[Q] USB data-only cable? - General Questions and Answers

I often use the combination of a laptop with a smartphone on my way from home to work and back: the smartphone is used as an internetmodem for the laptop, and the USB-cable is used for the data-transfert between the 2.
Unfortunately the battery-capacity of the laptop is not enough to support both the use of the laptop and meanwhile charging the smartphone battery. So I would like to prevent the phone-battery to drain (too much) power from the laptop-battery. I can't switch off "charging through USB" in the phone since USB is the only available option to charge it. And -as I have learned from another thread in this forum- cutting the powerleads is no option too since the data-connection requires a minimumcurrent in order to work.
But what if I would modify the USB-cable with a small electronic circuit that would limit the current through the USB-cable to a value of about 50mA? That would be enough to enable the dataconnection but would prevent my laptopbattery being drained by the phone. Does anybody here have any experience with such a cable?

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Usb-host

Sorry 4 the prev thread in wrong section .. then .. One S ( stock rom or another custom rom - with or without Sense ) supporta the usb-host mode ?
I am reasonably sure that out of the box, on stock ROM it does not support the ability to act as an USB host. Additionally, the microUSB on the phone is an USB slave socket, so it would need an adapter to connect a USB slave device to it anyways. (At least I have not yet seen a native USB-Host device with a microUSB socket.)
I am pretty certain it can be hacked into a custom ROM or application, however there are limitations to this. Commonly a device that is designed as USB slave (like the One S) will not be able to power devices through the USB port as regular USB hosts have to.
So IMO, in order to get it to work as an USB host you would need an adapter to connect the devices properly, a modified firmware or specialized app AND a way to externally power the USB slave you want to connect to the One S acting as USB host. The external power might a portable USB charger battery (like the Gumpack) or an Y-cable which is connected to a "real" USB-Host device just for the power (or a car/wall USB charger).
So, theoretically it would be possible, but not very practical. To the best of my knowledge it has not been done in the past because there was no need to. This however might actually change with the current trend towards non-expandable memory on newer phones... if demand rises I bet manufacturers would come up with solutions. Think small USB storage sticks with regular USB plug on one side for use on Notebook/Desktop and a microUSB plug on the other which contain a tiny battery (think Bluetooth headset size) to power the stick while attached to the phone and are charged while connected to a real USB Host port which is designed to deliver juice.
Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus#Connector_types

[Q] USB Car charging - Different cables/Different results

Firstly, I'm asking on behalf of a friend (saves him signing up) so I don't know all the details
Anyway... I recently gave him a Car USB charger (I had one lying around) which I tested out in my car using my HTC Desire HD....just to make sure it worked...& it did
(not sure but I THINK the cable I use is a standard USB to MicroUSB cable - not sure if it's a 'Data/Charging' or just 'charging' though)
However, when he tried to charge his Samsung phone (sorry don't know which one) it didn't
(BTW he is using his own cable he had lying around)
He tells me that he plugs in the cable between car USB charger & the phone - the screen brightens, but the charging indicator doesn't 'animate' & after a few second the screen then dulls back down into standby
Now I suspect that perhaps it's the cable - but he assures me that the cable he used worked on the PC. making me think it's a Data/charging cable
I know there's a difference between 'Charging only' cables and 'Data/Charging' cables, something about a couple of pins may not be connected but onto my question.....
[Q] IF he was using a 'Data/Charging' cable on the car charger
- would his phone assume it's being connected to a PC & automatically go into 'data connection mode' but then (because there's no data) the screen then 'dulls' back to standby mode ??
- If so, why won't the phone go into 'Charge only' mode if it doesn't see any data signal instead ??
BTW On my HTC - if it sees data connection I get a popup asking what mode I'd like (if unlocked) but it automatically goes into 'charge' mode if it's locked - I'm thinking his Samsung does the opposite when 'locked'... going into 'data mode' instead
Thanks in advance

[Q] Is it possible to QuickCharge AND Sync?

Hello Com,
Is it possible to be able to quick charge a tablet while having an active data connection at the same time?
Why I ask?
I want to build a solution where a tablet is connected to a pc. Both need to have a steady data connection as they share information and custom events. The tablet is for interacting with the user an will run a custom app. The computer is for controlling and operating other stuff the tablet is not capable of. Because of easy and fast substitutions, the tablet will have to stay in delivery condition - so modding the tablets hard-/software is out of question. The solution runs 24/7 and my current tests show that the power of the tablet is drained faster than it is recharged via the usb connection to the computer.
I tried to find accessories, but did not find any. All I found were ambigious information.
I know that the usb specification does not allow quick charge (more than 450mA) and a simultaneous data connection via a (single) cable. I thought of something like the splitted y-cable we know from external harddrives. Or maybe a custom adapter were you plug in an additional charger like those active usb hubs. I want to stay away from wireless data transmission (like using bluetooth and connecting a quick charger) if possible.
Therefor I ask of the general possibility of how to accomplish my task. If it is only possible with refaining from usb at all, then please tell me how.
(Please do not suggest solutions, without (at least theoretically) verifying them yourself first.)
Great thanks in advance.

How to connect an Android TV stick to a computer?

How do I connect my Android TV stick to my laptop? It has no reset or power on button. Just a microsd slot and two USB ports: a regular one and a mini usb one.
Hi can you tell us a little more about your device what make brand ect ect also some photos would really help
yes model number would help a lot.
usually it is going to be connected via the regular USB connector to the PC. Then you should see the internal and/or external SD cards as part of your computers resources.
Power on and off is by plugging in the power source, which sounds like it is micro-usb. Then remove to power off.
additional tips...
Some additional tips; I hope they can help...
In the OS settings, under "Device", subheading "USB", make certain that "connect to PC" is checked.
Also, if you use a microUSB-to-USB cable to connect the dongle to your PC, make certain you use a cable that you know has all four wires internally connected.
- I was going nuts one time, trying to figure out why I could not get the stick PC to connect over USB, and it turned out I was using a cheap microUSB-to-USB cable that was intended for power ONLY. (it had only the two power wires in the cable, and not the two data wires). Swapping the cable out solved that dilemma.
Cheers!

Trouble using my Samsung Galaxy S9 with a USB-C Hub

My Samsung S9 has had some screen damage and the touchscreen mostly does not work.
In order to navigate it I must use a mouse that I connect to the phone using the supplied USB C- A adapter.
I wish to get my phone repaired but I wish to backup all the data upon it first.
If I plug my phone directly into my PC, it asks for my permission to allow the PC access. However, since the touchscreen does not work properly, I cannot press the button to accept.
I could not plug both the mouse and PC simultaneously.
So I bought a USB-C hub. (Actually I've bought several, none of them have worked, this latest one is the most expensive and I had hoped it would work - (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07ZVKTP53/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
It has a separate port for USB-C Power Delivery and a separate one for data.
I plug the attached USB-C cable from the hub into my phone, and then I plug my mouse into a regular USB port, my charger into the USB-C PD port, and another USB-C to A cable from the USB-C Data port on the hub into a USB port at the back of my (new) PC.
Now my computer does not recognise my phone at all, nor does my phone seem to acknowledge it is connected to a PC. The mouse still works upon the phone and it charges fine through the PD port. If I plug the phone straight into the PC, it is recognised, so I do not think the problem lies there. The hub seems to block communication between the phone and PC.
I would like to backup my data and get my phone repaired. If anyone can solve the USB-C Hub issue or propose another solution to my problem then I would be grateful.
A mouse and keyboard will take priority over anything else in a hub.
I'm betting the hub's power is 2000mA or 2.0 Amps.
What does your fone charger state its power is? Add the mouse, keyboard, and fone's milliamps together. If it's more than the hub's power pack supplies....
In this situation, I would use Vysor, this will defo solve your problem, it allows you work with your fone on your pc/lappy by providing a lovely window that is a duplicate of your fone screen, you'll be glad you found this!!!
I can provide an old cracked version I used for my emergencies, if there is no objections?
Then you'll only need the mouse to use as your finger
Google Vysor. case closed lol.
Pachacouti said:
A mouse and keyboard will take priority over anything else in a hub.
I'm betting the hub's power is 2000mA or 2.0 Amps.
What does your fone charger state its power is? Add the mouse, keyboard, and fone's milliamps together. If it's more than the hub's power pack supplies....
In this situation, I would use Vysor, this will defo solve your problem, it allows you work with your fone on your pc/lappy by providing a lovely window that is a duplicate of your fone screen, you'll be glad you found this!!!
I can provide an old cracked version I used for my emergencies, if there is no objections?
Then you'll only need the mouse to use as your finger
Google Vysor. case closed lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
Thanks for your reply
It's not a battery hub, but just a USB-C hub (check the link). Power comes from the PD USB-C port which is hooked up to my phone's original USB-C charger.
It also fails to work even when a mouse isn't attached to it.
I will look into Vysor. Also thought about the possibility of using a standalone bluetooth mouse which would free up the cable.
Your fone will suck the life out of a poorly powered hub, by using vysor, your pc/lappy mouse will work your fone using vysor, best app I've ever seen for working with broken screens, just plug phone direct into lappy, vysor works if you've no screen at all!!!!!
Use
Vysor
www.vysor.io
...Njoi
Dont pay for mouses/hubs in this scenario. Just pay for a top quality tool. I would place this as my number one android tool for ANY fone.
Again, if all your doing is data recovery (saving your stuff) I have a patch for an earlier version to unlock full version I swear by, you could use this once if only to try before you buy
The hub supports 85W fast charging directly from mains, which is what it is getting.
How do I enable USB debugging specifically for the app?
I have enabled it in developer options but when I connect my phone via USB to my computer as per the Vysor app, another window pops up on my phone asking to allow USB debugging. Ask there is no mouse attached to the phone at this point, I am unable to allow it.

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