[Q] Superpad Flytouch 7/8 serial over USB host? - General Questions and Answers

Hi,
I'm trying to learn about serial communication with devices from an Android tablet via USB host mode. I have a tablet, I have the devices, I have the apps... they just won't talk. It's most likely something to do with the firmware on my odd tablet, or maybe I'm just missing something stupid.
The tablet:
SUPERPAD FLYTOUCH
10.2" >24GB< ANDROID 4.0 TABLET A10 1.5Ghz CPU | 1GB RAM
"About this Tablet" says:
Model: BC1003
Android 4.04
Baseband ver 1.5rc4
Kernel 3.0.8 [email protected] #2 Mon Aug 6 15:23:31 CST 2012
There are 2 USB-A ports on this device. One has a physical switch that goes from device to host mode, comes with a male-male cable for attaching to a PC. The other port is host only. I can connect a USB thumb drive and it mounts just fine, shows up in the file manager, no problems. Same for a USB keyboard. It powers any USB device I've plugged into it.
The problem:
It works well enough for most things. But, I've now run into two applications that won't use the host USB port on the thing. Both seem to want to do basic serial communication. At this point, those 2 apps are about the only things I actually want to do with it, so I'm willing to experiment.
I have a USB oscilloscope that comes with an Android app. The app installs and runs fine, but it won't recognize the hardware usb device I've plugged in. Annoying, but I don't really need it. I've recently purchased some digital scales(DROs) for my lathe/mill. There's an Android app that interfaces these scales to an Arduino device via USB. Installs fine, won't connect to the Arduino. Okay, now this is starting to get annoying. Also, for what it's worth, the Android app for doing general Arduino stuff didn't work either.
So, the USB hardware works enough to connect a USB thumb drive or keyboard but the firmware won't use said hardware to do what I want.
The questions:
Am I doing something wrong? Is there an app I can install that enables serial communication over USB host mode? Am I missing something stupid?
Is there any other firmware I can run that will allow this communication? I think I've got the Windows utility that will allow me to flash the rom. I've watched the youtube vids on dis-assembly so I can pull the internal tf/sdcard and make a full dd backup. I'm assuming it contains the roms and everything else. Actually, I'm thinking about just pulling said card and replacing it with a smaller one for experimenting. Will I still be able to flash it using the windows LiveSuite utility even with a blank card inserted?
At this point, I'm willing to play. I mean, it's still useful enough to be careful, but I'm willing to take some chances and put a little work into it. If I can get it running with the DRO software while talking over USB to the Arduino, I'd sacrifice everything else. GPS, battery life, wifi, screen rotation, sound, whatever. I'd just bolt the thing next to the mill and that's that. Failing that, I'll put it back to stock and stick it on the fridge for my wife to look up recipes, Yeah, poor tablet... motor oil and metal swarf or cooking oil and flour. No happy retirement for this tablet, sitting in a drawer gathering dust.
Any hints, links, recommendations, or directions appreciated.
David...

Related

Google TV hack!

Greetings Programs!
I have found the recovery menu for Sony's Google TV/BluRay player!
Here are the details on how to access it (from my original post here: androidforums.[COM]/google-tv/201827-sony-google-tv-hack.html)
OK... so I found out how to get into recovery mode on the Sony Google TV/BluRay player that was released yesterday.
1.Have everything plugged into the unit except the power coord. Have the power coord in your hand.
2.Press and hold the power button and plug the unit in.
3.Continue to hold down the power button for 3 seconds after plugging it in, then release the power button.
4.Wait a couple of seconds and it will say Sony, then you will see the recovery screen.
5.After it loads, press and hold the connect button on the unit. Then follow the directions at the bottom of the screen (Press and hold ALT+ENTER) for 8 seconds/until the bottom message changes. It will change back to it saying that you have to press the CONNECT button, but your remote IS connected.
6.You can now press the numbers assigned to the commands!
WARNING: This could possibly brick your unit and could possibly void your warranty. I am not responsible for anything that happens to your device.
I am going to work on trying to find working drivers and I am going to try to use the Android SDK Tools to install some applications, or at the least try to execute some shell commands. Hopefully we can root it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lets start hacking!
awesome, I will have to keep my eye on this. google TV plus angry birds would be awesome.
Looking forward to seeing this thing cracked! I'm hoping someone will be able to get a USB tuner to work on one, so those without cable or satellite will be able to get TV content without the hassle of another set-top box.
Nice.... Wonder what the possibilities are
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
OK Guys, I am still working on it. Heres a video of me booting it into the recovery mode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L21guovXDsc
Thanks for the information about recovery, I tried it, and was able to get into recovery. I tried writing the logfile to USB, and it "seemed" to work, but after mounting the USB stick on my linux machine, I didn't see any files there.
I bought the Sony NSZ-GT1 so I could port my Android app Better Terminal Emulator Pro onto Google TV. I already ported it to Android-x86 in preparation for this, but seems like I could not ADB into the Google TV over Ethernet. Frustrated, I decided to take a screwdriver to my Google TV, and did a "teardown" as a result. You can see what the guts look like here:
http://www.magicandroidapps.com/wiki//index.php?title=Main_Page#Sony_NSZ-GT1_Google_TV_Teardown
Sorry the pictures are not that great, I used my Moto Droid to take them, and the lighting was terrible.
-Howard
hharte said:
Thanks for the information about recovery, I tried it, and was able to get into recovery. I tried writing the logfile to USB, and it "seemed" to work, but after mounting the USB stick on my linux machine, I didn't see any files there.
I bought the Sony NSZ-GT1 so I could port my Android app Better Terminal Emulator Pro onto Google TV. I already ported it to Android-x86 in preparation for this, but seems like I could not ADB into the Google TV over Ethernet. Frustrated, I decided to take a screwdriver to my Google TV, and did a "teardown" as a result. You can see what the guts look like here:
magicandroidapps.com
Sorry the pictures are not that great, I used my Moto Droid to take them, and the lighting was terrible.
-Howard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ETHERNET? Hasnt anyone tried USB A to USB A cable? I've been busy all day. Gonna go get one tomorrow and figure it out for myself I guess. Can't stand that they have ALREADY corrected the hulu fix for the thing. Why shouldn't I be able to access my paid July plus account? Oh well.
Try USB a to USB a!!!!!
USB A to A will definitely not work. All of the USB ports are connected through internal SMSC 4-port hubs. There are two hubs in the unit, one in the back with 3 ports going to external connectors, and one going to the WLAN module. Up front there is another 4-port hub going to the front USB connector, and presumably to a BT module, but I didn't take mine far enough apart to be sure.
There is one large connector over near the CPU that might have some debug stuff on it.There are also about three 4-pin connectors populated, one of which might be a UART. There is also a footprint for another. Tomorrow I'll get my oscilloscope out and see if any of those pins wiggle on boot.
-Howard
hharte said:
USB A to A will definitely not work. All of the USB ports are connected through internal SMSC 4-port hubs. There are two hubs in the unit, one in the back with 3 ports going to external connectors, and one going to the WLAN module. Up front there is another 4-port hub going to the front USB connector, and presumably to a BT module, but I didn't take mine far enough apart to be sure.
There is one large connector over near the CPU that might have some debug stuff on it.There are also about three 4-pin connectors populated, one of which might be a UART. There is also a footprint for another. Tomorrow I'll get my oscilloscope out and see if any of those pins wiggle on boot.
-Howard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the big long/wide plug. I was looking at the inside of my box too. First day jitters. Anyway, I was also going to start looking for a serial port connection through one of those ports. Good luck and post right away if you find something!
If somene with an ethernet sniffer who has not booted their box yet can catch a sniff of the update download, it might be possible to get the update.zip URL, then we could try hacking the update and install it via recovery. This method was very popular with Android devices... but there you could get the update URL from the logcat
-Howard.
Have we not figured out how to use log copy? It doesn't seem to like anything i plugged in to copy to...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Great job guys! My friend is going to be getting a GTV later this week, and I will try to get it from him before he boots it up. Guess I will stop trying USB A to USB A.
Will post results later tonight.
Another possibility is to try and find the kernel source. If you look in Settings, system Information, Open Source Licenses, there is a site on Google Code that is supposed to contain the GPL'd components:
http://code.google.com/p/googletv-mirrored-source/
Going there doesn't show much except one user space component, and a link to a Sony mirror site:
http://products.sel.sony.com/opensource/
I couldn't find anything useful on the Sony site, but maybe someone else will have better luck.
I'll also try plugging in a USB Serial adapter, but my expectations are pretty low that I'd be able to get a console from that. It's interesting that there are so many USB ports on the Google TV. I wonder what other USB peripherals might be supported? I can see the front port being used for a USB memory stick, and maybe one on the back for a camera, but that still leaves two unused ports. Any idea what Sony/Google might have intended them for?
-Howard
http://www.magicandroidapps.com - Home of Better Terminal Emulator Pro
hmm
I have this unit and usb keyboards and mice do work . Also iremember a rep saying the logitech cam would work with the sony blu-ray also. I think you would need to wait for the android store to open though for an app that uses it.
hharte said:
I couldn't find anything useful on the Sony site, but maybe someone else will have better luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you look here : sony.net/Products/Linux/TV/NSZ-GT1.html
That looks like it, thanks! Nice that they have minicom and busybox listed there, so there is hope that some hacking tools are preloaded on the Google TV.
-Howard
Not sure if this helps anyone or not, but i ran a port scan on my box and there are 2 ports 9551 and 9552 that are accepting TCP connections.
nmap -p - <IP address of NSZ-GT1>
result :
PORT STATE SERVICE
9551/tcp open unknown
9552/tcp open unknown
I tried to get ADB to connect to those ports but did not work.
Steps that I tried :
1) export ADBHOST=<IP address of my PC>
2) adb kill-server
3) adb devices
No ADB devices were returned
4) adb connect <IP address of Sony NSZ-GT1>:9551
5) adb shell
Got error "error: device offline"
6) repeat steps 4 and 5 except with port 9552 and got same result
I am no expert in any of this stuff so the above might just be sending someone down a rabbit hole but I figured I might share in case it might be helpful to some of the smarter people on here.
Try "adb devices" and see if it show anything.
I looked at the kernel from the Sony site:
http://www.sony.net/Products/Linux/TV/NSZ-GT1.html
Here are some findings:
Linux kernel version: 2.6.23.18_nl-btv
Kernel config:
arch/i386/configs/btv_defconfig
CONFIG_USB_SMSC9500=m
Note the SMSC 9500 USB/Ethernet is one of only two loadable modules in the kernel config. Maybe this has some significance, like maybe they use a second Ethernet port for development.
-Howard
Very interesting.... I am thinking of getting a second unit to try to intercept the update.zip.... would anyone be able to tell me how I would do this?

[Q] Android and micro usb peripherals

I'd like to connect to android powered tablet several peripherals (through micro usb I guess) like: couple of rs-232 ports, keyboard and even one rj12 port.. as I guess it's possible to create usb-hub-device to all this functions, and develop drivers for it.. I just never dealt with stuff like this before. What of it is possible and mb android have built-in support of some interfaces and devices..? goal is to make cheapest solid touch tablet based complete device.
For this to work, your Phone needs special USB-OTG-capable hardware. I doubt it has. If you don't know what it is and why it is definitely needed, google for USB OTG (on-the-go).
Of course, a simple USB host connector would do as well, but no phone has one (but some tablets do).
No android phone out now has USB host support, nor the drivers to run any peripherals.
thx for answrs, looks like its possible but I need to port usbhost module to device kernel.. and perpherals drivers modules too.

MTP and Gal Tab 7+ on Mac....

Okay, so I just bought a Samsung Galaxy 7.0 Plus Wifi. I have a 16gb microSD card in it (which I can write to thanks to another thread in this forum).
I looked up info on MTP and found that it works seamlessly with Windows, but needs an Android app for Mac. Okay. not optimal, but I can deal. I downloaded and installed "Android File Transfer" (v1.0.16..6656).
I plug my GT+ into my Mac. The tablet says it is initializing MTP, then switches to "USB Connected - MTP-Connected".
Sounds good, right?
When I launch the "Android File Transfer" on my Mac, I immediately get a pop up window saying "No Android device found. Please connect your Android Device with a USB cable to get started."
I've tried rebooting. I've tried different cables and different USB ports (although all of the above work with other devices).
What on earth am I doing wrong???
KnoxBNYC said:
I looked up info on MTP and found that it ... needs an Android app for Mac.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does? Ooopps. I've been using it all this time without an app I need? I hate when that happens.
Seriously - at least for Snow Leopard, I'm not using any special apps and it works. I can't remember at the moment, but I might have had to tap the USB icon thing in the notification bar to activate something on the tablet (or maybe that was on my gingerbread phone... I can't remember now, and my mbp isn't available at the moment.)
Get rid of the excess stuff, plug it in... if you don't get the drives available on the mac, tap the USB symbol on the notification bar on the tablet and see if there's an option to turn it on or something...
garyd9 said:
It does? Ooopps. I've been using it all this time without an app I need? I hate when that happens.
Seriously - at least for Snow Leopard, I'm not using any special apps and it works. I can't remember at the moment, but I might have had to tap the USB icon thing in the notification bar to activate something on the tablet (or maybe that was on my gingerbread phone... I can't remember now, and my mbp isn't available at the moment.)
Get rid of the excess stuff, plug it in... if you don't get the drives available on the mac, tap the USB symbol on the notification bar on the tablet and see if there's an option to turn it on or something...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, that certainly is strange. I'm running Lion (v10.7.2), so you'd think it would work there as well.
I tried tapping the USB symbol where it says "USB Connected / MTP-connected". No dice. It just goes away like it isn't really tappable.
You did make me think to look System Information -> Hardware -> USB to see if the system at least recognized the tablet (Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus). It does, as you can see by the attached screen cap (the "Android Phone" listed is my HTC EVO 3D, and yes, I've tried this without it being attached.).
Any other ideas?
I have an iMac with Lion and I could never get the Android Transfer App to work. But what does work is an app by Samsung called Kies. Do an app search on the Android Marketplace to find it. You'll find more reviews there, than at the Samsung website.
You will also need Mac version of the app as well. Should be at the Samsung site; probably under support, since you're now looking for a Mac app.
While it states that it will connect via Wi Fi, and I'm sure it will, I have my iMac hardwired, so I had to access my Tab7+ using USB. You'll have to try it to see if has the features you are looking for.
G.B.
And remember, talking dogs always lie.
Use the USB ports on the Mac directly
I had this same problem with the MTP-connection message on my Gingerbread Android device (Samsung Galaxy IIS Epic Touch 4G, ...yes, it is a long name! I know.) with no acknowledgement of connection on my Mac Mini running OSX Lion 10.7.4. The curious part was that my Macbook Pro also running Lion was seeing it with no problems at all using the same USB cable.
So finally it hit me, I tried connecting the USB cable directly to the USB ports on the back of the Mac Mini and problem solved! I got on my Mac Desktop two new drives, one for the internal memory and the other one for the microSD card! (Both with read/write permission)
I must add that I was trying it originally through a Belkin powered USB 2.0 hub (7 ports), but apparently something is not working right for the Mac trying to connect to the Android device through the USB hub.
I hope this helps some of you out there!

Samsung SM-T713 (Galaxy Tab S2 8.0) Wifi Only Tablet

I've recently started flying quadcopters (DJI Phantom 4 Pro & 3DR Solo). I've been using a Gen 3 iPad to display inflight video and telemetry which also augments the handheld controller. Thing is, iPad brightness is unimpressive in sunlight and there are android apps for the 3DR that are not available to iOS.
So I went to Best Buy and purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 8.0 with a fairly bright OLED display. I was operating under the deluded impression that the device would USB tether to the Phantom and 3DR controllers as seamlessly as the iPad. It didn't. Specs on the android tablet are as follows:
Device: gts28vewifi
Model: SM-T713 (T713XXU2APK6)
Build: MMB29M
OS: Samsung implementation of Marshmallow 6.0.1
On board memory: 32 GB
External SD memory: 256 GB of U3.
The first issue that I immediately noticed while attempting to connect the Samsung tablet to the Phantom Controller was the small window containing three app icons that repeatedly cycled open & closed as soon as I connected the USB cable from the Phantom controller to the T713 tablet. I started fooling around with setting USB modes (Charging, MTP, PTP, Midi, etc.) thinking that there was a mode incompatibility with the Phantom controller. Nothing seemed to work.
So I put the tablet into Developer Mode, enabled USB Debugging, and flipped the OEM lock off. I fooled a bit with trying to set a compatible mode through the Developer interface without much success. Oddly, when I plugged the iPad into the controller and verified connectivity, then unplugged it and plugged in the android tablet, the android tablet worked fine. (until I unplugged the USB cable. Reattaching the cable after detaching did not reinstate connectivity.)
After fooling around for over 4 hours without any reliable success, I decided that maybe Samsung's USB implementation on this WiFi-Only tablet was less than stellar and I should look at rooting the T713 with a build that implemented USB more effectively and reliably than Samsung's implementation (maybe Nougat?).
I'm an android virgin for all intents and purposes. I've done a fair amount of work on different flavors of Linux, OS X, iOS, and Windows over the years so I assumed that for a first timer, rooting the T713 would not be trivial. I spent several hours reading up on the protocols and tools for rooting, and specifically as it related to the T713. The signal to noise ratio of online information, especially with respect to the 713, appears to be fairly low. But I did find and use Odin (3.07) to install the TWRP 3.0.2-1 tar file according to one online article. I haven't made any further progress beyond that.
After booting into TWRP I noticed that (1) I could tether between the tablet and a Windows 10 machine and eventually get "adb devices" to return a serial number as well as reboot the T713. But I've not been able to get fastboot to connect nor have I been able to upload SuperSU to the tablet. Checking tablet's log, entries complained that the T713 couldn't mount /data and was unable to find the crypto folder. Then I read that /data needed to be formatted (after I had already tried unsuccessfully to wipe it. Okay, my bad. Can't wipe an unmounted device. I get it.) I did, however, manage to get TWRP to format /data.
Thing is, I "assumed" that /data was formatted since the terminal output didn't give any indication of anything in progress. So I think I must have rebooted the T713. The problem now is that the I've had a slowly flashing "Samsung" splash logo throbbing on screen for the past 4 hours; and I think it's looking at me funny.
I've tried to boot it into Recovery Mode and Download Mode without success. TWRP no longer loads. I'm somewhat lost at this point and would appreciate it if someone could point me in the right direction, or link me to some current material on how to either get back into Recovery Mode, or alternatively help me figure out why I am unable to re-flash the tablet.
Thanks

Is it possible to get out of Android's Kiosk mode with access only to MTK Engeneer?

I made an album with a ton of photos of what I've got access to. Hopefully it helps
https://imgur.com/a/561Ml
I bought a display unit at an auction and it's in android's Kiosk mode. I'd like to be able to use the screen for a few things but I really want to get access to Chrome at a minimum.
I got a keyboard hooked up to it via bluetooth but I'm having difficulty getting anything else done. It's only got an ethernet port and micro USB, no other buttons to get into a boot recovery that I can find. After breaking it down a bit, it does have what appears to be UART pads on the motherboard. I don't know if it helps any but I've got a UART adapter. Plugging the device in via USB only shows "MediaTek PreLoader USB VCOM (Android)" and not much else. It shows up in device manager as 2 storage devices.
Any help getting me up and running will be met with hi-fives!
Thanks guys.
Damn I think I got into the bootloader but it's in chinese.

Categories

Resources