[Q] Using mobile devices with USB as PC keypads? - General Questions and Answers

I've become curious whether any mobile devices with USB ports could be used, with appropriate software, as auxiliary USB keypads or keyboards to another host device? Given the ubiquity of small LCD touchscreen tablet devices now, it seems like an obvious application to develop software that would display programmable keys on a touchscreen and then output appropriate key scancodes or sequences via a USB port to another connected system, in essence making the tablet appear as a USB HID to the host. The software aspect would be somewhat trivial; I've seen software for Windows Mobile touchscreen devices with IR transceivers that allows them to be used as universal remote controls. This would in effect be a USB variant of that type of software.
Is that technically feasible, or is there a limitation to the USB spec or hardware that might prevent it? Is there a host-client aspect to USB that exists outside of software alone?

It seems I need to post this in another area to reach the right audience for my question, but which one?

There's plenty of apps that enable this via wifi or bluetooth, but I haven't seen any that would do it over USB. I don't see why it shouldn't be possible, but it seems no one has coded it yet.

The reason it came to mind is that there are companies selling some surprisingly expensive auxiliary programmable USB keypad devices. With the addition of the necessary software, tablets and similar devices with touchscreens might be poised to erase their cozy little overpriced vertical market. That is, if there's no limitations to USB hardware or drivers that would prevent it.

Please use the Q&A Forum for questions Thanks
Moving to Q&A

Related

external image display?

I'm looking for a program that capable of sending the current display on the phone screen (wm6, htc wizard) to another display device, such as a 7 inch touch screen with usb input, and control the phone via that interface. I'm fairly sure this should be possible and I was wondering if there is a program already out there to do it.
guess it could be don
but only on devices which had
full usb host support
which is limited to flame and Athena
and a driver would have to be made
and some interp logic on the lcd
another option for those devices without host
would be to have the pc handle it
another option is that some devices out there i believe
have external display options not using usb but other tvout
options though those would of cause not support touchscreen
how could it be done with a pc handling it?

infra-red connector for modern HTC phones

Hi,
I am using an application on my HTC Prophet, to connect via IRDA to a bike computer, to download information on rides, routes etc.
Now, I'm looking to update my phone to a Touch Pro or SE X1, but it seems that modern phones no longer have an IRDA port...
Do you know of a way to create an IR connection from the phone, say using the mini-USB port??
For example, for modern laptops that no longer have an IR port, you can buy a USB IR.
Thanks
Paul
Nope. No native IrDA and no USB host functionality, so you can't use the external adapter. With X1 microSD SDIO IrDA adapter can be an option, but I've neer seen one available for sale.
See
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=337641
for a similar discussion.
Thanks Stepw for your comments. It seems a complex topic (some phones - like the X1 don't even have a USB host connection via the mini-usb port). I was in contact with VidaOne to see if they had any ideas (they have a WM software that connects to Polar exercise devices via IR).
Since "nothing" can be done via adding hardware - given the variety of terminals -, they are looking at syncing the exercise files that are downloaded onto the PC from teh exercise device . Not quite as immediate as device -> phone, but a good second best.

The Joystick Thread: New options and workarounds

Joystick options appeared to be limited for most of us, so I'm posting this thread to help generate interest in finding a universal workaround - and to start tossing around ideas. Here are mine;
USB to mini USB: Could a joystick be rewired to use a mini USB jack? Seems like you would only need drivers to get it to work.
HTC 4-in-1 Cable: The HTC Athena (aka Advantage) has a cable that provides a normal USB jack. With it you can connect a mouse and keyboard, and using this driver you can even connect a joystick. I'm wondering, if we could just get a proper mini USB cable, maybe this driver would work on other devices? Someone was able to get a USB joystick to work on a Toshiba TG01, so I have hope!
BGP100 Gamepad (MSI and Chainpus): Unfortunately, support for this gamepad stopped and the drivers don't seem to work on newer phones (with few exceptions).
Please try to be constructive with the ideas/feedback. Hopefully by pooling our resources we can come up with a mutually beneficial solution.
Id like a workaround for this aswell, especially for the HD2 when it comes out
I spoke with 'i900frenchaddict' from FPSEce. He was able to get a joystick to work on his Toshiba TG01 by buying a USB A Female to Mini USB B 5 Pin Male adapter and using the hidgamep.dll driver.
I've got a HTC Touch Pro 2 (Rodium). I just ordered the adapter and I'm going to try to get it to work. I'll post my results later.
connecting anything to the usb port and getting it to work require a device which support usbHost
Athena is as far as I know the only htc wm device out which support usbHost
Has anyone explored porting the usbhost files over from Athena? Is this something that needs to be cooked in or can it be installed manually with a few registry tweaks?
Ravicai said:
Has anyone explored porting the usbhost files over from Athena? Is this something that needs to be cooked in or can it be installed manually with a few registry tweaks?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A USB host port is hardware based; it cannot be ported by any software means. Rudegar is right about the Athena being the only HTC device with a USB host capabilities, but phones from other manufactures have this feature, such as the TG01. Maybe someday HTC will catch on, but current HTC devices don't have this feature (exception is Athena).
DaveTheTytnIIGuy said:
A USB host port is hardware based; it cannot be ported by any software means. Rudegar is right about the Athena being the only HTC device with a USB host capabilities, but phones from other manufactures have this feature, such as the TG01. Maybe someday HTC will catch on, but current HTC devices don't have this feature (exception is Athena).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bummer. That effectively kills the USB option.
Looks like Bluetooth is the only way to go. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like the BGP100 is the only offering at the moment - and it only works on some phones.
Anybody want to take a crack at updating the drivers to work with newer phones like the HTC Touch Pro 2?
Hi!
Yes, it works like a charm on my TG01, thanks again!
What I wonder, is if it may work on a device without a supposed "real USB host" function.
I don't have the correct adapter to plug a pad yet, but one thing is sure: my omnia has the same registry, so it was possible to create the new keys exactly like on my TG01.
Well, my adapter should arrive tomorrow. So I'll experiment and see what happens.
No surprise. The cable didn't work.
I'd be nice if someone made a Bluetooth USB host device with 2 USB ports on it. Then all we need is a driver to work with WM and BAM... everyone can now use USB devices! I imagine such a device would sell pretty good.
Either that or HTC needs to start including the USB host on all future phones. This will definitely be the deal breaker for my next phone... unless of course it happens to have a usable d-pad (haha, fat chance in this touchscreen obsessed world).
Only thing left to do now is hope some kind dev updates the BGP100 drivers *wink* *wink*
Speaking of Bluetooth, it would be nice if someone managed to code Wiimote+Classic Controller or Sixaxis/DualShock 3 drivers for Windows Mobile. The input devices in question already use Bluetooth, and I've never perceived any control latency-it's just a matter of drivers.
Too bad about the lack of USB host, though. I actually thought most HTC devices ever since the Touch Diamond/Pro had it built-in already judging by the USB port shape, and that you'd just need an adapter to use the host capability.
Funny thing is that the Sprint version of the HTC Touch Pro 2 has the Qualcomm MSM7600 chipset which actually has embedded support for USB OTG HS. Yet somewhere along the line someone must have disabled the functionally (much like they disable the radio).
I would venture a guess that the MSM7200a chipset has the same support, but disabled of course.
Edit: Yup, it does.
Confirmed the BGP100 is not working on the HD2. I get "connection error..insufficient memory"
I think that BGP100 is not compatible with the wisdom stack. if we can find a way to use the ms stack we should be fine. so far ia have not found on instructions on how to change the stack.
By the way the Video of the Omina II on your first post is mine
msi & tp2
Ravicai said:
Joystick options appeared to be limited for most of us, so I'm posting this thread to help generate interest in finding a universal workaround - and to start tossing around ideas. Here are mine;
USB to mini USB: Could a joystick be rewired to use a mini USB jack? Seems like you would only need drivers to get it to work.
HTC 4-in-1 Cable: The HTC Athena (aka Advantage) has a cable that provides a normal USB jack. With it you can connect a mouse and keyboard, and using this driver you can even connect a joystick. I'm wondering, if we could just get a proper mini USB cable, maybe this driver would work on other devices? Someone was able to get a USB joystick to work on a Toshiba TG01, so I have hope!
BGP100 Gamepad (MSI and Chainpus): Unfortunately, support for this gamepad stopped and the drivers don't seem to work on newer phones (with few exceptions).
Please try to be constructive with the ideas/feedback. Hopefully by pooling our resources we can come up with a mutually beneficial solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a msi bt gamepad and a tp2. so far I have been able to connect using my bt settings and something called spp slave (its some type of serial port) but without updated divers formy device i cant do much more :-/ since i have little tech know how i am stuck here. I have heard that the bgp 100 works for the HD 2 (they have the same bt stack I think) so what gives?
Significant development! Updated bluetooth drivers are now available for the BGP100 gamepad. See this thread for details;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=595679

[Q] Wired Remote/Control Panel?

I've got a question I have not been able to find a definitive answer to.
Everyday other day on a blog I read I am seeing someone has created a robot controlled via an application running on a iPhone/Android, using either Bluetooth or Wifi.
But my question is, can an android device function as a wired remote via the usb port?
Is there any IO class for the USB port that can be used to turn on various things and read back various sensor information given the propper platform?
Am I seeking USB Host mode or is that something else?
My goal is to have an android device running an application monitoring various sensors and controlling various other hardware devices with a nice touch screen interface if possible. Since the phone would be located with the control hardware using Bluetooth for this seems silly if I am able to use USB and a cable from the Android Device to the Control Hardware, essentially making the android device the brains.
thanks in advance guys!
Nobody has any feedback on this?

Comparing of Android Q/10 "Desktop Modes"

Hey there!
As many of you may have heard or even tried, there is a functional "Desktop Mode" built into Android 10 (as long as the phone vendor didn't deactivate this). This mode will, when manually activated in the developers options, act like an Desktop OS when connecting your phone to an external screen. (or without activating anything in case of e.g. Samsung DeX)
I'd like to use this Thread to gather some information about the implementations of "Desktop Mode" into the phones of different vendors, and hope you can support me with testing it out on your phones.
Things of interest are (IMHO, to be continued):
is the desktop mode working (and usable)
does the dpi setup change in the moment of connecting an external screen (or does everything look just awful big)?
(yes, I know there are apps/tools to change that)
which maximum resolution is possible?
how many screens are possible? (usually just one, ...but who knows)
do you just need an USB-C to HDMI/DP cable or a (special) docking station for connecting a screen? (if using a cable, Miracast/wireless is another option of course)
does the handset get a special 'role'/feature in desktop mode? (like Samsung devices becoming a trackpad)
are there any usage improvements implementated, e.g. like file drag'n'drop or dragging windows to the display sides to maximize them on half the screen (like in windows)
what's the connection speed of the USB-C port? (USB 2.0, USB 3.2 G1 (5 Gbps), USB 3.2 G2 (10 Gbps) or even faster!?)
is it possible to use USB mouse/keyboard or just Bluetooth, and how's the speed? (eg. does BT lag a lot?)
At the moment it seems like Samsung has the best implementation of this feature with their "DeX Mode", but i'd like to know about those things from other vendors also.
My dream is to be able to ditch my notebook/tablet/8in tab/subnotebook collection an use just one device in future. (everything else needed for 'bigger' or x86 tasks can be done on cloud instances already)
But for that purpose there needs to be more than just 'basic' OS UI without any useful features
Hope we can start a good collection here and answer also your questions regarding this topic(s).
Thank you, regards
Schwarzer Riese

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