I wanted to break this off since the other topic was looking to be mostly about the LCD's
floatpoo said:
I wanted to see if the blank sockets on the system board were active. So I grabbed my multimeter and tested each pin to see if any delivered power. I don't know if these sockets are controlled by software, but it looks like these sockets are inactive.
(cant post link ref other thread....)
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I'm an electronics tech (avionics really) just so you know my background, and I am by no way a programmer i just hack my way throught when i need... poorly at that. I'm a long time reader but don't post much.
I havent taken mine apart yet, I bought it for the wife to use as an ereader she was using her evo before and already has bad eyesight I just dont think reading on that small screen is good for her. However we planned on returning it today because she couldn't get anything to work... But i loaded VAGAn-Tab rom on it and she likes it ALOT more now, but we still might be returning it (she thinks it to big and heavy to hold). So all I have to work with is the internal pics posted by other members and I thank you for them!
I was thinking about using a mini pci card with 3g/4g and GPS to solve my problem like this one for Sprint Customers looks very nice and they claim android support. Could someone please verify the length available for the card from the socket to the mounting holes? It should be around 50mm but i cant tell from the pic.
I cant post a link so google
franklinwireless
M600_datasheet_v1.pdf
Then after more research I figured out that think I can get the GPS to work on the board. I found that the RXM-GPS-SG-T looks to be the exact chip they are using, the pin look to match exactly VCC, GND, RX, TX, RF, VOUT. So they are using an active GPS antenna (but could be modded for passive). They use NMEA-0183 or SiRF Binary output selected by a serial command. So we need to figure out if the TX is going to U39 making U39 the interface to the unit, or directly to somewhere else (idk need to see board) I hope i can attach my pic i made or maybe an admin can post it for me.
However the PCI slot might be just as hard to use, the pin 20 that has 3.3v isnt what we want, but it could be a software control to disable/enable the card. However we still need A+ on pins 2,52 (3.3V), 6,28,48(1.5V) and maybe 24(3.3V Aux) dependeding on the card. We could be dealing with a "Non Standard" connector, they are out there but most OEM's dont bother with them. More likely to find them on a Asus product ect. It's common for the SIM card to be powered by the PCI card itself and the board looks wired that way. I have 2 Digi International Mini PCI express Wifi/Cell Development boards and thats how they both power the SIM card. Pin 16 should goto Pin 1 on the sim card, 14->2, 12->3, 10->6 but maybe 7 or 8.
Getting the Power to it could be software or hardware. Looks like around U8 on the frontside could a Vreg setup, Or it could be as simple as putting in some 0 ohm resistors around R15 and R14. We also see that U7 is unpopulated on backside. So that leave us with U7,U8, R15, and R16 which could mean they are all part of the same circuit if they laid it out with any logic. TP1,2,and 3 also make me believe this is true, however they match up to LED_WPAN#, LED, WLAN#,and LED_WWAN#. I sure wish they match the power input pins, but that means all those missing resistors could just be for unpopulated status LED's. Like I've said over and over i cant tell ya unless i can probe around the board.
As far as the memory, yes its possible, I do BGA replacement at work. What I am afraid of is that the other memory chips look to be exactly on the other side and I'd be afraid of messing them up. I'd have to look at my jig at work and see if I could set it up without any problems.
I'm no electronics expert but I dabble. I'd be interested in internal GPS and a memory boost. I'm pretty confident in my soldering skills and would try something if directed by someone smarter than me.
This is something I am very interested in. Any new info on this?
ihaveathumb said:
This is something I am very interested in. Any new info on this?
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I sadly no longer own a G tablet, wife thought it was to heavy to read books, and hated the screen. I cant argue with her on either of those points, so we returned it. However I got the ok to buy a referb on if i can find one, but when I did at my local store i showed them the paper and they told me they dont sell that stuff there and send me away. I talked to 3 different people too basically all told me to go f off. I even tried another time with the 7" they sell same results. I dont know why it gets listed on the website if they wont sell it.
Not to get sidetracked, but i even did by the proper bga fittings to solder the ram chips too lol..
So no its probably not going to go any farther from my stand point, if anyone wants my help I still read the forums everyday.
I'm just gonna wait and see what comes out in the future that XDA gets behind, because I'de never buy anything that didnt have an active community here.
IF you were looking for a reader fo rher mainly, you should've really gone with the Nook Color... eInk devices are good too IF you don't really need good PDF support and/or need it to read more complexly formatted documents, e.g. technical manual, mathematics texts, etc. i.e. eInk is best suited for ficiton and other simply formatted documents, but it VERY readable except in poorly lit conditions where you'd need external lighting of some sort.
Very true I should have bought her a nook, but now she doesnt want it because its not powerful enough for her needs imo. She also wants to login to her school (blackboard) and be able to use overdrive. Plus she likes dungeon defenders and I dont think that can handle it. We are just gonna wait it out and see what comes along, mostly cause we have our first due next month, so trying to be frugal.
mystkrh said:
Very true I should have bought her a nook, but now she doesnt want it because its not powerful enough for her needs imo. She also wants to login to her school (blackboard) and be able to use overdrive. Plus she likes dungeon defenders and I dont think that can handle it. We are just gonna wait it out and see what comes along, mostly cause we have our first due next month, so trying to be frugal.
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Yep, you'll want a full blown tablet then and I suspect that the NC would be too much of a bother to get setup for her for what she wants it for...
All the 10" tablets are fairly heavy too, so you'll probably have to stick to looking for 7/8" tablets and I suspect Tegra 2 or multi-core cortex-a9 SoCs from other mfgs... not much in the way of 7" ATM other than the elocity a7 (was c. $300 around xmas), but it's not very hacker friendly and I don't know if they ever got the USB port to run in non-host mode... probably best to not even look at it...
The g Tablet would, as many have already said, be a great tablet if it had gps mainly and increased memory. Adding pci-e would be even better. I would be extremely happy with the addition of gps. I would be very tempted to allow somebody with expertise and high level of confidence of success to experiment on my tablet.
GPS+
Just bought my Gtab yesterday. As you know the stock Roman/UI sucks big time. I installed Clockwork followed by CyanogenMod 7 and what a difference. Anyway I looked on the web for a dock and it seems there is a Chinese version of the Gtab that has higher spec's including GPS. It would seem logical to assume the U.S. motherboard has the same circuits built in. Who knows what's possible....
It's too bad that more people don't feel like tearing up their electronics to start soldering things to them.
It has been over 5 months since I purchased Nexus S but I've yet to found a person that owns Nexus S nor ran into a place that uses NFC technology.
I was wondering if there is a way to test NFC.. maybe like a purchase a chip or sticker (if there is, could anyone help link to a NFC that is compatible with Nexus S)?
Are these re-writeable too? And what are somethings I can do with it? Like turn on/off the light?
Thanks!
Well Portland, OR is a "test market" and I'll be there tomorrow, so I'll see what I find.
My guess is nothing more than NFC stickers on businesses similar to codes you can simply scan with your camera.
I mean you can hold your credit card (if it's a blink capable card on the back) and it will beep at you, but NFC is far in it's infancy to be useful.
This app can do stuff when comes in contact with certain NFC chips and can also rewrite them. At that thread you can find suggestions about which chips works fine with our phones and where to buy them from.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=980741
if your in the uk try smartcardfocus, i have used them for stickers and postage was very quick.
I'm in U.S.
I like these (http://www.tagstand.com/collections/mifare-classic-stickers/products/nfc_circle_25mm_l) but these are sold out at the moment.
Thanks for the app link. Now I have better understanding of what it can do!
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-5...anytime/?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
The interesting part of the article is about the NFC sticker option for "any" phone. I think both ISIS and Google Wallet need to kick things into gear if they don't want to get left behind. That being said, it might take a little time for this to roll out in the USA as well.
Hello, I have a question about magnetic card reader. In Croatia students have something we call xica. We use it to to pay for food in student cantines, to enter librarys and so on. My question is can I somehow use my galaxy insetad of xica. Or anything other for that matter?
I doubt it. The technology is proprietary, so I don't see them releasing the source code you would need to use it.
I was given a free Xfinity Flex streaming device when I signed up for their internet service. The device includes only the apps that they chose to make available and the functions they offer, which I find a problem.
One good example is that the device has an HDMI input port as well as an HDMI output port, but they have that port disabled with no way to enable it.
I would also like to add the Hoopla Digital app to the device, as my local library offers a subscription to it.
Has anyone managed to unlock this device?
Dave
It would be swell if there was anything even remotely indicating that this box could be hacked in any way, but I'm afraid there hasn't been. Not now and not for the last few years or so that I've been keeping an eye out for developments/chatter. if I was capable of hardware hacks on that level I would be the first to take a crack and share the tek if successful... Alas, I am not so until someone who is capable also finds sufficient motivation to do so, this thing'll be nothing more than a glorified paperweight (or pair of paperweights, if you want to put its remote to use, too... Though I haven't actually been searching to see if there are any hacks for the remote itself, independent of the apparently impenetrable box it's paired with)
I'm sick of this thing taking up space among my parts drawer. Plus it looks pretty slick, is entirely wrapped in silicone (remote too) or something similar and would generally make a nice addition to any of my TV's if I could just forgo, like... everything currently on the box. Or at least all of the restrictive elements/hardware and software blocks, etc. I need to get over my hesitancy to throw any old tech away for want if its parts and just toss this one...
If I had the first clue re: where I'd even start...