Stick/Box/Rpi for use in the car with composite output - Android Stick & Console Computers General

Hi everyone ...
I have a new car on order, delivery in a few months, and have taken the option of Multimedia screens for the second row passengers.
These are just the screens though with analog inputs (composite, RCA, whilte-red-yellow, .... what's in a name ).
Image here : http://goo.gl/90Nr1o
I am looking for two devices to use in the car to watch movies (and if possible play games) to entertain the kids on long trips (5 & 8 years of age).
Power requirements need to be quite low though since these have to run from the 12V cigarette lighter.
My first idea was to run a pair of Raspberry Pi's with RaspBMC and Retropie on them, add a BT and a Wifi adapter, put a small router with an HDD in the trunk and configure them with a PS3 wireless controller. It does require quite some fiddling, setup and troubleshooting in order to get all of this working though ...
Secondly I was thinking of an Ouya + XMBC on it ..; but this doesn't have an analog output ...
Next in line I turn myself to Android devices which could prove great candidates for my intended use, but I am completely lost in the vast amount of devices available ... especially the ones which could tick all the boxes.
All advice and experiences would be greatly appreciated !

MaXX99 said:
Hi everyone ...
I have a new car on order, delivery in a few months, and have taken the option of Multimedia screens for the second row passengers.
These are just the screens though with analog inputs (composite, RCA, whilte-red-yellow, .... what's in a name ).
Image here : http://goo.gl/90Nr1o
I am looking for two devices to use in the car to watch movies (and if possible play games) to entertain the kids on long trips (5 & 8 years of age).
Power requirements need to be quite low though since these have to run from the 12V cigarette lighter.
My first idea was to run a pair of Raspberry Pi's with RaspBMC and Retropie on them, add a BT and a Wifi adapter, put a small router with an HDD in the trunk and configure them with a PS3 wireless controller. It does require quite some fiddling, setup and troubleshooting in order to get all of this working though ...
Secondly I was thinking of an Ouya + XMBC on it ..; but this doesn't have an analog output ...
Next in line I turn myself to Android devices which could prove great candidates for my intended use, but I am completely lost in the vast amount of devices available ... especially the ones which could tick all the boxes.
All advice and experiences would be greatly appreciated !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CS918 has this output function.
I'd say you'd want an Android Stick rather than Box though as I doubt a 12V would be able to power a full box.

Hammer_drum said:
CS918 has this output function.
I'd say you'd want an Android Stick rather than Box though as I doubt a 12V would be able to power a full box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Hammer ...
Problem with sticks is that most rely solely on HDMI output. AV-Out is mostly not an option on most.
Furthermore, these run the same chipsets as their box counterpart and consome probably only marginally less power.
The CS968 comes with a 5V 3A adapter --> Max 15W
The MK902 with a 5V 2.5 adapter --> Max 12.5 W
I do not know how much power can be drawn from a single 12V socket, but I found an adapter which could deliver 2 X 12W (2 x 2.4A), which - I think - could be sufficient to power 2 boxes ? Normally the power adapter should be sided marginally larger than the max power drain ... I hope
http://www.scosche.com/ipad-usb-car-charger-two-port
I also found an even more powerful adapter capable of delivering 6A ...
And it seems like a higher power version with 8A is under way
http://saicoo-tech.com/html/product/view-2342.html

Related

[Q] in-dash android tablet?

What tablet do I get?
I was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions for a tablet to install into my dash. The Archos 5 IMT looks like it has almost everything I want, but I would really like a 7".
It needs:
Built-in GPS (or enough ports for a dongle, and support for a dongle. I don't want bluetooth, because I don't want to have to worry about it losing power)
FM receiver (I know there are internet radio apps, but I want to be able to use this offline.. if it's possible)
Capacitive screen (Cause I want it) with a wide viewing angle.
I don't care much about which version of Android it has, it will pretty much just be used for GPS and Music/video.
As a side note, I'm still doing research, but if anyone knows how to, or knows where there's a tutorial, I need to figure out how to hook the tablet to the speakers. I don't really want to have to use a head unit, though that would be the easy way. There must be some kind of small device I can use that has a volume knob and maybe fade/balance controls that I can install anywhere in the truck.
Thanks for reading!
I have installed the archos 5IT in my dash and love it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kUsui3-5Y0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nN-8Hrf0sM
Its not capacitive but it does not suffer from the glare that the glass screens have. As far as touch sensitivity its pretty acurate for a resistive device.
I dont have the gps signal issues most have as i have the flash version and not the hard drive based ones as most say the hdd must be blocking the gps. I paid for the one time map fee from Ndrive but also tether to my phone and use google maps as well.
I have over 100 youtube music video's in mp4 format ripped to the device and use those as my music and have it set to random play and it goes from one file to the next without having to select a new video once one is over.
Thanks!
Some good input there. I'll have to keep that in mind. I just really think a 7" would look a lot better. Especially in my F150 XLT. Seems like the 5" would look dinky, and I have room for a 7".
If archos put the 5's guts into the 7 form factor, I'd buy 2 right now. Rly.
Also, for anyone who stumbled on this, I think it won't be too hard to set this up without using a head unit. (I could be wrong on some of the technical info, but I think I have the right idea here.) Your amplifier has a 'plug' with like 20 wires attached coming out. Normally, your radio has a plug that fits this plug. You plug it in, and now the radio's attached to the amp, which is attached to the speakers. Good to go. So you buy a new plug (called a wire harness), one that fits your amplifier (assuming stock amplifier, I will just look up 2000 F150 wire harness on amazon, and that's it), and wire up your tablet to it instead of your radio.
The wire harness puts out a 12v (ignition on) wire. You can adapt this to a USB and use that to charge the device. Set it to display/wifi/gps/all other battery draining crap off while not charging. When you turn the car on, it's now "Charging" and everything will turn off. I think it should be able to 'sleep' for a few days, so it should be 'always on' as far as you can tell.
The harness also has a wire for each of the 4 speakers, maybe subwoofers too, I forget now. I'm sure someone makes a product that controls these easily, I'm going to have to go to a local car audio shop, and ask some questions. Hopefully I can put the audio out from the tablet into the audio in of this unknown device. Then I should be able to wire the unknown device to the wiring harness. If I can't find something, I think I'll just make my own circuit, 3 Pots for volume, fade and balance, some resistors or something.. we'll see if I can't just buy something. The rest of the EQ can be done on the tablet.
(If I do make my own, I want to use a slide-style pot for volume instead of a rotating one. I think that'd be the nuts.)
Wiring harness: Ignition on wire adapted to USB. Speaker wires wired to volume/fade/bal device.
Tablet: plug in USB, and connect audio out to volume/fade/bal device.
Easy cheesy.
I'll be updating.
This thing is starting to look like it'll be really easy to do.
I can't get started 'til I find my tablet though. I would love to hear some more ideas! THANKS!
they updated the 7" home with newer hardware but it does not have gps. I would look into the upcoming wifi only samsung galaxy tab and see if it will have gps.
your on the right track with the audio wiring however you would better off getting a cheap 4ch amp to do it as you need power to pump the speakers the way you are talking about wiring it up would basically have the android device trying to power door speakers from the headphone output amp. If you got a cheap 4 ch amp and wired it through the stock vehicle harness you would have all the hookups u need just get the headphone to rca cable and a set of splitters to power all 4 channels of the amp volume could be controlled from the android device. If the amp had external volume remote or if you wired one inline with the headphone output you could have better volume control however the turning on and off of the amp might send a pop to the speakers as the amp would always be turned up.
Hmm
I was under the impression that my vehicle came with a stock amp. Everything's stock (as far as I know, got it used and haven't tinkered with it yet.)
Just trying to understand better, as I have never dealt with car stereos before.
So my stereo was supplying power to the speakers before? There's not an amp in my truck right now between the stereo and the speakers?
EDIT:
I'm almost thinking of getting something really cheap, as I plan on permanently mounting it in the dash. Something Chinese maybe?
I'm sure the Galaxy Tab would work really well, but it's a bit expensive for a GPS/radio/computer.. now that I'm typing this out, that's a ****ing deal! Maybe I will get something nice to pop in there.
I found a tutorial online for making the 12v ignition into 2 USBs, so I am now considering a usb-powered bluetooth gps. Too bad it adds $50 to the cost.
Alright
Nope, no amp in the F-150 standard. It's in the head unit. So I will need to get an amp.
I figure I can move this whole system to my next car (Plan on getting a new truck in 3-4 years.. or sooner if this one decides to go on me), so the amp is an investment.
Truck has 4 speakers stock (no subwoofers)
I will hook those 4 speakers to the amp I buy. (I'll have to look up how to install an amp now.. geesh.)
I will put the audio out from my tablet into the amp.
Now I have to figure out how the 12v ignition on is gonna work, since I'm now going through a new amp. I found a tutorial on instructables titled "12v to USB adapter \ 12v to 5v transformer (great for cars)" I'm not allowed to post links yet, but I'm sure you can find it if you want it.
Yeah the amp any small 4ch or 2ch if you dont care about front rear fade will work..
As far as hooking up an amp they are pretty easy just need to run your own main power wire for the 12v constant for the amp. 8-10 gage should be fine for 400-600w 2 or 4 ch amp to power door speakers....
then use your red ignition wire from the harness u get to power the remote to the amp so its only on with the ignition. Extent the speaker wires to reach your amp you can mount under the passenger side dash or behind the center consol as trucks have plenty of room under there.
the wires from the harness you get to plug into your factory radio harness are easy to figure out as the colors have been standard for a while. Black is ground but you will need your own closest to the amp as possible any bare metal spot you can find that has a bolt to the frame or under dash should suffice. The black from the harness will power the usb fine. Yellow is constant + (always on) if you want the usb to always have power if not use the red as its only on with the ignition it will have enogh amps to power the remote for the amp and charge/power the tablet. green and purple are rear speakers, white/gray are front speakers. the remaining wire colors depend on the vehicle if they have them like blue is for power antenna or factory amp turn on. orange is to dim an after market head unit display when the head lights are on.
I was in best buy a few weeks ago and saw the archos 7 home tablet for $129 almost got one just because of the deal but dont need it as the 5it i have is fine and has the built in gps. but if using an external bluetooth gps is the route you go the 7 should be great. You will just need to find your own gps app or use google maps and have to terher to something like a smart phone for data.
http://www.archos.com/products/ta/archos_7/specs.html?country=us&lang=en
they show the gps icon on the home screen however it does not have built in gps. there are a ton of gps solutions you can side load or get from android market.
Damn...
Was just about to order the 7 home. Such a good deal.
No bluetooth...
The search continues.
i was searching ebay for something 7" that had gps or bluetooth and nothing cheap cought my eye so i took the 7" tag out and added 2.2 for froyo and gps...
I came up with this. http://goo.gl/hyNtC
All you would need to look like the soundman from youtube with his f150 ipad 2 install.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jr3_zLHTbY
May have found a contender.
a 10 inch would be nice, but I don't know how to do fiberglass, and for my first car mod, I'd prefer to keep it simple. a 7-inch should just fit in my double din.
Found this little gem.
http://www.dinodirect.com/tablet-pc...camera-android.html?ddse= gps&utm_source= gps
Gonna look at it more when I get home, will probably buy it. Only thing that's funky about it is that it charges with AC. We'll see...
A software to be written to tell it to go to sleep immediately when "ac" power is removed would be nice, also, that app to tell music/radio to resume on "wake" would be nice.
That way it plays the true car infotainment roll.
A device with USB host would almost be required before I dig into android platform for my infotainment system.
I have a custom built net-top based system built in my truck using a 7" touch screen, automatic power supply from mini-box.com, and a USB controller connected to my steering wheel control buttons. USB host is a must for me!
Sounds like a good setup. Honestly i'm fine with the stock radio in my truck, but I like to tinker.
Still haven't found the right device. I'm buying an Arnova 8 when they switch to the new model, and I'll give that a test fit.. see how it goes.
My plan is to set the device to have the display always on when plugged in. It's in settings or something. If it's wired to the ignition, should work right? We'll see.
I think if I get juice defender and set it to aggressive (no gps, no wifi, no bluetooth, no anything), it should stay on for a while in standby.
Well...
Seems like Android Tablets haven't matured enough for my project. I don't see a cheap 7" capacitive tablet with GPS coming out anytime soon. I'm going to go ahead and get a stereo with rear usb and aux ports, and make a mount for my phone. Should be fun. I'll make a new post with pictures and instructions, and link it here.
Oh well...
My 2 cents...
I've been looking to do the same thing. I've been digging around for a good table and this is the best I've got. Specs wise, it fits the bill. But I can't find any good reviews.
http://hotmid.com/wits-a81h-tablet-cortex-a8-7-capacitive-touchscreen-android-2-3-gps-wifi.html
Just in case that link doesn't work...
http://mp4nation.net/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=68&products_id=483
The big thing I'm looking for is a parts list. Amp, harnesses, etc. And a how-to would be the coolest as far as basic wiring for power and sound.
The xoom
T-Mobile G2 1.42 GHZ
I recommend the Asus eee pad transformer. 98percent the same as motorola xoom and lighter
Sent from my U20i using XDA Premium App
concept after-market product
What appears to be lacking in the market currently is a ready-to-use 2DIN or double-din head unit that is basically a permanent in-dash universal docking system such that you can simply pop in a 5 or 7 inch tablet (or adaptable for say a minimum 4 inch or greater smartphone?) with the head unit's rear interface designed for plugging into the car's power, sound system, and steering wheel controls just like an aftermarket care stereo. Sorta like the currently available units that utilize removable electronic faceplates-- except here the tablet or smartphone itself is the "removable faceplate".
Spepper, I have seen one on Ebay. Looks a bit dodgy but might be good:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ES666MO-...153004?pt=Car_Audio_Video&hash=item336b841f6c
ES666MO Car DVD/GPS/ANDROIT TABLET
http://ca-fi.com/en/ it's not a removable tablet, but it's an all-in-one Android-powered double-din radio, looks awesome, but it comes at a price because it has all the hardware built-in
stevey500 said:
A software to be written to tell it to go to sleep immediately when "ac" power is removed would be nice, also, that app to tell music/radio to resume on "wake" would be nice.
That way it plays the true car infotainment roll.
A device with USB host would almost be required before I dig into android platform for my infotainment system.
I have a custom built net-top based system built in my truck using a 7" touch screen, automatic power supply from mini-box.com, and a USB controller connected to my steering wheel control buttons. USB host is a must for me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The wake-up is covered using plug in launcher from the market.
I am checking if it can be used for the sleep portion.

Advent Tegra Note Connectivity Info

Hey everybody,
I bought an Advent Tegra Note a couple of days ago. I always connect my devices to a TV at some point but there wasn't too much infomartion out there about the Tegra Note before I got my hands on it so I just wanted to put some info out there for people who might be interested.
The Note has both micro USB and Micro HDMI ports so I bought a micro HDMI to HDMI cable to test out a few things with it connected to a TV. I've used MHL a lot in the past so I'm not sure whether or not some of what follows is specific to the Tegra Note or applies to any tablet with both HDMI and USB ports.
HDMI to TV:
When you plug the HDMI cable into the Note it automatically kicks the display into landscape so you don't need to worry about the orreientation of the tablet itself.
Sound output seems to be at line-out level. It sounds great if you happen to have your TV plugged into a HiFi, but it does mean you can't alter the volume on the Note itself while it's plugged in.
In my experience, when you plug a phone into a TV via an MHL adapter it seems to really load the hardware which has a negative impact on performance. I don't know if it's because the Tegra 4 inside the Note is so powerful or if it's a feature of having a separate HDMI output, but there's no noticeable slow down at all. By way of example, when I ran Epic Citadel with ultra high settings in benchmark mode, it still achieved 59 fps. Web browsing was flawless too with very smooth performance.
I should probably point out that I was testing this on a 720p TV, not full HD.
USB On-the-Go
With a small OTG adapter plugged into the micro USB port I tried plugging in a wireless keyboard and mouse and it works perfectly (bear in mind if you have a UK QWERTY keyboard some symbols are in the 'wrong' place which is bit stupid for a device being sold in the UK). Next up I tried a bus powered 80GB hard drive and this also worked fine. Finally I tried a mains powered USB hub with the keyboard and hard drive plugged into it and that also works properly too. The tablet appeared to be drawing charge from the USB hub.
Simultaneous HDMI and USB OTG
At first this didn't work at all, but I found if I plugged the USB OTG adapter into the tablet first, then the HDMI cable, everything worked fine. In this setup it really is like a little media pc - it performs very well indeed.
I also tried using a small bluetooth keyboard with trackball mouse with it and that works too. I haven't tried a controller yet. I've read elsewhere that Six Axis Controller won't work with it which is a real shame, but there you go.
Apart from the rather creamy/yellow colour tint to the screen on the Tegra Note, it really is an awesome little device. 35,000 points in Antutu for $200? Awesome!
If you're in the UK and you're frustrated by the lack of UK QWERTY keyboard layout ( no £ symbol etc) you can use the Median External keyboard app from the Play store without root. This will add a UK layout under the hardware keyboard settings area under the 'Language and Input' menu. Hint, you have to connect the keyboard to get the hardware keyboard menu to appear in the input menu.
UPDATE: After the official OTA update to 4.3 I noticed a few things:
It is no longer necessary for users to download the Medion External keyboard app to get access to a UK QWERTY hardware layout. Under the input settings menu there is now an option to select a UK Android PC keyboard layout. On both my bluetooth and wireless desktop keyboards, the internet explorer shortcut key works as the Home button. Regrettably the auto correct options for hadware keyboards still don't work.
Unfortunately bluetooth is even worse than under the original or updated 4.2.2 ROM. When steaming via A2DP there are regular dropouts and reconnecting paired devices such a Moga Pro gamepad repeatedly fails at times. A factory reset didn't help.
When trying to disconnect an external HDD in the Settings/Storage menu, not only does the USB drive get unmounted, the MicroSD card stops working. The capacity and free space and of the MicroSD card will read as zero after the external drive has been disconnected. Restarting the Note (or remounting the SD card) will fix the problem, though for me the Gallery and Google Music apps became corrupted and I had to clear the data in Media Storage, Gallery and Music apps and reboot to get things working again. This bug was not present before.
I've also been playing with an Justop EZCast dongle that I bought from a reseller on Amazon. Results are very mixed. In EZCast mode pictures are streamed to the dongle very well. Videos are really hit and miss. Some stream flawlessly while others stutter to the point of being unwatchable. In EZMirror mode where the whole of the tablet's screen is mirrored on the TV results also vary. Music streaming sounds good but there are often dropouts and 'pops' and 'sqeaks' every so often that are really annoying. Also, altering the volume on the tablet does not change the volume on the dongle (whereas it does if you stream from a Galaxy Tab 3 8.0). Streaming films is also problematic in that there are periodic interruptions that are really annoying. Finally, if you connect to a wireless access point while in EZMirror mode you can mirror your browser etc to the TV which opens up a range of possibilities. You can even mirror writing on the screen to a TV so the Note would make an interesting presentation device in various scenarios. Gaming is not recommended as there is latency of about a quarter of a second. In short, when the dongle works it's great, but for now it is flawed and I wouldn't recommend one. I'm not sure whether future firmware updates will improve the dongle, but I suspect its internal hardware isn't powerful enough, especially for HD content.
I've not noticed a yellow tinge to mine, im pretty impressed especially at currys current 130 quite price!
Was going to get a micro hdmi adapter at some point, I'd like the slide cover, but that seems non existent in the uk
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk
fards said:
I've not noticed a yellow tinge to mine, im pretty impressed especially at currys current 130 quite price!
Was going to get acreamy and yellow hdmi adapter at some point, I'd like the slide cover, but that seems non existent in thintermittent fault. from my C6603 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think maybe it's because I'm used to to Super LCD screens. If you put one beside the Note and look at the gmail and Play icons they look a little creamy and yellow. Next to a 2013 Nexus 7 it looks awful, but now Currys have dropped the price to £99, who cares?
You need an Micro HDMI plug not a Mini HDMI plug as I found out last week. I bought mine from an Amazon reseller for about £2. Asda sell them in store for £6-9 dependent upon brand from memory.
Make sure your headphone jack works properly, mine had an intermittent fault.
If you bought your Note in the last seven days you may be able to get Currys to refund the difference, especially if you ordered online.
Ouzo said:
If you bought your Note in the last seven days you may be able to get Currys to refund the difference, especially if you ordered online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aye, I've heard, but not really sure its worth the effort of dealing with the robots at CS, as I did a click&collect
fards said:
aye, I've heard, but not really sure its worth the effort of dealing with the robots at CS, as I did a click&collect
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I felt the same way but I found a non 0844 contact number and gave it a shot. Allegedly the difference has been refunded onto my card, though I haven't checked yet. The number is 01594 332592 and it answers as Currys Know How. I should add that I paid online and had the Note delivered to store rather than Click and Collect (or whatever it is where you reserve then pay in store).
I have picked a UK Tegra Note up for 99 quid. Really is very quick and have found that enabling 4xMSAA in developer options doesn't degrade performance in gaming.
I picked up a 30 quid miracast box from Curry's. Miracast works okay, image quality is good, but sound can fall out of sync. However with only one WiFi channel you cannot use streaming services. Although you could always set up another android device as a Bluetooth tether connected to WiFi.
Anyone got an Apps to SD solution?
kHiTe said:
I have picked a UK Tegra Note up for 99 quid. Really is very quick and have found that enabling 4xMSAA in developer options doesn't degrade performance in gaming.
I picked up a 30 quid miracast box from Curry's. Miracast works okay, image quality is good, but sound can fall out of sync. However with only one WiFi channel you cannot use streaming services. Although you could always set up another android device as a Bluetooth tether connected to WiFi.
Anyone got an Apps to SD solution?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doh! I didn't realise Currys sold them - I just ordered one online from Amazon. Good point about the lack streaming services.
I only tried 4xMSAA in Modern Combat 3 and I couldn't see much difference in quality. Perhaps I'll try again. I'd love to be able to get rid of the colour banding in certain scenarios (colour crush) as it's very unattractive. Into the Dead is a good example.

Connecting an android phone to a car with a MOST optical audio system. Help needed!

Hi all,
I have an interesting problem to pose to the techies amongst you.
I have just managed to get my dream car and now need to integrate my phone without paying the huge sums being asked for by the car manufacturers and some aftermarket electronic suppliers (car ICE specialists too). My phone is currently a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the car has MOST optical audio and satnav systems.
I'm after 3 distinct, yet simultaneous, solutions, which are : -
A/ power supply to the phone
B/ HDMI or RCA output to a dash mounted 5 inch lcd screen for satnav purposes
C/ audio output to link into the car's current MOST audio system (head unit in the dashboard, also running the car's hvac, and the amplifiers are in the boot)
My first thought was to open up the USB 3 cable and to run individual wires to 3 separate plugs for each of the 3 solutions listed above. At this point many of you may be laughing at my clearly very poor understanding of modern electronics, particularly USB, and I would not argue that at all - I'm a complete dimwit here! Obviously (I think...) the clear solution is in the fact that USB can run different objectives simultaneously.
So... I run my USB 3 CABLE from the phone to a (presumably powered?) USB 3 hub and have 3 appropriate cables plugged in and running respectively to A/ a USB cigarette lighter socket, B/ an hdmi (or RCA, or composite?) plug and C/ to a standard stereo headphone jack or socket.
I don't think A/ will work because I don't see power going from the socket back through the hub and into the phone. Suggestions welcomed as I can't see how to get power to the phone at the same time as having a USB cable supplying data out. Or is there power over USB through a hub available?
B/ seems straightforward enough.
C/ the audio then needs to go to an analog to digital / wired to optical adapter and then a 2 into 1 optical switch (so I can still have the existing output from the head unit) before plugging into the amplifiers. These 2 adapters are easily available through eBay, Amazon or Maplins as far as I can see. The issue I foresee here is will the head unit still be able to control volume, fade, etc of the signal coming from the phone? If the control of the amplifiers happens via the optical cables then presumably that won't happen if I've used a switch to change the source? Would taking the output from the phone's headphone socket be of any benefit? I doubt it as the output power from there may be quite a bit higher than from the USB port...
So you can see that I clearly need some knowledgeable direction here or I will be forever going round in ever decreasing circles!
Many thanks in advance for any help given. Cheers, Mark

Makeshift USB/HDMI "Dock"...?

I want to take advantage of the S5 MHL capability. Perhaps eventually using the phone as my everyday computer.
So I would need to have usb keyboard and mouse while connected to a monitor.
I have ordered the device pictured below, it reportedly supports the S5 in some kind of half-assed way, meaning that you may have to fiddle with inserting cables in a certain order to get it to work.
This is what I read anyway.
I want to know if any of you have used the Galaxy S5 in such a way. Will my device work? Know of a better solution?
I had some dreams of making my own Diy S5 dock, but I would have to know what kind of electronic/hardware configuration works (if any), as the S5 is different in that it does not support dock mode (Why samsung... why?).
Well I can report that it works. HDMI out works with sound, and it charges while doing so, but the USB port and the card reader does not work apparently.
Obviously the form of the device is a poor match for the Galaxy S5. I had to remove the plastic housing to make it fit, because of the watertight hatch in front of the USB port. Later I will use a USB extender cable.
Hopefully there is a possibility to make OTG (or host mode, or whatever it's called) work.
It appears this device supports the S5
http://andromiumos.freeforums.net/thread/4/officially-supported-android-phones?page=1&scrollTo=4
http://www.andromiumos.com/
There is two question marks here.
1) Does S5 support simultaneously operation with OTG active and HDMI output active.
2) Does this gadget also support such a functionality?
I don't know. I've read people claiming that you can use both hdmi & otg at the same time including post's on xda. But i've also read people saying you can't. I certainly havn't seen any video demonstrations.
By the way i currently have my S5 displayed on my monitor using mhl->hdmi adapter and have my pc mouse and keyboard working on the S5 wirelessly with Samsung SideSync. I opened the xda app with the pc mouse and have typed this reply with the pc keyboard. I've done some navigation on the phone, opened and used a range of apps. All is well till i opened firefox and the mouse disappeared from the monitor. It's still displayed and functional on the S5 screen though. Closed firefox and the mouse is displayed on the monitor again.
Sent from my SM-G900I using XDA-Developers mobile app
mbdroidsony said:
All is well till i opened Firefox and the mouse disappeared from the monitor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Therefore your new question this is : Does Firefox (Android) this supports four input devices connected at the same time?
Android Keyboard = 1
External keyboard = 2
Android touch pad = 3
external mouse = 4
And all that active by also active HDMI
I would be surprised if Android OS has such potentials.
I was using Andromium OS app which gives you option to turn off android keyboard and dim S5 screen. Both those functions worked. Andromium OS has 3 menus from start menu. Andromium Apps(browser, file manager), Supported Apps (gmail, youtube), Unsupported apps (all other apps installed on device). PC mouse and keyboard worked fine with Andromium Apps & Supported App. PC mouse and keyboard also worked fine with most unsupported apps i tested except firefox browser and adblock browser. If i get my hands on a bluetooth mouse/keyboard i'll test again to see if it works with firefox browser and adblock browser from monitor.
Personally I am going to use my HP iPAQ FA287 Bluetooth keyboard at S5 ( or at least I will try).
Also ordered one OTG cable (CY U2-166) that hopefully this will offer power to the phone and External HDD, due micro USB (female input for charger cable) and this will become also my mouse input too.
Therefore I am interested for your inquiry / investigation, possibly as much you do, because I do also favor Firefox.
I favour android firefox browser and adblock browser because they are consistent in providing desktop view. I'll provide an update here when i get my hands on a bluetooth mouse & keyboard.
Kiriakos-GR said:
Personally I am going to use my HP iPAQ FA287 Bluetooth keyboard at S5 ( or at least I will try).
Also ordered one OTG cable (CY U2-166) that hopefully this will offer power to the phone and External HDD, due micro USB (female input for charger cable) and this will become also my mouse input too.
Therefore I am interested for your inquiry / investigation, possibly as much you do, because I do also favor Firefox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, did this cable charge your S5 while using OTG/USB Host?
Sent from my SM-G900I using XDA-Developers mobile app
mbdroidsony said:
Hi, did this cable charge your S5 while using OTG/USB Host?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My cable did not arrive yet from China.
But even so, in the past days I did some research about finding more details by discovering the factory that makes those cables.
According to real Specifications: (after me correcting errors due bad translation)
High quality Original USB 2.0 Micro-B HOST OTG CABLE
Interface:
Micro USB male: = Output To be connected with OTG complying device ( Your phone or tablet).
Micro USB female: = DC input To charge = Supply of Power due micro USB female connector ( This is only to supply DC voltage to USB A plug this powering hard drives etc etc).
USB female: To connect with USB A device.
Therefore or in conclusion, this cable is not in position to supply power for the phone and the external hard drive.
Later on, that I did the electrical math, I can now explain and the why ? (this cable cannot do both).
By assuming that mobile phone or tablet this requiring 450mA at charging (due PC USB plug), and removable hard-drives (some of them requiring another stable supply of 500mA) the sum this is almost 1A of power.
Manufacturing of OTG cables this requiring from the manufacturer, him to make a product according to OTG cable international standards (compatibility - safety - functionality).
Only if Samsung makes a OTG cable specifically for S5, this will be able for active Host and charging.
All cables available at the moment, them have generic compatibility and non of them will work as we expect or wish.
Kiriakos-GR said:
My cable did not arrive yet from China.
But even so, in the past days I did some research about finding more details by discovering the factory that makes those cables.
According to real Specifications: (after me correcting errors due bad translation)
High quality Original USB 2.0 Micro-B HOST OTG CABLE
Interface:
Micro USB male: = Output To be connected with OTG complying device ( Your phone or tablet).
Micro USB female: = DC input To charge = Supply of Power due micro USB female connector ( This is only to supply DC voltage to USB A plug this powering hard drives etc etc).
USB female: To connect with USB A device.
Therefore or in conclusion, this cable is not in position to supply power for the phone and the external hard drive.
Later on, that I did the electrical math, I can now explain and the why ? (this cable cannot do both).
By assuming that mobile phone or tablet this requiring 450mA at charging (due PC USB plug), and removable hard-drives (some of them requiring another stable supply of 500mA) the sum this is almost 1A of power.
Manufacturing of OTG cables this requiring from the manufacturer, him to make a product according to OTG cable international standards (compatibility - safety - functionality).
Only if Samsung makes a OTG cable specifically for S5, this will be able for active Host and charging.
All cables available at the moment, them have generic compatibility and non of them will work as we expect or wish.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Samsung hasn't made it easy for us S5 users. Might have to resort to wireless charging at this rate.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Qi Wireless Charging Kit EP-WG900IBEGWW
Just going to throw this out there...
Why not use a bluetooth mouse/keyboard (or even one of those combined ones) with the phone mirroring it's screen to a ChromeCast plugged into your monitor? There's minimal (and I mean you're looking at 10ms) lag - or that's my experience, but I have a really really really fast router etc - and if you're planning on using it essentially as a PC, this setup will work wonders. Plus you can plug the phone in. I've considered using my old S3 in this way.
yetep said:
Just going to throw this out there...
Why not use a bluetooth mouse/keyboard (or even one of those combined ones) with the phone mirroring it's screen to a ChromeCast plugged into your monitor? There's minimal (and I mean you're looking at 10ms) lag - or that's my experience, but I have a really really really fast router etc - and if you're planning on using it essentially as a PC, this setup will work wonders. Plus you can plug the phone in. I've considered using my old S3 in this way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Charging the S5 through 2A cable would be faster than wireless charging. MHL to HDMI adapter charges the phone as well as mirror your phones screen. I've never used bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Would the S5 support pairing and using both mouse and keyboard at the same time?
By the way there are products for the S3,S4 that support mhl, otg & charging at the same time like the UNITEK Y-2165.
http://www.amazon.com/UNITEK-Multim...5&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00OFKY4XA#Ask
mbdroidsony said:
By the way there are products for the S3,S4 that support mhl, otg & charging at the same time like the UNITEK Y-2165.
http://www.amazon.com/UNITEK-Multim...5&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00OFKY4XA#Ask
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speaking of compatibility, S5 this is a brother model to Note III.
I do such an assumption due the identical charging system specifications.
From the other hand with all those variants of G900, there is no chance to offer an 100% reliable prediction if you do not test any such OTG product with your own phone.
The link above this is about a Currently unavailable product.
Even so it is interesting that this worked for someone with Note III.
mbdroidsony said:
Charging the S5 through 2A cable would be faster than wireless charging. MHL to HDMI adapter charges the phone as well as mirror your phones screen. I've never used bluetooth mouse and keyboard. Would the S5 support pairing and using both mouse and keyboard at the same time?
By the way there are products for the S3,S4 that support mhl, otg & charging at the same time like the UNITEK Y-2165.
http://www.amazon.com/UNITEK-Multim...5&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B00OFKY4XA#Ask
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S5 (or certainly my model, G900T) DOES support everything I mentioned however my bluetooth mouse/keyboard is a 2 in 1 setup with the mouse being a trackpad below the keyboard, similar to a laptop. It mirrors directly to my monitor and I've forced Landscape orientation throughout the OS so it works wonderfully. I've not tried yet with the S3, but I'd assume it'd work the same way. Just need to force the screen to stay always on, pop the screen brightness right down and hide it away in a cupboard and boom, full android computer.
On the original question, a cable must exist but unfortuantely I don't know where.
yetep said:
Just need to force the screen to stay always on, pop the screen brightness right down and hide it away in a cupboard and boom, full android computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definable this is a bad idea the screen to stay always on.
Does phone screen brightness this have any effect at HDMI output (brightness) ?
Nope, but turning it off does. I don't mind it burning out as it's an old device I don't use.
yetep said:
Nope, but turning it off does. I don't mind it burning out as it's an old device I don't use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bet 20 Euros that every one reading this topic he/her, will wonder of why you/he, does not simply turn the brightness down.
Either way, Android it is crippled operating system with out offering much of productivity as it does one regular Windows PC.
Neither a smartphone this is capable for long term gaming, the poor thing does not even have active cooling, and CPU will start slowdown so to protect it self from overheat.
My 0,2 cents, you are in a wrong path.
Kiriakos-GR said:
Speaking of compatibility, S5 this is a brother model to Note III.
I do such an assumption due the identical charging system specifications.
From the other hand with all those variants of G900, there is no chance to offer an 100% reliable prediction if you do not test any such OTG product with your own phone.
The link above this is about a Currently unavailable product.
Even so it is interesting that this worked for someone with Note III.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The link i gave has a few reviews that can give you an idea of what phones are compatible and which ones arn't. Youtube has video demos of the UNITEK Y-2165, unfortunately none for the S5. It appears the desktop dock feature is on the Note III where as samsung removed the dock feature from the S5.
---------- Post added at 12:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:24 AM ----------
yetep said:
The S5 (or certainly my model, G900T) DOES support everything I mentioned however my bluetooth mouse/keyboard is a 2 in 1 setup with the mouse being a trackpad below the keyboard, similar to a laptop. It mirrors directly to my monitor and I've forced Landscape orientation throughout the OS so it works wonderfully. I've not tried yet with the S3, but I'd assume it'd work the same way. Just need to force the screen to stay always on, pop the screen brightness right down and hide it away in a cupboard and boom, full android computer.
On the original question, a cable must exist but unfortuantely I don't know where.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oh ok, so only 1 device paired.
There's a great app for having screen brightness right down called Screen Standby.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nkahoang.screenstandby&hl=en
The adronium os app forces landscape.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.andromium.os&hl=en
I tell you what, i really like the concept of carring you desktop in your pocket. Can you imagine that, doing your desktop stuff, unplug the phone and head out with everything you did at home on the desktop in your pocket. I know microsoft have a desktop adapter for their Lumia 950 XL phones which changes the layout to desktop mode on the monitor/tv to give you that PC-like experience.
Microsoft Display Dock
https://www.microsoft.com/en/mobile/accessory/hd-500/
It's a real shame samsung removed dock support from the S5.

Round The World with Pixel C

Hi,
I prepare a world tour for 1 year with departure this summer.
I have a tower PC and a Pixel C (just the tablet actually). So I can't take the PC with me for a problem of size
So I tell myself let's go with Pixel C ! And I'm here for wise advises.
Which accessorize are necessary for a suitable equipment for my trip ?
I think to the Keyboard google and a bluetooth mouse.
Do you think it's ok with this ? Wich accessories in more for you ?
Or don't take the Pixel C, it's very laborious ?
Thanks in advance for your advices and maybe on the road
This USBC hub/ethernet adapter should cover you for a lot of stuff. Use any mouse via the usb port, and definitely get the Google Keyboard. I use this setup for my onsite toolkit and only take my pixel c on vacation, no more laptop for me!
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ethernet-Including-ChromeBook-Aluminum/dp/B00XU6PM68
A year is a long time. The main issue you'll have with long term travel around the world is damage to your tablet, unexpected bad weather, and sustained access to reliable electricity with good power sockets. You must also be able to cope with the Pixel C getting totally messed up if you tweaked it.
Personally I like the magnetic keyboard, but the most protective would be the folio keyboard as it protects the rear also. I use a regular 10" size foam case I got years ago for a netbook for packing protection. A waterproof bag to handle the worst nature can throw at you. A small 16L type size will be enough. There are waterproof foam protective cases.
You need to be able to survive a bad ROM and a need to restore, so some kind of USB storage external to make the odd TWRP Recovery backup. Either a Type-C connector or another type and an adapter. The adapter is a good idea as it lets you use other chargers/cables.
To survive a bricked Pixel C you'll need a PC with fastboot and ADB. One trick is to make a bootable USB stick with Ubuntu and install the fastboot and adb software. You can then borrow a laptop and boot it off the stick and then fix your Pixel C, without having to install anything on the borrowed laptop.
A moderately large USB battery. A compact one like 10000mah. Ones which charge faster like off 3A would be better.
A multiport USB charger, so you can make fast use of time near mains power. The Pixel C is my only full Type-C on USB3 device, and there aren't many type-C 3A output multiports. So imagine you're moving a lot and all your batteries going flat and you got like 30min-1hr near a mains socket, and its located at an awkward location.
Avoid chargers where the PSU is right off the plug, as they are a weight which simply falls out of an unreliable power socket, go for the type with a long cord and you put the local socket adaptor on so its light weight in the plug.
Below are not recommendations, they are illustrative examples.
Multiport power adapter https://www.anker.com/products/A2053111
USB battery https://www.anker.com/products/A1371011
Case, this one is too big so look around http://www.amazon.com/Lacdo-Waterpr...r_1_20?srs=10611327011&ie=UTF8&qid=1461473826
Thank you for your answers.
The bag is a good idea for Pixel's protection. I think before at a freezer bag for humidity but at 12 € the bag, it's better I go look if they have at the perfect size.
For the Kyeboard, the magnetic keyboard will be protect in the waterproof bag so he has my preference and the folio keyboard isn't available in France
Fot the hub, with information and search I have an hesitation about two Anker that proposed by "jptechnical" : (sorry not possible to put links because new user)
- Anker : Three USB 3.0 ports and one USB-C recharging port
- Anker : Two USB 3.0 ports, One Ethernet and one USB-C recharging port
I don't know if i have more interest for the third Usb 3 or the Ethernet Why not a hub with 3 usb + Ethernet who allow charge ?
I have three questions about these hub :
- Can I use it and charging the Pixel in the same time ?
- Can I charging Pixel + Smartphone with ?
- If I connect Pixel + smartphone + External Hard disk, can I transfer Photo from Smartphone to Hard disk ?
For The external battery I go take one, she seems very well but a few expensive so I continued my search.
For the wall Charger, I'm less seduce because for use it, you need a power outlet so I can directly connect the Pixel C and the external battery can help it seems to me.
I've been doing a fair bit of travel and I used to have a TF201. (Android Transformer Prime)
The main things I can tell you about my experience with that is.
1. Cover. Its always getting thrown around on desks and other surfaces.
2. Picture Uploads. Throughout all of my trips I made a point of regularly uploading all the pictures and videos I took on the trip to the cloud in case of loss or stolen camera/s.
That being said I would suggest like the previous person a good hub! Preferably one with the right ports for your camera cards. (Micro SD and SD?)
3. Power. Extra long power cables are great!! and battery pack for on the go charging for both your phone and tablet. If you have the right cords you can charge your phone off the tablet anyways which is always a bonus.
4. Connectivity. Both the pixel C and my last tablet were WiFi only. So I've found the best way to stay connected is buying a local sim-card and hot-spotting from the phone where WiFi isn't available. Which refers back to #3. Hot-Spotting chews power.
And the last thing I would suggest is a power board. Its come in handy for all my travels. I just buy 1x international adapter and have all my local power units plugged into the one board! Makes it much easier IMO.
Other than that Enjoy your trip!
Thank you for all your answers, just to equip now
empacher90 said:
Hi,
I prepare a world tour for 1 year with departure this summer.
I have a tower PC and a Pixel C (just the tablet actually). So I can't take the PC with me for a problem of size
So I tell myself let's go with Pixel C ! And I'm here for wise advises.
Which accessorize are necessary for a suitable equipment for my trip ?
I think to the Keyboard google and a bluetooth mouse.
Do you think it's ok with this ? Wich accessories in more for you ?
Or don't take the Pixel C, it's very laborious ?
Thanks in advance for your advices and maybe on the road
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would recommend a Chromecast, that way you could even connect your Pixel C to a friend's TV Screen or use mirracast in a hotel room to watch some stuff on the TV in your hotel room. All the Best

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