Develop Bugs

[Q] Charging Cable

This is probably a dumb question but what kind of USB cable would I buy if I wanted an extra charging cable. I don't know what the phone side of the cable is called (USB mini ?) I know it is slightly different than my camera but really close.

u can use ur old vibrant one if u have one thats what i did for extra

pairustwo said:
This is probably a dumb question but what kind of USB cable would I buy if I wanted an extra charging cable. I don't know what the phone side of the cable is called (USB mini ?) I know it is slightly different than my camera but really close.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any Micro-USB cable will do.

Kawaisa said:
Any Micro-USB cable will do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just be sure you know what you are buying. Some will be charge only cables, which means they can't be used as a USB to transfer data.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

Towle said:
Just be sure you know what you are buying. Some will be charge only cables, which means they can't be used as a USB to transfer data.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh. Now I see why my camera cable wouldn't fit. I didn't think there would be another form factor that was so similar. (But then again the 2nd gen Kindle has it's own form factor USB port)
I don't think my camera is charge only but it does have a block where some of the pins would go and so won't fit the Hercules.

Goto monoprice.com. Order a crapload of them of varying lengths. Get ones with ferrit cores if you want, but not necessary. They might help with data integrity of data transfers. I find that they get in the way. But monoprice has inexpensive cables of high quality. Almost all around a buck. Fast delivery too.
If you are looking for usb power bricks, make sure they are 5 volt outputs. Do not skimp here as this could hose your phone if cheap electronics send bad voltage to your phone.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

PorchSong said:
Goto monoprice.com. Order a crapload of them of varying lengths. Get ones with ferris's but not necessary. They might help with data integrity of data transfers. I find that they get in the way. But monoprice has inexpensive cables of high quality. Almost all around a buck. Fast delivery too.
If you are looking for usb power bricks, make sure they are 5 volt outputs. Do not skimp here as this could hose your phone if cheap electronics send bad voltage to your phone.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no such thing as "bad voltage." All USB chargers are approx 5V but if it were a bad charger and was outputting 12volts or 1volt the phones charging circuity will handle it and either not charge at all or adjust accordingly. Bottom line is ANY USB charger will work (or not) but chances of it damaging the phone unless it was hitting it with 120VAC are very slim.

Lol this thread is probably making it more complicated for you. Just go on Ebay and search for micro USB cable and make sure it says charge/data. Most will have a phone manufacturer name in the title (HTC Samsung Motorola etc.) Any of them will work.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

MisterEdF said:
There is no such thing as "bad voltage." All USB chargers are approx 5V but if it were a bad charger and was outputting 12volts or 1volt the phones charging circuity will handle it and either not charge at all or adjust accordingly. Bottom line is ANY USB charger will work (or not) but chances of it damaging the phone unless it was hitting it with 120VAC are very slim.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I've been using my iPad charger for the phone quite a bit. Works great. I'm set on chargers I just need more cables.

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....)

USB Host / OTG Cable DIY question

Simple question.
I've pulled off the sheath on my micro usb-b male side, and when I was doing so, I noticed that something is grounded to the side of the gold metal connector (although it didn't appear to be connected on the other side). When removing the sheath, this little black covered wire was removed.
so the question is, do I need to actually have something grounded to the usb connector itself? or was this unnecessary to begin with (since it seemed to not be connected on both sides anyway).
it'll be simple to just short pins 4 and 5 together to create the host mode cable now that I've got the sheath off, but I wanted to confirm that I haven't screwed up the cable already before I actually bother with shorting it and pluging it in.
Thoughts?
thanks!

You can get one for less than 3 dollars.
G NEXUS

fcisco13 said:
You can get one for less than 3 dollars.
G NEXUS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That isn't the point ... some people like to make things, you know ....

lordloki77 said:
Simple question.
I've pulled off the sheath on my micro usb-b male side, and when I was doing so, I noticed that something is grounded to the side of the gold metal connector (although it didn't appear to be connected on the other side). When removing the sheath, this little black covered wire was removed.
so the question is, do I need to actually have something grounded to the usb connector itself? or was this unnecessary to begin with (since it seemed to not be connected on both sides anyway).
it'll be simple to just short pins 4 and 5 together to create the host mode cable now that I've got the sheath off, but I wanted to confirm that I haven't screwed up the cable already before I actually bother with shorting it and pluging it in.
Thoughts?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not familiar with USB wiring, but I do know that manufacturers of any industry cut costs wherever possible. It seems unlikely to me that they would add additional but unnecessary steps to their process. If you were me, you would biopsy another USB cable just to satisfy curiosity.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Jubomime said:
Not familiar with USB wiring, but I do know that manufacturers of any industry cut costs wherever possible. It seems unlikely to me that they would add additional but unnecessary steps to their process. If you were me, you would biopsy another USB cable just to satisfy curiosity.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's my thinking, too. The only other thought is that it might have been connected to the shielding wires (the cable is shielded), and may not be strictly necessary (especially since I'm not going to care about the shielding on a 3 inch adapter)
does that theory seem reasonable to anyone?

Wrong section.
Sent from my Jelly Toro

MikeyCriggz said:
Wrong section.
Sent from my Jelly Toro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you move it then? This is the device I have (and will need to use it on, so I figured I'd start it here?)

lordloki77 said:
Can you move it then? This is the device I have (and will need to use it on, so I figured I'd start it here?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not a mod, but I was just giving you a heads up. Repost this in the VZW Galaxy Nexus General or Q & A section.
Sent from my Jelly Toro

[SOLVED] Is MHL working for anyone?

I've ordered a new S3 11 pin MHL cable for my Note 2 (stock, rooted), however when I try to plug in the HDMI cable nothing happens, this is the second cable I've tried so I'm starting to suspect there is something wrong with the TVOut service in my phone. The phone is charging but no image, I ran a logcat during the event and saw the following:
Code:
D/20:57:36.250 STATUSBAR-Clock( 2734)
onReceive() - ACTION_SCREEN_ON
E/20:57:36.245 SecTVOutService( 1934)
virtual void android::SecTVOutService::setHdmiStatus(uint32_t): :mSecHdmi.connect() fail
D/20:57:36.245 ( 1934)
bool android::SecHdmi::connect()::m_flagHWConnected() fail
D/20:57:36.245 SecTVOutService( 1934)
virtual void android::SecTVOutService::setHdmiStatus(uint32_t) HDMI cable status = 1
D/20:57:36.245 SecTVOutService( 1934)
virtual void android::SecTVOutService::setSuspendMode(uint32_t) TV suspend mode = 0
which makes think the phone is recognizing the HDMI cable but for some reason it is not able to output the image.. can any developer or experienced android guru help with this?
Tried with 3 different TVs, 3 usb cables and 2 HDMI cables. I need to decide if I have to return the cable or not within a few hours
EDIT: Solved, turns out both cable I tried from the online shop were fake. Bought original one from the mall and works fine.

gabster21 said:
I've ordered a new S3 11 pin MHL cable for my Note 2 (stock, rooted), however when I try to plug in the HDMI cable nothing happens, this is the second cable I've tried so I'm starting to suspect there is something wrong with the TVOut service in my phone. The phone is charging but no image, I ran a logcat during the event and saw the following:
<SNIP>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The S3 11 pin adapter works fine for me. It needs to be powered, so hopefully you are plugging in a power adapter in the micro usb port on the adapter as well.
Edit: I guess you are using the power adapter since you mentioned its charging. Anyways, it worked out of the box for me on a Samsung TV at least.

seltaeb said:
The S3 11 pin adapter works fine for me. It needs to be powered, so hopefully you are plugging in a power adapter in the micro usb port on the adapter as well.
Edit: I guess you are using the power adapter since you mentioned its charging. Anyways, it worked out of the box for me on a Samsung TV at least.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, tried it on 2 Samsung TVs and 1 LG but no dice. Wish I had another S3/N2 to rule out my phone's HDMI Service being broken somehow.
Any other troubleshooting steps I can follow? Already tried leaving everything plugged in and restarting the phone, turning TV on/off.
btw I'm not getting the "HDMI cable connected" when plugging in the adapter, just "USB adapter connected" or something like that.

Are you plugging your stock 2amp power adapter to your AC to the MHL adapter?

Lucidmike said:
Are you plugging your stock 2amp power adapter to your AC to the MHL adapter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, tried with the stock power adapter (says 1A on the adapter) and plugging it into the PC USB port as well, same result.
EDIT: Also not working with my TF100's 1.2A charger, phone status shows charging 'USB' when going through the MHL adapter, and shows 'AC' when plugged in directly.

Strange...I am using the MHL adapter I purchased for my S3...plugged the N2 in and worked like a charm. Perhaps your N2 is faulty?

gandalf21502 said:
Strange...I am using the MHL adapter I purchased for my S3...plugged the N2 in and worked like a charm. Perhaps your N2 is faulty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be, but everything else is running like clockwork..
About the adapter, when I plug it in all the way it says "USB plug connected" but doesn't charge. When I plug it in half way it doesn't say anything but charges.

Are you using any custom kernel. Happened to me with a cuqtom kernel and once flashed another one it worked fine. So might be this if you are in luck
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

bouzoubaa said:
Are you using any custom kernel. Happened to me with a cuqtom kernel and once flashed another one it worked fine. So might be this if you are in luck
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, thought about that.. but I'm using all stock (albeit rooted), could that be the issue? I tried reflashing the latest official firmware and trying it without root, still didn't work (retained all my apps though).. don't know if an app/setting could interfere with the HDMI service.
This is my second adapter, the first one I returned because of a loose usb connector it would only hold power for 1-2 seconds at a time and at least would display a "HDMI adapter connected" on my phone but never showed an image on the TV either. This one holds power but completely ignores the HDMI cable.
Same setup works perfectly with my Galaxy Nexus and its MHL adapter.

Strange mine worked like a charm, i dont see you doing anything wrong so am assuming there is either a problem with device or mhl... True formatting the device if finding another s3 or n2 is really difficult
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I think that the reason is that the Nexus for example use a 5 pin connector, the S3 work also with 11pin and 5 pin connector indifferently but Note 2 use only the 11 pin connector..
I've tested my MHL for Nexus adapter that work with my girlfriend S3 but don't work with my Note 2..so there's something strange..
Inviato dal mio GT-N8000 usando XDA Premium HD app

Is it a stock cable? Either or the cable might be broken. I've had this happen to me with my computer's mini hdmi out port. One cable was broken, the next one worked. Bad cables are common.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda app-developers app

I am running stock rom/kernel and rooted...same as you. No issue with MHL. From all you have tried, I would guess the phone itself, hardware wise, is having an 'issue'.

Hi all, just a quick update.. tried the cable today with a colleague's Note 2 and got the same behavior:
- When cable pushed in all the way, a notification comes up and says "USB connector connected" but no charge, no image
- cable pushed in half way: no notification but phone charges, no image
Conclusion: it's the freaking adapter! Thanks to everyone who helped debug the issue.

Update: Just bought the original cable from a shop in the mall and it's working like a charm! Can't believe I spent all these hours troubleshooting and almost reformated my phone because of this cheap imitation crap I got online (requested a refund btw).
Thanks to everyone and sorry for wasting your time!

Good to hear you got it working!

gabster21 said:
Update: Just bought the original cable from a shop in the mall and it's working like a charm!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you post the part number plz?

gabster21 said:
Update: Just bought the original cable from a shop in the mall and it's working like a charm! Can't believe I spent all these hours troubleshooting and almost reformated my phone because of this cheap imitation crap I got online (requested a refund btw).
Thanks to everyone and sorry for wasting your time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got it working, mine should be arriving tomorrow so was hopeful there wasn't a bug somewhere I needed to avoid
I don't think you wasted anyone's time, I've picked up a few things to watch for thanks to this thread.

Fake vs Original
sleebus.jones said:
Can you post the part number plz?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both have the same part number (EPL-3FHUBEGSTD | 159) and look almost identical, almost.. since I still have both boxes I took side by side comparisons (see pic).
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"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
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"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
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}
The fake one:
- Uses black font instead of grey
- Doesn't use special characters for foreign languages (highlighted in red in the pics)
- Box uses matte finish instead of glossy (hence the reflection of the flash on the original)
Very difficult to tell if you're buying from an online source, but once you receive it look for one of the three signs above to make sure you're not getting duped!

gabster21 said:
Both have the same part number (EPL-3FHUBEGSTD | 159) and look almost identical, almost.. since I still have both boxes I took side by side comparisons (see pic).
The fake one:
- Uses black font instead of grey
- Doesn't use special characters for foreign languages (highlighted in red in the pics)
- Box uses matte finish instead of glossy (hence the reflection of the flash on the original)
Very difficult to tell if you're buying from an online source, but once you receive it look for one of the three signs above to make sure you're not getting duped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for raising awareness. I wonder if anyone has bought a 11 pin generic adapter to work successfully. And if the ones you got was just poorly assembled or if they are just blatantly made without the intention of it working at all. The OEM ones are seriously over priced.