Develop Bugs

My quick € 0,05 on the HDMI adapter

Well, it had to come to this.
While the promise of MHL and "HDMI-out on a smartphone" finally came to reality for the SGS II, Samsung has made a classical design error.
Compounded by the dock not offering any data transfer (let alone MHL) capability, this becomes almost too much to bear.
What's the problem?
- The MHL adapter and its fixed Micro-USB cable simply are too light and flimsy.
- The dock, which one could use to 'weigh down' the whole shebang so it doesn't twist around, doesn't pass-thru any data, let alone allow MHL to work.
With today's high-end HDMI cables being more hefty and massive than average starter cables (you practically need to put them in a vise and use Juggernaut's pliers to bend them into shape), the tiny MHL adapter flips and twists, causing its fixed Micro-USB cable to suffer all kinds of contortions, inevitably causing metal fatigue to its even tinier internal metal parts.
After using the adapter for just a few days, I'm already seeing regular signal drops, audio cutting out, "Signal out of range" messages on my TV, etc.
Twisting and bending the poor thing some more makes them go away for a few minutes, then they return with a vengeance.
I've been searching for the elusive "< 5 Watt HTPC setup" ('<' meaning "less than") for over 15 years, but after trying literally dozens of setups, I'm afraid the SGS II isn't going to make the grade either, unless Samsung seriously consider redesigning both the MHL adapter and the dock.
What would be the solution?
- Make the adapter's Micro-USB cable detachable!! (So you can fix it without having to send the whole thing in for repair)
- Make the dock be able to pass-thru all signals on the SGS II's connector untouched (so you can use it to safely park your smartphone and connect it to your TV (or your PC for that matter) without risk of signal drops or worse: a sudden recoil/twist of your HDMI 'garden hose' sending your precious phone flying thru the living room...)
Just my € 0,05 (corrected for inflation)...

lmao @ Just my € 0,05 (corrected for inflation)..
u r funny but thanks for the heads up

You can always go the DIY way... I'm planning to buy some cheap dock, disassemble it and make it a true pass-through, or - if there'd be enough space - fit the mhl in... But that's still in the air.

i have bought a relatively cheap dock from eBay that passes thru the signal on usb. so I would assume this would also work with HDMI.
i will purchase a cheap hdmi cable in the near future to check it out for myself!

microUSB to maglock kit?

Ever since I got the S2 I've been a bit concerned about that stupid microUSB port. Unlike the Apple 30 pin on my old iPhone or the Samsung 30 pin on my Galaxy Tab, the microUSB connection seems about as sturdy as a matchstick holding up a house. Standard USB my ass, I'd take something sturdy any day.
Anyways, I figured that with all the microUSB devices supposedly out there, someone would have had to have fixed this by now. Then I searched around and found nothing. Basically what I'm imagining is a simple USB plug that plugs into the connector and expands the USB plug to 4 magnetic connection points similar to the magsafe thing on apple's macbooks or the magnetic cable on the blackberry playbook. You'd then have an adapter on the cable that would snap to the magnetic connector on the phone and allow you to connect the two without stressing your microUSB and also make it faster to get connected.
Is there really nothing like this out there?
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id get a patent on that quickly if i were you.

Too lazy to get it produced myself so I'm just happy if somone does it at all

Wouldn't the magnet interfere with the magnetic sensor of the phone?

KBS720 said:
Wouldn't the magnet interfere with the magnetic sensor of the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Magnetic sensor? You mean the digital compass? Not any more than the Smart Cover would do that for an iPad 2, or any case with a battery lock would do it. Very small magnets we're talking about here, their magnetic effect is next to nothing unless directly paired with another magnet.
Here's the kind of magnet I'd imagine being used:
Aside from the Apple and RIM versions of this, the closest I can think of is the Replug: http://www.replug.com/home.php
Not magnetic, and only for audio. Ofc doesn't have to be magnetic if the concept still works, but pretty much have to be microUSB
If you look at the HTC Rhyme, it comes with a charging dock that uses the more common spring loaded pin connection system: http://img.gfx.no/993/993523/topp1.788x525!.JPG
There are pins on the back of the phone that matches up with the three you can see on the cradle. I would be happy with simply something like that, I just don't like how thin and fragile the microUSB connector is compared to 30 pin connectors

You'd just be replacing one cable with another, kinda pointless if you ask me. MicroUSB seems sturdy enough to me

Joey2o11 said:
You'd just be replacing one cable with another, kinda pointless if you ask me. MicroUSB seems sturdy enough to me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's pretty much a safety feature. No more risk of the USB port bending or anything.
For example, my charger won't reach from the wall socket to my bedside table, so I leave it on the floor. Sometimes when walking around in the morning my foot pulls the cable and yanks my SGS2 across the room. With a magnetic connector like this it would simply disconnect and the phone would stay in pretty much the same place instead of getting dragged around with the cable.

D3_ said:
It's pretty much a safety feature. No more risk of the USB port bending or anything.
For example, my charger won't reach from the wall socket to my bedside table, so I leave it on the floor. Sometimes when walking around in the morning my foot pulls the cable and yanks my SGS2 across the room. With a magnetic connector like this it would simply disconnect and the phone would stay in pretty much the same place instead of getting dragged around with the cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, furthermore, the microUSB port would be protected from dust and debris, and not have a connector plugged in and out of the thing all the time. Since I got my SII a few weeks ago and started reading up on it I've seen multiple people have microUSB port issues, so it's obviously not that sturdy.
A third benefit would be a universal connector. MicroUSB is technically a universal connector, but take my situation - an iPad 2, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and an SII. Three different connectors for charging and USB. And two of the devices are the same brand! Say what you want about Apple, but when I had an iPhone and an iPad, at least I only needed one charger, one cable. Here I am with two 2011 generation Samsung devices and they're not even compatible. What's even more ironic, Apple has a 30 pin to microUSB adapter now. Where is the Samsung version of that to make the Galaxy Tab microUSB? A magnetic system like this would allow me to plug a magnetic plug into each of my three devices and use the same magnetic cable with them. This could be expanded with receiver adapters - imagine a Apple 30 pin female connector and a magnetic receiver connector all in one small package that would turn any iPhone dock into a whatever-dock.

Honnestly, production of this could lead to something great. But dont forget that microUSB has 5 pins, so you need 5 small magnet this device could be also made for anyother usb port variant. You would then have an universal usb magnetic port.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

chadouming said:
Honnestly, production of this could lead to something great. But dont forget that microUSB has 5 pins, so you need 5 small magnet this device could be also made for anyother usb port variant. You would then have an universal usb magnetic port.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, but only uses 4 of them. The last one triggers USB host mode when connected to ground. Normal sized USB is only 4 pins so where you make that move from 5 to 4 doesn't matter

Cptnodegard said:
It does, but only uses 4 of them. The last one triggers USB host mode when connected to ground. Normal sized USB is only 4 pins so where you make that move from 5 to 4 doesn't matter
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Theorically, this pin might become usefull one day better having it already open for possibility
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Can I revive this post?
I've been looking for something like this for awhile now and I keep coming back to this post. I'm currently in the process of building a magnetic quick attach micro USB plug, but only for charging. I have bare female and male plugs and some 2mm x 1mm neodymium magnets, and now I just need to create the housing. Probably going to use fimo clay for the prototype.
My biggest problem is creating the connection point between the plug and the receiver. Can't have anything exposed connections on either end, because of electrical shorts and mismatched polarities. Don't need any more fried devices laying around.
The main motivation for this, is charging a phone at night in the dark; it'd make life a little easier. It would also be handy for charging while in the cradle on the dash of a car.
Any ideas or creative input? I'll post photos when I have something to show.

abrahamrobert said:
Can I revive this post?
I've been looking for something like this for awhile now and I keep coming back to this post. I'm currently in the process of building a magnetic quick attach micro USB plug, but only for charging. I have bare female and male plugs and some 2mm x 1mm neodymium magnets, and now I just need to create the housing. Probably going to use fimo clay for the prototype.
My biggest problem is creating the connection point between the plug and the receiver. Can't have anything exposed connections on either end, because of electrical shorts and mismatched polarities. Don't need any more fried devices laying around.
The main motivation for this, is charging a phone at night in the dark; it'd make life a little easier. It would also be handy for charging while in the cradle on the dash of a car.
Any ideas or creative input? I'll post photos when I have something to show.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm always encouraging hardware hacking, and giving a hand if possible, but this is dangerous, and I'll tell you why.
http://www.instructables.com/id/MagSafe-for-the-Rest-of-Us-A-DIY-Magnetic-Power-A/
This is a project that landed on Instuctables a while ago, but the main flaws were these:
)Resistance added by the magnet/copper coupling to attach the two ends, thus heat/other undesirable side effects;
)Sparks, caused by the two sides turning freely.
So, in order to achieve some kind of usability, you would have to ensure that the phone does not provide power to the socket (otherwise you would expose yourself to shorts), and that you could make a rectangular/non-circular plug small enough for it to sit in the micro usb all the time; plus, it should not have a high resistance, so that it would not generate too much heat, slowing down the charge at best, cooking the phone at worst.
All this looks quite complicated to me :/

Guys I thought I would revive this post to any one following or watching, I have also been looking for this and I think our prayers have been answered:
SNAPS Kick starter
I cant post links till i have posted 10 times so search Google for SNAPS Kick Starter
I think this KickStarter is what everyone is looking for. A mag safe type of connector for Micro USB and for Lightning connection. The price is amazing and this is not a concept this is a 'we already have everything just the bigger the first order the better'.
There is also this on Amazon but it only comes with a USB end to plug into a wall wart or computer so if you have a cable inside your car etc you cant convert it you would have to replace it if you can
Again cant post links so search google for "PLESON Premium Magnetic cable Micro USB Cables" it will be on amazon.
I hope this helps everyone and if someone else can post links please do so to these products so others can benefit form them!

Caspan said:
Guys I thought I would revive this post to any one following or watching, I have also been looking for this and I think our prayers have been answered:
SNAPS Kick starter
I cant post links till i have posted 10 times so search Google for SNAPS Kick Starter
I think this KickStarter is what everyone is looking for. A mag safe type of connector for Micro USB and for Lightning connection. The price is amazing and this is not a concept this is a 'we already have everything just the bigger the first order the better'.
There is also this on Amazon but it only comes with a USB end to plug into a wall wart or computer so if you have a cable inside your car etc you cant convert it you would have to replace it if you can
Again cant post links so search google for "PLESON Premium Magnetic cable Micro USB Cables" it will be on amazon.
I hope this helps everyone and if someone else can post links please do so to these products so others can benefit form them!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah.. i found it a week ago, https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1041610927/znaps-the-9-magnetic-adapter-for-your-mobile-devic
but.. they need to answer the questions of security also.. liko that post above of instructables..

this smartphone is horrible, iphone 4s is the best phone of the history , you understand it?!!!

DIY docks & hacking docks tripping dock mode & AC charging mode

Update: Desk dock resistor value found & additional connector sources found thanks to mikejr83
I went through all of this with my Captivate a year or 2 ago, and figured it might be nice for Galaxy S 3 owners as well. You can see the history at http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=12169590
Dock mode
Samsung phones will trip their dock mode when they sense a resistor of a particular value between the ID (pin 4) & Ground (pin 5) pins on the micro USB connector
Car mode - 619k ohm (Validate on my Galaxy S 1 & Galaxy S 3)
Desk mode - 365k ohm (confirmed finally thanks to mikejr83 cracking open the SGS3 dock his wife got him. 1k ohm for SGS1 & 1k or 365k for the SGS2)
Parts
The only appropriate solution I was able to find (a year or 2 ago messing with my old Captivate) was a USB MicroB Plug Breakout Board which was pretty decent at $4 + shipping.
mikejr83 found some slightly different micro USB connectors at Digi-Key ($0.66 each + reasonable shipping, $2 is the minimum Digi-Key order) and on E-bay (10 for $4 + $1 shipping) as well.
The Zenis SGS2 dock fits the SGS3 reasonably well & runs about $10 on Ebay (free shipping, but it takes about 2 weeks to come over from asia), It does not trip dock mode & just has micro USB passthrough connectors. According to this XDA thread it's easy to pull appart & looks to be very hackable.
Chopping up a micro USB connector will not work, they only have 4 wires & the pin #4 you need access to is buried inside the connector at the end so far you have to destroy the whole connector to get to it
I have a roll of maybe a couple hundred 619k resistors I picked up from a local electronics recycler in my Captivate days. I might start packaging em up and selling them off after I get back from DEFcon if anybody is interested & having a hard time finding them.
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For just dock mode & no other usefulness (like actually charging), you can see what doing a poor job of jamming the resistor in there on the Spark Fun breakout board for testing gets us (photo of my old Galaxy S1 because I'm to lazy to get dig it up and transfer the photos if I take any of my Galaxy S 3 showing the same thing).
AC charging
In order to get "AC charging" which goes up to 750ma instead of "USB charging" which only goes up to 500ma, you merely need to short out the 2 data pins (pin 2/white & pin 3/green) on a normal USB cable. Most people find it easy to short them (the center 2) on the big flat rectangular end (Type A) of a normal USB cable. Given my approach with the breakout board I just soldered a jumper across the 2 data pins on the board.
For my first (and only properly documented) dock build I used Friendly Plastic. Technically called Polycaprolactone it's really easy to work with and melts at around 60 degrees Celsius (140 F), also known as almost the temperature of the dash of my grey truck on a 70-80 degree day.... Oops. It would make a good desk dock, but not a car dock.
Commercial docks & potential mods for them
Given the dirt cheap Infuse dock I picked up I probably won't be working on another car dock unless I decide to put a case on my phone making it not fit in the dock. I have some oven bake modeling clay I'll probably try for that.
At $10-15 it's hard to beat the Zenis dock. On the 2nd page somebody cracked it open and the micro-USB plug looks very similar to the SparkFun one. I don't believe it trips any dock mode, but soldering in the appropriate resistor would be pretty easy. I hope to find the value to trip Desk or Media center dock mode & use Tasker to turn off E-mail and other non-essential noise during the night so as to not roust the wife.
Further information needed
If anybody has any more resistor values for various dock modes or other information to add, let me know.

Can you do both car mode and AC mode at the same time? And any idea if that would be a bad idea off a USB port that's built into a car?

KeithLM said:
Can you do both car mode and AC mode at the same time? And any idea if that would be a bad idea off a USB port that's built into a car?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Standard USB is rated up to 500ma.
AC mode is rated up to 750ma.
You need to make sure your power supply is rated to at least 750ma to safely trigger AC mode. You will have to check with the manufacturers specs on what that USB port is rated for. You can trigger AC mode and any of the dock modes at the same time (verified on my old SGS1 Captivate and I'm 99% sure the SGS3 is the same), they don't use the same pins.
If you are plugging into anything that actually expects data (USB port on a stereo as opposed to just a USB charger) I would disconnect the data (center 2) pins from that end, leave them shorted at the phone end.

Thanks for the info. My car reportedly has an extra USB port behind the dash I was hoping to use, but I can't locate it. So I might have to resort to using a power adapter. If I do that I'll use the 2.1A model from monoprice.com. So I'll use the power option based on which port I end up using.

Let me make sure I'm getting this straight: Using the two values for resistance you have you were only able to get the S3 to trigger into car dock mode, correct? There could possibly be another value which triggers desk dock mode.
My thought would be to get a rheostat and chop up a micro USB cable and adjust the level of resistance till the effect was achieved. Obviously I may have to get more than just a rheostat to achieve the correct range of resistance to try, but eh...
Once I figured out the resistance level I could then make a "desktop dock cable" by placing the resister inline in the micro USB cable. That would be a great solution for me. Thoughts?

mikejr83 said:
Let me make sure I'm getting this straight: Using the two values for resistance you have you were only able to get the S3 to trigger into car dock mode, correct? There could possibly be another value which triggers desk dock mode.
My thought would be to get a rheostat and chop up a micro USB cable and adjust the level of resistance till the effect was achieved. Obviously I may have to get more than just a rheostat to achieve the correct range of resistance to try, but eh...
Once I figured out the resistance level I could then make a "desktop dock cable" by placing the resister inline in the micro USB cable. That would be a great solution for me. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The SGS1 resistor value for car dock worked on the SGS3, no luck with the desk dock resistor.
Resistors are used in that location for non dock stuff too... Jigs to trigger bootloader and recovery mode, etc. I wouldn't try the rhestotat thing personally. Previous values were found in Samsung or the CPU vendors documentation somewhere. I'd start there or use an OHM meter on a dock we know trips desk or media mode.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Fallon said:
Resistors are used in that location for non dock stuff too... Jigs to trigger bootloader and recovery mode, etc. I wouldn't try the rhestotat thing personally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the heads up! :good: I got out my breadboard last night. Had a bit of down time at work and was just getting ready to call a few RadioShacks around town to see if they had some pots in stock (didn't expect them to, but they list a few on their website) so I could hack up a cable this weekend.
One question though, if I had the phone powered on and was to start with a linear taper pot and go from 0 to say 1M ohms (found one that would cover the entire range without me having to add resisters in there) I could possibly trip the phone into bootloader or recovery mode?
It would seem to me that in essence what I would be "doing" is plugging in various USB cables which had a different resistance in that location. It seem odd to be able to take a powered on (even screen unlocked) phone and have it just dump to recovery or bootloader with the plugging in of a cable (assuming that I had the real version of the cable/dock/jig).
That said, I'm glad you gave me a heads up as I might want to do a bit more research on this before I just sit around with my multimeter and a pot going through various resistances just to see what happens. I suppose what "happens" might be something I really, really do not want! Or, maybe I end up finding a way to unlock a VZW phone by accident! Yea, like that'd ever happen!
EDIT:
This new phone has me not writing code and doing more searching around the internets for information! I found this post http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20710266&postcount=14 The poster shows that they use a 365k resistor for car dock. Preceeding posts indicate this was for a S2. I still have to go through my resistor "collection" to see what I have sitting around. I may still hack up a cable this weekend.

Ok. So I got a pot and was setting up a test bed when I cut the end of a mini USB cable. I realized it only has 4 pins. My thought was to use one of the dozens of mini USB cables instead of my limited amount of micro ones for my first tests. Basically I was going to take the A side and plug it into the charger to power my breadboard.
When I saw that there were only 4 pins on the mini B side and hence four wires inside the shielding it got me thinking about the micro B end. Both the micro's and mini's A side have 4 pins. If the micro B side has 5 pins where does that 5th id pin go? Does a micro cable have 5 conductors the length of the wire which the id conductor terminates to ground at the A side?
Now I'm confused on how the accessories are manufactured so as to make the phone go from USB charge mode to A/C mode. I'd really like to sit around now that I have this pot to test various resistances in order to see the outcome. Quick Googling hasn't found any negative side effects (yet...).
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Micro USB has 5 pins with the new 5th pin only existing on one end to use as an ID pin for what end of the cable it is. Makes it easy for the resistors that Samsung uses to trip the various modes.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

I was just looking into what all the pins do because I planned to make a small board with A and B connectors and wire the resistor in there. Now I see that's pointless. I figured the shielding on other connectors was equivalent to the 5th pin.
I'm going to have to strip down a micro USB cable and see what I find in there.

I'd recommend looking at that breakout board from Spark Fun I linked up top.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

http://forums.androidcentral.com/epic-4g-accessories/64959-what-triggers-car-dock-mode.html#anb
Mentions 365k as well as 1k to trigger desk dock. will try it when I get a chance.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2

I've stripped down a micro-USB connector on one of my monoprice.com cables. I've found that the pin is there on the backside of the connector and just not connected to anything. Unfortunately I did too much damage in the process to try and reuse it. I think if I can strip another and be more careful I can expose just the one pin I need, then expose some of the wiring further from the connector and very carefully slice open the ground and connect the two with the resistor. It's also possible the shielding is connected to ground, so I might be able to attach it directly to that. Unfortunately my voltmeter is out of commission so I can't check that at the moment.

KeithLM said:
I've stripped down a micro-USB connector on one of my monoprice.com cables. I've found that the pin is there on the backside of the connector and just not connected to anything. Unfortunately I did too much damage in the process to try and reuse it. I think if I can strip another and be more careful I can expose just the one pin I need, then expose some of the wiring further from the connector and very carefully slice open the ground and connect the two with the resistor. It's also possible the shielding is connected to ground, so I might be able to attach it directly to that. Unfortunately my voltmeter is out of commission so I can't check that at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok. To clarify, the ID pin doesn't have a wire/conductor that runs the length of the wire?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

mikejr83 said:
Ok. To clarify, the ID pin doesn't have a wire/conductor that runs the length of the wire?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely not in the cable I pulled apart. I've looked around for a micro-USB extension cable, but haven't found one so far. Potentially such a cable would have the fifth wire.

Straight from the land of the rising sun! Straight from China! http://www.ebay.com/itm/10Pcs-USB-T...ltDomain_0&hash=item20c49dfc46#ht_2925wt_1163
DIY Micro 5pin male USB connector! $4 for 10 of them. I just ordered a set. Once I get these it should be easy to build a test connector that will run through my pot so we can try different resistances.
This is what I was hoping of finding. I wanted to take a 1.5-3ft USB cable and put an end on it that would put the phone into desk dock mode. That way I could connect the cable to my keyboard and set my phone in a cradle that I previously purchased.
EDIT:
Shipping is a $1. Total paypal amount was $4.99
EDIT 2:
I'm a tard. Also got shipping confirmation. Could take up to 30 days . Hopefully it's on the shorter side of their estimate of 7 days. I guess that gives me some time to put together a monoprice order for some cables.

mikejr83 said:
Straight from the land of the rising sun! http://www.ebay.com/itm/10Pcs-USB-T...ltDomain_0&hash=item20c49dfc46#ht_2925wt_1163
DIY Micro 5pin male USB connector! $4 for 10 of them. I just ordered a set. Once I get these it should be easy to build a test connector that will run through my pot so we can try different resistances.
This is what I was hoping of finding. I wanted to take a 1.5-3ft USB cable and put an end on it that would put the phone into desk dock mode. That way I could connect the cable to my keyboard and set my phone in a cradle that I previously purchased.
EDIT:
Shipping is a $1. Total paypal amount was $4.99
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Japan is the land of rising sun but otherwise great find

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus#section_4
USB 1.x/2.0 Mini/Micro pinout
Pin Name Cable color Description
1 VBUS Red +5 V
2 D− White Data −
3 D+ Green Data +
4 ID None Permits distinction of host connection from slave connection
* host: connected to Signal ground
* slave: not connected
5 GND Black Signal ground
So definitely only 4 wires in a standards compliant cable, not 5. Pin gets left free or shorted directly to ground (or shorted via a resistor in Samsung's case for dock mode)
Nice find on the cheap micro USB connectors.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2

Now that I'm at work and doing nothing really important I've had time to dig through digikey for a similar part. I just don't think I can wait that long to get those other pieces!
The only thing I've been able to find that is close is this:
http://www.digikey.com/scripts/dksearch/dksus.dll?lang=en&mpart=10104109-0001LF&vendor=609&cur=USD
I ordered 3 and had them shipped USPS First Class. That will give me something to test with hopefully by the end of the week.
BTW, it's been such a long time since I ordered anything from digikey that I didn't realize they dropped their minimum order size requirement. It's awesome that they'll ship a $2 order!

Check GPS USB cables... they have all 5 leads
The USB extension cable is common for GPS units. My car radio has garmin built in, and when I added the fm traffic antenna, I needed a Mini USB (not micro) cable and quickly found out that "standard" off the shelf cables only have 4 wires, when the mini and micro usb ends actually have a 5th pin, but it either gnd or n/a at all - the standard extension cables off the shelf are extremely cheap, but useless for an application where the 5th pin is needed. BUT when I search for a GPS cable, it has all 5 pins. Its also about 5x more expension - When I bought mine it was like $25 or something online, but I can't remember where... it was from a GPS outlet place I found online. Just posting my limited experience for those to consider, and maybe prices have changed since then?
GOOD LUCK
(btw: I love this thread, I love building stuff too....)

Acro S - Active Car Holder

I'm searching for an Active Car Holder (Cradle / Dock) for the ACRO S.
with the DK200 Charger Cradle Dock it is easy to Charge the Acro at home.
So do I stick the DK200 into the car. or there is a better possibility.

I would need exactly the same. Only problem is that the desktop cradle holds the phone vertically, but I need it on my dashboard horizontally. For watching TED, navigation, etc.
Options I found so far:
- buy another desktop cradle ($10 on ebay), cut it into two and modify it so the connectors come out from the bottom --> would be ugly I am afraid
- buy a cradle for another phone from KIDIGI , and try to push Acro S into that. For example Xperia S or HTC Incredible has very similar sizes, but I cannot test if it fits unless I buy one... and then I would need to hack it as well to put the connector pins to the bottom
I don't like either options... if anyone would have any other ideas, please let me know

wappali said:
I would need exactly the same. Only problem is that the desktop cradle holds the phone vertically, but I need it on my dashboard horizontally. For watching TED, navigation, etc.
Options I found so far:
- buy another desktop cradle ($10 on ebay), cut it into two and modify it so the connectors come out from the bottom --> would be ugly I am afraid
- buy a cradle for another phone from KIDIGI , and try to push Acro S into that. For example Xperia S or HTC Incredible has very similar sizes, but I cannot test if it fits unless I buy one... and then I would need to hack it as well to put the connector pins to the bottom
I don't like either options... if anyone would have any other ideas, please let me know
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for being out of topic, but for the cradle, do we just pull out the phone, cause it seems like I am going to break either one every time I do it.

I built my own active cradle ...
I bought a cheap hard case from ebay and I modified it so the phone will get in and out easy, then I glued on it some springs for the power connections and I also installed a micro-usb port so I can use any regular car charger with a micro-usb connector.
I also attached to it a suction cup with a multi-angle orientation leg.
I used epoxi resin to put everything together and the final device is extremely functional. I still have to build a case around the springs and micro-usb connector in order to have it "like from the factory".
I'll attach some photos tomorrow (currently the holder is in the car and outside is raining ... not to mention is midnight here )

yeah please please photos - can not sleep before

The photos, as promised
As I already said, is still work in progress (regarding the finishing of the case around the springs and the microusb port) but it is 100% functional.

VERY GREAT WORK :good:
From which Telephone is the cheap hard case?
Which Material are the springs?

This is the exact case I bought (but you can find even cheaper): http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300795656907
As for the springs, those are from a battery holder. you can use even the spring from a mechanical pen.

ro_explorer said:
As I already said, is still work in progress (regarding the finishing of the case around the springs and the microusb port) but it is 100% functional.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice! Would like to mimic that.
I have a USB cable wih plug that I could glew to the back of a cradle, like you did. But what wires from the cable should be connected to the phone? And also, does anyone have any thoughts on the voltage and current that the Acro S expects on that connection? Regular USB values or a bit more?
Frank

Good
Very great work

I know the stock charger is 5v 1.5amp
Sean

what about this car holder: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Windscreen-C...0325?pt=UK_Holders_Mounts&hash=item2574212985

veimus said:
what about this car holder: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Windscreen-C...0325?pt=UK_Holders_Mounts&hash=item2574212985
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
only a passiv holder. No active car-holder. You must put the USB-Charger extra.
active car-holder:
http://www.navisys.de/Brodit-Aktiv-Halter-Zigarettananzuender-fuer-Sony-Xperia-Acro-S
http://www.navisys.de/Brodit-Aktiv-Halter-Festanschluss-fuer-Sony-Xperia-Acro-S

Cant believe this is the top hit on google when looking for a acro S car holder. Jeez, Sony - dont need our money or what?

Hi, I've recently bought micro USB slot - the same as in the picture, but I can't connect it, I do not know which pin is the power supply. I tried 1 and 5, but it did not work. :crying: Does anyone can help me?
Link to pictures:
serwer1314328.home.pl/upload2/GU12.JPG
serwer1314328.home.pl/upload2/GU12.jpg

Review of MHL micro-usb to HDMI adapter w/remote and lots of pics!!!

This is a review of MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) micro-usb to HDMI adapter with a remote: http://www.tvc-mall.com/details/MHL...TV-Adpater-Cable-with-Remote-Control-PCA-380/ and High Speed HDMI v1.4 male-to-male cable: http://www.tvc-mall.com/details/V1....XBOX360-Bluray-Disc-HDTV-DVD-Black-PCA-4196D/
If you guys think this is going to be just another HDMI adapter you have seen so many times in the forum - it's not! Typical adapters have a small converter unit with a male HDMI connector, micro-usb power input, and a cable with micro-usb connector going to your phone. Sure it works, but if you to connect it to your TV you have to fumble around to plug it in in the back panel connecting all the wires in blind or get female-to-male extension cord, and also once you connect the phone - you have to control it by going over to tap that pause button. Well, this MHL adapter got a few bonuses to make it unique.
The main unit is your typical converter which has micro-usb power input, extension cord with micro-usb connector going to the phone, and HDMI connector which is actually female instead of typical male. I think its actually to the advantage because male-to-male HDMI cables are more common than male-to-female extension chords. If you already have one, then you have nothing to worry about, but if you don't I included in my review such high speed cable (v1.4) which is of a fantastic quality, high durability, gold-plated connectors, and for $3 from tvc-mall - its a great value. The micro-usb connector going to the phone is actually 5-pin connector to make this adapter more universal with other phones. But have no worry if you have S3/N2/S4 with 11-pin micro-usb connector. In the package also included a very short 5-pin to 11-pin adapter which seamlessly integrates with a connector, just leave it on since we need to use it with Note 2. You will need to connect power source to keep it happy which also chargers your phone, although as you can see from the pictures recognized as USB source rather than AC (typical for these adapters). Of course, the big bonus in here is a remote control!!! You get all your typical Android control buttons, a separate play/pause/stop, and directional navigation buttons with ok/enter. When you sitting on the couch away from your TV where the phone is connected, to be able to control video stream or navigation is priceless!
Overall, both the adapter and cables (if you don't have one already) are the great value and with a bonus of remote control - make a killer combination for connecting your phone to TV and being able to control it from a distance. I personally was very happy with this order from tvc-mall.
Here are the pictures.
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did you get it to work without placing the device in airplane mode? i noticed it didnt work well unless in that mode....
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium HD app

silentnixon said:
did you get it to work without placing the device in airplane mode? i noticed it didnt work well unless in that mode....
Sent from my SGH-T889 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No airplane mode. Worked as is.

Are you running a stock ROM?
vectron said:
=
Overall, both the adapter and cables (if you don't have one already) are the great value and with a bonus of remote control - make a killer combination for connecting your phone to TV and being able to control it from a distance. I personally was very happy with this order from tvc-mall.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you are not running CyanogenMod or any AOSP-based ROM, because AFAIK, they don't work with MHL/HDMI output. Are you running a stock Samsung ROM?
Thanks much!

Is your TV seeing 720p from the combo?
Sent from my SGH-T889 using Tapatalk 2

I'm stock, not rooted.
TV should see 720p from the phone. In my particular setup I have an old big screen Sony tube TV without hdmi, so I'm using hdmi to AV converter and because of old 4:3 resolution everything gets a bit messed up but I'm not complaining

vectron said:
I'm stock, not rooted.
TV should see 720p from the phone. In my particular setup I have an old big screen Sony tube TV without hdmi, so I'm using hdmi to AV converter and because of old 4:3 resolution everything gets a bit messed up but I'm not complaining
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats actually pretty nice. Might have to pick one up. You ordered it from here? Im always kind of weary ordering from unknown websites.

pyraxiate said:
Thats actually pretty nice. Might have to pick one up. You ordered it from here? Im always kind of weary ordering from unknown websites.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, it's no different than ordering from ebay. With tvc-mall you do have to pay for shipping, but it's not that much and often the more you buy the cheaper shipping per item. But you will also notice their prices are a lot more cheaper than others so shipping cost is offset. Plus, the more stuff you buy the cheaper it is. I have ordered from them for awhile now (all my "almost real" cases were from there - although they don't officially carry it anymore, but unofficially it never hurts to ask them in email ). Even got a roll up drum kit toy for my kids the last time, and placing another order now for a few bluetooth small speakers, some 3.5mm cables, some toys, etc.. Plus, I just ordered a few more of those short usb cables with built in micro-sd card reader (the one I reviewed in my "smiley" cable review); I want to check it out if another cable will work with micro-sd since it didn't work with my original one.
If/when you place an order with them, chime in and share your experience.

Have you noticed any flickering? I've tried 2 different TV's, and only got it to work consistently once. Other times it shows the screen, then after a few seconds, flashes like it lost connect and comes back on.

williamn said:
Have you noticed any flickering? I've tried 2 different TV's, and only got it to work consistently once. Other times it shows the screen, then after a few seconds, flashes like it lost connect and comes back on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are we talking about exactly the same MHL adapter with Note 2 (stock, not rooted)? I can only speak for that setup and it works perfect. I only saw flickering using this setup with Galaxy S4 which has MHL v2 standard. With the setup above it was solid.
What I would suggest first to make sure all the cables are connected properly. What you describing is sounds almost like an intermittent behavior of a loose cable connection. HDMI cables usually have a sturdier connection, but check that anyway. Usually micro-usb is where you get it loose. Another thing to check is the power connection. If you are using 500mA wall charger that will not be enough to power it up, you will be current starving the converter. I was using my 2A oem wall charger.
Good luck!

Exact same adapter (I bought it after seeing your review), but I am running a different Rom (CleanRom 5.0). All connections are fine on the TV side, and I've replugged in the micro-usb (with adapter) into the N2 a few times, with same results. The wall charger should be good as well. Using the GCC app, I get a 1800 avg current.
Will test it more in depth tonight.

williamn said:
Exact same adapter (I bought it after seeing your review), but I am running a different Rom (CleanRom 5.0). All connections are fine on the TV side, and I've replugged in the micro-usb (with adapter) into the N2 a few times, with same results. The wall charger should be good as well. Using the GCC app, I get a 1800 avg current.
Will test it more in depth tonight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there williamn,
How did things go with your unit?

statustray said:
Hi there williamn,
How did things go with your unit?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've only had time to try it once more, and it worked continuously for hours. Haven't changed anything on my phone, used the same cables. Will report back after I test it a few more times.

I got mine in the mail and it charges the phone but thats about it.

Bought it 2 days before but i didnt got it to work... :-/
I m in stock rom but rooted...
any ideas..?

are you guys using 5-to-11 adapter? Also, try to play around with powering it up first and then connecting hdmi cable versus connecting cable first and then powering it up. I actually used mine yesterday and it was working for awhile until my tv started to flicker which suggested connection was getting loose somewhere. Plus, I was playing on non-HD tv with hdmi to component converter and was using 1A external battery to power up this guy. So the power is used for both MHL converter and my HDMI converter, and I'm thinking maybe I should have used 2A charger for it... So just another suggestion maybe to make sure you use higher current charger to power it up?

No Luck for Me on N2 w/CleanRom 5.0
Well, I've had no luck at all. Purchased and received, hooked up as directed with OEM charger to rooted N2 running CleanRom 5.0. Not even a flicker on the Visio set I hooked it to. Phone acknowledges it is being charged, though the microUSB connectors (particularly on the adapter piece) seem a bit sketchy. But no matter what sequence I use to hook up, the TV never indicates even a flicker. Any other suggestions? Any setting on phone that triggers HDMI out? I use USB drives and devices without a hitch otherwise. The MHL Unit lights up and indicates it receives signals from the remote. I just never get a flicker on the TV.

Me neither...tried the 2amp charger also but no luck at all... I ve contacted the supplier and asked for a new one..(have to wait for a couple of weeks.. :-/ ) will try again then...
Is there any possibility that the problem is because we are ''rooted''..?

Better News!
:good: For those having trouble, I'm posting again to report I finally got mine working (except for the remote)! So it's not a problem with being rooted OR with running a custom ROM (at least CleanRom). I don't know about Cyanogen, or others that are not based on/derived from the orginal stock ROM, but I'm delighted to report that it works as gloriously as vectron indicated. As I indicated in my post above, the way the micro-USB connectors went together seemed sketchy to me, but I discovered that's where the problem lies -- and I'm guessing the same is true for others who have experienced failure like me.
I did more research and watched demo vids, etc. and paid close attention to how the parts went together. The key for me was to go ahead and force (gently but firmly) the 5 to 11 adapter ALL THE WAY into the phone jack. Mine didn't go in easily, and I was spooked to push too hard, but in the end that's what I had to do. When I pushed past the resistance and finally seated it firmly and fully flush with the bottom of the phone, VOILA!, the recognition message came up and immediately the HDMI was output to the TV. Both sound and audio worked really fine. It's pretty amazing when you see it work.
One note about the connectors. There is still a space between the 5-11 adapter and the MHL device plug. On mine at least, this connects WITHOUT being fully flush. BUT, as noted above, the adapter needs to be fully flush with the bottom of the phone. Hope this works for the rest of you. It is sweet if you get it working. vecron was correct, the key in in the connectors. They are finicky, but if you get them right, it works like a charm.

Especially when you are dealing with 11 months old Note 2 where you put a lot of wear''n'tear mileage on that micro-usb phone connector That's my problem
Regarding remote, not too insult your intelligence, I think there was a piece of plastic stuck in battery compartment so make sure its out for remote to work. Another point, that remote is not RF but rather IR (infrared) which requires direct visual contact with receiver element so you gotta make sure to point remote to that space on the converter. Hopefully that will fix your problem.