As the title says I am very interested in using this tablet as a head unit replacement. I still have plenty of researching to do, but before I get too deep into it, I think there is one problem that should be addressed.
I wouldn't consider myself an audiophile, but I do like my music. So using the 3.5mm jack for audio simply will not do. I have seen a video of someone using a Turtle Beach audio adapter to get usb audio out of the N7, and then into the stereo/processing unit. This would be perfect for me, however I also need to be able to hook up an external drive for additional storage.
So my question is if it is possible to hook up the usb audio cable, and an external drive simultaneously to the N7. My idea right now is to hook up an OTG cable to the N7, then plug in a small non powered usb hub which would have both the external drive and usb audio cable hooked up to it. I am just not sure if this setup is possible, and before I purchase all the components I would like to have some confirmation that it will work like i think it will.( I will be using a rooted N7 with stickmount installed, I believe that is all I need to allow Host capabilities)
On a side note, I also plan to use the pogo pins to charge the device. I saw a video of someone using a hacked usb cable to charge the galaxy nexus with it, so i think that should work. (I just read a thread saying that the galaxy nexus can't charge through a pogo pin dock while having a OTG cable plugged...My dreams are being crushed.)
If you would like any more info about the specifics of the setup, I would be happy to share my ideas.
Sorry for the length of the post, I just want it to be clear what I am trying to do here.
Any information, or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
I think my dreams are also crushed, I believe the pogo pins are a pin-out extension of the usb port, not a separate port, therefore using OTG would ****-block charging, which is disappointing.
You could however use one of these in your car http://www.slashgear.com/seagate-goflex-satellite-wi-fi-hard-drive-gets-android-app-01168797/ which would provide 500GB of storage accessible whilst your nexus 7 is charging, combine that and a pocketwifi device to act as a router and provide internet access it would be perfect
if you had an AC power inverter or appropriate power supply for DC to the unit (saves inverting then converting again), you could use this one http://www.ccpu.com.au/show_prod.php?class_id=disk-ext&prod_id=STAM1000200
would be very awesome, looking forward to updates.
Thanks for the info.
That is deeply saddening that you can not use both at the same time, although I guess it does make sense for the purposes of a dock. So it looks like now the only way I can still use a plugged in external hdd, usb audio, and be able to charge the device at the same time is if I can do all of that through the mini usb port in conjunction with a usb hub...but i think that is unlikely. does anyone know for sure?
And thank you for bringing up those wifi hard drives. I didn't want to use them, something about having it plugged into the device directly just makes me feel better...although now I will have to seriously consider them.
Also, if anyone has any info regarding tablet install you think may be useful, feel free to post the link. Even if it is not directly related to the N7, it could still be useful info, and maybe get some gears turning in our heads.
I just became a member so I am not allowed to post links yet :silly:
I will still keep my hopes up about using this device, though! It is my favorite 7 inch tablet by far.
What about usb powered hubs?
Wololo7 said:
What about usb powered hubs?
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Can the Nexus output digital audio, charge, and read an external HDD, via powered usb hub from its one micro usb port? If it could then all my problems would be solved! Until I encounter my next problem, of course. :silly:
Sounds very interesting indeed. I look forward to seeing what can be done.
Wololo7 said:
What about usb powered hubs?
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Nope. Did not work for me.
I thought about using the Nexus 7 as my car nav system as well. I stumbled across an issue where I want to mount external USB drive AND charge the tablet at the same time. I could not get the tablet to charge with a powered USB drive. I believe the tablet is going into host mode to read the USB drive, and thus disallowing any kind of power to charge itself.
Please someone prove me wrong.. I really like this tablet. It is the perfect size for the car.
Another issue I found... Using polarized sunglasses + nexus 7 (landscape mode) = completely black screen. This may or may not convince you to continue with this project. I am certainly looking at different options..
Im thinkin about this too. But not to completly replace my headunit but only to slap it on for long drives
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
voidshado said:
Another issue I found... Using polarized sunglasses + nexus 7 (landscape mode) = completely black screen. This may or may not convince you to continue with this project. I am certainly looking at different options..
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I noticed this, too. Disappointing. My HTC EVO View works fine, though.
Very interested in this. I've actually been working on this very project. I'm near completion (sort of) actually, but I'm having a separate electrical issue currently so its been on hold for the last week or so. At this point I've run sound via the 3.5 mm jack, but if a USB solution is found, I'd be all over that. I guess I settled for the 3.5 mm jack as previously, I tended to stream Pandora and various music through the aux jack on my phone anyways. Probably more than 90% of the time actually. I may look into the Seagate GoFlex Satellite WiFi HDD for external storage since charging and USB OTG at the sime time at this point seems impossible/difficult. I have a pair of polarized oakleys that i usually wear, and havent noticed the screen blacking out yet, but I'll have to see when I get home tonight.
On charging & usb host mode at the same time..
Has anybody tried this:
1. Setup a powered USB hub plugged into the Micro OTG cable
2. hack the cable from right after the OTG cable to where it plugs into the hub, so that the voltage pins are exposed
3. solder in the voltage pins to a usb connector so you can plug in a normal charger [5V 2A]
4. check to see if you can use the USB hub and charge at the same time
I currently have a Asus transformer TF101 and the primary use is watching clips off a 500GB usb HDD. I really, really want to get a N7 and sell my TF101, but if charging & simultaneous host mode is not possible, I would be slightly hesitant to buy it, even though it is really a awesome tablet from what I hear.
so if anyone has any info on that, I would greatly appreciate it!
ahavens17 said:
At this point I've run sound via the 3.5 mm jack, but if a USB solution is found, I'd be all over that. I guess I settled for the 3.5 mm jack as previously, I tended to stream Pandora and various music through the aux jack on my phone anyways.
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I know a lot of people that the 3.5 mm jack for audio. And It really does sound just fine. It is just that I am planing on investing a lot in amps/speakers, so I don't want my weakest link to be my inputs right out of the gate. Although, this tablet is making it pretty difficult to not use that jack.
I would be interested to see your project whenever you finish, or if you have information up of of the process now, that would be interesting to look at.
Thanks again everyone for all the info! I still have a shred of hope for using this tablet in my car!
pikachu2000 said:
I know a lot of people that the 3.5 mm jack for audio. And It really does sound just fine. It is just that I am planing on investing a lot in amps/speakers, so I don't want my weakest link to be my inputs right out of the gate. Although, this tablet is making it pretty difficult to not use that jack.
I would be interested to see your project whenever you finish, or if you have information up of of the process now, that would be interesting to look at.
Thanks again everyone for all the info! I still have a shred of hope for using this tablet in my car!
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I'm running 4 Polk 6" speakers that replaced the stock ones in my car (just replaced them all last year when I blew one of the stock ones), and a cadence 4 channel amp to power the speakers. Nothing top of the line, and no subwoofer or anything as of yet. Picked up the cabling from monoprice, with all of it being their "premium" selection. It all seems pretty heavy duty and solid. Only ran me around 30 bucks. I just have an 02 Mitsubishi Lancer that I'm putting this in. The dash is originally a single din so it's taken quite a bit of modification to get it to fit. More than I originally anticipated. Just a hobby project I've wanted to do for sometime and when the nexus 7 came along I jumped on it. I'll post some pics when I have a chance but at this point it looks far from professional. lol.
Also, I pulled out the Nexus 7 last night and had my polarized glasses on, no screen blackening that was mentioned previously for me. Maybe a little distortion/filter over the screen at certain angles, but still viewable.
I think this thread is great. I'd love to see/hear what other people are doing or what ideas come about from this.
Thank you, I am really glad this thread has spiked some interest, and that other people have similar ideas. I will start up my research again and come back to post any new info when I can. Gotta keep this thread going strong!
pikachu2000 said:
I would be interested to see your project whenever you finish, or if you have information up of of the process now, that would be interesting to look at.
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I created a thread with the few pictures I took along the way, as well as the semi-finished project. The only thing I believe I still need to do at this point is get a screen protector. (Tablet still has the plastic cover on it from when it was in the box!) Other things may come up in the future, (such as adding an OTG cable if someone figures out a way to charge simultaneously) but this is it finished for the time being.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=29824916#post29824916
Thanks for making a thread! That is very cool, I like your setup a lot. Is the tablet meant to stay in the car permanently, or do you plan on taking it out often?
Alright, I haven't had much time to find much new information. But I was just thinking if I can't have it charge from the usb port and run usb audio out at the same time, then maybe I could take off the rear cover of the N7 and cut a hole in it, where the camera was supposed to go, and route positive an negative wires directly to the battery...then I could use a hacked usb cable to charge it...? Just the thought of that is scary, but I don't plan on taking out the N7 ever, it will always stay in the car.
Just a thought, let me know what you think.
Additional info: I am going to be putting this in an 02 e46 BMW 325xi. And I will use a modified double din face plate. In my head the final setup looks beautiful, but we'll see how it turns out. As for the time frame, I have a list of parts I want to get for the car, and I want to do most everything at the same time. It will take a good 3 or 4 months before I can get everything and then installing it might take another month(assuming everything goes smoothly) I just want to get all of my preliminary research out of the way. Sorry if you guys were expecting pictures soon.
Thanks
pikachu2000 said:
Alright, I haven't had much time to find much new information. But I was just thinking if I can't have it charge from the usb port and run usb audio out at the same time, then maybe I could take off the rear cover of the N7 and cut a hole in it, where the camera was supposed to go, and route positive an negative wires directly to the battery...then I could use a hacked usb cable to charge it...? Just the thought of that is scary, but I don't plan on taking out the N7 ever, it will always stay in the car.
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What about the pogo pins? Aren't they for a [future] dock? I wonder if you can charge the tablet via the pogo pins and use USB OTG simultaneously? This would indeed be good news, because I will primarily use my N7 [when it arrives] for videos on a USB HDD, so it would wear out the battery to be constantly charging and discharging the battery every day.
mvmacd said:
What about the pogo pins?
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Earlier in the thread we had thought of that, turns out you can only use one at a time, and it's a hardware limitation so no way around it.
I am looking at doing a project where you take the LCD from an Android tablet (I have an old SCH-I905); and add an HDMI input to it so it can be used as a monitor. I have no experience with how I would even get started on this; besides the 3+ days of Googling that resulted in nothing. I would very much appreciate if someone from the community had something to offer! From some research, what I could see that would maybe do the trick is using some sort of LCD controller board.
Thank you.
do yo know how to operate LCD controller of your SCH-I905? i think if you just want to use your device as an external monitor that you can use 3rd software to do it.
I am interested to know if you have found a way
I'm interested on projects like this. I want to put a female hdmi to lcd or the board or something like that, to view on tv, ie: watch videos without using screen mirroring (for older lcd tv's), playing games in real time (without cuts), youtube, and many more things. If anyone knows about it, please let me know.
Best regards
Im also looking for the same thing. I actually wanna find a way to make my old phone into a notebook. My old notebook motherboard has broke, so i wanna try to transform my phone into the notebook itself using the hardware that is left. I'm pretty sure i wont make it, but ita worth the shot.
Ok, so i have my Galaxy S5 tmobile that ive been playing with recently. awhile ago i tried to replace the rear facing camera, and the loudspeaker. unfortunatly when removing the screen, the digitizer was damaged. oled was working great. i would just use a bt mouse to navigate. well last night i pulled the phone apart to compare the amoled connection to that of a S7. just to see if i could throw the S5 screen onto my broken S7 to attempt to setup screen mirroring to my tv and be able to use it with a keyboard and mouse for general streaming.
I left the screws out of the midframe assembly of the S5 and it fell off the table after being reasembled. (love when the pets get into my workshop)
anyway, it was just enough to crack the very corner of the OLED and now there is no functionality to the screen.
ive been thinking about trying something that i just havent seen before, and cant find any information on at all.
There has got to be a way to take the ribbon cable from the S5 screen with the connector and splice/solder into some kind of digital video output. also the audio to the loudspeaker adjusted to low-line and connected alongside the digital video to make a single digital A/V output.
Basically i want to have my BT keyboard and mouse and be able to have it outputting video to either a Moniter, tv, wireless adapter of some sort. i would leave the OS pretty much the same minus alot of needless software at that point, and be able to turn essentially any tv with HDMI or digital video in, into an android smart tv..
i have arduino uno kits and Abillion cables of all sorts.
if anyone has any insght to the format of video coming from the OLED connector, or a pinout , any information that would help me get the ball rolling on this. i would be extremely grateful.
"_Gears Always turning, on your voy-age to droid-age_"
Don't like MHL adapters for some reason?
bbsc said:
Don't like MHL adapters for some reason?
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They are nice and all. But that would mean I would have to spend money on something to make it work... Also mhl adapters take their own power supply at 5.0v, which means it would have to be plugged in somewhere during its use. Which I had planned on just using a couple 8000 mAh lithium batteries wired in parallel to power the phone at 3.7v. Getting me somewhere between 6 to 8 days of heavy usage before a recharge. And would make it much more portable.. Maybe even construct a small enclosure with a fan out of one of my CCTV cameras. Even if I had to convert the video and audio signals using a microprocessor, I wouldn't have to spend a dime doing the entire project if it works the way Im imagining it too. One of my main objectives with this project is to use parts from old equipment that I already have.
This is more about doing something creative and new with old Galaxy phones that have no other practical use.
Yes I could order an android box off amazon for less than 20$ and do what everyone else did to stream...
Yes I could order an mhl cable and set it up that way....
Yes I could put a new display assembly on it and use it for dev....
But if everyone thought like that, android wouldn't have existed in the first place.
Not fully familiar with how all this works, hopefully I can post this here to ask for help, because I don't know where else to go but,,
I one day used a type-c to hdmi adapter, to connect to smart tv, and when I plugged it into my phone, it made a metallic *snap* and now my phone will no longer hold a cable of and kind in the port without falling out very easily, I only want to know how this happened, and if I can possibly fix it? Any help?
ShadowXT14 said:
Not fully familiar with how all this works, hopefully I can post this here to ask for help, because I don't know where else to go but,,
I one day used a type-c to hdmi adapter, to connect to smart tv, and when I plugged it into my phone, it made a metallic *snap* and now my phone will no longer hold a cable of and kind in the port without falling out very easily, I only want to know how this happened, and if I can possibly fix it? Any help?
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It can only be fixed by physically changing the port in service. Unfortunately there is no workaround for that kind of problem.