Charging Dock - USB Out? - Xoom General

I see that on the bottom of the plain Xoom charging dock there's a Micro USB connector (plugs into the USB in on the Xoom). Does anyone know if there's a way to tap into that inside the dock itself. If so, then we could charge and do USB transfers at the same time in a neat manner.
There was a thread over on xoomforums but I lost track of it - one of the posters over there was trying to do this exact thing.

Yea, i just bought the dock and realized. Stupid design.

Things like this just drive you up the wall. Paid fifty bucks for the dock, and I've had to pull my XOOM on and off of it four times in the past hour to transfer files. Makes you wonder if the engineers who design these things every actually try to use them in the real world. Finally got fed up and just flipped the XOOM upside down and put it on my Arkon stand until I'm finished moving files - defeats the whole purpose of having a dock.

yea a bunch of dumb ass....

You've gotta be f**king kidding me?!? You can't connect the dock for usb?? I'm glad I read this then, so is the dock just for charging or what? What's the point of having the dock?

Charging and audio out. I believe someone in the accessories section was taking his dock apart to check on adding USB out the back.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

motorola must hate that micro USB port. every accessory covers it!

Related

[Q] Charger/USB Cable issues

I've already apologized for coming off an iphone, but these little things are mounting and I feel the need to share. The input of this cable is a constant struggle. I find myself trying 3 and 4 times to actually get it in the bottom of the phone, and then.....nothing happens. At least the iphone jack had a press in on the side to get it in and out. So no charge, or it shows it charging and 5 mins. later nothing again. So that's coming from the outlet, but if I plug it in my pc it goes crazy with the sounds and asks what i want to do. So, you think ok some loose pins on either end? NO! I've checked and both ends look secure and neither simulate the problem when shaken or tugged or moved around. I have read all about soldering, but I am not able to do that yet, and with no ability to buy new wires in the US I am living on a dying charge. Are these wires so tempermental for everyone?
Ive had no issues charging but I know how you feel about getting the charger in in the first place, takes a couple of goes thats for sure!
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
Yes it could be a bit easier to get it home but no problems once it is connected
getting it in can be fiddly. hold it steady, line it up then shove it in!
yosemite_sam said:
getting it in can be fiddly. hold it steady, line it up then shove it in!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL Are you talking about the cable or something else
Steady!
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
Put some hair around it!!
It's official!!!
After the whole day of wiggling and changing connection from usb to wall and even car usb the phone said battery error. Either your charger of battery is malfunctioning. Please check immediately. So the battery registered full, but then said 89% and then only 81%. I'm hoping to get a new charger and battery when the dell USA comes online.
I have 2 cables. 1 works correctly but the other charges when it feels like it. I have a support request in with Dell have yet to hear anything. The sooner cheaper 3rd party cables become available the better as I would keep more spares then.
that sucks. I've been considering the streak, well really wanted it and now that they've finally announced it, not sure i want it anymore cuz of its proprietary port. Why couldn't they have just used micro or mini USB like everybody else?
Everyone's house i go to has a micro/mini usb cable laying around so i never have to take a charger with me anywhere. And since my past 3 phones all used micro or mini usb, i have a bunch of those cables and chargers all over my house. Now with this crap i'm gonna have to buy several cables, 1 for the office, living room, car, etc. that is if i do get the device.

Finally an HDMI DOCK for Evo

Yes. You heard right and its made through sprint here's the link with the full details
http://i.engadget.com/2010/11/02/evo-4g-hdmi-dock-finally-shows-up-at-sprint-stores-will-come-ho/
sent through my Special Edition White HTC EVO 4g while in the ****ter
EVO Sweetness!
I checked it out in store placed my device in dock wasn't to impressed
HDMI & USB connectors made me nervous seeing how there's very little back support on dock thus weight of device pulls on them.
$40, and doesn't work even Sprint's own extended batery or cases...
Yeah, I think I'll just make by own by using the kickstand, and a $10 cable from eBay.
Speaking of this... has anyone tried to pair the evo hdmi via an adaptor for the older DCI input on LCD tvs?
This is pointless without full hdmi
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
bought mine last week. Pita to dock it on the fly. Not impressed.
Sent from my PC36100
HDMI Cable
So, I bought an HDMI Cable a couple of days ago, when I plug it in to my TV it freezes my phone!!! so i need to do a battery Pull... is there a fix to this or is it the cable?
O wow, thats what I did, I saw it on Engadget this morning and ran to the Sprint store to get it.
I bought it, I like it, looks nice on my desk, nothing special though... I wish someone could mod my HTC CR G300 Dock to fit my EVO...thats one sexy dock
Edit: I also await that great day when someone gets us full HDMI support on the Evo
Wait, it holds the device veritcally?
kzibart said:
Wait, it holds the device veritcally?
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yup, and it seems to only charge in usb mode instead of AC Other than that , looks cool, holds phone well , dock feels solid and imo the #1 thing.....walked into store, paid and left no online 3rd party @$!t
wow an hdmi dock for a phone where the HDMI is pretty much completely worthless. i can't believe what a rouse the hdmi dock on this phone has been.
knives of ice said:
wow an hdmi dock for a phone where the HDMI is pretty much completely worthless. i can't believe what a rouse the hdmi dock on this phone has been.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dumb ****
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Xoom Charger

Does anyone know what kind of charger the xoom uses? Is it the micro USB like the droids? I hope so. Thanks.
lanternca said:
Does anyone know what kind of charger the xoom uses? Is it the micro USB like the droids? I hope so. Thanks.
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Click to collapse
no it uses a regular a/c laptop type plug.. small thought teeny tiny
lanternca said:
Does anyone know what kind of charger the xoom uses? Is it the micro USB like the droids? I hope so. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not unfortunately. its more like a laptop charger but much much more thin.
No. Unfortunately, it's a proprietary charger with a huge freakin' wall wart.
Watch the XOOM Unboxing vid here to see it.
The video says the USB gives a trickle charge, but that's wrong. The user manual explicitly states NOT to try to charge via USB as it may damage the device. I wonder how many morons will try that and fry their XOOMs.
Confirmed.
keith_4g (Motorola Engineer):
"The USB port is not capable of doing any sort of charging. Any power drawn from a USB charger is leakage current and not necessarily good for the device."
Does anybody know if / where extra chargers can be purchased? I want one for work and home.
schnoz said:
Does anybody know if / where extra chargers can be purchased? I want one for work and home.
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Click to collapse
Motorola has them online. Probably amazon too.
Damn I was hoping as it'd be like most of the android phones.that way I don't have to buy another in car charger
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
setite said:
no it uses a regular a/c laptop type plug.. small thought teeny tiny
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it slip? please don't tell me it slips out easily
parrotheadmjb said:
Does it slip? please don't tell me it slips out easily
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Click to collapse
I won't know till tomorrow, but i'm sure ti will be fine.
Stopping USB charge
How would one prevent a USB connection from attempting to charge the Xoom? Yell at the electrons to stop?
The port just doesn't support charging, just data. The batteries draw too much to charge over USB.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA App
parrotheadmjb said:
Does it slip? please don't tell me it slips out easily
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like most barrel type connectors, it does "click" into place. I'm more worried about the connector breaking off in the receptacle; the male plug is only 1.5mm diameter.
Unfortunately charging through USB is likely to be uncommon with tablets given standard USB's 500 mA limitation. The iPad charges through the USB, but it does not charge when the device is on.
to answer the question about the charger and how it fits. Yes is does slip out of the charging port rather easily especially when using the portfolio case which for me is the biggest design flaw of the xoom. I overcome this by using the docking cradle and sitting the xoom in my lap. Works well for me.
I wonder how true is this? It claims to be a car charger with a micro USB tip.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Silicone-Skin-C...304?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e61cb0e50
charger is a disappointment, but not a deal breaker. Another device another cord, just when I thought micro USB was just getting some steam. But on the bright side no orientation issues. I suspect I will get the dock and the charger will not matter.
calin75 said:
I wonder how true is this? It claims to be a car charger with a micro USB tip.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Silicone-Skin-C...304?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1e61cb0e50
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Click to collapse
Its not gonna charge. That charger is designed for a phone. They're just bundling it together like they do for every device lol. Its pretty well documented the Xoom won't even trickle charge over USB.
it is a 12volt power supply. That is why it is so small not to be confused with the 5v mini USB. The Xoom needs 12 volts to charge
I'm sure that someone like iGo will come out with a tip for it. I have already e-mailed them about it. I have two tips for it for different devices that store on the cord so you don't loose them. The will be solutions for most of the issues if we are just a little patient.

WTF wall charger?

Got myself a new Transformer. Unboxed. Looks gorgeous, but wait... the two bits that make up the wall charger don't seem to, you know, slot in? It's very loose, and when plugged in doesn't do squat all. No charge. Am I being an idiot and not fitting one piece to the other right, or do I go back to the shop to get a replacement? :/
It snaps together, and when I got mine it was a pretty snug fit. So you may have to apply a little force, but it does snap together.
Right, the problem is that however much force I apply, the thing doesn't want to snap in. I've been googling like mad to see if anyone else has this problem and did find this one chap with the same trouble; he ended up having to ask the shop to swap it.
When I got mine it was already together
I had to press with what I would deem as an 'unreasonable' amount of force to get them to snap together. Just FYI.
Lucky you. Sigh.
I've even tried to charge with my Samsung Tab's wall adapter. No goddamn luck. Fail, ASUS, fail.
grainysand said:
Right, the problem is that however much force I apply, the thing doesn't want to snap in. I've been googling like mad to see if anyone else has this problem and did find this one chap with the same trouble; he ended up having to ask the shop to swap it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you take a pic?
I was going to upload the pics, but I followed advice given in another thread and--using enough force I thought I was about to break them--bent the prongs outward. Voila: it now snaps in and charges. Still a bit of a fail on ASUS for not shipping the two pieces already joined, or better yet make the wall adapter a one-piece affair. Ah well!
This happens to everyone. You really need to FORCE it. There's no particular technique that worked for me, just slide and apply a lot of pressure...you only need to do it once, thankfully.
yeah the amount of force required to put that thing together is insane. after about 5 minutes i grabbed something heavy and just started pounding the thing to death with it until it clicked in lol
That is the one area of the transformer that has disappointed me so far, the charging systems. I didn't understand why the unit wasn't assembled in the box... why I can't charge via usb...and why the cable is so short.
Other than those gripes, I love this thing!!
akashhhhh said:
This happens to everyone. You really need to FORCE it. There's no particular technique that worked for me, just slide and apply a lot of pressure...you only need to do it once, thankfully.
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*giggles childishly*
nebrando said:
...and why the cable is so short.
Other than those gripes, I love this thing!!
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Click to collapse
Seriously the cable length is ridiculous
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium App
Heh, I wedged a coin between the prongs to bend them a bit. Thanks everyone for the suggestions, though.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab's cable is also stupidly short. A trend, I guess?
Mine took some force but it wasnt like i had to stand on a table to make it work.
grainysand said:
Still a bit of a fail on ASUS for not shipping the two pieces already joined, or better yet make the wall adapter a one-piece affair. Ah well!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could see pre-joined but not a one piece affair. I like that its modular because that means you could get plug adapters that could make it fit any country you move to. This is how it should be with mobile devices.
grainysand said:
Heh, I wedged a coin between the prongs to bend them a bit. Thanks everyone for the suggestions, though.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab's cable is also stupidly short. A trend, I guess?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apparently so is the Iconia's cable. Very strange, as if they expect us to build a little charging stand next to an outlet just for these Android tablets. Somewhat easily solved with a USB 3.0 extension cable, but it's an ugly solution (at least for me, my extension is blue).
not assembled because it's modular and different countries have different adapters. They are wrapped separately and the only variable in the box.
Also, the oem ipad adapter should provide plenty of oomph to charge and comes with a long cord from outlet to charging unit. Again, not as nice and neat as a normal two piece charger and cable, but neither as the add one. Plus, the apple one is modular too and can take a regular one piece like the one on the asus if you don't need the extension cable or if someone comes out with a longer stock cable.
Weird, mine came already assembled from Best Buy.
I do remember my GTablet came with the adapter apart, but that was easy to put together.
Hell I didn't even know it was in 2 peices, got mine yesterday from Newegg and it was already together. Yes the cable length is a joke but I heard about that earlier this week and ordered a 6 ft USB3 cable extension from monoprice for like $4 and it got here today and using it now to charge mine and it's working fine, highly recommended!
Yeah mine was pre-assembled, got mine Monday of this week (and it was brand new stock). Maybe they're doing that on the newer units. I have no idea how I'd ever get it apart if I needed to, I tried and the two pieces are very tightly attached.
The cable... yes the cable is crazy-short. So if you want to use a USB extension, it has to be a USB 3.0 one?

Is it worth it? (Acer Dock)

I am considering purchasing the dock. I don't need HDMI or the audio port etc.
My plan is to use the A500 as a chumby-like device beside me at night time. So, clock, weather, etc. and a quick touch to dim or light it up.
That being said, is the dock worth it? Does it work well? Mostly I'm concerned about the remote, I'm sure I'll be using that a lot.
I have read that it never used to, but now works nicely in 3.2, but I'd like to verify that here before I drop 50 bucks on it.
Thanks.
If that's all you want it for, save yourself the money and just buy a cheap tablet stand...
FloatingFatMan said:
If that's all you want it for, save yourself the money and just buy a cheap tablet stand...
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Click to collapse
And where do I find a remote that will work with it that's small and neat?
Unless you're willing to pay a lot of money just for a remote, I'd have to agree with FloatingFatMan.
While I really want a dock, paying $55 USD for the official Acer dock and another $20 for a power supply (because it doesn't come with one) is crazy, considering the limitations. It's really nothing more than an expensive piece of plastic with a power pass-thru and audio connector.
I think that dock would be good if they droped the price or released a version 2.0 with a power supply, USB, and HDMI (granted, you mentioned you wern't looking for those features).
A simple $5 generic tablet stand and nightstand app will do everything you're looking for... just without the cheap-feeling remote that the Acer dock comes with.
If you really want a remote there are several good Bluetooth versions that will work. I saw some threads with people using a Jabra 3030
Hell, I bent an old coat hanger into a DIY stand and it works great. Not aesthetically pleasing mind you, but it works amazingly for what its worth.
Sent from my DROID X2 using XDA App
I have to agree with the others...
As an owner of the dock, I'm very disappointed. Everything the others say about it is true. A basic tablet stand would likely serve you better. Note that I really don't use the remote, though.
Inexpensive tablet stand
Here's a link to an inexpensive, folding tablet stand. I don't own this, but it has many positive reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Portabl...TAB1/dp/B000CKVOOY/ref=acc_glance_e_ai_ps_t_4
Thanks for the responses. The answer is, yes I really do want the remote. I was only thinking about the dock on behalf of the fact that it would be 2 solutions in 1.
1. I'd get a remote. I haven't been able to source any neat/small bluetooth remotes
The only one I've seen for less than $40 is the PS3 remote and I doubt that's compatible with the A500 in terms of all the relevant functions. There's another, $40 by SMK-Link but again, not sure if it works with the A500 and it's too big anyway.
and...
2. The dock would serve as my charger so I didn't have to fumble for the cord to plug the tablet in every time. I could just drop it on the dock when I'm heading to bed. Afaik the tablet's charger works with the dock, so I wouldn't need to spend another $20, it's not like I need 2 anyway.
The dock isn't absolutely necessary. It just takes a few extra movements to plug it in anyway. I'd gladly save a few bucks on skipping the dock. The remote is the real issue at hand. While I want the tablet to be like a chumby, I also want it to be my music player as mentioned. After I'm done playing with it beside the bed and I've set my alarm, I don't want to have to stretch over to fiddle with it if I don't like the song being played. Likewise, I don't want to have to fiddle with it while manipulating/navigating the netflix app.
If you guys could recommend to me a good bluetooth remote control I'd be happy. I still haven't been able to source a good one. The Jabra 3030 is $60-90 and a bit more than I need but less than I want. I don't need a device to stream music through headphones to me, I already have a great bluetooth speaker system set up in my bedroom. The Street also is missing a directional pad.
I already own the Arkon. That's what I use to dock it now. It serves it's purpose as a dock nicely in terms of leaving it be, but in cases where you need to touch the tablet, it isn't as practical since if you're not careful, touching the tablet ends up fumbling your configuration/angles...even though the hinges are for the most part quite tight.
I'm sad to hear that the dock is disappointing, but for what I want it seems I may not have a choice.
Thanks again for your responses and advice. I look forward to hearing your suggestions. I've searched up and down the net' and haven't been able to find a small, tidy control like the one that comes with the A500 dock.
Gentle Alarm's Night Mode + my 10 dollar Merkury Innovations Stand is more and adequate enough on my dresser, plus it looks sexxy .
The Docks current setup is just not worth the money, unless you need a 50+ dollar remote for the brag factor.
I have that stand it works real nice.
it's definitly not worth it !
i had one for another tab. save ur money, and just take a good case
Dock purely for charging?
So there are no cheaper docks purely for charging?
I know I can get a cheap stand and plug in the power cable, that's what I use now - A $3 business card holder from OfficeWorks and the original charger.
But I want a dock that I can throw my tab at, and have it slide in and start charging.
luke.pell said:
So there are no cheaper docks purely for charging?
I know I can get a cheap stand and plug in the power cable, that's what I use now - A $3 business card holder from OfficeWorks and the original charger.
But I want a dock that I can throw my tab at, and have it slide in and start charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I caved and got the Acer Dock. There are just no alternatives for the remote and being able to just sit the device on something and have it charge is a nice bonus over having to plug it in every time.
Not sure why so many are complaining about it. I half expected it to crumble while using it or that it just wouldn't work the way some owners complained of how cheap it was on Amazon. But I read some of the 4 star reviews and went ahead with the purchase.
But the dock works well, the remote works very well, better than I expected and the dock isn't that 'cheap' to me. Then I again, I don't equate something made of plastic to being cheap so that may just be me.
For what it does, allowing you to sit your tablet down to charge AND coming with the remote control (that I can find no alternatives for), it's well worth it to me...you just have to stomach the $50. If you consider the dock to be 20/25 and the remote to be 25/30 (that's what I did), it doesn't feel like a waste of money. Granted, if you don't want the remote then it would definitely feel like paying too much but I haven't found any charging bases either way, and I don't think you ever will since it's a proprietary slot.
I'm considering getting one of these docks.
Its handy to have an audio connection that doesn't use the 3.5ml jack, preventing the jack from getting worn down whenever you want to play music at home.
Let alone not wearing down the solder for the charging port (I hate the charging port, am really disappointed the tab cant charge over its micro USB, but thats a whole separate rant eheh)
I originally thought I should get a second charger and dock, but since using custom roms my battery life has gotten so good that I can leave my only charger at home on a dock and not have to worry.
My battery is usually on 70% ~ 65% remaining by the time I get home, including daily web usage, 2 hours of video playback, and general fiddling here and there.
If there was a cheaper stand that utilised the Dock port, i'd strongly consider it, but since this is the only one I know of that has the port for audio, remote control and charging. if I could get one for 50 bucks I would be very happy.
unfortunately in Aus they're price point is ****ty (aus retail sucks) so Its probably going to cost me $65~
qwertylesh said:
I'm considering getting one of these docks.
...
Let alone not wearing down the solder for the charging port (I hate the charging port, am really disappointed the tab cant charge over its micro USB, but thats a whole separate rant eheh)
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you could charge via the USB, you would wear it down twice as fast. That's because you can't charge it connected to a PC because its USB port simply cannot supply the needed current to charge the battery. So you would have to plug in a charger and unplug it every time you need to connect to a PC for file transfer. Not to mention that this would make developement of applications with A500a pain in the a## because you will be discharging the battery while connected unless you allow it to go to sleep and have to wake and unlock every time you run your app (which would still discharge the battery but slower).
Acer did not put the extra production effort/cost in having more ports just to make your life miserable
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App

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