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USB support and usb audio support were recently picked up by mainstream, so starting from nightly 135 you get all of the below (except for the webcam support). I am leaving the old information for history preservation purposes. The usb mode utility is replaced by Nook Tweaks
IMPORTANT! READ TO THE VERY END FIRST!
Ok, so I know some people want to try the usbhost mode and I am releasing this trial package to gather feedback and see how it works in the wild.
I am not responsible if you fry your nook (see below).
First, you need some hardware, namely microUSB to USB Female adapter. Something like this one. (There are cheaper ones on ebay, but delivery time is about 3 weeks, I got mine for $1.43).
Also an USB gender changer will work.
Then you need a kernel with usbhost enabled. I made a package that you can install onto emmc with CWM, or the same package could be installed on SD card if you use my installer. This package is only for CM7 users that already converted to .32 kernel. If you still run 2.6.29 kernel (ie CM7.0.3) - you need to upgrade to a fresh nightly like -87 or wait longer.
You can get the kernel here: http://nook.handhelds.ru/usbhost/update-CM7-green-usbhost-2-emmc.zip
As you probably know, the Nook Color comes a little bit crippled in a sense that id pin on the OTG controller is not connected and so we cannot rely on it to properly choose mode. Instead I wrote an app to achieve the switching.
The app is ugly as hell, sorry, it's my first attempt at writing an Android app, bear with me, it would become better (I accept free Android programming lessons too! ).
You can get the app here: http://nook.handhelds.ru/usbhost/NookUsbHostSwitcher.apk
The app requires root, so make sure to allow it once asked and make it to remember the setting.
Install the kernel, install the app.
Reboot into the new kernel.
Run the app and you'll see a big "ToggleButton". When it's in Off mode, that means your nook is in usb client mode.
When you press it for the first time it will change to On, that means usb host.
(you can connect your external accessory before or after you enable the host mode).
When you press it again, it will change to Off and switch back to the client mode.
I recommend that before switching the host mode off you first disconnect your accessory, otherwise the internal hub cannot switch off.
(note that in some configurations the host mode enabling did not work for me on the first try and I needed to turn it off and on several times before the device registered. I believe there is no such problem with this kernel, but keep in mind such a possibility)
Addition in v2:
A second button is now added that lets you to force "external" vbus source. When you make it to ON, the battery charger pump is opened and connected to vbus terminals. In this state it is safe to connect nook to a power source, usb host will work and the battery should be charging at the same time.
Even without external power if your battery has high enough voltage (usually when it's full for me), it still somewhat works.
Additionally if you try to enable HostMode and an external power source is connected already, the "external" power mode is enabled (not shown in the app, though). This is to avert a potential disaster from below and to save battery.
Now the important part: When the Nook is in host mode, it drives 5V vbus off the connector at all times. If you connect the nook to a PC in this state, the PC will try to drive it's own vbus. Last time I tried to do this, my usb port in the nook fried! You've been warned! But that was before I had the host mode working and it might have been caused by a number of other things I was doing at the time too. Anyway I am not very keen on repeating this experiment again. If you are curious and decide to try it anyway regardless of the warning, make a comment and tell me what happened
Supported devices (this is important, right?)
Note that only low power devices will work if you don't have an externally powered hub. Don't expect to be able to drive a cdrom or a hard drive out of just nook. 100mA is the current limit. (Current testing shows that if you use ISB hub, even unpowered, it hides this issue).
All keyboards should be supported. (the keymap in CM7 is a bit strange, though, you'll see it).
All mice should be supported too, though I have not tried.
I enabled Xbox and PS3 controllers support, but have not tried.
Usb camera support - I only enabled UVC-compliant cameras (Microsoft Live cameras are compliant for example, probably many others). You also need specially built nigthtly with videocam support (try Camera app).
USB storage - generic support enabled, so should work for you.
Serial port support - only generic support enabled (I guess GPS devices mostly work as serial ports)
USB audio support enabled - not sure if the Android has any idea how to support it.
The kernel is basically normal dalingrin's kernel with USB host support enabled and ipv6 disabled (to keep kernel size below 3M threshold).
Kernel source (for the curious and if you want to build your own kernel with some mode devices support): git://github.com/dalingrin/nook_kernel.git branch usbhost
Enjoy and share your experience.
Just ordered the adapter for this. Thanks so much for your efforts!
So if anything goes wrong, we can revert by just flashing Dalingrin's kernel again, right?
Going to order an adapter now
Quick (and possibly stupid) question: Would gender changer plugs work in combination with a regular micro USB->USB cable?
this is incredible, thanks for all your hard work !!!
Awesome news
Thanks for all your work on this. It just amazes me how much talent is here on XDA.
It also amazes me that Android tablets/phones struggle with something a 10+ year old Windows 98SE laptop can do with ease.
Ordered my cable and can't wait to try transferring pictures from my camera to the Nook!
Has anyone seen a netbook-style keyboard/case combo that would work with the nook? (Bluetooth and/or USB)
Great work man, can't wait to try this out!!
Just built cm7 from source as of 6AM and flashed your kernel, turned usb host on and attached my usb gender changer to my phone's micro usb cord and plugged in a mass storage device. dmesg in Terminal Emulator showed the device properly but apparently android has no idea what to do with it, the light didn't even come on. Encouraged by this minor sign of life, I plugged in a keyboard and it works (though of course the android keymap is close to full retard).
Good job! I think nullghost's idea of adding this to the CM7 pulldown menu is a good idea. Maybe also the power control?
You will need to mount the USB storage yourself.
Glad I though ahead and got an adapter
Working well so far. Will try more accessories at school!
Any advice on what adapter to buy? I was looking at this one:
http://www.amazon.com/USB-Micro-Ada...YMU6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306940268&sr=8-1
but not sure if it is what we are looking for since one review said it does not work for USB OTG.
Actually, thinking about it, is the USB host mode that is enabled here, different from the USB OTG that i am thinking of?
And since i dont mind being the first to ask a dumb question..
hololight said:
You will need to mount the USB storage yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would this be something done in the terminal, or through the settings UI (aka, it will show up on the same place that the SD card shows up)?
Using my mouse with my Nook at the moment
I went out and bought a gender changer, which seems to work. Thank you a LOT!
No luck with my Xbox 360 controller. It lights up and then keeps on blinking. I tried to assign hardware keys in FPse but it didn't respond to any keypresses.
Also, my Nook froze when plugging my mouse back in.
Dangit! How am I suppose to get any work done when you release something like this. Gonna have to run out and get a gender changer during lunch so I can play around with this!
Thank you verygreen!
-Racks
Yep, keyboard and mouse work!
THIS IS AWESOME!
holo and vg, you guys rock!
Youtube video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxuhCS50-e0
I know...it sucks and it's rotated. I'll get a better one up.
ace7196 said:
Yep, keyboard and mouse work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both at the same time? Using a hub?
Sorry, haven't tried that yet. But in theory it should (with a powered hub).
ace7196 said:
Sorry, haven't tried that yet. But in theory it should (with a powered hub).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even unpowered hub should be fine. I use unpowered hub and it works with keyboard and mass storage.
Divine_Madcat said:
Any advice on what adapter to buy? I was looking at this one:
http://www.amazon.com/USB-Micro-Ada...YMU6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306940268&sr=8-1
but not sure if it is what we are looking for since one review said it does not work for USB OTG.
Actually, thinking about it, is the USB host mode that is enabled here, different from the USB OTG that i am thinking of?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OTG cable is only needed when hardware is supporting OTG mode natively.
All it does is has an extra connected pin. Nook ignores this signal unfortunately.
Divine_Madcat said:
Would this be something done in the terminal, or through the settings UI (aka, it will show up on the same place that the SD card shows up)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nook cannot have fully automatic otg mode where you just plug an accessory and it works, then unplug, lug a host and it works.
Instead you need to manually control the mode from the provided app.
This is so awesome, if the nook can support a usb Ethernet adapter i'd be in heaven, I wouldn't have to lug around my Sony UX. Who has the best development community in the world? Nook does!
verygreen said:
OTG cable is only needed when hardware is supporting OTG mode natively.
All it does is has an extra connected pin. Nook ignores this signal unfortunately.
Nook cannot have fully automatic otg mode where you just plug an accessory and it works, then unplug, lug a host and it works.
Instead you need to manually control the mode from the provided app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the cable info - adapter is ordered.
As for the mass storage, i guess what i was asking in a round about way; what IS the proceedure to mount a USB flash stick (for instance) so that something like Root Explorer could see the files?
Personally, i am REALLY interested in this for my photography. I would love to be able to connect my nook in the field, and get a sneak peak at what my shots are looking like, without having to haul out a full on laptop. My camera connects as a mass storage device, so assuming that Android could read a mass storage volume, i would be in business.
I hate you guys! =( Always making me spend more money that I don't have! Now I need to go find a good solid case with a usb keyboard!
Hey people,
Massive regret if this has already been covered to the point of solving somewhere but i just can't seem to find a clear solution to my problem.
One of the main reasons i opted for the Archos 101IT was because of the usb storage possibilities and i am sadly let down by the lack of functionality. After searching over XDA forums, ArchosFans and a few other forums i have gathered alot of information about the usb ports and was even suggested a kernel that will let me extend the power supplied to the port (Currently only 100mAh i believe?)
My problem is im already on a different kernel and don't wish to trade my perm root and higher overclock just so i can use the ports as they should already work anyway. I have a 16gb and 8 gb sandisk flash drive that i would love to use but sadly it dosn't work. I also found a conversation (can't seem to find it again) where a list of successfull usb host adapter cables was created and so believing it i went ahead and bought one and it still dosn't work.
I have no doubt in my mind it's probably something i am doing wrong and if someone could slap me in the right direction i would be very greatful.
Again, sorry if my attempt at searching has failed but despite the countless conversations on this topic the only solutions that i have come across are completely changing my kernel and a cable that didn't work!
Why is it so difficult to use damn storage? that's what the usb is there for am i wrong?!
Thanks in advance =]
your post doesn't make that much sense - Archos 70 and below requires usb host cable - the 10 already has a full size usb host port and sufficient power to run flash drives
Yes it does, but as i said it only powers up to 100 mAh without the usb power kernel and i believe it's the mini usb that powers higher normally. It's my understanding that on the other posts i have read a host cable from the Mini usb port is supposed to give you the option of powering a flash drive as the mini usb offers a greater power supply.
I hope this makes sense now, im just reporting what i'v gatherd viewing other peoples issues and im confused to hell about any real/ideal solutions and also as to why the bloody thing can't just work as advertised.
Maybe if we can't get any meantime solutions people could start listing what's working for them? If anything at all? As i have seen reports of success with flash drives on both the 101 and 70 and also people saying they had it working at one time then it's never worked since. All threads seem to end in either "Sold my archos" Or "Sent back to archos and and they replaced it but now it's still not working" Also i can see archos have no apparent interest in the complaints that people have made.
Cheers
The 100mA limit is only on the A70. The A101's full-size host post puts out about 450mA, but alot of devices have an initial spike higher than that in the initial plug in, just to charge the capacitors and enter active mode. The problem with the A101 is that it shuts down current when it spikes like that, resetting the device, and requiring another start-up cycle. No solution I know of yet. I've managed to find low-power devices, you can also use an in-line power supply usb cable.
Hi msticninja, cheers for your reply.
Sorry for my complete lack of electronics but im understanding that the flash drive's im using require more then the 450 just to power up and then they would use less?
Does inline mean a mains powered usb? as i have a 2 tb mains powred HD that i havnt tested yet but if it worked it would be a temp solution for home, but i would love to be able to use my flash drives (or any flashd drives) when on the go. Could you suggest some of the flash drives that have worked for you under that power spike?
Thanks!
Nufan1121 said:
Hi msticninja, cheers for your reply.
Sorry for my complete lack of electronics but im understanding that the flash drive's im using require more then the 450 just to power up and then they would use less?
Does inline mean a mains powered usb? as i have a 2 tb mains powred HD that i havnt tested yet but if it worked it would be a temp solution for home, but i would love to be able to use my flash drives (or any flashd drives) when on the go. Could you suggest some of the flash drives that have worked for you under that power spike?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, after the power up they use less, but that initial spike causes the Archos to shut down the USB port.
Definitely try the mains powered HD just to test. Also, sometimes a really quick unplug and replug can help.
My Kingston Datatraveler G2 (16GB) works fine, and I have some generic 1GB sticks that work as well. It's kind of hit or miss, to be honest. If you have a local electronics store, they may have some that aren't packaged, so you could test them in-store.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kingston-16-G...660?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19c64a7c54
Is that the right one? I sadly live about 20 miles away from any decent modern electronic store so id rather just buy one, if there's anything i have learned about flash drives as a producer, you can never have enough and also they will always sell on ebay for near the original price.
Thanks again =]
Also, Just plugged an old microsoft mouse into the large usb port, it lights up for a second then turns off with no real connection made.
Tried the same mouse in the smaller usb port with a host cable and nothing happens, could be the cable though.
Nufan1121 said:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kingston-16-G...660?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19c64a7c54
Is that the right one? I sadly live about 20 miles away from any decent modern electronic store so id rather just buy one, if there's anything i have learned about flash drives as a producer, you can never have enough and also they will always sell on ebay for near the original price.
Thanks again =]
Also, Just plugged an old microsoft mouse into the large usb port, it lights up for a second then turns off with no real connection made.
Tried the same mouse in the smaller usb port with a host cable and nothing happens, could be the cable though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think the mini-usb operates in host mode on the A101, only on the A70. As for the mouse, I have had better luck with wireless mice. I think the wired ones, older "red" optical ones in particular, use more power than I expected.
I think I told you the wrong USB drive though. I'm just plugging it in to double check and it's not working. Let me look around and figure out what I was using.
Haha yeh it was a wired oiptical one, i assume the wireless ones work better as most are powered by battery and im guessing the usb reciever only needs a small ammount of power. Is that the correct usb on the ebay link though? If so i will buy it asap as im desperate for a working solution.
Thanks =]
Looking through logcat though, I don't see a power error. I think I formatted this [email protected] with NTFS, and it can't mount it. Give me a couple of minutes to test this out.
Yep, that's the problem. I just turned on NTFS support in UrukConfig and it mounted just fine. That link on eBay should work fine for you as long as you don't use NTFS without urukdroid.
Ok cool, is it having trouble recognising it now? Both mine are Fat32 i believe in order to switch between my mac and windows computers, let me know if it still works when you can =]
It's fine with NTFS enabled in UrukConfig. Fat32 should work by default. BTW, you can enable NTFS support on Mac pretty easily. If you have files bigger than 4GB, it's essential.
Haha i havnt had to cross that issue yet as i mostly work with sound samples around 2mb or under, but i will definately be correcting that soon. So is this the correct model before i purchase it? im excited now that you have re confirmed it! =]
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kingston-16-G...660?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item19c64a7c54
Thanks for the info!
Yup, that's the one. It's a tiny bit big, but it's very fast.
Haha mate, size isnt an issue at all, aslong as the damn thing works im going to be a happy bunny. All i have been missing since buying this thing is the extra storage. My sd card is currently running whole OS as it was needed for 'perm root' and it also has 259 swapfile so that's the 8gb gone. If this usb storage works it means i'll finally be able to free up the enitre internal storage i've been clogging up with music and movie for some more apps.
Wish me luck =p thanks again! =]
That's why I like to run Android from the Internal Storage, so I can remove the Sdcard without shutting the tablet down.
Good luck!!
As soon as a decent root comes along where i can overclock to 1.2ghz on internal storage id be more then happy to run on internal, sadly the only one i know is archangels and it only works when in a wifi area =/ unless im mistaken then id gladly eat my words! =]
Nufan1121 said:
As soon as a decent root comes along where i can overclock to 1.2ghz on internal storage id be more then happy to run on internal, sadly the only one i know is archangels and it only works when in a wifi area =/ unless im mistaken then id gladly eat my words! =]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically you could, but it's a bit of an involved process. You do need the SDE installed though. Actually, I wonder if anyone's tried ardatdat's kernel recently with Uruk. It hasn't worked for a while, but there's been multiple beta updates since the last time I tried it.
That would be very tempting, im on sde anyways. Just a question, whats the 1 watt speaker about in ur sig? Is that a hack?
Nufan1121 said:
That would be very tempting, im on sde anyways. Just a question, whats the 1 watt speaker about in ur sig? Is that a hack?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My speakers went out, because they're horribly overdriven, like most people's. I replaced them with 1 Watt Kobitone speakers that have a higher sensitivity, so it's louder at lower volume settings, and can go to a very high max volume without damaging the speakers. It's a simple replacement, but you have to open the case and solder in the new speakers.
I use PDAnet tons of times on my Droid 3, since I moved on to a better phone, I wanted to use it as well. Problem here is, My battery drains fast as hell, Normally I though the port isn't providing enough power to keep up with the draining but I used my desktop which has USB 3.0 and High power ports and still the same issue.
I already experience issues with this phone and planning to get a replacement but I'm just wondering if Anyone else has this issue and will it continue with my new ReZound?
our phone isn't a usb 3.0 device, so it can't take advantage of the extra power.
solution (level: Dealwithit)-- i found turning the screen off at least keeps power use down on the phone enough to keep it level, or gain at least a tiny bit of charge. I use wifi-tether like this, net is 0mA or ~+15mA.
solution (level: Awesome)-- make a hack usb driver for windows that just forces 1A down the pipe rather than waiting for the device to request it
thatsricci said:
solution (level: Awesome)-- make a hack usb driver for windows that just forces 1A down the pipe rather than waiting for the device to request it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can shove all you want down the pipe, the phone won't use it unless it's tricked into AC charge mode.
mjones73 said:
You can shove all you want down the pipe, the phone won't use it unless it's tricked into AC charge mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to confirm, but my belief is the usb host is what dictates how much is ultimately sent... obviously it does this according to the specifications, so presumably the dumb connector just takes whatever it can get... I'd be surprised if a usb device would double check the current it's receiving from a host that has follows the spec... especially when the same port we know can take an AC charge. I have an external portable battery charger, that when it's max, it can deliver the full 1A, but as the external source drops in charge, it delivers less - so it doesn't maul it's own battery, when the external supply starts to deliver less, the phone reports USB charging mode. so I'm wondering if it just reports ac/usb based on how much mA it's getting through the port anyway.
I was wondering if it's easy to enable this feature on a kernel? I saw that there were requests for it, but I haven't seen the current kernels we have listing it as a feature. If it's not too difficult, I'd like to attempt to make it work and compile my own kernel!
I'm also VERY interested in this feature, but have absolutely no clue how to go about compiling a kernel...
lfrst05 said:
Generally I think for "OTG + charging" to work the USB chipset on the device has to support it and/or you have to find out how you could trick the device into enabling this mode (with a certain resistor on the USB connector and/or with a kernel modification).
The bad thing is that no device seems to support the official "USB Accessory Charger Adapter" specification. (see section "OTG micro plugs" here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_On-The-Go for details)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nex...ging-nexus-9-using-otg-cable-usb-hub-t2950726
Generally I think we need to know first if the hardware would even be capable of it.
Its too bad, this makes my life just a little rougher when trying to run the tablet with a MIDI keyboard plugged in. The battery drop is so fast its almost not worth using it for music design.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Hi all,
My Rezound is having an issue where, no matter the cable or charger, it only says "USB" charging. And on my AC plug it's even giving me the "Charge Only / PC / HTC Sync" menu option as if it thinks there is a data connection on the other end.
This isn't the first time it's happened, but it's the first time out of warranty. USB charging is unbearably slow and doesn't keep up with even basic usage, so I really need to get this fixed or get a new phone (at retail, keeping my VZW unlimited LTE).
Any advice would be welcome. I have a Rezound w/ a damaged screen that I could try to pull a part from if that helps, but I'm not sure if it's just the USB port or something in additional circuitry that I can't access.
For additional information, when it's unplugged it still has the USB charge/pc option.
So when you plug into an outlet it only gives you the usb charging/pc options and doesn't automatically charge from the wall power?
The USB plug in the phone is probably bad, it can't detect an A/C charger is connected so it defaults to USB charging.
You have basically 3 choices here...
1. Get a new phone
2. Get your phone repaired, or fix it yourself. This is NOT easy to do in the Rez as micro soldering is required.
3. Try a kernel with USB Fast Charging and enable it.
This is assuming you have truly tried other cables, chargers, and factory reset.
sdsubball23 said:
So when you plug into an outlet it only gives you the usb charging/pc options and doesn't automatically charge from the wall power?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it charges but at 500mA, even on wall power. Sometimes it asks if I want to mount my data, but that seems not to happen often.
acejavelin said:
The USB plug in the phone is probably bad, it can't detect an A/C charger is connected so it defaults to USB charging.
You have basically 3 choices here...
1. Get a new phone
2. Get your phone repaired, or fix it yourself. This is NOT easy to do in the Rez as micro soldering is required.
3. Try a kernel with USB Fast Charging and enable it.
This is assuming you have truly tried other cables, chargers, and factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for confirming that #2 is not really an option. Regarding #3, a few questions
1) How do I know if a kernel has "USB Fast charging"? Can you help identify a kernel that has this but retains the 'global' mode capability?
2) If I enable fast charging, does it mean I risk damaging a PC if I plug it into a real USB port that only wants to put out 500mA?
Gig103 said:
Thanks for confirming that #2 is not really an option. Regarding #3, a few questions
1) How do I know if a kernel has "USB Fast charging"? Can you help identify a kernel that has this but retains the 'global' mode capability?
2) If I enable fast charging, does it mean I risk damaging a PC if I plug it into a real USB port that only wants to put out 500mA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, nevermind... After doing a little more research into this, I determined this will NOT really do what I thought it would... It could still work, but you would have to modify the kernel settings to allow a high current (800ma-975ma) charge when connected to USB, which would be fine when connected to an A/C charger, but could be very harmful if connected to an actual USB port on a PC. Super Charge and Funky Kernel (both are in the Dev areas here) have this ability, but you make the modifications at the terminal prompt on a rooted phone, not directly in the kernel settings. Essentially you are going to tell the phone to ignore USB standards and charge at 975ma when connected to what it thinks is USB. But like I said, this could be very harmful if it is connected to a "normal" USB port and not an A/C adapter.
Super Charge Kernel (some good into too): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1902008
Funky Kernel (Sense): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1911297
S-OFF is not required (although it is recommended), but you would need to flash the kernel by booting TWRP via fastboot, NOT flashing and starting from the phone. And the kernel has little to do with the Global mode capabilities of the device, it should be irrelevant as long as the kernel is fairly up to date.
Honestly though, for the price of GSM phones now, I would just ditch the Rez and get something else... I mean you can get a phone for under $30 if you really NEED one (Lumia 520), and a nice Android device for around $100-$150 that will not only give you a new device, but one with tremendously better reception and battery life.
IMPORTANT: Especially with HTC devices, there are THREE different types of kernels for the device, AOSP, CM/CAF, or Sense... You must use the correct one for your ROM or you can soft-brick your phone. For a stock phone, a Sense kernel is required, for other ROMs you will have to look at the ROM's OP and see if it is CM/CAF-based or AOSP-based, and use the appropriate kernel.