Hi. I'm considering buying an external hard disk to use with my Nexus 10. I have a USB memory stick which works fine with the USB OTG cable I have, but need more capacity.
Will an external hard disk work with the Nexus 10 and a standard OTG cable, or would I need to power the hard disk for it to work? ie. Would I need to get a 'Y cable' or use another power cable for it to work? Or does it depend on the hard disk?
I've searched, but the answers I've found conflict or are vague as to whether external power is required.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
USB is USB, as far as the device is concerned. If it can power the memory stick, it should be able to power the drive (as long as it is if the portable variety (I.e. the drive itself requires a power cable), although you probably could figure that part out yourself.
I haven't tried this myself, of course, but I can't foresee any problems. It should work without any problems!
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
good luck
I tried my otg cable with powered and non powered hard drives and it doesn't reed any data even if it recognises the drives. It's a known issue with the nexus 10. There is an app called Nexus Media Importer which should solve all problems for all nexus devices connected to external memories but i havent tried it. I suggest you to try somehow before buying.
I'm getting the impression that 'it depends'. Some say it works, some say it doesn't. It may even depend on the hardware (how much power it needs). Just hoped someone could draw on personal experience to advise rather than me having to take a leap of faith (buy one and hope for the best).
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Related
I have a plan to possibly use my hd2 as a covert camera recording video onto an external hard drive, does anyone know if this would work? Theoretically it seems straight forward but on connecting my USB hard drive with a micro to usb otg cable the hard drive doesn't start up like it does when connected to my nexus. Is this simply because I need some software/ app that makes it recognise it or does the hardware simply not support this?
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chrisman99 said:
I have a plan to possibly use my hd2 as a covert camera recording video onto an external hard drive, does anyone know if this would work? Theoretically it seems straight forward but on connecting my USB hard drive with a micro to usb otg cable the hard drive doesn't start up like it does when connected to my nexus. Is this simply because I need some software/ app that makes it recognise it or does the hardware simply not support this?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
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Would depend on OS running on phone and filesystem of hard drive.
With android it should be fine if you use rick's usb host kernel and the hard drive is powered externally, with the only issue being that the phone won't charge until you change to another kernel (or rom).
There is probably also a way for the video footage to be saved to the hard drive while being attached to a laptop using a file share or something similar.
At the moment I think its just on stock windows 6.5. So is this not compatible? What would be best to use, I've never really had a lot of luck with android rooms on it stability wise. Would I also be able to charge the phone from the USB cable as it would eventually just run down.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app
I'm no technician or anything, but wouldn't the hard drive need external power? OTG power from HD2? I don't think that would be enough for a hard drive.
You can try a powered USB hub. Or, what about a 64GB sd card?
Yeah the hard drive has got a power cable that I intended to use. You need to. Was trying make this work from what I already had, not to buy another SD card
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Marvlesz said:
I'm no technician or anything, but wouldn't the hard drive need external power? OTG power from HD2? I don't think that would be enough for a hard drive.
You can try a powered USB hub. Or, what about a 64GB sd card?
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Hello guys,
I remember a thread by Cotulla who worked on this for WM 6.5:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1224652
Also the charging problem is solved but one has to do a bit of handicraft work.
Best regards
Getrid …
HypoTurtle said:
Would depend on OS running on phone and filesystem of hard drive.
With android it should be fine if you use rick's usb host kernel and the hard drive is powered externally, with the only issue being that the phone won't charge until you change to another kernel (or rom).
There is probably also a way for the video footage to be saved to the hard drive while being attached to a laptop using a file share or something similar.
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Click to collapse
coool
For some reason my Nexus 7 won't recognize any USB device I connect through an USB OTG cable.
I tried several USB-sticks and mice (which should work even without root) without success.
After reading through all related topics I found that most people fixed their problems by buying a different adapter so I went ahead and bought:
1. Micro USB HOST OTG cable adapter on the go for Google Nexus 7 - 7" Tablet ( 330805061387 ),
2. USB OTG On The Go HOST CABLE for Samsung ET-R205U i9100 Galaxy S2 Galaxy Note
and
3. another one that has no cable but the male micro USB plug attached directly to the female type A plug.
None of them work!
I am running PA 2.54 (obviously rooted), tried different kernels. I also did a full wipe and installed other roms that people reported working USB-OTG with, nothing.
I upgraded my bootloader (which has nothing to with it I think, but did it anyways) and tried CWM and now TWRP recovery.
TWRP has native USB-OTG support, but even at recovery level none of the cables/adapters work.
I even cut off some of the plastic coating on of the micro USB plugs as some people claimed they got their cable to work that way...
On my Galaxy Nexus all (!) adapters work flawlessly with all USB-Sticks and mice I tried. In Android and in TWRP recovery (same version as on my N7)
I just ordered another OTG adapter but I honestly don't expect that one to work either.
Now I am beginning to suspect that my N7 is not capable of USB Host mode or OTG at all. Is that even possible?
Charging and connection to my PC works fine though btw.
Has anyone had the same experience?
Any solutions?
I'm thankful for any tips!
You haven't mentioned using Stickmount or a similar app to mount your peripherals. Have you overlooked that step?
I'm not the lowest of the low, but I am the slowest of the slow. 49.6 mpg avg for 38k miles in non-hybrid Scion xB
+1 you need to use stockpiling thought mine was broken till I got that app and now works
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Yes, I have stickmount installed. And all other USB otg related apps on play store... No device found.
But as I said, it is not even working in twrp recovery so I suppose it is not android related but something is wrong with the hardware.
I mean it is possible I just got three incompatible otg cables but how can those be the wrong cables anyways? As they all work on my gnexus, they're not broken and USB otg just has pin 4 and 5 connected, so there is nothing special in them either...
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I have the same problem except it's with my Galaxy S3, the OTG cable works fine on my Nexus with stickmount pro, but even though my galaxy S3 recognises the external HD I cannot view any of my files
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At least your s3 recognizes the hd. My Nexus doesn't recognize any device I plug in. They don't even power up (optical mouse not blinking etc)
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Try a custom Rom if you're not already running one, on stock I couldn't even get WiFi Tethering to work never mind external HDD but since flashing liquid smooth ROM its been fine, pity wont work with my Galaxy S3
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Using Raspbean Jelly ROM and for me it will recognize my NTFS usb stick but it says it is empty which it is not.
Reeonimus said:
Using Raspbean Jelly ROM and for me it will recognize my NTFS usb stick but it says it is empty which it is not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using stickmount pro and did you download the ntfs files to /sdcard ?
How to put ntfs files to /sdcard?
i have the same problem with not mounting anyhting via ota cable. I have root and latest android 4.2.1, I tried all free android app for mounting and still cant mount anything.
I would love to keep stock rom if possible.
And is it possible to mount usb internet stick (huawei e3131a) with otg? That`s only thing I need.
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It's not the Nexus 7's problem . You have to be rooted, have an app like Stickmount to mount the peripherals, have the data in a recognized (EXT, FAT) format, use a compatible USB-OTG cable, and know where Stickmount et al mounts the peripheral.
If you do all that, you'll have full r/w access to your peripherals. I've downloaded photos from my camera's SD card to my N7 using a 4 way card reader, r/w data to/from a USB flash drive, connected to my PC, & attached a wireless keyboard's USB dongle.
I'm not the lowest of the low, but I am the slowest of the slow (49.6 mpg over 38k miles in Scion xB)
I recommend fat32 over fat. If you need support for files over 4Gb you will have to allow for ntfs support with a custom kernel unless Chainfire is getting support built into Stickmount.
I just bought another cable off Amazon which was labeled to work with the N7 and got 100% positive reviews from buyers.
Of course it doesn't work on my device. (works fine on my Galaxy Nexus again...)
Just tried to connect a USB mouse this time.
I installed SmoothRom and ParanoidAndroid on my Nexus 7 and it doesn't work on either. Stock Kernel, franco, bicked - nothing.
Giving up here.
I guess my Nexus just doesn't have OTG support for some reason.
Still thankful for any advice though
bumping the thread again
Hey bastlwastl,
just bumping this thread to ask you if you got any advances with your problem. I have the same problem too- the OTG cable i have works with my friends' Nexus 7, another's Xperia Z, and another's Xperia ** (forgot the model number). they instantly recognize the pendrives AND hard drives (they light up). All three of them aren't rooted or unlocked or anything - i tried it within fews days they made the purchases. So I also suspect this is a fault with MY nexus 7. Did you find anything regarding this?
I had read in some other random forum that if you have rooted your Nexus 7, which I have, and run app "StickMount" you can connect a usb thumb drive to the nexus and give yourself more space, even install apps to the USB drive to run from. I am wondering (and am going to test it out later this evening) if anyone has tried connecting a USB hub, so that you can have say 4 ports to add different drives or game controllers/whatever else and android will recognize the different devices?
As a realist, I'm just hoping the single USB stick connection will actually work as a storage expansion area, as we all know there is no micro SD slot. I actually have an old college friend I keep in touch with who works on the Nexus development team, who had no good answer as to why micro SD was removed, as well as the ability on devices with a micro SD no longer allow the installation of apps to the sd card. I was pretty convinced it was simply because the OEMs decided to name their internal memory /mnt/sdcard which used to be the external card's mount point name, but I'm told it is more complicated than that. Am I the only one that really feels like no apps to the SD in ICS or jellybean, is quite a downgrade? I understand we can use the "cloud" now ... but that's simply not the same, and surely not as fast as a local drive (maybe?) I then proceeded to yell at him to not let the group of stupid consumers influence the great features that the half-brained+ consumers know how to properly use, to no avail. Using the micro to full USB port to mount a thumb drive seemed to be the best way to add more storage locally. Thoughts? Thanks
- Herby
- Real-time embedded software developer going on 12 years, working in the satcom, medical device, aircraft display, and aerospace domains
NM - Just found app "USB Host controller" which does exactly what I asked Yayyyy!!
There are actually a whole slew of these that are even free, most require root however, which I recommend using the program with GUI interface developed specifically to unlock the bootloader, and then root the nexus 7. I think it was called Root_Toolbox or something like that. I am not at home or I would report back the official name. If anyone wants it just let me know. Thank you!
Herby6262 said:
I had read in some other random forum that if you have rooted your Nexus 7, which I have, and run app "StickMount" you can connect a usb thumb drive to the nexus and give yourself more space, even install apps to the USB drive to run from. I am wondering (and am going to test it out later this evening) if anyone has tried connecting a USB hub, so that you can have say 4 ports to add different drives or game controllers/whatever else and android will recognize the different devices?
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Click to collapse
A hub works great. I've had 3 flash sticks mounted at once along with a mouse and everything has worked without a hitch.
The caveat here is to ensure you're not pulling too much current - the OTG max current source spec is alot less than the 500mA a normal USB PC host port is able to source.
Hello
I have the following issue. I bought an otg cable and it was able to mount my flash and mouse the first two times. Since then, it only gives a kick start and both my mouse and flash drive are powered down after 3 seconds. I tried them separately. To summarise the problem my nexus 7 does not give enough power to its microusb to be efficiently running an external device or the software recognizes it improperly and shuts it down.The cable works, since its been tried on 2 other devices. Now I wasn't able to find a proper solution to the problem so I'm asking if someone's dealt with such an issue. Running a rooted stock android 4.2.1
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
You didn't mention which app you are using to be able to mount external storage. It requires Nexus Media Importer (paid app, read/stream only) or the free Stickmount (requires root, provides read/write/streaming). A mouse or keyboard will work without root or either app, but mounting storage requires an external app or a custom kernel with built-in support.
I am using stickmount, and I'm sure it would do its job if I get the devices power for more than 3 seconds
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Any new ideas, perhaps a custom kernel ? Any recommendations
Have you tried to see what the app "USB Host Diagnostics" tells you when you try to mount?
It's from the same maker as stickymount, maybe that will give you some better insight at what's happening.
I would include a link but since I'm new on this forum it won't let me yet.
rockhopperpenguin said:
Have you tried to see what the app "USB Host Diagnostics" tells you when you try to mount?
It's from the same maker as stickymount, maybe that will give you some better insight at what's happening.
I would include a link but since I'm new on this forum it won't let me yet.
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Click to collapse
Hello there, yes I have tried it several times, but it could not discover any attached devices, since, as mentioned, the power to the external devices is cut off 3 seconds after the physical insertion. Said devices aren't powered, that's what bugs me. If somehow electricity reaches them, I would be somewhat relieved since the problem would apparently be from the os or software. Right now I cannot get power to the devices, that's why I cannot do any diagnostics. Any ideas on why that might be ?
I would try another OTG-usb cable. Perhaps yours is just enough out of spec it worked at first, but now fails, or it may have been damaged after the first uses. Maybe static shock or it got bent or something. I got one through Amazon delivered to me from Hong Kong for 65 cents (including shipping). It took 17 days to receive, but it works great. I don't know how they can make any money like that, but I'm happy.
Well I know its been talked about in the other threads of the possibilities. So now since we have the devices here, are proceeding with unlocking and rooting the devices. Has anyone had luck?
Sadly I do not have a OTG cable yet to test this but at least wanted to start somewhere.
Edit: Yes it is, see post below for link. Device needs to be rooted for it to work!
Says he was able, after root, to mount 2 drives simultaneously.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=43991406&postcount=9
Nburnes said:
Says he was able, after root, to mount 2 drives simultaneously.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=43991406&postcount=9
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Brilliant! Thanks
Has anyone try this:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.homeysoft.nexususb.importer
It doesn't require root so it should be good for stock users.
I can confirm a stock non rooted N7 I threw in a USB flash drive and read files and played a movie real quick earlier just to see if it all worked, didn't try much more then that but can try some more tomorrow. Still busy transferring and reinstalling apps from old N7.
I cannot get Nexus Media Importer to work on stock. It reports all memory sticks as protected.
I have a non rooted stock nexus 7 2013. The media importer doesn't work for me also.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Now rooted using Stickmount, still not working. The drive can be seen but it seems only small files can be viewed, and you can't copy them or do anything with them. Non of my, larger, movie files show up.
I was able to copy a 3GB movie file from a flashdrive to the onboard memory with no issues. Maybe try a powered USB hub? I didn't have to in this case but it might help.
I tried to read an external hard drive and had to use a powered USB hub to even have it mount. Alas, couldn't read anything. Don't know if it's because the hard drive was formatted NTFS or because it was 750GB.
USB OTG Helper works for me. It also supports NTFS drives.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Can anyone tell if it's possible to to use OTG while wireless charging the device?
Need this for my car dashboard tablet replacement.
I think the problem with that would be that it would drain after than it charges. Qi charging doesn't have great amperage.
Sent from my Nexus 7
J_M_H said:
USB OTG Helper works for me. It also supports NTFS drives.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
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works for me as well, I am wondering if there will be a root flash-able mod like the original N7 had to turn OTG on.
Why does Google not allow OTG to be active out of box? Is the lure of trying force people into using the cloud that strong? Clouds drain more battery compared to local content and wifi connections do not have 100% coverage like local does.
The reality is the reason this device is priced at near break-even pricing IS the cloud, so this is why there is no SD slot or full OTG, out of box. Most people do not mod, so most people will be part of their cloud control strategy. I would rather pay $50 more and let Google make a profit on the device, that way I could have a micro sd slot and OTG out of box. Curse Google and their quest for content control and data mining! :silly:
Earlier I said it wasn't working, without knowingly changing anything both Stickmount and Nexus Media Importer now work. I am rooted and perhaps Stickmount is making NMI work.
J_M_H said:
USB OTG Helper works for me. It also supports NTFS drives.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
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Stick Mount works 100% fine for me, just watched a movie from my thumb drive. I am stock+Root. Open file system and on SD card look at the USB Storage folder if you are unfamiliar with Stick Root.
Is otg ok with usb pen drive or 2.5 hard disk without power supply?
sasu85 said:
Is otg ok with usb pen drive or 2.5 hard disk without power supply?
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Click to collapse
Yes and I also used it with a USB External HD and it worked fine there, too.
I had issues with OTG on my first N7 2013. It was a flaky connection and would go into a connect/disconnect loop and then just stop all together. I returned it and picked up a different. That one seems to work fine.
Stock, not rooted, and using Nexus Media Importer.
Some people may want to try rebooting their N7 as well.... If you look at the NMI app in the Play Store the developer knows there are a few issues with Android 4.3 when first using the app.
Landara said:
Yes and I also used it with a USB External HD and it worked fine there, too.
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Thank you very much!! I love OTG features...
This new Nexus 7 has OTG support and also Slim port connection (for hdmi)...SUPER GOOGLE!!:good: