[Q] Z Ultra Fm Transmitter App? - Sony Xperia Z Ultra

We know that z ultra have internal Fm transmitter module
But I have a question why sony haven't any app to use this feature?
And I have some app that I fond in other thread butt after install
I get force close
What is the solution???

This is not a development thread at all. Go and post this question in a correct section. Reported.

SpiritTransmit by @mikereidis should work.

Nimadroid said:
We know that z ultra have internal Fm transmitter module
But I have a question why sony haven't any app to use this feature?
And I have some app that I fond in other thread butt after install
I get force close
What is the solution???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thread where you posted in my Spirit2 forum may be the best place to discuss this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/spirit-fm/q-fm-transmitter-app-z-ultra-t3056747
Transmit capability in Sony Qualcomm FM/combo chip devices may be an "accident".
To transmit, the so called "Internal Antenna" pin of the chip must be connected to wired headset as the antenna. Most other Qualcomm chipped devices use the "External Antenna" pin which can only receive.
I'm not sure why Sony used the "Internal Antenna" pin. Hypothetically, the electrical characteristics, like impedance, of that ping may have suited the designers better.
But I lean towards the idea that designers wanted to be able to provide an FM transmit ability, while management did not want the extra costs associated with app creation and testing for this.
T-Mobile did this with a phone once; I have a leaked transmitter app and it works on 2 of my now very old phones. They changed their minds.
If nothing else, you can get a phone to market faster without additional testing, and the smartphone market has been fiercely competitive to get their devices out first.

mikereidis said:
The thread where you posted in my Spirit2 forum may be the best place to discuss this: http://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/spirit-fm/q-fm-transmitter-app-z-ultra-t3056747
Transmit capability in Sony Qualcomm FM/combo chip devices may be an "accident".
To transmit, the so called "Internal Antenna" pin of the chip must be connected to wired headset as the antenna. Most other Qualcomm chipped devices use the "External Antenna" pin which can only receive.
I'm not sure why Sony used the "Internal Antenna" pin. Hypothetically, the electrical characteristics, like impedance, of that ping may have suited the designers better.
But I lean towards the idea that designers wanted to be able to provide an FM transmit ability, while management did not want the extra costs associated with app creation and testing for this.
T-Mobile did this with a phone once; I have a leaked transmitter app and it works on 2 of my now very old phones. They changed their minds.
If nothing else, you can get a phone to market faster without additional testing, and the smartphone market has been fiercely competitive to get their devices out first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tnx man for your guide <3

Related

Tv remote control

*update, the conclusion is that the current software is useless and as of the ppc6800 and the following HTC models, the IRDA port is either crap or non-existent, for that reason I am building a powered, universal adapter to turn any phone into a remote*
hello. first off, yes I know there are old threads about this, but they are dead and had a different take on this topic. I am looking to know if anyone has gotten any tv remote control software working on the mogul. I don't care about the distance so I dont want to hear about how the mogul is ill-equipped to do this, I just want to know what software works as I will use\make a IR repeater\booster that will give me all the range I need.
I have tried the following software
1-PDAWin tv remote controller simply crashes when I press any button
2- noviiRemote is not compatible with our IR
3- RemoteControl II v.2.12 stays it is incompatible with our processor and for that reason, it turns off the IR access... but the rest of the software works ??? odd
4- UniversalRemoteCE 4.0 Tested by wagonis, froze his phone with every try
5- Total Remote does not work, freezes when I try to record a signal.
Untested
6- UltraMote
can't find
7- VITO remote
so to recap. Has anyone found a working software? I will give a free IR booster\repeater to anyone who can point me to a proper and working programmable universal remote control software that works over IR and not the web (or even better, anyone who can get PDAWin tv remote working )
thanks.
Honestly, I've tried 4 different softwares from that list and none worked, if anything they kept crashing my phone...so I gave up before I caused any damage to my phone. If you figure out which one works though, please list it, I'd like to know and try it.
can I know which was teh 4th that did not work so I can update my list please?
UniversalRemoteCE 4.0 froze up my phone every time I tried to use it
Many have tried. I am pretty sure no one has succeeded.
in my best Airplane - The Movie voice
"good luck, we're all counting on you"
my best suggestion is to buy an older known compatible phone with stronger irda
i looked into it a bit ago and came up with a good solution and found two of the phones on ebay for $20...but never bought them
i know it would be convenient to use our daily cell for this feature...but its an uphill battle
dont give up...lol
double post
Since the whole software thing does not seem to work... I am going to set out on making my own! My goal is to make a universal-universal remote app; even cross-platform, and the way I will do this is with external hardware. Since most new phones do not have a good IR port, I will make an external IR port that plugs into phones, mark my words!
I will keep people up to date on this
I'll subscribe to this thread to keep tabs on this. Good luck.
Well I am very excited to say that things are moving along nicely. Unfortunately, my local electronics supply shop (that is actually worth going to) is closed during weekends since its a small business who's main clients are engineering students during the year . This means that My full prototype (with range booster) will have to wait, but the basic premise is working, and, depending on my schedule, I should have a working prototype soon. I have already gotten in contact with a few chinese companies to compare the price of production of the modules.
well, the project is coming along well, but I need some input from the community. 1 is a note, 2 is the important question.
1- the software will be open source. The exact format still has to be determined, but the main lead right now is java so that i can be universal for all phones (except the Iphone that will need its own app).
2- Should it be powered or not? The module is coming along well, but I need some input. If it is powered, I have to make the tough decision between having the ext-usb plug sticking out on the edge of the board, meaning you have a 9v battery dangling from your phone or a short cable (1-2 feet) that plugs in the ext-usb port and the module rests next to you. What is the best route for this? (Ideally I would love bluetooth, but I do not have the electronic know-how for this)
julienrl said:
well, the project is coming along well, but I need some input from the community. 1 is a note, 2 is the important question.
1- the software will be open source. The exact format still has to be determined, but the main lead right now is java so that i can be universal for all phones (except the Iphone that will need its own app).
2- Should it be powered or not? The module is coming along well, but I need some input. If it is powered, I have to make the tough decision between having the ext-usb plug sticking out on the edge of the board, meaning you have a 9v battery dangling from your phone or a short cable (1-2 feet) that plugs in the ext-usb port and the module rests next to you. What is the best route for this? (Ideally I would love bluetooth, but I do not have the electronic know-how for this)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not make all? Powered and not. Corded and not. Are you encasing the electronics? If just for the Mogul how 'bout a phone case type add on putting the IR port on the right end of the phone while you're at it so we don't have to rotate our screens? That being said, with the Mogul getting dated, how 'bout for newer phones lacking IR ports all together like the touch pro and touch pro 2? Oh, maybe someone could help you out with bluetooth.
Well its not just for the mogul, it is going to work universally for all HTC phones and will be one little tweak away from working with other phones.
As far as corded or not, I think I will make it non corded and then you can just add it. It will cost a few cents extra but save alot on production costs of 2 different modules (if I go with powered, unpowered can easily be both).
The reason I am not doing powered and unpowered is that the powered requires a case and a battery and starts getting a little big (the size of half a thumb approximately), while the unpowered one is about 0.5mmx0.5mm. Also, making the powered one requires a much greater production cost as it would be made in china because if I make it myself, the powered one would be about 4 inches by 2 inches as I can't make the small traces myself, many of the parts are hard to come by and suftace mount is hard to do.
The reason that none of the programs work is because they require raw IR port access, not the IRDA protocol.
dj13241 said:
The reason that none of the programs work is because they require raw IR port access, not the IRDA protocol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats ok, this is a hardware\software combination so the IR will work.
I think I love you man. I've been looking for this since before I got my Mogul in my hands.
Manicmoguladdict said:
I think I love you man. I've been looking for this since before I got my Mogul in my hands.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol I hear ya. Everything is being delayed because the store I usually go to was selling IR LEDs for 4 bucks and they don't specify voltage so I had to order some online. I just need to get that stupid LED so that I can be done with the hardware and get working on the software.
I am still waiting on those diodes. I bought molding and casting material so that our IR emitters will look better than a loose set or components soldered on an extusb port
Anyone going to china who can buy ExtUSB ports for 50 cents with the breakout port? I got that quote from a company but I don't like sending unsecured payments and 10$ per extusb port + breakout board is going to make it pretty expensive for us. If so, let me know, I would like to buy a batch.
thanks.
since our device will work on many phones, instead of creating threads in every forum of every device, we decided to opt for a twitter account where we will keep everyone up to date on this project.
Spread the word!
http://twitter.com/wrctweets
Found this thread searching for a Bluetooth to IR converter, so I could use my Rhodium as a universal remote.
I was wondering... since all modern smartphones have Bluetooth, why not make a powered BT -> IR converter, which uses the HID standard? Since most phones have a HID application already (my old SE K750i could be used to control my desktop computer with HID), you don't need a lot of development on the phones itself. You'd need a way to program the conversion table (key 5 -> send PLAY IR sequence), I guess. You could then have a simple HID remote on simple phones or a full blown custom skinnable remote on a WVGA smartphone.
It would really be nice to have a Philips Pronto (or similar) universal remote where you can operate all sorts of equipment.
unfortunately, working with bluetooth at that level would be well beyond my expertise and bring the cost up $$$$$ because of the low volume of production. Also, making the drivers for this would be much harder and way to phone-specific, killing the intent of this device. Also, the way this works, it should work with any standard IR device.
I have a p4000 and am upgrading to a touch pro2, when I upgrade again in 2 years, I don't want to have to start the project over .
Finally, bluetooth device = more components = bulkier and = batteries!
I am getting back home late tonight and I will get back to work on the project (got the LEDs the day I was leaving).
ps. I do appreciate all feedback and comments.
thank you
julienrl said:
unfortunately, working with bluetooth at that level would be well beyond my expertise and bring the cost up $$$$$ because of the low volume of production. Also, making the drivers for this would be much harder and way to phone-specific, killing the intent of this device. Also, the way this works, it should work with any standard IR device.
I have a p4000 and am upgrading to a touch pro2, when I upgrade again in 2 years, I don't want to have to start the project over .
Finally, bluetooth device = more components = bulkier and = batteries!
I am getting back home late tonight and I will get back to work on the project (got the LEDs the day I was leaving).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry for being off topic, but do you know when the touch pro 2 is coming out in Canada ? And who's gonna get it telus, roger, fido or bell ?? (hope this is coming to Telus)
hehe, its out with telus waiting for mine in the mail now!
Inbound Ir
Will your Module accept inbound ir transfer? I am using a polar hr monitor that uses ir to download files to my phone. I've been looking for an upgrade option with ir without success. If your module will work, this is great news. Keep up the good work.

Need Programmers, hackers *htc touch pro cdma*

Hello everyone I am looking for any programmers, hackers that develop a RFID remote program to open my garage door. If you know of any programs that could do that please tell me. I already tried tweaking G-remote but it doesn't work.
The HTC touch Pro does not have an RFID transmitter.
You need an RFID enabled device ( Intermec) and the RFID adapter to communicate with your RFID device. I am curious on one thing, is your garage RFID or Infra Red? there is a huge difference...
If your garage is IR, then most of the handheld phones do not have IR range strong enough to emit to these.
Isn't the HTC touch Pro RFID, and IR compatible so that you can you can use it as a remote like G-remote. Hell you can control anything with g remote why not a garage door, everything is possible right ? and it would be nice that you could open any garage doors if you have the DIP switch codes.?
look everyone if I could I would do this myself but I can't, so money could be involved in exchange for what I am looking for.
thank you,
HTC Raphael not a G-Remote
I have worked with a lot of RFID and IR devices. The simple answer about this phone it is not RFID capable.
Now for IR. the device has an IR port. But it does not have enough wave strengh to broadcast at distances longer than 3 to 5 feet. So in order to do what you want we would need to replace the IR Sensor,Get additional power and write the code to interface with the device and OS. All these mods would void the warranty on the device and make it cost prohibitive, but if you got time and lot's of money it is a cool project.
WinCe soft has created some remote software for TV and DVRs.
http://classic.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=22506&associateid=17
Also you can take a look at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/en-us/campaigns/fastertomarket.aspx?WT.srch=1
and see if someone has a device with the capabilities you are looking for.
well well then I tought I was screwed but since you know alots about RFID & IR maybe you could help me, find another way, and a better understanding. I saw somewhere somekind of old radio that reads RFID and records everything ex. listening to a phone and get the voicemail code through RFID, recording the DIP codes etc. What is that ?
Intermec ?
Here is the link for Intermec RFID readers
This plugs in to their 700 Model ( which also supports bar code and Cell GSRM Band), This connects via IR to the device so we may be able to use the SDK and connect to the Touch Pro.
http://www.onesource.intermec.com/products/rfid2_ip4/index.aspx
Send me a PM and I can get s general idea of what you are trying to acomplish...
ronin said:
Now for IR. the device has an IR port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, this is driving me nuts.
Could you please tell me in simple, layman's terms *exactly* where the IR port is located on a CDMA Touch Pro? I can't find anything that looks like a window.
Why not mod the garage door rather than the TP?
ronin said:
I have worked with a lot of RFID and IR devices. The simple answer about this phone it is not RFID capable.
Now for IR. the device has an IR port. But it does not have enough wave strengh to broadcast at distances longer than 3 to 5 feet. So in order to do what you want we would need to replace the IR Sensor,Get additional power and write the code to interface with the device and OS. All these mods would void the warranty on the device and make it cost prohibitive, but if you got time and lot's of money it is a cool project.
WinCe soft has created some remote software for TV and DVRs.
http://classic.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=22506&associateid=17
Also you can take a look at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/en-us/campaigns/fastertomarket.aspx?WT.srch=1
and see if someone has a device with the capabilities you are looking for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe instead of modding the TP, you could find a suitable module to convert your garage door to Bluetooth. Just a thought, but it would save you having to void the warranty on your TP.
mstevens said:
Ok, this is driving me nuts.
Could you please tell me in simple, layman's terms *exactly* where the IR port is located on a CDMA Touch Pro? I can't find anything that looks like a window.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CDMA Touch Pro does not have IR port...

[Q] Why aren't the BCM4330 Capabilities utilised in in our i9100s?

The BCM4330 has a number of listed features that our SGS2s do not appear to have. For instance, the chip in question has listed support for Bluetooth 4.0+HS (so, I assume the Bluetooth low power standard) and FM Transmission/Receive, however all sources state that the SGS2 only supports up to Bluetooth 3.0, does not have Bluetooth high speed (virtually the same as Wifi direct, I'm told, but may not have the same level of uptake) and there are no references to FM transmission.
Without relevant APIs or sources I assume none of these unused features can be utilised. Is it a possibility that Samsung removed some components of the chip to reduce bulk?
What's confused me about this entire situation is that the original Galaxy S and the iPhone4 feature this same chipset, but there's not even a mention of Bluetooth3.0 even though they appear to support it . . . weird. Perhaps I've completely failed to understand the nature of these chipsets, but if I'm not being completely stupid then it'd be nice to explore how one could fiddle with our precious phones to extend its capabilities.
Bump
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
HazzBazz said:
The BCM4330 has a number of listed features that our SGS2s do not appear to have. For instance, the chip in question has listed support for Bluetooth 4.0+HS (so, I assume the Bluetooth low power standard) and FM Transmission/Receive, however all sources state that the SGS2 only supports up to Bluetooth 3.0, does not have Bluetooth high speed (virtually the same as Wifi direct, I'm told, but may not have the same level of uptake) and there are no references to FM transmission.
Without relevant APIs or sources I assume none of these unused features can be utilised. Is it a possibility that Samsung removed some components of the chip to reduce bulk?
What's confused me about this entire situation is that the original Galaxy S and the iPhone4 feature this same chipset, but there's not even a mention of Bluetooth3.0 even though they appear to support it . . . weird. Perhaps I've completely failed to understand the nature of these chipsets, but if I'm not being completely stupid then it'd be nice to explore how one could fiddle with our precious phones to extend its capabilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Example:
Back then, at MWC 10, Samsung introduced the Samsung Omnia HD (i8910) which has alot of things AND an FM transmitter, when the device was actually launch, it didn't have the FM transmitter, modders and coders saw & knew that this device have the component, even proved with a secret code and an app they build, but no one has ever managed to get it to work.
So far of being a costumer at Samsung corp. I noticed 2 mistakes that they are repeating:
1. Samsung can't manage to get solid 30fps at 720p devices and 1080p.
2. Samsung rls products with an FM transmitter but they never support it and doing everything that we won't manage to get it work.
The fact that this chip is capable of performing all those tasks does not mean it is capable of doing all those task simultaneously. There might be some hardware challenges/contradictions between the different roles.
For instance, bluetooth 4.0 requires filtering above 3GHz of more than 10dB, while at the same time the chip is capable of Wifi on 5GHz; both are supposed to be on the same antenna so either you can not use the chip for Bluetooth 4.0 AND wifi 5GHz or you have to use some very complicated filter depending on which mode you're using. If they have not supplied this filter inside the chip then it becomes a bit complicated to use both modes.
The FM transceiver could very well be connected to the same internal power amplifiers as wifi but a wifi antenna does not look like an FM antenna.
It is not always possible (actually seldom) to use all the specifications of a chip at the same time with the same hardware setup. (Though often the user won't notice because it is not able to check the specification, like ultra low power and high speed often conflict.)
The features you mention are integrated into the chip itself, so it's not possible to "offload" them. However, they may leave out necessary off-chip components and/or enabling software.
For example, FM is popular in Korea. Many Samsung models targeted to the Korean Market include FM capability. It requires extra hardware though, including a rather primitive looking FM antenna. The corresponding models for other parts of the world leave this out. I presume Samsung doesn't see the popularity of FM in other parts of the world to be enough to make up for the extra cost in the handset.
Drivers and such require work, too. So while the chip may support the capability, they may postpone the software development for various reasons. If the hardware support is fully intact, it might be possible to make something work, but it could require some very deep hacking.
requist's response is interesting and seems like a possibility, although a quick reading of the Broadcom product page seems to suggest they've accounted for mixing capabilities in the chip design. Hard to tell without more detailed info.
Disclaimer: I'm not an official spokesperson. Opinions expressed here are mine and not those of my employer.
requist said:
The fact that this chip is capable of performing all those tasks does not mean it is capable of doing all those task simultaneously. There might be some hardware challenges/contradictions between the different roles.
For instance, bluetooth 4.0 requires filtering above 3GHz of more than 10dB, while at the same time the chip is capable of Wifi on 5GHz; both are supposed to be on the same antenna so either you can not use the chip for Bluetooth 4.0 AND wifi 5GHz or you have to use some very complicated filter depending on which mode you're using. If they have not supplied this filter inside the chip then it becomes a bit complicated to use both modes.
The FM transceiver could very well be connected to the same internal power amplifiers as wifi but a wifi antenna does not look like an FM antenna.
It is not always possible (actually seldom) to use all the specifications of a chip at the same time with the same hardware setup. (Though often the user won't notice because it is not able to check the specification, like ultra low power and high speed often conflict.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
time division multiplexing.
Dirty_Jerz said:
time division multiplexing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That does not solve hardware conflicts.

[Q] FM radio over bluetooth

I just got an S3 and I'd like to ask if it is possible to listen to FM radio over Bluetooth.
i connect the standard headphones to enable the FM radio and the only option is to switch output between the headphones and the loud speaker.
I've seen cheap chinese android phones doing that, there should be a way.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, help me avoid selling my new toy
Sorry to say but it won't work. The reason (as the app itself already accurately describes in the error message) is that your headphone's cables are used as an antenna for the phone's FM receiver.
FM antenna's are actually quite big (at least compared to other antennas) even when using the so-called fractal design because they use a very slow (roughly 80 - 110 MHz, compared to e.g. WIFI's 2400MHz) frequency. To save space, Samsung moves them to the hedphones on all mobile phones I know of.
I don't know if it still works on S3 (never tried) but on the S1, if the station is broadcasting with enough signal strength, you could cut off the plug of old broken headphones and plug it into the phone to use the radio.
Afaik Spirit FM (now paid in all versions) can override the requirement but you'll need to press your finger to the jack so you can receive anything... pointless.
Alternatively you could use an app for internet radio such as TuneIn; most radio stations (at least all around here) provide web-streams for on-the-go radio listening. However you should make sure you got a decent internet flatrate, I managed to chew through nearly 4GB just with music streaming this month.
Most countries seem to have abolished mobile data flatrates.
d4fseeker said:
Sorry to say but it won't work. The reason (as the app itself already accurately describes in the error message) is that your headphone's cables are used as an antenna for the phone's FM receiver.
FM antenna's are actually quite big (at least compared to other antennas) even when using the so-called fractal design because they use a very slow (roughly 80 - 110 MHz, compared to e.g. WIFI's 2400MHz) frequency. To save space, Samsung moves them to the hedphones on all mobile phones I know of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OP understands that the phone needs the cord to act as an antenna. I think what they simply want to know is if the phone can then route the sound to the bluetooth device instead of through the speakerphone or the headphones.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA
d4fseeker I understand that the headphones should be connected since they serve as fm antenna. What i want is to listen to fm stations through bluetooth while the headphones are connected as bigb25 says.
TuneIn is not a solution for me since some stations I want are not available and cause I am a hiker internet is not always available where I go.
Maybe there is a fix or a different radio fm app?
OK quick test... plugged in 3.5mm - 3.5mm jack lead into headphone socket to act as the FM antenna and started the radio, selected sound to speaker and all worked fine. switched on Bluetooth headset no sound in headset, switched off sound to speakers still couldn't hear anything. Unplugged patch lead (this ends radio anyway) played an mp3from music player and sound returned to BT headset.
So unfortunately the answer is no you can't, as soon as you plug the anything into the headphone jack it cuts out the sound to any other device.
This may well be a mechanical switch within the headphone socket and so unlikely that there's a get around in a custom rom....but then I know nothing about roms
Nobody?
Verstuurd van mijn GT-I9300 met Tapatalk
DannySchaukens said:
Nobody?
Verstuurd van mijn GT-I9300 met Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thomasba said:
OK quick test... plugged in 3.5mm - 3.5mm jack lead into headphone socket to act as the FM antenna and started the radio, selected sound to speaker and all worked fine. switched on Bluetooth headset no sound in headset, switched off sound to speakers still couldn't hear anything. Unplugged patch lead (this ends radio anyway) played an mp3from music player and sound returned to BT headset.
So unfortunately the answer is no you can't, as soon as you plug the anything into the headphone jack it cuts out the sound to any other device.
This may well be a mechanical switch within the headphone socket and so unlikely that there's a get around in a custom rom....but then I know nothing about roms
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think this covers it
d4fseeker said:
Afaik Spirit FM (now paid in all versions) can override the requirement but you'll need to press your finger to the jack so you can receive anything... pointless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The latest Free version of Spirit can always be found at the top of post 1 of my Q&A thread. See my sig.
My cheapest ($80) test phone gets good audio AND RDS with no antenna. Ironically it's the best of 12 operational test phones I have. It's a Samsung GT-i5500 with the great, sensitive new Broadcom 4330/20780 family of chips.
But yeah, my Galaxy S and S2 don't do very well with no antenna. My Galaxy Note does better. Haven't heard from anyone with an S3 yet. They all have the Si4709 FM chip, which has positives and negatives. Internal circuitry etc. makes a difference too.
And I can thank the very positive sales response I've had from S2 and Note owners for being able to buy these expensive devices for testing. I'll do everything I can to make Spirit run well on S3 and hope to buy one soon.
I have yet to find a phone that does FM over BT, except for a strange very low quality mode I have working on some BCM 4325 based devices.
If the FM can be done in the digital domain, instead of the more common analog, then in theory it should be possible to do FM over BT.
But then again, in theory the Galaxy S and S2 hardware are capable of FM record (digital). Yet the audio libraries don't seem to support it, and I think it'd be a major/infeasible job to hack the libraries for it.
The Note and I think the S3 can do FM record with stock audio libraries. So I think FM over BT on these devices is feasible, at least with stock ROMs and/or using stock libraries.
But on non-stock ROMs like CM9, the Note seems incapable of FM record.
Basically, if the stock ROM and stock FM app don't support FM over BT, then I think it's not EASILY possible.
If it could be made to work, there's no reason why a phone couldn't have a wired earphone plugged in at the same time that FM goes over BT. This might "confuse" the audio system though, which usually sends audio over a wired headset if one is plugged.
Then again, it's also possible to have a plug that's partly inserted (or maybe even wired creatively). Enough for antenna but not enough to push audio through the wired headset.
Thanks mikereidis.
I tried the free version, it plays only when the headphones are connected.
Do you think you could look at the possibility to send output to bluetooth?
mikereidis said:
The latest Free version of Spirit can always be found at the top of post 1 of my Q&A thread. See my sig.
My cheapest ($80) test phone gets good audio AND RDS with no antenna. Ironically it's the best of 12 operational test phones I have. It's a Samsung GT-i5500 with the great, sensitive new Broadcom 4330/20780 family of chips.
But yeah, my Galaxy S and S2 don't do very well with no antenna. My Galaxy Note does better. Haven't heard from anyone with an S3 yet. They all have the Si4709 FM chip, which has positives and negatives. Internal circuitry etc. makes a difference too.
And I can thank the very positive sales response I've had from S2 and Note owners for being able to buy these expensive devices for testing. I'll do everything I can to make Spirit run well on S3 and hope to buy one soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mikereidis said:
I have yet to find a phone that does FM over BT, except for a strange very low quality mode I have working on some BCM 4325 based devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This dual active android phone does it: Star B79 Android 2.3.6 MTK6575 Smart 3G Phone 4.3"HD. I can not insert link cause of the ten posts limit but you can find it at aliexpress website
A colleague has it and I tried it just now and the quality is superb. And it is much cheaper comparing to the 730 Euro I gave to buy the SIII (greek retail price 32 GB version)
Actually this was the reason I switched from IOS to Android I mistakenly thought it was a default option in Android.
Also my ancient HTC diamond could do it with the help of a bluetooth utility but it woud often crash and quality was not good.
mikereidis said:
The Note and I think the S3 can do FM record with stock audio libraries. So I think FM over BT on these devices is feasible, at least with stock ROMs and/or using stock libraries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeap SIII can do FM record
susersuser said:
Thanks mikereidis.
I tried the free version, it plays only when the headphones are connected.
Do you think you could look at the possibility to send output to bluetooth?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
I have one person reporting success with my app on GS3 on CM9 June 19 now.
It only works one time though, then requires a reboot for the 2nd time.
This was with an experimental release I haven't made public yet.
I hope GS3's will be coming down at least $100 over the next month. $700 is pretty darn steep, even if it's got a leg up on the One X and One XL I bought recently for 570 and 500.
mikereidis said:
I have one person reporting success with my app on GS3 on CM9 June 19 now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great
susersuser said:
This dual active android phone does it: Star B79 Android 2.3.6 MTK6575 Smart 3G Phone 4.3"HD. I can not insert link cause of the ten posts limit but you can find it at aliexpress website
A colleague has it and I tried it just now and the quality is superb. And it is much cheaper comparing to the 730 Euro I gave to buy the SIII (greek retail price 32 GB version)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's very interesting; thanks for the info.
There are a variety of relatively inexpensive Chinese devices that have unique qualities, such as FM on an Android tablet, or digital TV tuner, or FM transmit I think.
But these devices are not widely available, or popular I think, in most Western countries. Information, source code and custom ROMs can be difficult to impossible to find.
As for Android: the audio systems can be kind of a big complicated mess. I don't think I've ever seen a single phone with an audio balance setting, among other things. But at least some Androids have "over the air" FM, whereas iPhone's have never had FM, despite years of rumors.
i am thinking of using one of these dongles though I doubt about the quality
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bluetooth...K_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item4cffd98878
susersuser said:
i am thinking of using one of these dongles though I doubt about the quality
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bluetooth...K_Computing_Networking_SM&hash=item4cffd98878
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kind of a drag to have a dongle hanging off though, in addition to the wired earphone for antenna.
There's been a lot of praise for the Sony MW600 Bluetooth stereo headset with built-in FM the last few years. Under $40 on EBay now.
I just ordered the apparent successor, the MW1 for $120 plus shipping the other day. It even has a music player built in, besides the FM and BT 3.0 support.
I need the A2DP headset because I think I'll be able to support FM over Bluetooth on some devices in the next few months, and I need something to test with.
MW1 seems interesting with many features but the price is ....
mikereidis said:
I need the A2DP headset because I think I'll be able to support FM over Bluetooth on some devices in the next few months, and I need something to test with.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will be waiting for the new version
Not an exact solution, but you can get bluetooth headsets with built in FM radio.
eg: Sony-Ericsson-MW-600-Bluetooth-Headphones
mikereidis said:
I have one person reporting success with my app on GS3 on CM9 June 19 now.
It only works one time though, then requires a reboot for the 2nd time.
This was with an experimental release I haven't made public yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The headphone jack has a part that senses when a headphone is inserted (the metal
in the headphone plug shorts it. It seems like you could make a plug that connects
to the metal of the ground pin (for the radio antenna) but isn't "inserted" so the phone
won't disable using BT.
Anyways, only i9300 will support FM, there is no way to get FM working with the Broadcom
chip in the US S3's. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=31576462#post31576462
I use a sony ericson bluetooth headset that has built in fm radio works well.
Model MW600havent priced them in a while,should be under $50 by now.
Sent from my GT-P3113 using xda premium

Enabling external bus functionality (I2C, SPI, UART,...), RK3188

Hello everyone,
I have a Erisin S2046B in my 2001 BMW E46 and found information, that the RK3188 has several external buses which are partly currently not used in the device. Being an electrical engineer and having some projects in my mind which require some sort of external communication to e.g. microcontrollers, I would like to make use of them.
Did anyone go through the effort to use one of these interfaces?
I read in the sound processor thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/and.../mtc-sound-controlling-bd37xxx-sound-t3234660), that I2C is used there but only limited information on what is done exactly, as it is just a matter of reconnecting the bus lines from the mcu to the rk3188.
I'm not quite sure, if this is the right section, but I would not really consider this "software development". Anyway, if one finds it inappropriate, I would kindly ask a mod to move it to another section
This is great, hopefully it's with guys like yourself tinkering away at these devices we end up with a how new sub-section of interesting mods that can be done for those that like to take stock and improve on it..
Bookmarked for reading as you go through this ... Look forward to some.positive outcomes...
@LC4T, can you be more clear as to what do you plan to achieve? It is no problem to attach another slave (or more) to existing I2C bus, as this bus is a multi-slave in its nature. There's no need to find any interfaces not in use, you are free to use existing, well known one.
As I already mentioned in my posting, I personally plan to connect an external microcontroller and exchange data between the µC and the RK3188. As I don't want to fit the circuitry inside the erisin enclosure, I2C is not the preferable solution.
The principle of I2C and its architecture is known to me, I have already build hardware using I2C But as the existing I2C bus is already connected to at least one slave device, I would be careful with hooking up another one without knowing exactly, what's happening on the bus already. Worst case would be to make the whole existing system unstable. I'd rather use SPI oder UART for my purpose.
In general, this thread should not be seen limited to my intentional use but some sort of collection of information on which buses are present, usable and in use - knowledge base style, so to speak
What's the first solution that comes to your mind when you think of doing something interesting with your I2C?
Some of these units do CANBUS. I'm not sure if there is separate hardware in them or just hookups.
I plan on installing an engine block heater (webasto thermo top c). With the universal wiring kit and control unit, you're only able to set three starting times with a fixed heating time. Additional control units for remote control are quite limited in range and functionality, the "cheap ones" (~200€) only offer "start" and "stop" with the only feedback if the command reached the unit being a blinking led, the ones with the ability to set the starting time from the distance (they claim it works up to 1km depending on the building density) is 350€... There are also GSM units available but also quite expensive and with few functions.
So including a microcontroller would fix all that
If I got it right, the CAN unit is a standalone device, that only decodes relevant data (e.g. gearbox in reverse), so no communication with the android device itself
LC4T said:
I plan on installing an engine block heater (webasto thermo top c). With the universal wiring kit and control unit, you're only able to set three starting times with a fixed heating time. Additional control units for remote control are quite limited in range and functionality, the "cheap ones" (~200€) only offer "start" and "stop" with the only feedback if the command reached the unit being a blinking led, the ones with the ability to set the starting time from the distance (they claim it works up to 1km depending on the building density) is 350€... There are also GSM units available but also quite expensive and with few functions.
So including a microcontroller would fix all that
If I got it right, the CAN unit is a standalone device, that only decodes relevant data (e.g. gearbox in reverse), so no communication with the android device itself
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe there are can bus controllers for that device.
You could take a look at IOIO-OTG boards. it might offer some features.
You can make your own can bus for the devices you want to control and use available can bus adapters.
If you're talking about the webasto heater, yes, there are control units with CAN functionality but they are OEM specific (e.g. VW/Audi, Mercedes, BMW,...) and not universal. Also, adding just another interface is not what I intended to do when there are several of them, mostly unused already available
Again: I don't want to use this thread for my specific problem but as a general thread on using the interfaces already present in the unit
LC4T said:
If you're talking about the webasto heater, yes, there are control units with CAN functionality but they are OEM specific (e.g. VW/Audi, Mercedes, BMW,...) and not universal. Also, adding just another interface is not what I intended to do when there are several of them, mostly unused already available
Again: I don't want to use this thread for my specific problem but as a general thread on using the interfaces already present in the unit
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure. Sure. I like the idea of tapping into the onboard hardware, but it might be good to talk about the limitations and optimal use cases for doing so.
For your case I think you can solve your need without tapping in if the objective is to get it working quickly. If the geek factor is more important then its a moot point.
You could probably tap in using something like this:
sandboxelectronics.com/?product=active-i2c-long-cable-extender-p82b715-module
That might help cut down on noise if you want to run it around the car.
Here's my thoughts.
If you need to control some external DIY device, you need to go with USB ports, which are already available in our devices.
They are just designed to communicate with external world, opposite to I2C or SPI, which are designed for in-system communications only.
Here we have two options:
1. Use native USB communication:
On the headunit side - libusb library which is well-known in Linux world. It might even happen that it is already compiled into the kernel (need to check); otherwise, a libusb.ko module needs to be compiled and loaded.
Nowadays there are many microcontrollers with USB onboard for direct use; and even simpliest MCUs like AVR attiny/atmega can use USB via V-USB library (I've done some just-for-fun projects with it).
2. Use a cheap USB-Serial converter to get a new serial port on a headunit's side. On the MCU side, you'll get a standard UART, which is much simplier than USB for MCU programming.
And returning to your @LC4T idea.
Are you planning to use head unit only as a control panel for your device, so that you only need a big touch screen with a nice UI to set up your externa DIY device, then go off letting that device to work alone? Don't you plan having your head unit always turned on to track time and on/off your heater? Because latter solution is really bad, as our head units are very power hungry.
7floor said:
Here's my thoughts.
If you need to control some external DIY device, you need to go with USB ports, which are already available in our devices.
They are just designed to communicate with external world, opposite to I2C or SPI, which are designed for in-system communications only.
Here we have two options:
1. Use native USB communication:
On the headunit side - libusb library which is well-known in Linux world. It might even happen that it is already compiled into the kernel (need to check); otherwise, a libusb.ko module needs to be compiled and loaded.
Nowadays there are many microcontrollers with USB onboard for direct use; and even simpliest MCUs like AVR attiny/atmega can use USB via V-USB library (I've done some just-for-fun projects with it).
2. Use a cheap USB-Serial converter to get a new serial port on a headunit's side. On the MCU side, you'll get a standard UART, which is much simplier than USB for MCU programming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The IOIO OTG solution gets you here plus there are established libraries etc.
github.com/ytai/ioio/wiki
The OTG version allows it to be powered from the host also. That could make it easy to develop and move around.
github.com/ytai/ioio/wiki/Getting-To-Know-The-IOIO-OTG-Board
pounce said:
The IOIO OTG solution gets you here plus there are established libraries etc.
github.com/ytai/ioio/wiki
The OTG version allows it to be powered from the host also. That could make it easy to develop and move around.
github.com/ytai/ioio/wiki/Getting-To-Know-The-IOIO-OTG-Board
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From $20 for the board on AliExpress to almost $40 elsewhere? No, thanks These guys want too much for their solution. This is the price of a Raspberry PI, a complete computer.
For that price, I would prefer putting a Raspberry under dashboard, connect with WiFi, for example, and have much more flexibility than gives the IOIO.
As to IOIO - as a prototyping board it might be useful, but not for a well-finished DIY project based on a single cheap MCU with a minimum of components, where total cost of it would be much lower than cost of that board.
It is like using ATmega256-based Arduino boards for the purpose of watching a button and blinking a LED, where the $0.5 worth ATtiny13 is an overhead.
Such a boards are probably good for Hackaton events, where you have to show something working after a few hours of quick-and-dirty work, but not for thoroughly designed DIY project.
Depends on how much you value your time and what an existing product offers you for your solution. Many people aren't as price sensitive. I certainly wasn't suggesting the IOIO as the only solution, but for an open ended or more generic solution to get hardware support external to the head unit is generally fits the bill. Established libs for interacting saves some time. Nice bunch of people put it together and there have been some fun projects.
Like I mentioned before, it might be a good idea to discuss what the objective would be to adding smart hardware in the solution through, I2C, USB, bluetooth, wifi or whatever. I think the OP is looking to discuss the general idea and not super specific solutions that might lead a person to pic a very specific ic and com. Well, I know that was the purpose because the OP has redirected me to the point.
You bring up a good point though. You say you would rather put Pi under the dash. I would also for controlling things. In fact Pi or some duino realtime solution is always going to be better for interacting with an auto. This is especially the case when the purpose might be controlling something that is powered like a motor or something life critical. At this point though we are not talking about android or these head units. You are talking about perhaps the method of communication between two systems. Not really for this forum.
---------- Post added at 01:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:46 PM ----------
I'd like to have more input/output trigger wires for events. We have a backup wire, but I'd like more for other things. An example might be to support a passenger side view camera. Sure, there are ways to hack it in by switching the backup video input, but that's a simple example. Power on a wire sends an event in android on the unit.
Do we have GPIO possibility on any of these units?
CanBus via Uart?
Does anyone know how the CanBus connection works? My MTCB Unit came with an adapter box which turns some messages into external signals (like illumination, reverse), but also seems to forward messages via serial into my Head Unit. At least that's how i guess that the steering wheel buttons are working.
Now, there are some messages that i wish to interpret and send, and also some i would interpret different. My idea was to get some kind of filter (maybe software, maybe a dedicated micro controller) in between the CanBus adapter and the service on my head unit. But right now, i have no idea how to verify my understanding of the setup, since no tty device on the HU seems to directly reflect my button presses. There's one, that pours out something unreadable on key press, but this also does it if i touch the screen, so i guess that's not the CanBus adapter itself.
I suspect that the information in already interpret before it gets into the android system, and only the relevant messages are forwarded, or even pre-processed. I suspect that the only way to get to the signals is to listen on the CanBus adapters RX/TX lines, and maybe finally put an microcontroller in between. If unlucky, the adapter might also filter out messages before i can get them, and i need to access the CanBus directly.
htt p://i.imgur.com/P1QzXta.jpg?1 << CanBus Adapter
I would appreciate any hints on this topic, especially information on the CanBus Adapter.
From what I can see on the PCB and I have read about the can adapter:
The adapter itself only interprets data from either can bus or analog signals and forwards them to the android unit via some sort of serial interface, most probably UART. As you have almost no way to get an inside look into the software running on the microcontroller, I would suggest to design a seperate device, that way you can be 100% sure to get all the messages and filter yourself.
I ordered some can bus adapters to see what i can read. Maybe i will first have a look into the data on the serial line when i finished moving house and had time to unpack my gear
I have a can bus HU, when i listen to the radio or music player, i haven't information on display of my car (CLK MERCEDES). I read the new units have dual can bus and information of radio appears on car display. Ther's a way to modify my HU to dual can bus? I have to change a can bus decoder? My can bus decoder is B200.
Regards
7floor said:
.... There's no need to find any interfaces not in use, you are free to use existing, well known one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well known interfaces - that's the keyword.
For example I would like to output current FM-frequency, radio station name, song title to the existing (factory) FIS display in a car. Via CAN bus, because the display talks CAN.
Now I would at least have to know which units have CAN capability.
Yes, I could go the USB to RS232 to CAN dasy-chain-adapter route, but I consider that all but a clean solution
Oskar

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