Ok,
I was reading a post over at the PSP Linux forum about suspicions that the PSP has USB On-The-Go abilities. USB On-The-Go basically means a device can be a USB Host or a USB Client, and is usually restricted to a a certain class of USB devices - eg you might want a USB OTG camera to only act as a host with Storage Devices.
Now to quote this page http://www.beyondlogic.org/usb/otghost.htm ...
As a device can be either a host (A-device) or peripheral (B-device) and that the USB specification calls for different types of connectors for upstream and downstream ports, the OTG spec introduced two additional connectors. One such connector is a mini A/B connector allowing a mini A or mini B connector to plug into the one recepticle. A dual-role device is required to be able to detect whether a Mini-A or Mini-B plug is inserted by determining if the ID pin (an extra pin introduced by OTG) is connected to ground.
This basically says that tradictional USB uses A connectors for Hosts and B connectors for Clients. Because they needed to allow OTG devices to be used as both a Host and a Client, they designed a port that could accept both mini A and mini B connectors. Unsuprisingly, this is called a mini AB connector
So, for small USB Client devices, a mini B connector is used. They look like this:
http://www.cypressindustries.com/products/images/ccmusbb-32005-201.gif
For small USB OTG devices, the new miniAB port is used. They look like this:
http://www.cypressindustries.com/products/images/ccmusbab-32005-700.gif
so go look on the bottom of the Magician. Low and behold, a mini AB connector! In fact you'll see the cable they gave you with your magician is a mini B but it still fits into the mini AB connector on the jam, even though it's a slightly different shape.
Now, it could be USB Host was planned or the port was added to allow backwards compatability with the Magician2 or whatever, but all the same it's a pretty interesting feature, given that a company can probably source mini B connectors for cheaper than mini AB, (as not many companies are making them yet).
So... does the Jam have USB host functionality or not???
If so, here's some drivers to take advantage of this function. Use at your own risk.
http://www.deje.gmxhome.de/
http://www.anypakusa.com/PPC/
Maybe one could connect the jam to a hard drive???
I've did some research, and if the Magician supports USB On The Go (why else would there be a MiniAB connector on the bottom of the device in stead of a normal MiniB (4p) connector) it should be able to play USB Host.
I'm ordering a MiniA to A Female connector and I'm hoping it will work out so I can connect a USB Flashdrive, GPS reciever etc.etc.
Why do people need USB host on their Magician? I can only imagine using an USB keyboard, but everything else I can do with bluetooth and my 4 GB MMC card.
And for using my Magician as "USB-Brick" I use this here:
http://www.softick.com/pocket-pc/cardexport2/
Well... I don't like wireless That's the most important reason.
I want to use a wired GPS-reciever in my car.
I want to be able to connect a USB mass storage driver.
And I'm a geek who just wants to explore every possible option
So why shouldn't I give it a try
esackbauer said:
Why do people need USB host on their Magician? I can only imagine using an USB keyboard, but everything else I can do with bluetooth and my 4 GB MMC card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I think most of the people are interested on the fact that you can actually use an ext hdd, e.g. you have 80GB+ of videos, mp3s that you play on your unit (although I doubt it is able to power the 2.5" type). You can print documents from your unit to a printer, get your pictures off your dig camera, use a USB ext wifi, etc.
hanmin said:
Well, I think most of the people are interested on the fact that you can actually use an ext hdd, e.g. you have 80GB+ of videos, mp3s that you play on your unit (although I doubt it is able to power the 2.5" type). You can print documents from your unit to a printer, get your pictures off your dig camera, use a USB ext wifi, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excuse me for being a pain, but all these options are nonsense IMO, because Magician is the ultra portable device.
What is the sense of attaching a bulky 80GB hdd and cables to the Magician? To have its batteries empty in only 15 minutes?
Printing can be done wireless via infrared (HP printers) or WLAN, digicam pictures I can load by directly inserting its card in Magician. USB Wifi is also a joke as it drains the battery immediately.
If you want all these options, do it right and buy a Subnotebook and a 3G UMTS PC-Card.
esackbauer said:
Excuse me for being a pain, but all these options are nonsense IMO, because Magician is the ultra portable device.
What is the sense of attaching a bulky 80GB hdd and cables to the Magician? To have its batteries empty in only 15 minutes?
Printing can be done wireless via infrared (HP printers) or WLAN, digicam pictures I can load by directly inserting its card in Magician. USB Wifi is also a joke as it drains the battery immediately.
If you want all these options, do it right and buy a Subnotebook and a 3G UMTS PC-Card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ditto
I really doubt it supports USB Host. The board definately supports it, but HTC don't implement it. I think this will yield no results....
Hope you prove me wrong
And dude...... 1.8" Hard Disk Drives are TINY!!! so just quit being a spoil sport
Of course I wouldn't be connecting an periperal eventhough how small it is while walking around, but while at home or in the car sounds ok.
Well USB OTG would be great as I could dump all of my pictures on my digital camera (1GB card) onto my Charmers 4GB SD card. On holiday and stuff this would be really handy so I don't run out of space.
to be honest its not about what you can do with it, its partly bragging rights, hey look i can do so and so on my phone.... etc..
I, for one, would like to see a USB host hack.
Yes, there are SDIO wifis.
Yes, there are SDIO cards that allow wall projector connection.
But these require that I give up my memory card, where I store my stuff, making these things have only limited use.*
I could use Bluetooth, but:
- A standalone BT <-> Wifi bridge that isn't a PC or doesn't connect to a PC does not yet exist. There is a Bluetooth portable GPS receiver, but that's it.
- Projectors with BT enabled are FREAKING EXPENSIVE. Not to mention they aren't common. I've always wondered what that stray miniusb port on the more common small business models are for...
So why not buy a laptop, you ask?
Well, I already have a PC.
If you're suggesting I buy one, either you have never carried one around before, or you're so rich you can buy the lightest, least bulky ones without burning a hole in your pocket.
*That Sandisk 256/Wifi can't quite contain everything I'd want on my 1gig, leaving my only recourse to be (hopefully) the Eye-Film which is currently only in prototype stage. Sandisk already EOL'd that product anyway.
There are only 2 possibilities to get USB Host:
1. Wait for the WM2005 ROM for Magician, maybe HTC implemented the USB Host driver with it ;-)
2. Wait for HTC Trinity, maybe it has USB Host.
However, both options are not very realistic, because a WLAN USB Stick pulls 500 mA from the battery, so you get about 30 minutes battery life...
An USB Host has to provide power to the connected devices, and this is the reason why we probably won't ever see it on a mass market device.
You think you connect any USB device on that Host and it works? Like printers, scanners etc? Sorry, but you're dreaming. You need drivers for this and they just don't exist. There are no USB GPS mice that work with Pocket PCs and there are no Wifi sticks that work with Pocket PCs, period.
The only thing you could do is connect some mass storage device and use this. Besides that I'm 100% sure that the Magician doesn't support USB Host functionality, period.
So get a new PPC with Wifi and use Wifi disks etc. USB host would be nice but no Phone Edition device that I know of has it.
It would be SOOOOOO nice to connect a harddisk to my magician. A 4GB SD Card cannot store all my MP3s. And I want them all in my Car.
Dandie said:
So get a new PPC with Wifi and use Wifi disks etc. USB host would be nice but no Phone Edition device that I know of has it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, Eten M500 supports it.
You need drivers for this and they just don't exist
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Certain drivers do exist; like the JetCet unofficial ones. You'd also need to load drivers for SD-IO cards as well (IIRC the Sandisk Wifi/Mem combo needed a driver), so drivers are actually a non-issue. What matters is that it can be done.
jackleung said:
Actually, Eten M500 supports it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Magician also supports USB host, because
your BT is attached there. So what? It is the 500mA
current source and the electrical connection to
the USB socket that counts.
Currents not a problem i should think. All USB devices are standard 0.5A supply.. and all USB devices use the same supply.
Just curious what all can be done with the mini USB connector on the Wizard other than Active Sync and charging.
Could the device be used to charge a bluetooth headset that also takes mini USB?
Possible to add a pocket drive for more storage?
I am pretty sure with the level of talented people here that someone has found ways to maximize functionality through this port.
it's only for charging and file trasfer
the device doesn't support usb host so you can't use a drive, or keyboard, etc with the usb
With WM5Storage or CardExportII the miniSD card can be used as USB FLASHDRIVE
I have tried connecting a memory card (8Gb) via a micro USB adapter but cannot see the contents of the memory stick on my HD2 to upload/download files.
Also, have the same problem when connecing up a USB TV stick adapter to watch digital TV on the HD2.
Please advise someone if you have the knowledge to share.
Many thanks.
HD2 doesn't have a USB host function by default. That means you can't do any of those that you are trying. There is a thread named Leo USB Host, you might be interested in that. There might be a beta host driver released there some day, you would still need to provide power though.
Hey,
Does anyone here have the USB adapter for their Samsung Tab 10.1? Can you connect a USB hub to it (maybe a powered USB hub)?
I take lots of full resolution photos, and would like to use the Tab to transfer data from SD card to portable USB hard drive.
What I want to avoid is having to first copy the SD card contents to the Tablet, then connect the tablet to the portable HD to unload the photos. That seems like unnecessary wear/tear on the flash memory.
If the USB host on the Tab 10.1 can handle a hub, then I can connect both the SD card and portable HD at the same time...hopefully the Tab would make use of it's RAM (the 1GB spec) to transfer chunks of data at a time, without resorting to using the internal Flash memory.
Am I right about that? The Android OS doesn't use the flash memory as a page file for working memory the way desktop computers do with drives?
bump - hoping someone can answer. Thanks.
There is a thread in development about a homemade usb adapter, and it works successfully with a hub. The samsung adapter isn't available yet, but should work the same
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
pokey9000 figured out how to force the unit in host mode. All you need to do is put 20ohms of resistance (easiest way with two 10Ohm resisters in series) between pins 13 and 15.
He also tested using a powered hub and was able to connect to multiple items at once. A regular hub might work for a few thing that are low powered but if you plan to have two hard drives, it better be powered.
has anyone found a usb to sd card adapter for multiple sd cards?
Did you ever figure this out? I want to do the same thing.
I was wondering, what's the largest size USB stick or drive that somebody has succesfully mounted to one of these? I currently have a 32GB SSD on a USB enclosure connected to mine and it works fine but I'm looking to have a lot more storage (my music collection alone is about 60GB plus I'd like to include some videos). I tried hooking up a 500GB USB HDD that I have but it didn't work (I'm asuming because the HDD takes more power from the USB port than the SSD) so I was thinking of buying a large USB stick but I wanted to make sure it would work before wasting my money.
Additionally, I'm able to connect a USB stick to either one of the USB ports, but I can't connect 2 USB sticks at the same time (one on each port obviously). Is this normal behavior or is something wrong?
FYI, my unit has an RK3188 CPU and I'm using Malaysk's ROM (I couldn't do it on the stock ROM either so I don't think it's the ROM).