I saw some articles about USB Hosting on PDAs, and it took my attention very much, by this gate we can extend our Jam usage in variable ways, attaching USB flashdisks, HDs, digital cameras etc. Anyone has any idea on this issue ?
not possible. you need a usb host. the magician can only act as slave and not as host to a other device. not even with software because that's the way usb works. to keep cost low the chips for usb communication are mostly on a master and not the slave.
further more what could have been done is to connect both devices as slaves to a master and let it act as bridge (there are several devices that work that way) but since the magician doesn't support the mass storage device profile even this isn't possible.
Related
On WM5 has anyone been able to access USB devices like printer, Pendrive etc directly? Would be great to be able to print directly or access files from a USB memory stick.
Have heard of HP printer drivers for older versions of windows CE somewhere...
Using a usb device on the phone.
I know of no WM5 or WM6 phone for that matter that have a usb STACK on them that would allow them to use a usb device. They are designed to BE a usb device for a pc...not the other way around.
famewolf said:
I know of no WM5 or WM6 phone for that matter that have a usb STACK on them that would allow them to use a usb device. They are designed to BE a usb device for a pc...not the other way around.
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i think you are mistaken.. there are a couple new WM5 and/or 6 devices that have USB hosting support.. among them is the Athena, O2 Flame, and toshiba g900, and those WM devices exclusive from/for japan..
Yeah, it is the other device that must be able to read the PPC.
My stereo read my Tytn as a storage device. Can play music directly from the PPC. However it is the Stereo doing the recognizing job. Not the other way around.
I'd just like to clarify a few things:
1) USB has two sides - host and client and they are different by hardware and not just software so there is no "able" question here.
2) In cases like memory stick, printer etc. when your device uses what is connected to it, the phone must act as host. The reason there are few devices with USB host is mainly because to be fully implemented this standard must provide up to 500 mA current to the hosted device and of course thats a bug problem when working on battery.
(Any phone that does implement it, provides it "unpowered" so not all devices will work)
3) In cases where something is using your device like the stereo, the phone acts as a client so with the right piece of software (like WM5Storage) any phone can be used.
The fujitsu Pocket LOOX T810/830 can act as a USB hub.
Some devices have this capability but not a feature that is common.
Sam.
I'm really unqualified to discuss this in great detail, but why I got there was - I've read somewhere in these forums about Win95 emulators for ppc devices. Now if it could be possible to "emulate" just the USB stack portion of Win95, maybe, the ppc could be connected to devices like printers which would not require a powered USB connection.
That's all ...
Atul
emulating an os dont add new features to the hardware though
Does anybody know if it is possible to connect the phone to a USB hard drive?
only with flame and Athena as they are the only ones which support usb host
other devices cant use usb devices only be used by usb hosts normaly a pc
There was actually someone who developed a working hard disk storage driver for windows mobile but last I checked the site no longer offered it. Searched for days trying to find the file elsewhere. No luck. Cant think of the company that made the driver.
I'm bumping this as I am also after the same sort of program / utility.
I want to be able to access my External HD and view / play files off it... anyone able to help me out?
Maybe with a external powersupplied disk
Rudegar said:
only with flame and Athena as they are the only ones which support usb host...
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Correct
Our Hermes has no usb host support. I found a topic at forum.brighthand.com which suggested the host functionality could be added with a usb host driver. I found the software (attached zip) but alas... Though I did exactly as the 'manual' (readme.txt) explained, the usb-stick did not appear in my explorer.
Possibly an external drive with external power supply might work because the hermes usb port is simply not powerful enough to supply the power to the usb-stick. However I did not "explore that possibility" (don't have one ) and chances are 'just a driver' is not enough and hermes lacks "usb host hardware".
dident read the post because you dident give a link to the post just the forum
but i doubt that it's a general thing
many pda's have usbhost in the cpu itself but htc never connected those connectors
so it's not wired to the connector they have their own usb chip
so if the post you read said it about any other pda then htc based one it could be that that manufactor did connect the usb but dident supply the driver which would then be fixed with what you found
Rudegar said:
many pda's have usbhost in the cpu itself but htc never connected those connectors
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Sounds like there could be the potential for a hardware hack...
heh, nice try. but it will end like GPS HW hack on the TyTN (aka Hermes). it is not worth it, I mean there is easy way, just buy device with GPS integrated, or buy external. I have electronic skills and proper tools, I can do such things but it is too complicated. in that hermes was problem, that antena was not properly connected and you can never get a GPS lock. I guess that with usb host is the same. missing circuitry.
Deuce Nitro said:
Sounds like there could be the potential for a hardware hack...
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Yepp!
Hi,
this is correct
sinmae said:
heh, nice try. but it will end like GPS HW hack on the TyTN (aka Hermes). it is not worth it, I mean there is easy way, just buy device with GPS integrated, or buy external. I have electronic skills and proper tools, I can do such things but it is too complicated. in that hermes was problem, that antena was not properly connected and you can never get a GPS lock. I guess that with usb host is the same. missing circuitry.
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The USB host port of the Samsung CPU is used to connect to the internal GSM/GPRS chipset. So no chance to break it up!
If someone would ever hack this hardware part, the result would be a hermes without radio.
The engineers at HTC used the USB host port to achieve the necessary bandwith for high speed data connection to the GSM/GPRS chips from Qualcomm.
Best regards,
scholbert
thats an interesting information, thanx
scholbert said:
The engineers at HTC used the USB host port to achieve the necessary bandwith for high speed data connection to the GSM/GPRS chips from Qualcomm.
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Do you know what devices supports USB host?
as far as I know: no ;-)
Athena, flame and shift
USB Host built in... !?
I have read most of the posts related to the USB Host thing...
Everytime i must read such things like that the Tytn has no hardware that supports USB-Host...
But Samsung says, that the CPU and Chipset has built in USB-Host AND USB-Device Ports...
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/productInfo.do?fmly_id=229&partnum=SC32442
So the statement that its hardware cannot do USB-Host is not true.
If the CPU and Chipsets has built in USB-Host Functionality, the Hardware-Ports in the Chips (i think) have to be used at the USB-Interface at bottom of the Tytn.
So at end, it has to be only a Software Problem to support USB-Host Functionality directly at Tytn...
Anyone who can follow my Ideas, or do i have an error in my thinking?
the usb functions of the cpu is not used there is another chip which handle usb for htc devices
even if the cpu support host non of the connections are passed on to any connctor
So is my Question, why should they do such irrational things ?
Why use another additional Hardware (at additional costs!!), if the already existing can do the functions ?
If they really do that, they must be mad... throwing dollars out of the window and make the product more expensive than it can be.
Its like i buy a Ferrari and only drive 130 km/h instead of 250 km/h on our german highways.
not sure the reason but it have been don for many generations of pda's from htc maybe the r&d cost of changing their pcb design is bigger then using their current design
or maybe they dont want to wander into the jungle of getting piles of support calls and mail with people wanting usb drivers for this and that not to mention the issue with having to be forced to substain a .5 mAmp output to usb devices with batt issues
and having to handle correct handling of init'ing connected usb devices after on off
But the Flame, Shift and Athena have USB-Host Funtionality you said.
Especially the Flame is much like the Tytn. So the Thing about Drivers, Batt and Current have to be the same.
I wonder in addition a little bit how it came to the sdhc compatibility that was not given under WM5 but now under WM6. For me that means the Hardware of SD is everytime the same, only the Software changes a bit. So the Tytn must accept cards up to 32gig...
Why they do such things will be a mystery on for the future.
I think with conventional explanation attempts it will not be done.
Maybe i will write a mail to HTC and will do the Question again there.
you should not sure if they will reply or even read it but you should all the same
but flame is not a htc device
After having a quick chat with cr2 about the process of linux i was surprised to see that external usb host support on the universal is still unknown (obv it uses usb host internally for phone)
basically i have a dongle which on one end has a mini-usb plug (i.e. goes in phone) and on the other end has a usb a receptacle.. i got it with a development kit for an AVR micro-controller that has onboard usb client/host... plugging in the cable switches its mode.
now from what i understand of the pxa270 dev manual
http://www.balloonboard.org/hardware/300/ds/PXA270-dev-manual.pdf
(section 20.4) is that the chip has 3 onboard host ports. the first is dedicated (which i assume is the one used for the phone) the other 2 are shared by usb client mode and must be configured to use host mode. there also is usb-otg supported on chip which may be how things are set up.
to me this suggests that physically the external usb port we have access to can be set to host mode via setting registers (or some software based setup) however i have not looked properly at the pin layout (and electronics is only a hobby) so if someone could try and decipher from this doc
http://pdf1.alldatasheet.net/datasheet-pdf/view/82521/INTEL/PXA270/datasheet.pdf
to progress we need to see whether this is the case or whether there is a physical aspect to setting host mode (if there is then seeing if it wired up)
then we need someone with a bit of low level coding skills (prob linux based coding route) to do any initialisation then on to testing.
as i said i have a dongle but i'm not willing to risk my exec (poor student y'see) until i know a few bits... i have no intention of frying my phone due to test usb device drawing to much power from phone and melting something (i am not sure how the usb spec handles it...i know pc's shut the port down if it draws too much power but a pda i'm not so sure... especially if it isn't expecting it!)
what are other peoples thoughts on all this can anyone investigate anything or verify any of my thoughts etc
i'd like to settle the mystery which ever way it turns out...usb host mode under linux would sure be shiny
it would also be interesting to see whether the 3rd port is connected up
also see section 12 of the first pdf it covers more in depth the details regarding usb
For those with the HTC 4 in 1 Cable, they might be asking the same question too... for a very long while now
Can anyone out there update Athena's USB host drivers?
It's USB host support is enough to power most memory card readers (even 5 in 1 readers), read/write low power thumb/flash drives and make most wired keyboards, mice and gamepads work.
It even works with PSP Slim in USB mode, making the memory stick files accessible
But again there's this issue with self powered devices in mass storage mode and large capacity hard drives(like camera, video cams, external HD etc.)
Athena recognizes them as "Hard Disk" (as with thumb drive and memory card readers, via Explorer). But when you tap the "Hard Disk", all you have is the waiting icon, no more...
I have tried many usb host drivers and edited the registry to no avail.
Those drivers are the following:
1. RATOC based Zeno Drivers ( it does not work, maybe because the drivers where based to work another processor) The only thing that i get from them is a message that the device connected needs a specific drive....
2. Eten M600 USB host drivers ( again the drivers were meant for its Samsung processor) Doesn't work either, though power is still supplied to the connected device.
3. Dejes USB Host driver- expected not to work for it's meant for Windows Mobile 2003
But maybe there's still hope ...
Toshiba G900 USB host drivers...
Athena and G900 have the PXA 270 processor so there's a big chance that G900 drivers may work with Athena (with a few driver rewriting hopefully)
It has been noted that Toshiba G900 USB host support is better, recognizing self powered Devices in Mass Storage Mode and large HDs
And then there's O2 Flame's....these three Devices have the PXA 270 processor... and all have USB host capabilities so the answer might just be just in the tip of our noses...
I have no knowledge with drivers and stuff (all tweaking and basic registry editing just from reading forums) and correct me If I'm wrong but I think writing/updating Athena's USB host drivers are a lot more easier than developing that oh so elusive Graphic Drivers for other devices that developers are sooo into right now...
But whose to blame, our device is quite "old" and quite "rare"
Hope there's a kind hearted fella out there who could update our drivers, fix the powered mass storage issue and even give some new drivers to support other USB devices (external optical drives, webcam, HSDPA thumbs etc)
For now, non-developers like most of us, can only play with available drivers and registry so here are some USB host drivers from different devices (USE AT YOUR OWN RISK) and hopefully one may know what to do with them...
another set of drivers
The drivers inside the zip file below is from
Toshiba G900...
Anyone with the knowledge of driver writing please help us to fix the issues with Athena's usb hosting
Thanks in Advance
thank you
what wires are you using with it?
many drives require Y-type wires.