Tablets that Allow Charge and USB Connection at the Same Time

Connorrr

Member
Feb 10, 2013
2
0
Hi,

I'm using an Ant+ USB Receiver and I'm trying to find a Tablet that will let me charge the unit while the USB receiver is connected and in use. I know that tablets like the Asus Transformer allow charging and use of the USB port when the keybord dock is plugged in but if I have to use a dock I would much prefer to use something more compact.

Does anyone know of a Tablet that has separate charging and USB ports? or has a compact dock to allow this function. I would really appreciate any help with this one.

Cheers :)
 

Connorrr

Member
Feb 10, 2013
2
0
Thanks so much,

That tablet looks like it would do exactly what I need but I would worry about the support for Australian 3G carriers. Many of the Tabs that use 30 pin, 40 pin, etc connectors are definitely capable of charging as well as OTG but there just isn't any accessories on the market to help out. I have found a few schematics for the connector pins on some of the more popular tabs so in theory you could put something together on your own but I would be terrified of voiding the warranty.

Cheers
 

drcrash

Member
Mar 8, 2013
12
3
The USB OTG (On the Go) standard allows for charging through the USB OTG port while using the same port in USB host mode (e.g., plugging flash cards or keyboards or a USB hub into it). That is, you "should" be able to charge your tablet AND the devices plugged into it at the same time, and basically use the OTG port as a docking port by connecting it to power and a hub.

I don't know which hardware actually supports that, but I wouldn't be surprised if most hardware that can do OTG at all supported host mode charging. AFAIK t doesn't require any fancy circuitry beyond what is needed for OTG host mode, and mostly needs the software to take advantage of the hardware. (I could be wrong and am especially curious whether Tegra 3 systems like my Lenovo A2109 IdeaPad could do this with appropriate OS support.)

Unfortunately, I don't think most versions of the Linux Kernel can do it, including most or all of the standard Android distribution kernels.

I think some Galaxy Nexus devices can do it, with an appropriate cable (a Host Cable with Power), which looks like a y cable with the extra bit being a female micro USB, or maybe a full-size USB, for connecting to a suitably powerful micro or full-size USB power supply.

It seems a real shame that this isn't a generally supported feature in Android. (At least not yet.) It would allow people to use OTG USB ports as docking ports on inexpensive devices, and not get locked in to closed proprietary docking/charging solutions.
 
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