Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Welcome to the club... I purchased two few weeks back from Ebay.

(Link here if you want to take a look... I'm in no way related to this seller or endorse you to buy one.)

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

I bought a set of adapters from Big Lots for $10 --- came with USB to ethernet, 2 USB 2.0 cables, a small pouch, etc.; this is it: http://cgi.ebay.com/Travel-Solutions...QQcmdZViewItem Of course, it included the type of adapter pictured above.

They have something similar at Best Buy for $20. If you have either of these stores around you, I would recommend buying this set b/c it's a better value. Otherwise, you're spending the rest of the money on shipping.

Just my 2 cents.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

I just ordered one of these adaptors in germany from K&M http://www.kmelektronik.de/ part number 16204

The web site claims that they are mini-a, but they are in fact mini-b and fit into the n800: http://www.kmelektronik.de/main_site...r=16204&Shop=0

This adapter is EUR 1.99 and if you have it delivered to your local K&M ship you don't have to pay any shipping.

But it doesn't switch into OTG mode (no 4/5 connection) automatically. I'll see if i can open it carefully and add the missing connection.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

The usb of n800 and n810 are the same?
I have n810, it is usb A ? I have hear "micro usb" somewhere...?

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

n810 uses micro USB indeed, not the same

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Got a reply from PCmobile:
"CMUH1 is a standard min USB host cable, which a mini A.
PFTHU is non standard, which is mini B and has no accessory detection pins
connected."

That means the host cable here: http://pc-mobile.net/zvm.htm COULD work automatically out of the box, but no way to be sure. They have two, one mini A to female A, and one mini A to mini A. If someone tries it please post the results, as it would be nice to have a worldwide source of a working adapter, even if its a bit pricey

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

But doesn't "has no accessory detection pins connected" mean that it will not do the automatic switch into host mode?

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

It does, but thats PFTHU. Im linking to CMUH1. In the mail i asked them if those two were different, seeing they look alike except for the mini plug. And the answer was, as you can see, CMUH1 is A, other is B :)
Thats why technically it should work with CMUH1, but no way to know for sure without knowing what method ZVM uses to switch to host mode

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

I cut away the plastic from the end of a standard mini-b male to A-male cable, only to find that there was no connection for pin 4. So, I bridged pins 4 & 5 with a TINY blob of solder (you'll need a very fine point on your iron), as close to the body of the plug as I could. Made sure it was flat, with no excess solder above or below the pins to potentially bend the pins in the N800 socket. I then put some hot-melt glue where the cut-away plastic was for insulation, re-assembled the metal shell mini-B plug, and shrink-wrapped it. Finally, I cut the cable, and soldered a female A end onto it.

None of this is new, but just be aware of the fact that even when you cut away the ends of a mini-B connector, it may not be possible to bridge 4 & 5 at a terminal, but with a little care, the pins can be shorted. This puts it into OTG mode automatically. If you had a small enough tip, you might be able to do this without disassembling the B end, but it's awfully cramped.

I'll try to post some pictures I took of the process tonight.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

I have read the threads on the N800 and N810 but it does get a little confusing since a lot of time as passed since the start of these threads and I'm not 100% sure where each device is at as far as support goes.

Since this is the N800 thread I'll ask about the N800 (which would be my option to purchase since it's cheaper and from what it looks like does everything the N810 does due to the new OS).

So if I got an N800 and upgraded the OS would I be able to plug a USB device like a keyboard and have it work without the use of "custom" wiring? By custom wiring I mean getting some cables/connectors and actually taking them apart to fit the N800s needs. I don't mind buying extra cables or converters, it seems this is obviously necessary if you want to get a USB device to work on the N800, but I'm just not clear whether you still have to hack the wiring anymore to get a USB device to work on the N800 (or whether store-bought converters/cables will do the job now).

Oh, I'm just asking about the hardware requirements btw. I understand you have to do other things in the software to get host mode to work (even with the new OS).

Thanks, sorry for the lengthy question.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

there is some hack or whatnot to allow to put it to host mode manually, then you dont need hacked cables. hacked cables are only for auto-switch to host mode

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

No. You dont need any special wiring, that is if you don't mind manually switching the port to OTG and back to normal mode.

Heres the wiki link
http://internettablettalk.com/wiki/i..._using_OS_2008

If you do wish autoswitching, that is without using scripts, you can make you own cable as here(post 127 of this thread)
http://www.internettablettalk.com/fo...&postcount=127

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Ah....thanks for clearing that up. That's just the clarification I was looking for.

I had read the wiki on switching between host and normal mode but then it seemed like people were still discussing how to hack cables to use with the N800 (after that wiki was posted). I understand now though.

Thanks!!

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

I don't think the n800 has an OTG "A" connector. The A and B are nearly the same but the A style has the ID pin grounded and the wider section (bottom) is 2/3 high instead of 1/3 high like the mini-B.

A very good web page I've not seen mentioned yet is:

http://www.familie-harbaum.de/till/n800_usb/index.shtml

Which has pictures of a modified cable

Can't figure out why I can see files and directories on my 3G 30 gig Photo Ipod, but can't access (read or write) them! I"m using the Nokia cable via a female->female USB adapter to another USB -> mini cable to a powered hub, then to the ipod. The mount command shows it mounted similarly to the internal SD card. Is there some other switch i need to use to manually mount it, perhaps? THe permissions all look okay. Naturally, it is indeed a FAT formatted Ipod.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

First, what do you mean by access? Can you go into subdirectories?

Second, can you access (copy?) them as root in an xterm?

Right, sorry to be too vague. I can see files listed, but if I try to copy them, or write to a directory, or read them I get read or write errors. This occurs even as root in XTerm. The files and subdirs generally list okay, though sometimes the subdirs are shown as not containing any files (which they do). So basically I can "see" them but can't "access" them.
Kinda weird, huh?
I've a Creative Zen Nano MP3 player that works just fine, though, with or without the powered hub!

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Sometimes weird things like this are cabling problems (or power problems). So small packets retried succeed (like directories) but reading or writing files won't. Or if the disk has to spin up for several sectors. Does dmesg reveal anything interesting? Does a usb keydrive work in the same hub?

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

So, did it work, the filing part?

I foolishly bought a mini-A to mini-B cable before I fully understood what was needed. I guess I'm going to have to try to solder a mini-B in place of the mini-A. I'd prefer to file.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Warning the WIKI and this thread are wrong, the Amazon cable is not the correct cable:

AMAZON CABLE

This question was asked but not answered:

I can answer this as I have bought this cable. The USB mini A does not fit the N800 (needs mini B), its a different shape and does indeed need most the metal shielding removing before it will fit the N800.

I have taken pictures to show the work involved. It is actually quite easy and works very well. Despite most of the metal being removed it is also very stable and a solid fit when plugged into the N800.

Tools needed are a vice and file.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/...5dd394e2_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2307/...7120a5ace7.jpg

Once altered it is OTG enabled and does start host mode on plugging in.

Hope this helps.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

You hope this helps?

I am over the moon, and if you ever can find your way down to Trinidad, I'll buy you a cold Carib. Hell, I'll buy you a 12-year-old Angostura rum with fresh coconut water.

It was a simple job, without too much bloodshed, to peel back the shielding on the mini-A connector and then cut it off. After only one setback - I'd forgotten to turn my camera to mass-storage mode - I was using my N800 to browse the photos on my Nikon D200.

I've been wanting to do that ever since I bought my N800 a year ago.

My only concern is that the connector is a bit wobbly without the shielding.

Anyone fancy porting gphoto2?

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Take care I might hold you to that.

I gave my one a very slight forward bend (toward the bit I removed) this gave it a real firm fix in the socket.

Glad it helped, I was in two minds to send it back then thought, what the hell, why not give it a go.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Based on JohnX's a2dp script, I've made the following to toggle, enable or disable hostmode.

Copy the script below into /usr/bin/hostmode
Make the script executable with chmod +x /usr/bin/hostmode
Add the following line to /etc/sudoers:
user ALL = NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/hostmode
Add the command: sudo /usr/bin/hostmode toggle to osso-statusbar-cpu's command settings and enjoy!

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

After reading all through these posts I decided the easiest thing to do was create a home-brew auto-switching cable; it was actually incredibly easy to do!
1) By a USB Female to Female gender bender (formerly known as Bender the Offender)
2) Attach said gender bender to the the factory USB table that comes with the N800. Since I didn't want to get my cables mixed up in the future I put a bit of heat shrink over the connector and shrank it down so the gender bender wouldn't come off accidentally in the future.
3) Use a pair of pliers to bend up the metal top cap of the mini USB connector on the other end of the cable. There's a kind of "zig-zag" line where the two pieces of metal meet up, and all you have to do is bend them up slightly to either side to expose the copper pins.
4) Take a soldering iron and apply a tiny smear of solder between the exposed pins 4 and 5 near the back; if the solder beads up too much just scrape it down a bit with either the soldering iron or a small file so that it's fairly flat.
5) Bend the metal top cap back down into original position.

That's it! 5 minutes of work an $2 for a gender bender! Very easy!! Automatically switches and detects my USB keyboard, mouse, Flash Drives, Camera, etc! I'm going to do another "modded" cable up for my Dad's N800 at some point so if anyone's looking for pictures of how to do it I'll grab some then.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

The Second Generation iPod (I have a 40Gb version FAT formatted) works directly attached to the USB port on n810. It works fine on batteries.

The 4th Generation (photo) nor 5th (video) doesn't (at least not without external power).

The power for the 2ndGen comes through the FireWire port though.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

D'oh - Wish I'd noticed it was split side up before I cut away all the plastic to make one by soldering between 4 & 5! Your way is MUCH easier!

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

So, just to clarify, this adapter will not work? Can you add a link to adapter you did get to work? Thanks!

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

The adapter will "work" but will not auto-switch, even though its description says "OTG" in it. I just read the entire thread and concluded that nobody has found an adapter that will auto-switch out-of-the-box. Please, correct me if I'm wrong.

The adapter he used can also be found here for (slightly) cheaper shipping:
http://www.wiretester.com/gcusbafxm.html

Total of $17.86 (outrageous).

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

For an external 20GB hard disk, I think the Archos Gmini XS 200 mp3 player would be a good fit. It's tiny (it held the "smallest hd-based 20GB mp3 player" title for quite a long time-- not sure if it still is) and doesn't charge through the USB port. It also received high ratings for its transfer rates. I have one, so I'll test it when I get my cable and post my results.

http://www.amazon.com/Archos-Gmini-2.../dp/B0002U0JP4

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

The only thing with the Archos is that USB Flash drives at 16Gb are getting cheaper - I've seen them under $100, and unless you don't like the media player in the nokias you don't need the multimedia function. Unless the $180 price Amazon was quoting was wrong. http://www.meritline.com/usb-hdd-enc...rnal-host.html
combined with a 80+Gb drive should work and be less expensive (I don't have it yet to test because I'm away from home and my 2.5" drives).

Note it comes with a 5 pin mini A to USB F, but I think it is the kind that won't fit into the n800 - the real OTG cable. And this "case" has copy functions to pull (and maybe push?) files to or from another device.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

The only report of confirmed true OTG I noticed is a universal adapter kit from Big Lots.

There are a few reports of people certain they have found and ordered them, but no one has come back to confirm.

[edit] 'Easy' is relative if you don't have a soldering iron. I consider the command line switch easier for me, others may prefer the applet switcher mentioned earlier. The all around Ideal would be to find the right cable. I think all three are detailed on wiki the only thing lacking is the right cable for those that are more comfortable spending the $.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

just make one... doesnt take much work

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Good point about the price-- I expected them to be much cheaper; they were $200 new two years ago. I see only one on eBay for $35, and it doesn't power on-- maybe you'll get lucky! Not even its newer replacement (the XS202) can be easily found. They are smaller than the enclosures, though, since they don't need to accommodate 2.5" drives. Thanks for the link to the powered enclosure-- that's neat.

@TheGogmagog - I agree, "easy" for some will be to purchase a cable that does it all for you. "Easy" for others is to whip out the iron. I might end up going the "script" route, but up to this point I've been impressed at how much functionality I've been able to get out of the N800 without editing conf. files, etc. Either way, I'll be purchasing a cable/adapter, so I figured I might as well look for one that saves some work.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Someone mentioned modifying the N800 cable by prying up the mini-B connector on the stock cable. I'd like to report it also works with adapters (mini-b to female-A), however I recommend using needlenose pliers and a careful hand to control bending the side, and to scrape the plastic back over the half you will need to lift up.

My successful attempt used a silver conductive pen: http://webtronics.stores.yahoo.net/simicopen8.html where I squeezed out a drop of ink and used a needle to apply it between pins 4 and 5.

One warning - you want to keep whatever you use to short the lines way back so you don't damage what it gets plugged into, and you want to be careful to restore the case to the right shape for the same reason.

Looking into the 5 pin mini B, with the shorter face of the trapezoid facing up, pins 4 and 5 are on the right, so you need to grab that side and twist it until you can easily get at the base of the pins. Then either solder or use conductive ink to bridge them all the way in the back. Then bend the casing back.

Note: try not to short the ground (pin 5) and the case - it shouldn't really hurt, but to be technical it shouldn't be done either.

This works with an unaltered micro to mini B adapter (see the n810 host mode made easy), and with the n800 - the tiny USB microSD adapter I have was recognized in both as host with this.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Mplawner, thanks for the script! The only thing I had trouble with it that it would not work using 'oss-statusbar-cpu', but only while root in a shell. I tracked it down to 'sudo' permissions. I think you must add 'sudo' to the command in that applet for this idea to work i.e.

sudo /usr/bin/hostmode toggle

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

I was able to do a
#echo host > /sys/devices/platform/musb_hdrc/mode
for my USB GPS unit and it lit up. now I just need to compile the drivers for my Delorme GPS reciever and maybe I am able to use my USB GPS.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Maybe I'm just too picky, but I still haven't found the *ideal cable*. I'd like to find a dongle-type one, since a small adapter would be more prone to breaking (acting as a lever). I saw a dongle on here, but it was mini-A, not mini-B. Anyone? I know, I could just make one. :)

Also, considering hooking up devices that have mini-B ports, would there be any functional difference between this cable (http://www.datapro.net/products/usb-...m-m-cable.html) and going the long way around (N800 -> mini-B to female A -> device's included cable -> device)? In other words, will any mini-B to mini-B cable work to connect the N800 directly to something like a camera or mp3 player? I could see myself carrying around 2 cables...

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

rayman - the mini-b to mini-b should work. If those cables have 5 wires connecting each end, you can do what I did for my micro to host adapter.

Note - I now have both an N800 and N810 (Upped the dose to two tablets?), and only have the one modified for host mode sense mini B male to standard A female adapter and an original (unmodified) micro b to mini b adapter like the one that I modified for host mode. I will probably do more of the mB-AF adapters.

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

The link to becomeroot in the Wiki doesn't work

http://internettablettalk.com/wiki/i..._using_OS_2008

Re: N800 USB Host Mode Experiment
 

Please let us know about this. I also have a Delorme GPS receiver (as well as a BT one) and would like to be able to use the Delorme as a backup or for long trips...