly, the whole "making a keyboard" thing is just so I can get going understanding hardware development and USB access. I've got some ideas for accessories I'd prefer not to discuss, but I still want to learn the tools I need to do this.
Consequently, I'm looking for a way to learn to interface a simple hardware accessory with an android system. I'll probably need software and hardware.

so no more replys?

If you are just looking to experiment with creating USB hardware, the ATTINYs have V-USB, a software implementation of a USB stack. It should be fine for playing around with simple HID stuff. Some PICs have USB support too, but this V-USB will run on some of the cheapest attinys, if cost is a concern.
Google "HIDKeys - a USB Keyboard" for a a simple USB HID keyboard project which you can base your own code off of.

thanks :angel:

bluetooth completely borked. fix it google!

I've been trying to get a BT mouse to work on my nexus 4.
i've now tried 2 different models, without success.
both are recognized, both pair and then both completely fail to work.
to add insult to injury, i tried one of those mice on a friend's samsung google nexus today -- also running jellybean -- and it worked perfectly.
could anybody running a BT mouse successfully SINCE THE LAST UPDATE (4.2.1) let me know what make/model they have?
EDIT: maybe they heard me ...
http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articl...jelly-bean-update-bluetooth-fix-exclusive.htm

i understand your frustration, but just one question.. why are you using a bluetooth mouse on a phone? tablet, understandable but phone?!

khanh1289 said:
i understand your frustration, but just one question.. why are you using a bluetooth mouse on a phone? tablet, understandable but phone?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
take a nexus 4 + slimport adaptor + BT mouse + BT keyboard,
add an lcd TV with hdmi input (now common in hotels etc.),
and you have:
- a portable PC
- a decent home media centre (with armchair remote input)
- possibly a productivity tool for editing text/ photos etc. for which a touchscreen is too inprecise an input device.
understand now?

Instead of doing all that why wouldn't you just go wireless display and then use the phone as the remote at the sametime? Wouldn't that make more sense?
And AFAIK, bluetooth input devices weren't supported?

sorry, i typically use a laptop for those things. It would make a lot more sense btw. You can also use your phone as a bluetooth mouse/keyboard if you have a laptop that connects to a tv.

shotta35 said:
Instead of doing all that why wouldn't you just go wireless display and then use the phone as the remote at the sametime? Wouldn't that make more sense?
And AFAIK, bluetooth input devices weren't supported?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
???
a/ i haven't a clue what "go wireless display" means.
b/ "use the phone as a remote" ... for what exactly? and how does that help me?
c/ where has google stated that "bluetooth input devices weren't supported"? that's nonsense.
re-read my previous post and try to get your head around what i am trying to achieve.

theabsurdman said:
???
a/ i haven't a clue what "go wireless display" means.
b/ "use the phone as a remote" ... for what exactly? and how does that help me?
c/ where has google stated that "bluetooth input devices weren't supported"? that's nonsense.
re-read my previous post and try to get your head around what i am trying to achieve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, you are quite "the absurd man". If you're trying to find help in a forum, it's best if you be a bit nicer. We're both trying to give you better alternatives to what you're trying to accomplish. To answer your questions...
A/wireless display technology is built in with the n4 and jelly bean and it's not yet widely available to most tv's yet but achievable with adapters.
B/so you don't have to carry around a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. It helps you with 2 less things you carry (unless you're using a combo).
C/this one I can't back him cause I thought it is supported. Maybe it is broken, but I don't use it so I wouldn't know
Sent from my Blenzderz 9000

khanh1289 said:
sorry, i typically use a laptop for those things. It would make a lot more sense btw. You can also use your phone as a bluetooth mouse/keyboard if you have a laptop that connects to a tv.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... perhaps more sense to you, not me.
i don't want to carry a laptop around when i already have a computer in my pocket.
and i'm not happy with touch input devices as they are too slow and lack the precision needed for heavy editing.
these are my (not i.m.o. unreasonable) requirements of the nexus 4.

khanh1289 said:
Wow, you are quite "the absurd man". If you're trying to find help in a forum, it's best if you be a bit nicer. We're both trying to give you better alternatives to what you're trying to accomplish. To answer your questions...
A/wireless display technology is built in with the n4 and jelly bean and it's not yet widely available to most tv's yet but achievable with adapters.
B/so you don't have to carry around a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard. It helps you with 2 less things you carry (unless you're using a combo).
C/this one I can't back him cause I thought it is supported. Maybe it is broken, but I don't use it so I wouldn't know
Sent from my Blenzderz 9000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
getting the display to the TV is no problem -- i already have a slimport adaptor! why would i want to max out my wifi for that? it's bananas!
and i've already said that i don't want to use touch input as it's too slow and inprecise for my purposes.
my portable (igo stowaway) keyboard and notebook BT mouse are tiny (and inexpensive).
sorry to seem abrasive but you are not getting what i'm trying to achieve here.

khanh1289 said:
why are you using a bluetooth mouse on a phone? tablet, understandable but phone?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've heard other people making the tablet/ phone distinction before and i'm not sure it's a valid one. the nexus 4 surely IS a tablet, albeit with a smaller physical (not resolution) screen. what else distinguishes a tablet? i use my N4 in exactly the same way i used my asus transformer and playbook.

theabsurdman said:
i've heard other people making the tablet/ phone distinction before and i'm not sure it's a valid one. the nexus 4 surely IS a tablet, albeit with a smaller physical (not resolution) screen. what else distinguishes a tablet? i use my N4 in exactly the same way i used my asus transformer and playbook.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In your first post you didn't clarify that you were going to hook it up to a tv, so I assume that you were planning to connect a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to your n4 and try to work from it's bit-smaller-than 5" display, which is highly unproductive.
N4 is technically a phone, not a tablet, by definition and specifications. I shouldn't have to explain the differences between a phone and a tablet (I'm sure there's a thread with detailed explanations)... just because it's running the same os doesn't mean it has the same hardware classification.
I understand that you want your N4 to replace your computer and the technology is very close, but not quite there yet... For simple tasks, it's good, but for anything editing, a laptop computer is highly more productive than a phone. Imagine you're doing something and you constantly receive phone calls and text messages.
Anyways, I will test this later when I get home and see if it's really broken. I know my Bluetooth moga game controller works just fine so I don't know why your mouse wouldn't.
Sent from my Blenzderz 9000

khanh1289 said:
Anyways, I will test this later when I get home and see if it's really broken. I know my Bluetooth moga game controller works just fine so I don't know why your mouse wouldn't.
Sent from my Blenzderz 9000
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'd appreciate that, thanks.
my BT keyboard works fine, but no mouse that i've tried.

Bluetooth is pretty much borked in all versions of Jellybean for all devices. Some things work and some things don't its pretty hit or miss. Version 4.2.1 added some drivers for game controllers but not much else so that's probably why those work and things like mice don't. There is supposed to be another fix coming in the next version but all that's known to be in there for sure is a fix for A2DP streaming.
http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/11/27/changelog-whats-new-in-android-4-2-1-jop40d/
http://www.droiddog.com/android-blo...ease-will-fix-bluetooth-a2dp-audio-streaming/

kzoodroid said:
Bluetooth is pretty much borked in all versions of Jellybean for all devices. Some things work and some things don't its pretty hit or miss. Version 4.2.1 added some drivers for game controllers but not much else so that's probably why those work and things like mice don't. There is supposed to be another fix coming in the next version but all that's known to be in there for sure is a fix for A2DP streaming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
however, the (jellybean) samsung google nexus has no problem running a BT mouse, as i saw today.
i'd like to raise awareness of this problem with the N4 and get some more response from users, which has so far been sparse, probably because (as other posters in this thread have indicated) few see the need for a mouse.
for instance, somebody reported on another thread that they had been able to make a microsoft 5000 notebook mouse work. can anybody corroborate that?
i'm reluctant to shell out for yet another mouse considering that i'm currently holding 2 non-functioning ones.

not sure how much good it's going to do but i've opened an issue (#43918 Nexus 4 -- bluetooth mouse not working.) with the android development project:
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=43918&thanks=43918&ts=1359688071#makechanges
"bluetooth mouse not working on nexus 4 (jellybean 4.2.1)
i've tried 2 different models of bluetooth mouse. both are detected and pair, and are recognized in settings as input divices, but i get no on-screen cursor nor any mouse/ button input registed by the device. nothing.
the same mice work properly on a samsung google nexus."

i've had one response to my issue at google already.
could anybody else who is having this problem please add to that thread also?
https://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=43918&thanks=43918&ts=1359688071#makechanges
meanwhile i'm awaiting delivery of a microsoft notebook 5000 BT mouse which has been reported to work by another poster. i'll report back on that when it arrives

UPDATE:
at last i've found a mouse that works!
the microsoft bluetooth notebook 5000

Need help: repurpose old android screen as secondary touch monitor (wired)

I've a galaxy tab 2 7.0 which is beyond repair and hard bricked, I was wondering if I could use it's display and touch as a secondary monitor for windows, with a reasonable response time, for productivity. It would be a tremendous help.

deleted

Dhgr8 said:
Try iDisplay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please read the post before reply. Device is hard bricked. Software solution not applicable. Hardware solution required.

You probably already gave up on this, but I am answering this so other people get at least sortof an answer.
For the display alone you could try to use a display driver board (Just google for "make your own monitor, DIY LCD controller board" Sadly can't post links yet..)
Will be hard as soldering to the connectors of the display is annoying/nearly impossible.
Next would be touch, and there you would also need to find a driver board (designing this yourself is way out of the scope usually) and then calibrate the coordinates. (Probably okay under linux/unix, next to impossible under windows)
Overall cost would probably surpass what you would pay for a cheap, new device which could run a software solution. (which would be more portable and cleaner looking.)
If you are a linux user, you can tether the tablet to your pc, get a vnc server running on it and then stream the feed via ADB over the usb-cable to your tablet. (ADB can connect ports from your tablet to your labtop and vice versa). This means that you dont have to pay anything for an app, and also do custom stuff like just sharing certain parts of the screen to the tablet etc...

Looking for ideas to make Z3 Compact with a broken touch screen usefull again

Hi,
I have a Z3 Compact with a broken screen. It displays everything all right, but the touch is pretty much dead. Shame, I loved that phone.
Thus I am looking for interesting ways to make it useful again. It runs Android 6.0.1 right now.
I have an OTG connector, so I am still able to use the device with an USB mouse - BT controller is an option as well. My most basic options are:
- emulation-handheld for old consoles like PSX and SNES
- PC Camera (with apps like DroidCam, IP Webcam)
But before that my most basic question would be:
Will I be able to use the mouse after reseting the device to factory settings? Seems like the easiest way to clear all the data.
Also, I know there are unofficial Android ROMs available - is it possible to install and use them without the touchscreen, only with USB mouse?
And now to some wishful thinking...
Are there any Linux roms for Z3C akin to Raspbian for Raspberry Pie? Z3C most likely has enough power to act as a simple desktop PC for internet and youtube, it also has peripherals (was it called MHL?) to connect it to a monitor via HDMI that should be dirt cheap by now (the question is, is it still possible to connect K&M at the same time? Is USB-hub enough?), so... maybe?
Any other ideas are welcome!
*useful, my bad

A handy accessory
torrentius said:
Hi,
I have a Z3 Compact with a broken screen. It displays everything all right, but the touch is pretty much dead. Shame, I loved that phone.
Thus I am looking for interesting ways to make it useful again. It runs Android 6.0.1 right now.
I have an OTG connector, so I am still able to use the device with an USB mouse - BT controller is an option as well. My most basic options are:
- emulation-handheld for old consoles like PSX and SNES
- PC Camera (with apps like DroidCam, IP Webcam)
But before that my most basic question would be:
Will I be able to use the mouse after reseting the device to factory settings? Seems like the easiest way to clear all the data.
Also, I know there are unofficial Android ROMs available - is it possible to install and use them without the touchscreen, only with USB mouse?
And now to some wishful thinking...
Are there any Linux roms for Z3C akin to Raspbian for Raspberry Pie? Z3C most likely has enough power to act as a simple desktop PC for internet and youtube, it also has peripherals (was it called MHL?) to connect it to a monitor via HDMI that should be dirt cheap by now (the question is, is it still possible to connect K&M at the same time? Is USB-hub enough?), so... maybe?
Any other ideas are welcome!
*useful, my bad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure you have one of the magnetic charging cables so you can at least keep the mouse plugged in at all times AND keep the battery charged Keyboard & mouse possible IF you use something like the OLDER Logitech models with the proprietary dongle. The newer "unified" stuff won't work. BT keyboard / mouse too sluggish in my experience. If you are feeling courageous, and especially if you don't need it as a daily driver, a replacement screen is something like 25 dollars USD on eBay - get the one with a frame unless you are experienced in replacing screens - the replacement screen only units are somewhat FRAGILE.

nezlek said:
Make sure you have one of the magnetic charging cables so you can at least keep the mouse plugged in at all times AND keep the battery charged Keyboard & mouse possible IF you use something like the OLDER Logitech models with the proprietary dongle. The newer "unified" stuff won't work. BT keyboard / mouse too sluggish in my experience. If you are feeling courageous, and especially if you don't need it as a daily driver, a replacement screen is something like 25 dollars USD on eBay - get the one with a frame unless you are experienced in replacing screens - the replacement screen only units are somewhat FRAGILE.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, Nezlek! [I pozdrawiam współ-Warszawiaka! ]
Fortunately I have the magnetic cable, so no worries there. I wasn't planning on replacing the screen, definitely not that courageous. I loved that phone, but I am just not good with tinkering inside of small electronic devices. That is why I was thinking about ways of using it with other input tools like OTG mouse or BT controler. Right now I am thinking about getting a MHL cable for HDMI output and giving it with a BT gamepad to my friends kids with some games loaded. I have no other ideas, sadly.
Do you happen to know if OTG works right away after full-reseting the devicse? This is my main concern now.

Good Question ......
torrentius said:
Thanks, Nezlek! [I pozdrawiam współ-Warszawiaka! ]
Fortunately I have the magnetic cable, so no worries there. I wasn't planning on replacing the screen, definitely not that courageous. I loved that phone, but I am just not good with tinkering inside of small electronic devices. That is why I was thinking about ways of using it with other input tools like OTG mouse or BT controler. Right now I am thinking about getting a MHL cable for HDMI output and giving it with a BT gamepad to my friends kids with some games loaded. I have no other ideas, sadly.
Do you happen to know if OTG works right away after full-reseting the devicse? This is my main concern now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume that OTG would work right after a re-set. Why not? The support is built into the ROM. As for the MHL cable, another good idea, but you could just as easily screen cast, no? But, for 5 U$D, or 18 zł PLN (take your pick) an MHL cable is a "worth it" experiment. And, if you're feeling adventurous
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Sony+Xperia+Z3+Compact+LCD+Screen+Replacement/35488
From personal experience, the only real issues with the Z3C are that the LCD panel is held in place by adhesive, so you have to position those templates rather precisely, OR use glue :crying: OR double-sided tape AND, you have to be CAREFUL re-positioning the speaker. Caution and patience is all you need.
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