(I used a cheap USB female-to-female adapter to link a working mini-B cable to the following

Two SD card readers, three different USB sticks, an externally-powered USB HD, and a Frogpad USB. No response.

Nothing in dmesg either: I tried both "otg" and "host" modes, switching to "peripheral" mode as advised in between. Occasional info from the patch popped up when switching modes, but never anything when a device was connected.