Database Users

USB Host disconnected pin?

hello,
i've heard that the universal WOULD support USB host drivers if an unconnected pin inside the universal was connected... could anyone tell me;
- if i manage to get the pin connected, would i get usb host features like on any other usb host phone with proper drivers?
- how hard is it to do?
- WHAT to do?

Oh man,really really nice interesting idea,hope it's true and possible,i hope someone knows all about that and soon writes here how that is possible maaan,would be really awesome to play with that

PalDragan said:
Oh man,really really nice interesting idea,hope it's true and possible,i hope someone knows all about that and soon writes here how that is possible maaan,would be really awesome to play with that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nice to hear someone else would like to get it to work too
EDIT: just found this on another thread on another forum about a PXA270 phone, someone was trying to get it to work, seems like all we need is
- switch the pin to host mode
- a driver (maybe zenos latest ones?)
After about 6 months of not touching this project, I decided to take another quickie look at the PXA270 docs and programmers reference. What I now see is very interesting.
Originally, I was looking at bringing out the USB Host 1 interface pins to the outside world as they were only terminated internally on the motherboard. Only about 1% of users might be able to do that.
I then started to look at the USB OTG (On The Go) interface that this chip supports. The USB OTG interface can be used as both a client and host. It shares the same pins as the Axim's serial port. Unfortuately, there are two serial control lines pins that are not brought out to the connector, so I scrubbed that idea.
This past weekend I picked up the programmer's design reference book to look at how the various USB interfaces are programmed and I saw something that I missed before as this was in the USB Client section. It appears (to me anyways) that the USB Client pins can also be programmed to act as a USB Host when in the USB OTG low power operation mode. The manual discusses how the additional control registers are used along with an output mux and charge-pump circuit (to provide the +5v). Refer to the PXA27x Processor Family Developer's Manual - dated Jan 2006, sections 12.5.2 and 20.
I will be looking at this more closely to see if a simple driver can be written (Afarre, where are you...) to switch the USB client pins into Host mode. In addition to this, the USB device drivers would be needed. Please remember, an additional IO interface circuit will be needed to connect between any USB device and the Axim as the proper voltages are not on the sync connector.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

the_fish said:
nice to hear someone else would like to get it to work too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Suuuuuuuuuure,every crazy idea to abuse my PPC and i'm in for the quest

PalDragan said:
Suuuuuuuuuure,every crazy idea to abuse my PPC and i'm in for the quest
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha same, btw thats the link to the topic:
http://www.mobilitysite.com/boards/x50-x51-forums/140071-hacking-pxa270-internal-usb-host-24.html
Unfortunately, this means it's not for 99% of users as it requires a delicate hardware mod/addition to the motherboard (see my earlier posts & photos in this thread).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seems like they were still working on the driver (which we already have(?)) so we only need the hardware mod.... i guess...

the_fish said:
haha same, btw thats the link to the topic:
http://www.mobilitysite.com/boards/x50-x51-forums/140071-hacking-pxa270-internal-usb-host-24.html
seems like they were still working on the driver (which we already have(?)) so we only need the hardware mod.... i guess...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummm it's definately a crazy idea. We were discussing with mamaich (our guru) last year. Unfortunately it's not that simple to provide the power in sync connector, which is acting as a usb client (connector) at the moment.

tomal said:
Ummm it's definately a crazy idea. We were discussing with mamaich (our guru) last year. Unfortunately it's not that simple to provide the power in sync connector, which is acting as a usb client (connector) at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you read in the thread i posted a link to? they had the same problem, but also found out that it maybe is possible to provide the nessecary +5v too, they were not sure tho, and i thought maybe zenos drivers contain the code to do that.

the_fish said:
did you read in the thread i posted a link to? they had the same problem, but also found out that it maybe is possible to provide the nessecary +5v too, they were not sure tho, and i thought maybe zenos drivers contain the code to do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, seems there is a new idea of power injection from outside.
Anybody tried it...?

Couple of months ago, I was trying with outside +5v power but nothing happens

Win_XP said:
Couple of months ago, I was trying with outside +5v power but nothing happens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you use one of those special USB cables that have two female USB-A, one for power and the other for the device to plug in?

http://htc-tytn-ii.handster.com/software.php?id=3339&for=HTC+TyTN+II
i don't know anything about this.. i'm actually looking to hook up something that normally has a rs-232 port.. but is also made in usb.. It draws power from another source
with something like that program doesn't that suggest usb host is possible..

http://gnalpgnarf.handster.com/software.php?id=3339&for=gnalpgnarf

hmmm....am I right or am I wrong?
Theoretically speaking the idea with a pin is supposed to redirect power from intake to output, however, not only Uni is incapable of supporting the output (you are essentially attempting to piggyback another device), the external support will not be possible due to pin configuration, regardless of the cable used.
Another thing, other than sheer experimentation, what would be the real point of such USB host?
STOP TORTURING YOUR UNIs, GUYS!!!!

I am pretty sure, that the Universal doesn't support USB Host.
It did not, it does not, it will not.
Sorry guys!
To be honest:
Yes, the PXA270 chip supports USB Host, but in most HTC devices they use this feature already for something else, like: WLAN or 3G connection.
DOMy

seen this?:
http://hhtinker.blogspot.com/2008/10/usb-host-on-treo-650.html

do you know what USB Host already busy?
it used as data call transfer radio <-> CE.
USB hub will not solve this problem easy.
also if you want attach it to miniUSB connector, you need additional OTG chip.
=> Host on universal is very hard to do, ...impossible.

3/4g internal modem.

I'm looking to start a thread about turning an a500 into a a501. I've done a teardown of the a500 and it has the capability of potentially being able to support an internal card. It has the space/slot and screw mounts.
Before I start ordering and soldering parts to the circuit board I'd like to get a few facts straight.
1. The firmware (kernel) between the a501 and a500 are the same? I've heard that it is, and that it isn't
2. Drivers- obviously drivers will need to written. No way of getting around that.
3. PCIe Riser extender - As you can see from these pictures, the plastic bracket is missing/not included. You can see on each side there is two holes for mounting the bracket. I'd recommend the extended below, as it will allow me the needed length between the two.
http://www.amazon.com/PCI-Express-Riser-Flexible-Cable/dp/B0054CIL46
The reason I'm picking this is because I can solder this
Here is the empty space:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Now here is the space with a pcie wlan card
You can see from the last picture that there is a space issue that needs to be addressed.
I would need to use riser with an extended back end inorder to align up this the screw mounts.
this picture is just of the screw mounts.
I've seen a few threads now about the idea of this , nothing really taking liftoff, so I thought I'd be the first to start.
Also, is there a command for listing hardware/chips in android , using android terminal emulator. Something like lspci (linux command)
**********************************************************
On to pcie 4g/3g cards.
Here is the 4g card I found:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-5150-...135?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a38d57f7
I'd rather have one with the major cellular provides, but I can't seem to find any. Clear has a basic 200mb (holy hell) for $20. Not bad for 4g coverage.
3g Card
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Inspiron-15...118?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5645ae677e
This one is cheap, and from verizon.
$30 /2gb plan from verizon.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let me know what you think. If you have anything to add please feel free to let me know

Make a video when you got it running.

Johnny0906 said:
Make a video when you got it running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still learning basic programming.I've taken a programming fundamentals and half of programming structures. Teacher was Indian and had us read from a book. If someone wouldbwrite the driver I would jump into it

wow .. really interesting ..
now u know what would be even better ?
to have this module external.
to be able to connect it to the a500.
anyway ..
sure hope u get something..

fxandrei said:
wow .. really interesting ..
now u know what would be even better ?
to have this module external.
to be able to connect it to the a500.
anyway ..
sure hope u get something..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree!! Your average XDA user is open minded when it comes to flashing roms, kernels and different types of software mods but they aren't that open minded to cracking their device open and screwing around with things internally. A usb type of module would be great!! I KNOW you're properly thinking like "WOW, do you want it to clean your house too" BUT T'll put my wallet where my mouth is and will donate 75 dollars if you can get this thing working via usb or provide some sort of brick-proof way of doing this.
I'm really excited to the idea of possibly having 4G on this tablet!!
Good Luck!!
Sent from inside my house using XDA Premium

It looks like its missing one of these..
Mouser is a great source for parts like this. It will involve soldering a connector and possibly writing a driver.
Once you find out the parts requirement, any electronics repair shop can handle it.
http://www.mouser.com/Interconnects/Memory-Card-Connectors/_/N-72bz7/
I can't help anymore then this, I don't own one of these devices. However, kernel=drivers. You've got two issues. Kernel support and Hardware. Once you've got the physical connection done, search for some linux devices which uses similar hardware and grab the kernel modules built for your kernel. If you're lucky, you can just insmod them into the device. If you're not lucky, you'll need to build from source.

Would a kernel dump or source from an A501 do the trick? I don't have one, just throwing around ideas...

A little background: I'm an electronic engineer with some experience of teardown work.
I agree with Adam that you need a socket rather than trying to solder a flexy on.
Do you have any teardown information on the A501, or would someone with an A501 be willing to get photographs. I think the key hardware things to find out are 1) what socket is used for the card and 2) what card is used.
If you get a 3g card with the same chipset on, then wouldn't it be as simple as hacking in A501 firmware for the driver?

I-S said:
A little background: I'm an electronic engineer with some experience of teardown work.
I agree with Adam that you need a socket rather than trying to solder a flexy on.
Do you have any teardown information on the A501, or would someone with an A501 be willing to get photographs. I think the key hardware things to find out are 1) what socket is used for the card and 2) what card is used.
If you get a 3g card with the same chipset on, then wouldn't it be as simple as hacking in A501 firmware for the driver?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That one itself would be the ideal. But that makes sense.

The story doesn't end at installing the card mount, but also needs other components to work. Instead you can tear down a 2 port USB hub, tear down your 3G modem and Stick it in an empty place do some soldering so that the end result should be as follows........
1. The socket which generates USB inside the case, should be fed to the USB hub,
2. One output of the hub should go to the USB dongle we earlier ripped out
3. The other output of the hub should be the cable that extends to the outside USB port.. after all we need this USB also for external USB for attaching keyboards, flash drives etc..
I hope I gave a unique idea here

You need to see a real 3g version to know if other thing missing like transistor on board neer pci card, or usb its more sure
Look for version 3g before investigate pciMe 3g and pciMe connector also sim connector of course
---------- Post added at 11:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 AM ----------
superhotluv said:
The story doesn't end at installing the card mount, but also needs other components to work. Instead you can tear down a 2 port USB hub, tear down your 3G modem and Stick it in an empty place do some soldering so that the end result should be as follows........
1. The socket which generates USB inside the case, should be fed to the USB hub,
2. One output of the hub should go to the USB dongle we earlier ripped out
3. The other output of the hub should be the cable that extends to the outside USB port.. after all we need this USB also for external USB for attaching keyboards, flash drives etc..
I hope I gave a unique idea here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this one what i do it cause you can found mini usb 3g and open it to integrated on board

This was attempted once before and was proven that the boards of the A500 and A501 have differences! Somewhere here in the forum was a thread and there were diagrams and photos of the tho devices! There are many missing components on the A500 that will have to be mounted and it will surely be cheaper (better working) to sell the A500 and get an A501 if you so much desire 3G!

superhotluv said:
The story doesn't end at installing the card mount, but also needs other components to work. Instead you can tear down a 2 port USB hub, tear down your 3G modem and Stick it in an empty place do some soldering so that the end result should be as follows........
1. The socket which generates USB inside the case, should be fed to the USB hub,
2. One output of the hub should go to the USB dongle we earlier ripped out
3. The other output of the hub should be the cable that extends to the outside USB port.. after all we need this USB also for external USB for attaching keyboards, flash drives etc..
I hope I gave a unique idea here
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is nice idea, but you should know that the hub as well as the dongle need power. If the USB output on the device itself is not giving enough power for both of them then it will not work or not work reliably.
Of course the battery will also be drained much faster as all the power saving measures do not affect the hub and the dongle.
And as for the pci connector: maybe you could compare the A500 with the A501 model and see if there are other parts missing. Usually not only the connector is left out but also some other parts on the board itself. So it may be much more soldering and work as you originally though of.

well that's depressing to know. that brscket in the fifth post was what I'm looking for.
can someone post a link to that thread with the pictures if the two teardowns?

BlackICE said:
It is nice idea, but you should know that the hub as well as the dongle need power. If the USB output on the device itself is not giving enough power for both of them then it will not work or not work reliably.
Of course the battery will also be drained much faster as all the power saving measures do not affect the hub and the dongle.
And as for the pci connector: maybe you could compare the A500 with the A501 model and see if there are other parts missing. Usually not only the connector is left out but also some other parts on the board itself. So it may be much more soldering and work as you originally though of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Goood you understood what I meant with. Definitely the USB out port of the Tablet can handle both. you should buy a two port low power hub and try on
I also did the analysis of power usage, and found that the power used by the hub is really miniscule, and can be used with ease. You must appreciate that the Max power is drawn by the screen rather than the other hardware components, and inevitably the power consumption will increase once you add a 3G module in the tablet, as in A501. So the total power consumption is well within the limits.
I did the practical experiment of leaving the data ON on the tablet, overnight, and I find no extra power usage than without, in the sleep mode.
The only challenge in both the cases is that you have to change the Rom. Either the stock 501 Rom or one of the marvellous custom Roms. I am personally using Virtuous Galaxy 1.0.5 , with an overclock and code for 3G modem, that works seamless.
Once I do this activity I would post a video , or at least a set of pictures.

Sorry i dont know much about these devices but I am not sure what usb has to do with it??? looks like a mini pci e slot to me... (correct me if i am wrong) it cant harm to try soldering the points together.. swap the kernel from the 501 over as long as its got the same build and you have r/w to the system partition and see what happens...

anarchyuk said:
Sorry i dont know much about these devices but I am not sure what usb has to do with it??? looks like a mini pci e slot to me... (correct me if i am wrong) it cant harm to try soldering the points together.. swap the kernel from the 501 over as long as its got the same build and you have r/w to the system partition and see what happens...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you read all posts? I don't think so.
it does not harm to solder a socket there but it will not work as there are for sure other components for that pcie slot missing.
As for the USB solution read the earlier posts as this is a solution, which would work.

Another type of wimax card for clear is the one inside their Rover puck wifi point. no one talks about it or i have seen a picture online but i got one that just works fine, its a half size pci-e mini card so you would have more space to move it around and the antennas come with it, just find one with broken usb port and open it to get the card.
As for driver info i will post with pic of card, it uses the same driver as their clear 4g stick,(grey and black color)

I know it's a bit 'off topic', but.. Since the Iconia has this 'slot', do you think it would be possible with the xoom too??
Check this out: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/5oVhXNLhi3U1AZRy.huge
Step 8 from iFixit --> At first glance, this appears to be a Wi-Fi board, but wait: there are no chips on it! It appears to be just a mini-PCI interconnect board for the antennas. This board is probably just a place holder for when the 4G upgrade becomes available.
Back on topic:
The Iconia A501 has the Qualcomm MDM6600 chip on one of it's boards or it's just a modem? I ask that because by seeing the Xoom 3G teardown we find the said chip. It seems that the chip is missing on the Xoom WiFi according to some here: http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/45910/Wifi+Only+Xoom+upgradable+to+4G+LTE
So, if you are missing some key parts of the system, I don't think it would be possible to just add a modem to the list of bills to make it 3G/4G unless it's just a software lock?

Uhuhu said:
I know it's a bit 'off topic', but.. Since the Iconia has this 'slot', do you think it would be possible with the xoom too??
Check this out: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/5oVhXNLhi3U1AZRy.huge
Step 8 from iFixit --> At first glance, this appears to be a Wi-Fi board, but wait: there are no chips on it! It appears to be just a mini-PCI interconnect board for the antennas. This board is probably just a place holder for when the 4G upgrade becomes available.
Back on topic:
The Iconia A501 has the Qualcomm MDM6600 chip on one of it's boards or it's just a modem? I ask that because by seeing the Xoom 3G teardown we find the said chip. It seems that the chip is missing on the Xoom WiFi according to some here: http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/45910/Wifi+Only+Xoom+upgradable+to+4G+LTE
So, if you are missing some key parts of the system, I don't think it would be possible to just add a modem to the list of bills to make it 3G/4G unless it's just a software lock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe there is the empty space on other tablets with the same chipset too
http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdamaster&posted=1&cpu=a2250nvt
So you can (if it works) pimp every moto or acer tab to 4g

[Q] Anyone find a Serial Console yet?

I'm trying to find a serial console, hopefully to access u-boot, but I'm not having any luck.
I found 4 possible candidates on the main board.
JP1 is near the WiFi card and has mostly 3.3v on the lines.
JLTE1 is near the power LED, and has 3.3v on 2 of the lines.
JLTE2 is hidden under the front camera cable, and also has 3.3v on one of the lines.
Last is JP6, which is near the 3G connector, and also has 3.3v on 1/2 the lines.
-- dag nabit, can't post images yet --
I've hooked a scope up to all pins of these jumpers during boot and reboot, as that's when most of the serial console/kernel output would occur. But no luck.
So, has anyone found a serial console on the TPT? (or a schematic?)
Thanks!

I'm also looking for a serial port. Have you already checked the Dock connector? I think there is a chance that Lenovo made it on this port.
I have opened my Dock yesterday and also found some unpopulated PCB pads which are for HDMI.

Thanks!
Duh! I forgot about the dock connector, as I don't have a dock. Can you take a pic of the PCB? I'll order a dock, kinda handy anyway...

BTW, I also tried a USB/mini-PCIe adapter in the 3G slot. The kernel recognized the USB stick as /dev/sda, but would not mount it. So if you have root, you might want to make a mount point and rule for something like this.
Here's a cheap source for hardware:
www hwtools net slash Adapter slash PM3U dot html
The microSD option has potential, too. Make sure you get the USB, not the PCI versions. (As I'm pretty sure the PCI functionality is not available here.)

Someone harvasted a 3g mini pci modem from a lenovo laptop and installed it. The HC os had the drivers and the modem was recognized.

Yes, Ihave an Ericsson F5521GW 3G modem here. The tablet and Android recognize it and prompt me for a SIM card, which I don't have.
If you want it, I can mail it to you...
The mini-PCIe adapter for USB and microSDHC work fine. You just need to be root to mount them.

Don't know if this would help you guys or not
If you are looking for a serial output I have a http://www.g2microsystems.com/products/RN_270.
Basically it's a bluetooth to serial adapter. I use it on my phones and tablets with a free app called bluterm to connect to Cisco equipment with. Its pretty cool but pricey (work sprang for it).
There are a lot of different brands of these adapters (I had one from http://www.aircable.net as well that worked good).

Thanks Karl, but I'm looking to gain access to the u-boot loader. I want to hijack the boot and make it boot Linux off of the micro-sdhc card (installed in the 3G slot). Ideally I'll have it dual-boot.
I have a Trim-Slice PC on the way. It's also a Tegra-2, so theoretically, I can develop on Trim-Slice, save on micro-sd and boot from there.
However, those are some cool devices I could use for other projects. Thanks for the links!

AbeOwitz said:
Thanks!
Duh! I forgot about the dock connector, as I don't have a dock. Can you take a pic of the PCB? I'll order a dock, kinda handy anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for my late response. I have taken some pictures and uploaded them to rapidshare. I cannot post the link here so I will send you a pm

Wow, thanks for taking the time to do that!
BTW, it seems the rapid-charger cable is not available any more?
Found some dock details here: http rootzwiki com topic 8523-reverse-engineering-the-dock-charger

So, i finally got the dock. No luck in finding the console.
I disassembled the dock, and probed both the 20 pins that are soldered through the board and the 40 pins on the inter-board connector.
As root I did a "cat /dev/urandom > /dev/ttyS0" to generate output, but no luck. I did find the audio and microphone lines. (/dev/ttyS0 is defined as console on the kernel boot parameter line.)
There must be a RTS/CTS line that needs to be enabled...? Or perhaps it's simply not passed through?

Hiking GPS Tablet

So I'm thinking I'm going to tether via wifi my phone's GPS with the NST. Has anyone done this? Is there a good offline map pack for eink devices?
Let me know your thoughts...
EDIT:
So I did it last weekend and it works great. Downloaded some Topos from Rmaps after rooting and turning on mock locations via SQLite on the NST. Installed GPS Tether on phone and NST. Turned on phone hotspot, then tethered the NST to the phone and blamo! GPS. I already have a solar panel I wired up and will attach to the backpack to charge both the NST and the external battery for the phone.
Meet Earl was my inspiration.

I have not tried that, but I did just order an Earl for the same purpose. Maybe you could use whatever they use for maps.
I cant post links, but google meetearl.

One of the problems with USB is that it is a bit power intensive.
Also, running things off USB you need to convert 3.3 V to 5 V to 3.3 V
If I were trying to turn the Nook into a hiking map I would...
Get a GPS module that runs off 3.3V, maybe this: http://www.adafruit.com/products/790
Connect it directly into the internal 3.3 V serial port on the Nook.
I don't know what you'd have to do for the antenna.
You'd probably need an external antenna, but external to the case or not is the question.

ace7196 said:
So I'm thinking I'm going to tether via wifi my phone's GPS with the NST. Has anyone done this? Is there a good offline map pack for eink devices?
Let me know your thoughts...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Feeding GPS data from one device to another - there is no much need for such an app, shouldn't be a problem to write one using Mock Locations provider.
I was wondering, what uses more power: external USB GPS or WiFi tethering?
iGo Primo claims it works with 1.6 and up
Sygic: GPS Navigation & Maps - 2.0.1
TomTom: 2.2 and up

Update
See OP.

ace7196 said:
I already have a solar panel I wired up and will attach to the backpack to charge both the NST and the external battery for the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds really cool!
Could you post a picture of you setup, please?
BTW: If you are Eco Friendly person, check this out Bicycle Generator Kit with 5 LED headlight and 3 LED red flashing taillight and Charger Port for MP3 and Mobile Devices
Or if you prefer DIY (like RenateNST) - this is for you USB-Bike-Generator
BTW2: Did you try Google Maps too?

Look at tophatsoaring.wikispaces.com/Top+Hat+on+Nook+Simple+Touch
It's using external gps on NST

Renate NST said:
One of the problems with USB is that it is a bit power intensive.
Also, running things off USB you need to convert 3.3 V to 5 V to 3.3 V
If I were trying to turn the Nook into a hiking map I would...
Get a USB module that runs off 3.3V, maybe this:
Connect it directly into the internal 3.3 V serial port on the Nook.
I don't know what you'd have to do for the antenna.
You'd probably need an external antenna, but external to the case or not is the question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey Renate NST, do you have any more detail about how you'd go about this? I bought a Nook ST last week for exactly this purpose (though I also want to install a solar panel on the back of it and weatherproof the whole system), and actually have one of those GPS chips you listed (on a breakout board though) from an old project with an RPi.
So in terms of the next steps... (apologies for the dumb questions, this is the first time I've properly played with something not intended to be played with)
- How do I find the serial port? I've spent about ten minutes looking at the board and haven't found it.
- How do I then get a maps program (I'm using rmaps at present) to take the serial input as GPS input? Will I need to parse the NMEA?
Thanks in advance,
Jake

The UART for /dev/ttyS1 is detailed here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1702734
I haven't looked too closely into serial NMEA-0183 working on the Android.
I have gotten the USB version to ouput via a cat.
It seems that most folks who do that just read and parse it themselves then use the Android "mock location" interface.
The "mock location" is so that you can playback a trip from Boston to San Francisco without driving anywhere.
It seems that it would be cleaner to not go through the "mock location" interface.

Now you've used this for a while how long does the WiFi last on your phone and how long on the Nook?
Even if not saving battery at least we can read the screen this way

GPS on USB
I'm using the following:
- NST glow
- OTG cable (micro USB male, regular USB female)
- reduction (regular USB male, mini USB male (and an extra USB for external power, but haven't tried that so far))
- GPS unit (QStarz BT-Q1000XT)
- USB mode utility app
- UsbGps4Droid app
Works perfectly. I haven't noticed any substantial power drain, but I switch the GPS off after a few minutes every time...
I use it mostly with Osmand, but it seems to work with any other app.

ProtD said:
I'm using the following:
- NST glow
- OTG cable (micro USB male, regular USB female)
- reduction (regular USB male, mini USB male (and an extra USB for external power, but haven't tried that so far))
- GPS unit (QStarz BT-Q1000XT)
- USB mode utility app
- UsbGps4Droid app
Works perfectly. I haven't noticed any substantial power drain, but I switch the GPS off after a few minutes every time...
I use it mostly with Osmand, but it seems to work with any other app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested almost that exact setup (QStarz 818X) but the extra cables were a ***** so I hacked apart my nook and got this:
(currently being refined further)
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I can't tell at all what you are doing.
Is that small thing a Bluetooth serial module? What model?
Is it going directly into a Nook hardware serial port or the USB?

Renate NST said:
I can't tell at all what you are doing.
Is that small thing a Bluetooth serial module? What model?
Is it going directly into a Nook hardware serial port or the USB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its a really small GPS module (SparkFun) going directly into the Nook UART. Currently looking to drop the battery voltage to 3.3 for V_BAT of the GPS Here is the current state:
Black - GND
Orange - VCC 3.3 (goes off with screen saver)
Blue - RX
Green - TX
The switch is for putting GPS to sleep mode.

Yup, direct to the UART is the way to go.
I guess the ceramic antenna is too big to fit inside the Nook between the aluminum plate and the top case?
I think that I'd cut a rectangle out of the Nook top case at the top for clearance,
run the wires inside the Nook and glue a tiny box on top.
I haven't checked that connector to see if there were any UART control lines or GPIO on it.
That would be the nice way to control the power mode of the GPS.

Just a quick one to say watch out on Sygic. It's a great and slick program and downloading new maps is easy. But it's made plenty of my phones run hot; it's CPU intensive probably and a battery drainer. Q: What's a battery efficient mapping app?
RMaps: Very probably light. I don't think it's very slick.
There's an app for OS maps in the UK offline: You can then preload the >8gb of maps to get full UK, very nice maps. Probably the best option. I think you have to pay for the Android app though... don't know how that would work... don't know if it's supported on Nook
iGO, TomTom: Also sounding CPU intensive. It seems vector and nav capabilities are what make these things battery draining. Stick to raster maps? (images rather than route calculable vectors)

It's been a long while but no news on this for ages.
The earl is still not out. It's also expensive.
This hack is pretty cool. The USB option is the easiest... but we can't have a USB cable hanging out the bottom, ready to rip off the mainboard rendering the whole thing useless.
So I prefer the option of soldering directly onto that UART with the GPS module.
yegoshin, what did you use to get the voltage right?
There's lots of info in the comments here:
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11571
But while I understand a lot of this I'm not used to this level of project. If someone has already figured it out though with that voltage adapter, I can give that a go.

jago25_98 said:
yegoshin, what did you use to get the voltage right?
There's lots of info in the comments here:
https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11571
But while I understand a lot of this I'm not used to this level of project. If someone has already figured it out though with that voltage adapter, I can give that a go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you can use the direct battery voltage from the nook for the VCC, you can also use pin 1 off U2713 (however I have recently run into what seems a lack of current through that - GPS doesn't lock until I plug in a USB power really weird, no problems off the Battery though pink wire is the VCC)
Now for the V_BAT I was able to wire up this board to the nook battery https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10995 and pull 1.8Volts off that. However that board has ALOT of excess parts (its meant to be used with this GPS, which I think may work even better for the nook since the on-off can be done via that breakout board) I may look into getting a custom board stuffed.
If you happen to be near Bay Area CA, I can help you out.

Woah, I didn't know about this tiny 1.8V logic GP-2106: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10890
You don't need any level conversion, ttyS0 (UART1) is all 1.8V logic.
(You'd need to make sure that you aren't using ttyS0 for the console.)
You can grab one of the JTAG signals (also 1.8V) for the on/off control.
See the pinout here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=49931617#post49931617
You could 3D print a tiny housing and mount it on top of the bezel right over the "nook" at the top.
Something to look out for is that 5 second, 50 mA anomaly that we haven't chased down yet.
The power consumption will kill you.

Latest news?
Hi guys,
Just come back off a hiking holiday, and have been looking into using the NST as a low power, eink gps for UK OS maps etc.
Your prototype here looks spot on!
How far did you get with this - any guides etc?
Also, if someone felt like making these, 3d printing a new, deeper back case for all the extra electronics - i'm sure you'd have a nice lot of customers !
(NB looked at your pics of soldering direct onto the serial connectors internally... Woah! Bit beyond my soldering skills there!)
Good luck, would love to hear updates...

Asus T100 hardware tear down

Since I can't post anywhere else for some reason, here goes my hardware tear down for the Asus T100 (T100TA for experts ):
Visible chips on the T100TA mainboard Rev 2.0:
Amtel MXT1664TXES-C2U 1330B TW QLG9F (Touchscreen controls)
Broadcom BCM43241SFKFFBG TN1322 P24 294688 P3T (WiFi)
Phison PS2251-68-5 UO1329C D75J0.11AA (USB3.0 controller)
Realtek ALC5642 D2L87HI GD13F (Audio)
Winbond 250(Q)64FW1G 1329 6236 QP30003 (BIOS/UEFI)
Intel Q326A657 SR1M5 02962 '12 (the main cpu Z3740)
M F20 P02 CFQ0589 (No idea)
ITE IT8568VG 1331-AXO ZC0P1A (No idea)
SANDISK 9.15 XC4*00 SanDisk32G (The eMMC storage unit, 32GB version)
Camera module:
HannStar J 94V-0 E89382 1335 MV-4
Unnused connector J601 can be found on the camera module. Seems to be an USB connector.
Pictures of the hardware/inside: [NOT ALLOWED]
Got the hi-res versions stored locally, can't find a good place that doesn't rape the resolution / jpeg compression rate. Now, I was thinking the Winbond chip is most likely the PLL, isn't it? Should open the doors for some FSB tweaking. Another thing I couldn't find was the recovery USB storage... 7GB according to the hardware manager of Windows 8.1 . Unfortunately it uses 'current read-only state: true' which makes it impossible to use it as extra storage (try it with diskpart for yourselves).
Also, for other Dutch users, this is my main Dutch thread on Tweakers: [NOT ALLOWED].
If people can help out with identifying the chips / giving additional information it would be greatly appreciated

thanks for the teardown...
un-hidden links:
http://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1567250/2
http://imgur.com/a/u6Uni
wouldn't mind rehosting the higher-quality image links .. feel free to PM to me
KoeWaffle said:
Amtel MXT1664TXES-C2U 1330B TW QLG9F <- touchscreen controller
Broadcom BCM43241SFKFFBG TN1322 P24 294688 P3T (WiFi) <- mounted via SDIO, is linux-kernel supported
Phison PS2251-68-5 UO1329C D75J0.11AA (No idea) <- USB 3.0 to flash microcontroller... probably for eMMC
Realtek ALC5642 D2L87HI GD13F (Audio)
Winbond 250(Q)64FW1G 1329 6236 QP30003 (PLL?)
Intel Q326A657 SR1M5 02962 '12 (the main cpu Z3740)
M F20 P02 CFQ0589 (No idea)
ITE IT8568VG 1331-AXO ZC0P1A (No idea)
SANDISK 9.15 XC4*00 SanDisk32G (The eMMC storage unit, 32GB version)
Camera module:
HannStar J 94V-0 E89382 1335 MV-4 <- think it's a Sony IMX 175 senor. need to check. maybe a Aptina mt9m114 instead
Unnused connector J601 can be found on the camera module. Seems to be an USB connector.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cm3218x capella micro light sensor
unused connector would be nice. I have a small microSDXC USB reader, looking through your pics to see if there's any space to fit it there
would like to see the battery model number. C12N1320 ?

paperWastage said:
would like to see the battery model number. C12N1320 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
C12N1320 Yes, or CL12NL320, but I am pretty sure they would use "L" instead of "l" then. As you probably have seen, it has two batteries connected to each other. How exactly I don't know, didn't want to remove the black cover sticker. :silly:

KoeWaffle said:
C12N1320 Yes, or CL12NL320, but I am pretty sure they would use "L" instead of "l" then. As you probably have seen, it has two batteries connected to each other. How exactly I don't know, didn't want to remove the black cover sticker. :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the info
how did you take apart the tablet? guitar pick around the screen? do I see some free space on the bottom right corner?
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"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
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Is the RAM socketed or is it non-removable as my only issue is the 2Gb (1.89Gb usable) RAM available.

Starfury said:
Is the RAM socketed or is it non-removable as my only issue is the 2Gb (1.89Gb usable) RAM available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at the pics, there's no sockets.

paperWastage said:
How did you take apart the tablet? guitar pick around the screen? do I see some free space on the bottom right corner?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used some tools that were leftovers of my HTC Leo / HD2 days. Pretty much a guitar pick, but it might be a little thinner. I recommend starting on top, it goes the easiest loose there. The screen side is hooked to the backside, so best to pull the backplate a little outwards when removing, it will snap the hooks loose. For the dock, I will upload hires pictures soon of its contents, I did pull it apart before but my phone doesn't make great photos: imgur dot com slash a slash NQdTb http://imgur.com/a/NQdTb

SANDISK parts
Hi, I would like to know the appropriate part no. of Sandisk 32G. Could you pls see and let me know it ?
I may help you to identify of the specification in detail.
Thanks, Ricky:laugh:

Ricky0817 said:
Hi, I would like to know the appropriate part no. of Sandisk 32G. Could you pls see and let me know it ?
I may help you to identify of the specification in detail.
Thanks, Ricky:laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd like to know this too if anyone knows. Is it soldered into the board or is it a microSD?

Its a Sandisk SEM64G or 32G if you have the 32gb. Just reflashed mine from the stock bios to 220 and now everything is working great and no more bsod while using adobe flash or gaming in d3d. Thanks for those pictures they have saved me the hassle of looking to see if a ram upgrade to 4gb is possible and its not. No matter around october 2014 there should be something better to trade up to with hopefully 4gb and 128gb ssd minimum.

gallahad2000 said:
Take a look at the pics, there's no sockets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure the t100 uses the version of the processor which is limited to 2GB of RAM

KoeWaffle said:
. Another thing I couldn't find was the recovery USB storage... 7GB according to the hardware manager of Windows 8.1 . Unfortunately it uses 'current read-only state: true' which makes it impossible to use it as extra storage
If people can help out with identifying the chips / giving additional information it would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much for your information.I think that recovery USB storage is located here (marked on the attached picture). Can you please make the pictures of this area and connector J601 with higher resolution
Phison PS2251-68-5 is a controller usb 2.0 is used in flash drives. i think it is a controller for recovery USB storage

KoeWaffle said:
I used some tools that were leftovers of my HTC Leo / HD2 days. Pretty much a guitar pick, but it might be a little thinner. I recommend starting on top, it goes the easiest loose there. The screen side is hooked to the backside, so best to pull the backplate a little outwards when removing, it will snap the hooks loose. For the dock, I will upload hires pictures soon of its contents, I did pull it apart before but my phone doesn't make great photos: imgur dot com slash a slash NQdTb http://imgur.com/a/NQdTb
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems there is a non USA model of this T100TA that has a 500GB hard drive inside the dock. Would a mod be possible for the USA version?

snoozii said:
It seems there is a non USA model of this T100TA that has a 500GB hard drive inside the dock. Would a mod be possible for the USA version?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think so. They could have soldered it to the board though... I haven't seen a teardown of a 500GB model, would love to see what is inside too! Maybe it can even help us Europeans to mod ours to have the same capabilities :good:.

Anyone know where the WiFi antenna is?
I'm really impressed with how well this tablet hold on to my WiFi signal across the road. I have a Yagi and a panel antenna beaming through tree branches, a balcony and a brick wall. Despite all this it doesn't seem to struggle to hold on any worse than my laptop did which had two antenna. You would think this low power chip would perform much much worse.
Even speed wise considering this doesn't have MIMO so the link speed is down from 150Mbit to 64Mbit, real-world speed is not as much of a reduction as I thought it might be when I realised it didn't do MIMO.
I have even seen this thing get 20Mbit across the road where my laptop used to peak around 30Mbit, although on average I get nearer 5Mbit now whereas the laptop did 10-20Mbit more frequently.
I did try an external mini USB adapter on the T100, didn't work any better even though THAT was linked at 150Mbit and the built-in only does 64MBit.
As for the HDD model, I read on another forum that its definitely in the keyboard and a different board to the normal one. Its interesting though, makes you wonder if it uses a hub or are there actually spare connectors on the dock?
What I personally would like is a dock adapter you can use while still in tablet mode that just adds the USB 3.0 port. If we are REALLY lucky maybe someone will trace the dock connector?

Any hint of a connector for the HD in the dock?
Thanks for the teardown info. As far as I've found these are the only ones on the web so far.
Its hard for me to see from the pictures. Did you see any hint of what/where the HD would connect in the dock?
Thanks,
Eric

sarman_1998 said:
Thanks for the teardown info. As far as I've found these are the only ones on the web so far.
Its hard for me to see from the pictures. Did you see any hint of what/where the HD would connect in the dock?
Thanks,
Eric
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HDD dock keyboard has a different PCB to the normal keyboard. Below is the normal one taken from http://www.transformerforums.com/forum/asus-transformer-book-t100/39507-inside-t100-base.html:
What I'm curious about is if the whole dock runs off a single USB 3.0 port or does the dock connector have several ports?
It would seem unlikely that its run off a hub as many USB 3.0 devices have issues if not run directly from a native port and I notice my USB 3.0 HDD works fine.

Alex Atkin UK said:
The HDD dock keyboard has a different PCB to the normal keyboard. Below is the normal one taken from http://www.transformerforums.com/forum/asus-transformer-book-t100/39507-inside-t100-base.html:
...
What I'm curious about is if the whole dock runs off a single USB 3.0 port or does the dock connector have several ports?
It would seem unlikely that its run off a hub as many USB 3.0 devices have issues if not run directly from a native port and I notice my USB 3.0 HDD works fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took a look on mine and windows doesn’t show any USB 3 hub between my USB 3 thumb drive and the Root Hub, so I’d say there isn’t a hub there. I also did a little digging to make sure there wasn’t an embedded hub in there which might show up differently. I looked at the xHCI extended capability values and the host controller is advertising 6 USB 2 ports and 1 USB 3 port. That makes me even more curious what protocol will be used to connect to the HD in the dock. Hope it’s not USB 2.0.
If you go into windows device manager, go to the view menu and change it to "view by connection" you can then browse the device tree in a hierarchical way that will show you what is connected to what.
In Windows 8/8.1, if you find your external HD in device manager BEFORE you switch to “View by Connection” then when you switch the tree will automatically expand to show it. Under the xHCI controller there will always be a Root Hub listed. If you HD shows connected directly to that then there is no hub.
What chips are on the pcb in the dock?
Eric

sarman_1998 said:
What chips are on the pcb in the dock?
Eric
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will ask the guy on the Transformer forum who took the photos as I don't want to take mine apart.

Is the wifi card a mini pcie? Or a different interface I may want to upgrade mine.