Project GAMETRIX - Atrix 4G Android Development

Lapdock+Wii == Gametrix
So I have a spare Nintendo Wii and a lapdock (hopefully pick some more up if there are still any at Radioshack) and I am going to disassemble the Wii, reconfigure it to fit on the back "panel" of the Lapdock, and get the needed cords to create a Gametrix[/]
My initial goal is to connect a Nintendo Wii to my Atrix Lapdock by... (with modifications)
1) a. Having the Lapdock’s Male Mini-HDMI plugged into a Female Mini-HDMI TO M / F Fullsized-HDMI converter. Thus allowing a direct HDMI connection from there.
This takes care of ½ of connections for both the Lapdock and the Wii.
2) a. Ideally I am looking to hook the Wii’s power supply directly to the Lapdock’s Male Micro-USB port, via a Female Micro-USB TO M / F Fullsized-USB. From there I’d need a USB to Female Wall Outlet (3 prong?) this would entail finding(unlikely...) / building one.
This takes care of power needs, (if it works) leaving only the unlikely usability of the Lapdocks built in keyboard and mouse / USB ports.
2) b. if number 2 section a (above) doesn’t work because of lack of volts traveling through the USB to the Wii, then I’d be left with connecting an external battery to the Wii and just taking advantage of the screen.
Hopefully if I have to result to section b then I’d at least be able to use the keyboard and mouse?
I will update with a Diagram of my plan “a” and “b” tomorrow after school.

Here are average power draw for the Wii. @17 Watts http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2007/02/next-gen_console_power_lg.jpg
And here for Gamecube. @23 Watts http://www.tpcdb.com/product.php?id=1615
Lapdock voltage output. ??? I think I'd have to replace the battery because it's only supposed to charge a phone/run an OS...
Lapdock insternal battery mAh ???
Please guys I know it's a lot but any input is great input

sounds fun. good luck dude.

Use a wii its better and supports a HDMI converter.
The gamecube already has a battery pack accessory and a screen accessory so its easy been done
Sent from Moto Atrix 4g on Neutrino 2.91

I have decided to go with the Wii, I am trying to find info on how many amps the Wii draws and if the Lapdock is capable of powering it...

I think I would try seeing how they both look on the screen before diving in much further, but it does sound like it could be a fun project.
Other thoughts:
how useful the project will be specifically to you? For many of us, due to the limited availability of the lapdocks, there's a limited number of people that will be able to try this themselves.
do you plan on strictly playing games, or are you going a bit further by using Linux on the device? I imagine there is a way you could use the keyboard as some type of input device, although you may have to create some translator device from a programmable Microcontroller.
is the screen big enough for enjoying using the device or is it more of a challenge than it's worth. The screen may be plenty big enough for a handheld device, but for something like using a Wii controller where you are at a distance from the screen, is it big enough?
Budget This is something we all overlook far to often. Something starts off small and simple, but before you know it, you end up spending way more than you had anticipated.

I have 2 Wii's and a Lapdock, so budget is covered.
I'm not going to use the motion bar, just gamecube games.
My main concern is if the Lapdock can power it.

jeffreygtab said:
I have 2 Wii's and a Lapdock, so budget is covered.
I'm not going to use the motion bar, just gamecube games.
My main concern is if the Lapdock can power it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Power will probably be an issue through USB as USB does have a specification for max current of 500–900 mA (general); 5 A (charging devices). After that the port should shutdown to prevent burning out the controller.
Edit: I was looking at your figures above, did some digging, and I think you have a couple hurdles.
To start with, for power consumption, you want to look more at peak then you do at min and give yourself a bit of cushion, mainly because running at max power all the time will tax components. Second, and this is a big one, the Wii power pack apparently is 12V 3.7A (44.4W). USB is only 5 volts, and at 900mA you're peaking at 4.5W. However, if you could somehow manage to trick it into charge mode, you might be able to squeeze 25W. That's if it works like a standard USB port. If you can do that, you can step up the voltage with a charge pump, but I'm not quite sure how close to max that will put you due to efficiency losses. You may be able to go the other way and use the Wii to power the lapdock, or you may have to power them independently.
All that said, I think it's still important to just try to see what it looks like on the screen before digging in too far.

I plan on charging it through the Micro USB which you said supplies up to 23W+ Which is apparently plenty for the Wii. I'm going to order the necessary cords to attempt this, this weekend. So next week I'll know how much, if any, I have to modify to power it.....
I'll continue to research, and thanks for your help!
EDIT: screen size isn't an issue, as I'm have it right in from of me like a laptop, Playing Super Smash Bros Melee and the like.

BIG Message to everyone who's reading this. THIS IS MY FIRST HARDWARE MOD (as if that wasn't obvious?)
Anyways I'm gonna pick up a soldering iron as well, because I'm not finding a way to charge the Wii (assuming the Lapdock is capable...) There are no real ways to convert the micro usb to the 3 prong standard outlet that the Wii uses... So I may need to make my own? Will this work? http://www.sybausa.com/productInfo.php?iid=1274 Although I can't find where to buy it.

jeffreygtab said:
BIG Message to everyone who's reading this. THIS IS MY FIRST HARDWARE MOD (as if that wasn't obvious?)
Anyways I'm gonna pick up a soldering iron as well, because I'm not finding a way to charge the Wii (assuming the Lapdock is capable...) There are no real ways to convert the micro usb to the 3 prong standard outlet that the Wii uses... So I may need to make my own? Will this work? http://www.sybausa.com/productInfo.php?iid=1274 Although I can't find where to buy it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean you want to convert 5V DC to 120V AC and then downconvert to 12V? Better to just go from 5V to 12V, but the reality is that it's much easier to go down than up. What does the lapdock itself have for a power supply?
Edit: Looks like the Wii has some type of USB keyboard support. Not sure if you want to try getting that to work, but it might come in handy.

I know but isn't the Wii's power cord a standard 120v 3 prong wall charger? I'd have to convert the 3 prong format to a Micro USB.
The lapdocks power supply is the battery if that's what you were asking...
Thanks for helping on my first project btw.

Check out about halfway down the page on this link if you want to see what the Wii looks like on the lapdock screen:
http://www.robpol86.com/index.php/Atrix_Lapdock_Other_Uses

jeffreygtab said:
I know but isn't the Wii's power cord a standard 120v 3 prong wall charger? I'd have to convert the 3 prong format to a Micro USB.
The lapdocks power supply is the battery if that's what you were asking...
Thanks for helping on my first project btw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad to share my limited knowledge. Anyway, Really, I'm unsure if you can pull 25W out of the USB or not, but even if you could, you'd lose a good chunk of that in going from 5V to 125V AC, because at this point, a charge pump is no longer an option but instead you would need a power inverter, and since most of the commercially available ones are designed to go from 12V DC to 120V AC, you would likely end up building one yourself. The charge pump (buck–boost converter) is much easier to build, but I'm not sure about how much power you can get out of it.
Here's one I built from modifying a schematic I found online somewhere:

I hate to be the party pooper here, but I think no USB port will ever be able to deliver that much power. We're talking about several ampers here. Neither the USB port nor a great majority of USB cords are built to withstand that. Most USB hardware is designed to carry at most 1A. And then, even if you manage to get sufficient power flowing and power the contraption up, I wouldn't expect too much autonomy out of it since it is after all battery-powered. I would expect a lot of heat from the batteries too.

ravilov said:
I hate yo be the party pooper here, but I think no USB port will ever be able to deliver that much power. We're talking about several ampers here. Neither the USB port nor a great majority of USB cords are built to withstand that. Most USB hardware is designed to carry at most 1A. And then, even if you manage to get sufficient power flowing and power the contraption up, I wouldn't expect too much autonomy out of it since it is after all battery-powered. I would expect a lot of heat from the batteries too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery Charging Specification 1.2:[14] Released in December 2010.
Several changes and increasing limits including allowing 1.5A on charging ports for unconfigured devices, allowing High Speed communication while having a current up to 1.5A and allowing a maximum current of 5A.
But as I said, I don't know if you can get that much power out of this particular device. 20W @12V is 1.6A, but in order to power that from 5V, you would need at least 4 Amps, which puts it close to max, but not over it. The actual port connector is rated much higher than that.
Edit: I do have to agree on one point though, running on battery power will be pretty limiting, especially when you consider what the batteries were intended for in the first place.

So you're saying that there's basically no way to power the Wii with the Lapdock's setup? Ughhh I assumed this would be a major issue but decided I'd leave the verdict to those more knowledgeable than myself... So you're sure there's no way? Well anyways I hope at the very least to connect an external Battery (recommendations?) and hopefully get the Wii to recognize the trackpad and keyboard esp. for linux use... I'll keep researching and keep you guys posted.
edit:
ravilov said:
I hate yo be the party pooper here, but I think no USB port will ever be able to deliver that much power. We're talking about several ampers here. Neither the USB port nor a great majority of USB cords are built to withstand that. Most USB hardware is designed to carry at most 1A. And then, even if you manage to get sufficient power flowing and power the contraption up, I wouldn't expect too much autonomy out of it since it is after all battery-powered. I would expect a lot of heat from the batteries too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lehjr said:
Battery Charging Specification 1.2:[14] Released in December 2010.
Several changes and increasing limits including allowing 1.5A on charging ports for unconfigured devices, allowing High Speed communication while having a current up to 1.5A and allowing a maximum current of 5A.
But as I said, I don't know if you can get that much power out of this particular device. 20W @12V is 1.6A, but in order to power that from 5V, you would need at least 4 Amps, which puts it close to max, but not over it. The actual port connector is rated much higher than that.
Edit: I do have to agree on one point though, running on battery power will be pretty limiting, especially when you consider what the batteries were intended for in the first place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't read your reply Lehjr before posting mine, sorry about that. Anyways I'm still confused about whether or not the Lapdock is capable of powering the Wii? Anyways here is where I'm getting my very limited information on basic electronics. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/question501.htm I will keep studying though don't worry:laugh:
I'm going to post this on BenHeck Forums too for additional input. Again thank you guys.

lehjr said:
Battery Charging Specification 1.2:[14] Released in December 2010.
Several changes and increasing limits including allowing 1.5A on charging ports for unconfigured devices, allowing High Speed communication while having a current up to 1.5A and allowing a maximum current of 5A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hm, interesting. I don't know, I'd say even if the USB hardware might be able to withhold such high currents, it's only for a short while, not for continuous use. I'm talking about all the USB hardware now, not just the plugs and cords.
Anyway, while 5A might indeed be the theoretical maximum, I have yet to see an USB device that actually delivers anywhere close to that. Even most commercial "high-speed" chargers deliver only up to about 2A.

ravilov said:
Hm, interesting. I don't know, I'd say even if the USB hardware might be able to withhold such high currents, it's only for a short while, not for continuous use. I'm talking about all the USB hardware now, not just the plugs and cords.
Anyway, while 5A might indeed be the theoretical maximum, I have yet to see an USB device that actually delivers anywhere close to that. Even most commercial "high-speed" chargers deliver only up to about 2A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right, running that close to maximum is likely going to be short lived, and that's if it can be coaxed to go there in the first place. I'm not sure what the portability thing is about anyway. The Wii may be small, but it's heavy.
---------- Post added at 09:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:19 PM ----------
jeffreygtab said:
So you're saying that there's basically no way to power the Wii with the Lapdock's setup? Ughhh I assumed this would be a major issue but decided I'd leave the verdict to those more knowledgeable than myself... So you're sure there's no way? Well anyways I hope at the very least to connect an external Battery (recommendations?) and hopefully get the Wii to recognize the trackpad and keyboard esp. for linux use... I'll keep researching and keep you guys posted.
edit:
Didn't read your reply Lehjr before posting mine, sorry about that. Anyways I'm still confused about whether or not the Lapdock is capable of powering the Wii? Anyways here is where I'm getting my very limited information on basic electronics. http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/question501.htm I will keep studying though don't worry:laugh:
I'm going to post this on BenHeck Forums too for additional input. Again thank you guys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Possibly capable, very slim chance, but doing so would be running very close to max the entire time the Wii is powered. You would also have to build a device to convert 5V to 12V, again, not impossible, but you do lose some power do to conversion inefficiencies. Is there any particular reason you want the device to be portable? IMHO, in order to run the Wii for any length of time, you would need a decent set of batteries. A few amps plugged in is one thing, on battery power that's something else. I could easily see you using something like a couple Power Wheels 6V batteries and a 12V charger or some similar setup, maybe some lithium cells if you're a big spender. Anything more than that and you're wheeling this thing around on a cart with a deep cycle marine/RV battery.

Haha a definitive answer would be welcomed as to whether it's theoretically capable or not, but if you can't provide that, I completely understand! Anyways It just needs to be temporarily portable, like 1 hour battery life is plenty. Thanks... Btw I can't actually thank you guys anymore as I'm out of thanks.

Related

2A (2000mAh) External Rechargable battery for NC $12.90

I bought a couple of these several months ago from DealExtreme.com to use for other USB powered devices.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/usb-re...emergency-power-with-cell-phones-holder-44749
For kicks and giggles, I was curious how much current the things really put out. I connected to my CM7 NC with the NC USB cable and did a dmesg | grep CHARGER
To my surprise, even though DealExtreme claims that these output 1A, the NC said it was receiving 2A! (see attached photo of screen).
When I used a standard Micro-USB cable, the current dropped down to 500mA.
I haven't yet done any sort of extensive testing to see what kind of life I get out of these. If the other specs are correct (a little dubious now), then having 2 of these, fully charged, would be like having an extra internal battery. Not bad for less than $13 ea.
Anyone know how accurate (or inaccurate) the output from the dmesg command is? Is the Nook misrepresenting what it says it's getting from the charger?
I suspect that what you're seeing on the screenshot is not the charging current but that it recognizes the plug type (B&N 2amp) or standard USB (500ma) that is actually plugged in. Nevertheless it still could be a handy gizmo to have around.
___________________
- Derek
derekr said:
I suspect that what you're seeing on the screenshot is not the charging current but that it recognizes the plug type (B&N 2amp) or standard USB (500ma) that is actually plugged in. Nevertheless it still could be a handy gizmo to have around.
___________________
- Derek
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I used a different model of External USB battery with the same B&N NC cable, it registered as 500mA, exactly as that particular model is rated. Though your thought is justifiably skeptical (and I'm an unrepentant skeptic myself), further evidence suggests there's more going on than just detecting the additonal pins in the B&N NC cable.
Jgrimoldy said:
When I used a different model of External USB battery with the same B&N NC cable, it registered as 500mA, exactly as that particular model is rated. Though your thought is justifiably skeptical (and I'm an unrepentant skeptic myself), further evidence suggests there's more going on than just detecting the additonal pins in the B&N NC cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the standard microUSB cord has a resistor, or circuitry to limit the amperage to .5. The Nook Color has a charging cable with a higher amperage at 1.9, with a special connection so you cannot put it into another device and fry it. Most modern device have a way of limiting the input internally, but the the Nook's cable is unique on the device end to be safe.
If you would like to test this use a standard microUSB and plug it into the Nooks OME wall transformer and measure the amperage. in my tests it always comes out at .5 amps even though the output of the NC's transformer is 1.9 amps.
I use my muti-tester to avoid erroneous software data.
Certaily would like to test this portable charger you mention in your post, for $13 sounds good to me. This would be handy while I am away from wifi and I tether my Android phone to my Nook, the phone could be plugged into this charger, tethering can really burn battery down fast.
Thanks for the tip!
12paq said:
Certaily like to test this portable charger in you mention in your post, for $13 sounds good to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to order that aswell. Has anyone seen other nice accessoires for the Nook color on Dealextreme? Search only gave me a black pouch
tomic22 said:
I'm going to order that aswell. Has anyone seen other nice accessoires for the Nook color on Dealextreme? Search only gave me a black pouch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so funny, me too.
Also "CrazyinDigital" from Amazon Canada, even shipped to USA I got a nice Pleather case and a bunch of cables and the silicon cases are decent too. The bulid qualty of the cords is sketchy and the screen protectors don't fit, but I got all the above for $5.19 shipped to the US. I'd pay at least that for the USB cord. (Funny thing the cords say "for Kindle"... gotta laugh.
Back on topic, I might buy this back up charger, sounds good for my battery sucking Android Phone too..
12paq said:
I believe the standard microUSB cord has a resistor, or circuitry to limit the amperage to .5. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Given that the USB battery charging specs give up to 1.8A, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense....
In Battery Charging Specification,[40] new powering modes are added to the USB specification. A host or hub Charging Downstream Port can supply a maximum of 1.5 A when communicating at low-bandwidth or full-bandwidth, a maximum of 900 mA when communicating at high-bandwidth, and as much current as the connector will safely handle when no communication is taking place; USB 2.0 standard-A connectors are rated at 1500 mA by default. A Dedicated Charging Port can supply a maximum of 1.8 A of current at 5.25 V. A portable device can draw up to 1.8 A from a Dedicated Charging Port. The Dedicated Charging Port shorts the D+ and D- pins with a resistance of at most 200 Ω. The short disables data transfer, but allows devices to detect the Dedicated Charging Port and allows very simple, high current chargers to be manufactured. The increased current (faster, 9 W charging) will occur once both the host/hub and devices support the new charging specification.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus
Divine_Madcat said:
Given that the USB battery charging specs give up to 1.8A, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus
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Click to collapse
Yeah I might have .5 volts mixed up with amps.. I posted that late last night, dozing off.. lol. sorry for the any inaccuracies.
I did these tests a while back and should have recorded the data and not left them too memory.. and age.. lol.
I initiated theses tests becouse I found it took much longer to charge the Nook with a generic cord even if I plugged it in the Nooks wall transformer that has a higher output. it could just be my cords too.
My apologies if my careless quoting of data led anyone astray. Funny, I am usually a stickler about accurate data. ..
Lesson: Never quote data from memory late and after a glass of wine..
Thanks Madcat
12paq said:
I believe the standard microUSB cord has a resistor, or circuitry to limit the amperage to .5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.... wat
12paq said:
If you would like to test this use a standard microUSB and plug it into the Nooks OME wall transformer and measure the amperage. in my tests it always comes out at .5 amps even though the output of the NC's transformer is 1.9 amps.
I use my muti-tester to avoid erroneous software data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have plugged into your fingers. Stop making up nonsense.
Standard microUSB is, well, a standard. And that standard says 500mAh max current. The Nook Color cable is non standard and has 4 extra pins. These extra pins, as well as shorted data pins, tells the Nook Color it can draw 1.9Amps.

[KERNEL PATCH] - Force AC (fast) or USB(slow) charging

This is for kernel devs only. The patch itself is useless to those who do not/can not compile their own kernel.
This patch allows one to force AC or USB charging for any charger. It also provides additional security when connecting to public charging stations because with either force AC or force USB mode on, USB transfers are disabled, protecting your data.
Fast charge can be toggled by issuing:
echo 1 > /sys/kernel/fast_charge/force_charge_mode
Slow charge:
echo 2 > /sys/kernel/fast_charge/force_charge_mode
and off:
echo 0 > /sys/kernel/fast_charge/force_charge_mode
Plug your phone into the charger AFTER toggling the desired mode.
In addition I have created a toggle fast charge widget that may be used to toggle fast/slow charge on and off right from your home screen:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.incredicontrol.fastchargewidget
I have not yet implemented the three way toggle into incredicontrol (free), but I will be. I have to change it to support slow charge also and haven't yet gotten the chance to. I will be implementing it when I get the chance though so you guys have a convenient free way to toggle also.
For the widget (or any fast/slow charge toggle) to work, you MUST be running a kernel that has this patch implemented.
As a good gesture to support a fellow dev, I ask that if you implement the patch into your kernel, please link to my widget as one means to toggle it. You are of course free to provide other ways to toggle it as well if you so desire.
Kernel devs, if you would like to test the widget yourself to confirm its working, and for convenience of testing, please contact me and I will provide you with a copy. You must show that you are a kernel dev though (i.e. link me to your kernel post so I can match your username).
Good luck have fun!
http://www.incredikernel.com/wp-con...r/download.php?id=o2x_force_fast_charge.patch
Here is the neoblaze kernel (stock froyo/gb, not AOSP) patched with the mod so that you guys can test. I will not be supporting anything regarding this kernel except the charging mod itself!
http://chad0989.dyndns.org/mirror/o2x_fastcharge_test_neoblaze2.zip
Sounds interesting even though i dont own a car!
langhaardack said:
Sounds interesting even though i dont own a car!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not necessarily just for car chargers, that's just the easiest example. It can be used with any charger that is detected as USB. Some powered hubs for example can easily put out 1A but would still be limited to 500mA by the phone. The patch will allow you to toggle force AC mode on/off via an app or widget.
Ya i got that but the only usb-charger besides the outlet that i use is my laptop, and i use it only for transferring files. still a great idea!
In other words. If you will be using USB port and cable as current source, The specification asks for Data + and - to be shortcut. And normally phone detects it and also the fifth sense pin and then high current charging must kick in. (although our LG phone uses also it to enter download mode)
If you use the widget and enable high current charging, you'll fry out your motherboards USB port probably...
Another warning. If someone has read about Lithium Cell charging methods AVR based documentation for example. Such high current charging decreases your battery cycle life. So consider those facts first of all!
And those with car chargers... especially cheap ones... in most of these devices are SMD LM317 or LM7805 etc family inside... it will dissipate [email protected]=7W so these sticks will fry out and also blow up despite it can deliver 1.5A - the catch is with proper heat sink.
So So So... dear coders... consult your hardware guys before acting for the good deeds... the cons are more than the gain.
Ferrum Master said:
In other words. If you will be using USB port and cable as current source, The specification asks for Data + and - to be shortcut. And normally phone detects it and also the fifth sense pin and then high current charging must kick in. (although our LG phone uses also it to enter download mode)
If you use the widget and enable high current charging, you'll fry out your motherboards USB port probably...
Another warning. If someone has read about Lithium Cell charging methods AVR based documentation for example. Such high current charging decreases your battery cycle life. So consider those facts first of all!
And those with car chargers... especially cheap ones... in most of these devices are SMD LM317 or LM7805 etc family inside... it will dissipate [email protected]=7W so these sticks will fry out and also blow up despite it can deliver 1.5A - the catch is with proper heat sink.
So So So... dear coders... consult your hardware guys before acting for the good deeds... the cons are more than the gain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely not. It would have no negative effects on your battery at all as the current isn't increased beyond what it is for AC charging.
Also you notice nowhere that my recommendations were for using it to charge from a motherboard. Despite that, the current pulled from the board is ultimately limited to the fuse at the port. Even if a device successfully tries to pull more than the board can provide (which the board won't put out anyway), the PPTC will cut off power to the device.
So So dear hardware guys, please read before jumping all over someone.
chad0989 said:
Absolutely not. It would have no negative effects on your battery at all as the current isn't increased beyond what it is for AC charging.
Also you notice nowhere that my recommendations were for using it to charge from a motherboard. Despite that, the current pulled from the board is ultimately limited to the fuse at the port. Even if a device successfully tries to pull more than the board can provide (which the board won't put out anyway), the PPTC will cut off power to the device.
So hardware guy, how about you read before jumping all over something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then please why I have to repair broken motherboards that Ipad2 have fried a lot? Why? Because they are cheap mate, and fuse is the last resort. And No current limitations aren't implemented there...
I said once again. This 0.5A setting is the most green one, as many manufacturer use as a law!
The fact that some make a PR and tell our device charges faster doesn't overthrow simple chemistry and physics. Ok it will work. Charging the cell with higher current, raises temps and other chemical emissions and it deteriorates faster! So the philosophy is simple for them, the user will kill its battery faster in order to buy a new phone eh? Nice!
Ferrum Master said:
Then please why I have to repair broken motherboards that Ipad2 have fried a lot? Why? Because they are cheap mate, and fuse is the last resort. And No current limitations aren't implemented there...
I said once again. This 0.5A setting is the most green one, as many manufacturer use as a law!
The fact that some make a PR and tell our device charges faster doesn't overthrow simple chemistry and physics. Ok it will work. Charging the cell with higher current, raises temps and other chemical emissions and it deteriorates faster! So the philosophy is simple for them, the user will kill its battery faster in order to buy a new phone eh? Nice!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you that it shouldn't be used to charge from a motherboard, although many have taken the risk without issues.
Essentially it is a software version of the charging cables with bridged data lines ("charge only") that many buy and have no issues with. I'm just bridging the data lines in software so to speak. The current draw is never increased beyond the phone's spec. The most important thing is that the end user knows the source they are drawing from is capable of providing the current.
I do appreciate your concern for the community and desire to educate everyone. We need more people like you around.
So with that, each individual can make an informed decision on their own. If anyone is still interested in the mod, shoot me a PM if you want to test.
Yup, there isn't much math to be done here.
Higher current means higher temps, and O2X already has trouble with temps as it is.
However, to each his own, and as long as people are aware of what they're doing there is no such thing as too many options... although me personally I would stay away from this one.
EDIT: Wait... so you're saying that O2X charges at 1A when connected to a wall charger and at 0.5A when connected with USB? I get the point now. So you only risk damaging the motherboard, and not the phone.
I'm guessing it would be more interesting for O2X users to do the opposite! A 'Force USB charging' because from what I see a lot of people get SoD while charging their phones overnight and this might fix it
What do you say Chad? Would you be interested in implementing this feature? I think I would use it!
chad0989 said:
I agree with you that it shouldn't be used to charge from a motherboard, although many have taken the risk without issues.
Essentially it is a software version of the charging cables with bridged data lines ("charge only") that many buy and have no issues with. I'm just bridging the data lines in software so to speak. The current draw is never increased beyond the phone's spec. The most important thing is that the end user knows the source they are drawing from is capable of providing the current.
I do appreciate your concern for the community and desire to educate everyone. We need more people like you around.
So with that, I guess each individual can make an informed decision on their own. If anyone is still interested in the mod, shoot me a PM if you want to try.
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Yes, you have to set up proper warnings! Because there are always American(no offense) like users who will try to dry their own cat in microwave, because it wasn't prohibited in instructions . They will accuse you with headlines - you didn't say... etc - I know it from my personal work.
This is also usefull for my USB 3.0 ports am i right =D??
Sent from my MI-ONE plus using xda premium
LarsPT said:
I'm guessing it would be more interesting for O2X users to do the opposite! A 'Force USB charging' because from what I see a lot of people get SoD while charging their phones overnight and this might fix it
What do you say Chad? Would you be interested in implementing this feature? I think I would use it!
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+1 for force 500mA mode of this would fix the overnight crashing and massive overheat that follows. I don't know if the problem is related to the current level during charging though.
owain94 said:
This is also usefull for my USB 3.0 ports am i right =D??
Sent from my MI-ONE plus using xda premium
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Your are now showing off?
Ferrum Master said:
Your are now showing off?
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Shhhtt :$
Nah just asking
LarsPT said:
I'm guessing it would be more interesting for O2X users to do the opposite! A 'Force USB charging' because from what I see a lot of people get SoD while charging their phones overnight and this might fix it
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Vadonka and spica come here right now!!
OTF pack idea!
Sent from my LG-P990 using xda premium
forcing usb charge mode sounds like a really good idea
Verstuurd van mijn LG-P990 met Tapatalk
For so many years of using rechargeable batteries, I haven't been a fan of post-purchase "fast charging". But then again, I live in a tropical countries so non-air-conditioned room temperatures come quite warm (especially since we're entering summer now).
I must say that I love the "force USB charging" idea though. I rarely get those, but, it's another troubleshooting possibility for the many users encountering charging/overheating BSODs.
salisbury_steak said:
For so many years of using rechargeable batteries, I haven't been a fan of post-purchase "fast charging". But then again, I live in a tropical countries so non-air-conditioned room temperatures come quite warm (especially since we're entering summer now).
I must say that I love the "force USB charging" idea though. I rarely get those, but, it's another troubleshooting possibility for the many users encountering charging/overheating BSODs.
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also if you charge the battery faster the battery life will be worse then if you charge it slow
so fast and a bit worse battery life
or fast it slow and a bit better life
you can really feel those difference if you live in a country where it is quite hot
you can try it yourself
charge one day using wall charger and charge next day using computer usb you will feel the difference
owain94 said:
also if you charge the battery faster the battery life will be worse then if you charge it slow
so fast and a bit worse battery life
or fast it slow and a bit better life
you can really feel those difference if you live in a country where it is quite hot
you can try it yourself
charge one day using wall charger and charge next day using computer usb you will feel the difference
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Jep Owain is right... I remember old times at my work 6 years ago Nokia 8800 (RM-13), it had a tiny battery and it was the time when chargers changed from impulse type from transformer core types... so with the older slow charger the battery held for 15-30% more. (I suppose the battery is hot, and then the voltage is also artificially higher and in reality it isn't charged to its maximum).
But as I said, don't overdose with it especially with car chargers and motherboards. The phone will be fine. Battery should be changed after a year anyway... it costs for me $10 anyway...
Ferrum Master said:
But as I said, don't overdose with it especially with car chargers and motherboards. The phone will be fine. Battery should be changed after a year anyway... it costs for me $10 anyway...
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Lucky guy. The O2X battery costs roughly US$ 30 here.
So you guys are saying you get an SoD if you charge overnight on AC, but not on USB?
Reading through the battery driver it looks to me that if the battery gets too hot, it swiches to USB charge current, if it continues to be too hot, the charger turns off so I wonder if your issue is somewhere else. Anyone try to record a log (cat /proc/kmsg > /sdcard/kmsg) overnight and see if you get any messages along the lines of:
[OVERHEAT]: Change Charger setting to USB mode
or
[OVERHEAT]: Deactive Charger

Solution to make LapDock draw Power from Bionic?

I am disappointed to learn the LapDock cannot draw power from the Bionic. Can anyone confirm this? It seems only the converse works: Bionic draws power from LapDock. Thus, if LapDock has no charge and you dock the Bionic that is fully charged, it still will not work. The LapDock will not draw power from the Bionic. The only way it seems to use a LapDock with no charge, even if you have a fully charged Bionic, plug in the wall power adapter into the LapDock. This has really disappointed me and now I regret choosing the Bionic over the Razr Maxx. Can anyone confirm that this is correct: Lapdock cannot draw power from Bionic. If correct, is there anyone workaround? Hell, I'm even open to cracking the LapDock open and doing some modding if that is what it takes. Hopefully, there is a more elegant software hack someone knows of.
Why I desire this? I mostly do most of my work out-of-office in Starbucks, Airports, Hotel Lobby's, etc. Most of these places have enough outlets to charge equipment, but little seating by them. Unless you find a seat by a power outlet that your power cord can reach, you have no way to power your device. And I usually am not lucky enough to get one of these prized seats. Also, spend hours in these places, so my power needs are lengthy. And even with a fully charged Bionic w/extended battery with a fully charged LapDock can give you around 6-8 hours of use, but for one i hate having to charge my LapDock everyday when I get home or remember too. I just want to come home, leave LapDock in bag, dock my Bionic to HD station and desktop setup with it, and be done. Also, even with extended battery and LapDocks built in battery, Verizon LTE is a killer.
Specifically, I intended/assumed I would be able to use the Motorola Bionic Dock Battery Charger (http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Battery-Rapid-Charger-BIONIC/dp/B005C31FIG) to always have a charged extra battery ready to go and just switch it out with Bionic battery when it drains. So even if I cannot find a seat by a power outlet, I can at least find a open port on a power outlet anywhere in these places and connect the Battery Charger Dock to it. That allows me to sit anywhere and still have a extra battery charging and ready to go. When dies, I just walk over to extra battery being charged and switch it out. Essentially giving me continuous power and no more fighting/hunting for seating. And I'm not to concerned if the Extra Battery and Charging Dock were to be damaged or stolen. I got them cheap and I do not think many people want to steal batteries and charging dock for phone they do not have. It all seemed and ideal remedy but it is all dependent on the Bionic being able to charge the LapDock. Being able to switch out removable batteries and utilize this Battery Charging Dock solution to keep my Lapdock going was whole reason I chose Bionic over Razr Maxx (no removable battery). But again, it seems a dead Lapdock, is useless even with a fully charged Bionic docked to it, unless you plug it in. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Unfortunately the lapdock cannot draw power from the bionic at all. My solution for you would be to find an external charger with the correct plug for the lapdock itself. Failing that, let me be the first to say that i will buy it from you if you are interested in selling it.
Your battery would die very quickly anyway, powering a 10“ LCD, and keyboard with trackpad. Stop being lazy and just charge your lap dock.
Edit - not to mention the Bionic's battery probably doesn't output enough power to run the lapdock...though I haven't checked the ratings.
brandogg said:
Your battery would die very quickly anyway, powering a 10“ LCD, and keyboard with trackpad. Stop being lazy and just charge your lap dock.
Edit - not to mention the Bionic's battery probably doesn't output enough power to run the lapdock...though I haven't checked the ratings.
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+1, Internal Bat would die fast
brandogg said:
Your battery would die very quickly anyway, powering a 10“ LCD, and keyboard with trackpad. Stop being lazy and just charge your lap dock.
Edit - not to mention the Bionic's battery probably doesn't output enough power to run the lapdock...though I haven't checked the ratings.
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If Bionic could charge Lapdock:
I think "lazy" is a little harsh and a little ignorant as to my true goal. I believe I was explicit in my post that I always trying to achieve a method to have a continuous loop of power. 1 extra battery charging on the wall, always ready to go when the one I'm using dies. I would argue it is not a matter of laziness but ingenuity. Not only would this achieve an endless supply of power, but it achieves this without having being tied to a charging cable and outlet. It would be the closet thing to wireless charging which is something companies have already began experimenting with. Everything else has gone wireless, why not batteries. It will come, naysayers aside. And their are numerous articles about lack of battery development and improvements happening. Well, for me this above solution was a huge, overlooked, benefit of the LapDock. Show me a laptop where I can easily take my battery out and charge in on the wall across the room. I think many, many people would love a implementation like this. People do not like being tied to cables. Period. And laptop, lapdock, tablet, etc. batteries just do not keep up with heavy usuage and workloads. Yes I could charge the Lapdock at nite. And yes, if you want to play semantics, you can call it lazy. Then along that vein, any more effiecient idea is laziness.
Also, I am not sure i am convinced with arguments Bionic w/Extended battery could not keep Lapdock powered. I am sure it could, the more prudent question is how long? Bionic's extended battery is 2700mah. I read the Motolora Xyboard has a 3960mah battery. That is only a difference of 1260mah. So if Xyboard gets something like around 8hrs on a 3960mah powering it's larger screen, than I could make a somewhat probable expectation that Bionic+Extended Battery could at worse case scenario power LapDock for at least 3-4 hrs. And given that I (and I argue many others who would find this method useful) simply walk over to battery being charged on wall and switch them every 4 hrs or so. Not bad to me. Have a continuos loop of power, not be tied to a charging cable, and all I have to do is switch out batteries every few hours. Has is this that much different from people who carry around an extra laptop battery, or phone battery, or power brick. Also, the Asus Padfone. It is more or less the same concept as the Lapdock. I have not looked into it, but would this be true too for that? Would the tablet not work if you docked the phone inside it, unless the tablet was charged? Or would tablet draw power from it?
My main goal for this post was to see if it was possible and if anyone in community had some ideas as to how. Anything is possible right? Hell, they made Atrix lapdocks work with Bionics, Webtop work without an hd dock, and etc. So maybe this would require a little wiring or something of the sort. Since no solutions were put forth, I will definitely get with some of my engineer freinds and see what they can do. But also, I guess the purpose of this post was also to share and put forth the idea another unique use of this LapDock form factor we have. I think it was genius Motorola did this. I think the form factor, hardware was right on, but it was the anemic WebTop software which killed. Using my phone with Lapdock and HD dock and cloud computing (remote desktop client or Citrix) is the future of smart phones. And i by no means take no credit for this idea. "Nirvana phone" ideas have been around for awhile. These articles and vidoes are what drew me to the Bionic. But one benefit i had hoped for and never expected was to be able to utilize a method of having continous power by switching out batteries with an extra battery being charged on the wall, and not be tied to charging cable. I think it is a great idea, if it were possible. And I would think if some savvy manufacturer implemented this, they would find large consumer base. Hell, i'll throw out another idea. Having a Lapdock like device but inlude a dock on it for an external battery charger for the wall. So you could easily snap off external battery charger and extra battery from Lapdock, plug it in to wall, and comeback to where you are sitting and work. Then when ready to leave, unplug it, and easily snap/dock it to Lapdock and off you go. No more carrying around a big charging cable. All-in-one. Whole thing slides into a 1/2" thick sleeve and off you go.....
I'm talking voltage (and wattage), not mah. The Bionic's battery only outputs a maximum of 3.8v, which is basically the equivalent of 2.5 AA or AAA batteries. I don't know what the voltage rating on the Lapdock's battery is, but I'm guessing it's much higher than that (especially since it uses a 19v 1.85a charger, compared to the 5v 1.0a charger for just about any cell phone), and the Bionic's battery simply can't provide enough power to run it (at least not with the phone running off of it as well).
@brandogg.
Thanks for the info. Never considered that, but i never would have either. Guess that whole idea went to hell. Woulda been nice. Guess that probably hold true for Asus Padfone too. That was gonna be my next purchase. Well, it was just an idea/hope. Still a great phone and moto docks mke it even better especially with Webtop 3.0 coming with ICS.
It's like asking if you can use your phone to jump start a car, since you can use the car to charge the phone.

Possible faster charging solution rumored from CES

I was one of those that ordered the magnetic pogo charger when it first came on sale and I am still waiting to see if I will get my cable.
So for those who are looking for something that could boost charging time I came across this while following the CES convention bloggers. It looks semi promising. It claims it boosts the amp of any USB port as well as wall charger by using this tiny adapter. Here's the official post about it take a look at it let me know what you guys think.
http://m.cnet.com/news/chargedr-lets-you-charge-your-tablet-from-a-laptop-usb-port/57563162?ds=1
From my understanding its our tablet that is preventing more draw from the usb cable not the output of the wall charger.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
I'm thinking they purposely slow the recharge to preserve the life of the battery, as this tablet is really designed as a template for the next gen tablets. I'm assuming that this tablet will be in the hands of many devs and constantly being charged and recharged more so than an average consumer device.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
That product looks interesting, but I wonder how safe it is. If it's making the USB port from the source actually draw more power, couldn't that cause issues and even trip some voltage-protection stuff on certain motherboards on computers?
It might trip the USB controllers when it draws too much (in modern computers this wont be permanent damage). This is stupid though, there's a reason the tablet manufacturers limit the current draw when it's connected to a computer's USB port.
rp181 said:
It might trip the USB controllers when it draws too much (in modern computers this wont be permanent damage). This is stupid though, there's a reason the tablet manufacturers limit the current draw when it's connected to a computer's USB port.
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Yes there is a reason so consumers gets aggravated. And smashing the device and than order a new one lol

PCIe card charging

Just bought one of these and plan to test it out to see if I can get 3A charging. Confirmed with the manufacturer that it does in fact support 3A from the type-C port, but only 1.5A from the standard type-A port included. I will report back once tested.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B014JU16N6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=ox_sc_sfl_title_1&smid=AXMDUQ3Z9DF80
Interesting, kinda regretting my choice of a tiny mini itx desktop, first time in a long time that I have needed(well, want) expansion cards beyond a decent gpu.
Interested in this
tyman4444 said:
Interesting, kinda regretting my choice of a tiny mini itx desktop, first time in a long time that I have needed(well, want) expansion cards beyond a decent gpu.
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Yeah - might be tough tp make any sort of external peripheral that might hook up to SATA or something that can handle the same power requirements for charging. I think these things have their own power cable internally, just like a harddrive or DVD.
Well - I've tested this thing fairly well now and can report it does pretty great. I can get a full charge from around 10-15% in about an hour and it reports as delivering a true 3A using the Current Monitor app. Still maybe not quite as good as the OEM charger, but as close as anything I have tried so far.

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