Add USB Host Ports to Your Pocket PC

[Andy Sjostrom]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.twin-paradox.com/SEPDA.html' target='_blank'>http://www.twin-paradox.com/SEPDA.html</a><br /><br /></div>Twin Paradox and Cypress Semiconductor have announced a Compact Flash card which adds two independent USB hosts to a Pocket PC. I recently posted about a product in the same category, albeit it used serial communication. It's easy to forget that what makes all these Pocket PC peripherals possible is an underlying operating system that has had all the nescessary hooks integrated for a long, long time. Beauty of standards! Check out Jenneth's comments in her <a href="http://www.jenneth.info/archives/003427.html">Compact Flash USB host adapter for Windows Mobile 2003</a> article.<br /><br />"Features<br />• Adds two independent USB Host ports to your Pocket PC<br />• Supports standard-A USB Host connectors<br />• Dongle-less Type I CompactFlash Card design<br />• Pocket PC supplies USB low power to each Host port (5v @ 100ma)<br />• Provides full USB Host Port power to each port with AC adapter (5v @ 500ma)<br />• Internal Power Auto-Switch (Switches CF Card and USB Host power from Pocket PC power to AC adapter power automatically.)<br /><br />Includes<br />• SolarExpress® PDA CF Card<br />• USB Host extension cable<br />• Installation Guide<br />• CD-ROM with CF USB Host Card driver<br />• AC adapter (optional use)<br /><br />Specifications<br />• Compliant with USB 1.1 specifications (audio microphone, speakers and video webcams supported on future driver release)<br />• 2 USB Host port connectors on CF Card<br />• 5 Volt DC Power Jack for full USB Host power support<br />• 12 Mbps maximum transfer rate<br />• Windows Mobile 2003 Plug n Play<br />• Runs off Pocket PC power<br /><br />System Requirements<br />• Windows Mobile 2003 (Pocket PC 2003)<br />• Pocket PC with 16 bit CompactFlash slot<br />• ActiveSync 3.7 or higher"<br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/usb_01.jpg" />

[starbot]

so with this would i be able to hook up a HD MP3 player, and play say movies that were stored on the HD?

[dhpss]

Toshiba e750 user have been able to do this for while with the small expansion attached to the botton (I would not like cables tangling on the top of the PPC). This also offers a VGA output. Mine works well with a slim hd (in the car) w/deje-anypack driver.

[Lday]

As a long-time user of a Toshiba E740, (now a E755), it has been frustrating trying to use the USB host capabilities. Sure, Deje provided mass storage and mouse drivers, but I still have no drivers for my Sanyo 4900 phone so I can use the unlimited Sprint PCS Vision plan. I can do it from my laptop, but no drivers exist for the PDA. BTW, with the Toshiba you don't even need the expansion pack (although you do gain a VGA port with it), you just need their USB Host adapter cable.

[Cortex]

worthless without drivers...

[jeffmd]

what cortex said. even many usb mp3 devices req a driver. and even global drivers for things like mass storage may not be included with this thing.

[Sven Johannsen]

Not sure where Jenneth got the ~$90 price, but if that is right, maybe Ratoc will quit wanting $150 for theirs. Even with it just being a single port, I sort of like the Ratoc design better. Little smaller to carry around though it does lead to easier breakage. Wish my modem and NIC CF cards had a dongle, instead of a huge box just to hold the connector. Of course that is just me.

[Tiggerfoot]

Have they made a SD version yet? Since I have rderd a X3i and I know that it only has SD....

[rapidnet_rick]

worthless without drivers...

This is what I am not clear on....


Without drivers for the hardware you want to use, what is the point?

What type of drivers are available now?


--=Rick=--

[Dermot81]

hardware has to come before software ...

its like the chicken and the egg

[seeker]

While is it true that there must be a need, hardware to satisfy the need before software engineers spend time to develop drivers to make the devices play well together, Casio and their E200 was the first PPC to have Host USB capability but the drivers were never developed to make this hardware a useful reality.

Just because there is hardware ie the USB card, it will be just like the my Casio E200 unless the hardware drivers are developed and they work well.

Just my thoughts....

:cry:

[GoldKey]

Not sure where Jenneth got the ~$90 price,

Try here

http://www.twin-paradox.com/comparison.html

[BTS]

Perhaps it is the release of these products that will allow for more drivers to be released. I use a USB keyboard with my Toshiba and it's really nice! I'd love to hook up other peripherals to it. :D

[mxm]

Oh boy, they can't get anything right can they? While all of you are going on about the compatibility issues has anyone seen the size of that thing?

Here, watch the picture again:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/usb_01.jpg

This is ridiculous, it'll make my PPC tip over. How difficult can it be to make such a thing smaller, the Casio E200 USB port was al lot smaller and had some elegance too. These people didn't make this thing and expected it to be used, did they? The more I look at it the funnier it gets.

[johncruise]

lets see... there are USB keyboard and USB mouse drivers built in (although you have to install DeJe's mouse pointer to make the mouse driver become usable). There is also a USB GPS driver (currently works for Holux), a floppy driver, and of course the famous mass storage driver by DeJe. There is a USB driver for the canon bublejet printer but nobody invested into testing out if this works or not (besides... even if it works, pocket word/excel doesn't have built in printer support).

Those are the known USB driver Casio and Toshiba users have long been benefited.

[jeffmd]

true the hardware needs to come first, but I cant see costly cf expansion cards doing it. we need those small square usb connectors built into pocket pc's.

[gohtor]

It's great that this usb hosting is finally made available. we will likely see a slow support in drivers for ppc os's. I am still hopeful that someone will try to make a usb host for sdio =)

Robert Huie

[ctmagnus]

we need those small square usb connectors built into pocket pc's.

The square ones (USB B) are only on slave devices, which most Pocket PCs already function exclusively as. What is needed is to get usb A ports on Pocket PCs in order to get usb host functionality.

[mxm]

The square ones (USB B) are only on slave devices...What is needed is to get usb A ports on Pocket PCs in order to get usb host functionality.

Some USB adaptors have those USB B ports as connection ports as well, next to USB A connectors, so they can function as full USB ports. Jeffmd has a point here.

[TonyUSB]

I think you all may have missed some key points as to how significant a product this is. Consider the following I have read on their website and their press realease.

You can find more information at www.twin-paradox.com. There you can read the press release announcing this product which will be available sometime in February 2004. Here are a few things to keep in mind about Solar Express:

#1) it has 2 full host USB ports! Not one but 2 !!!!!!!

#2) it does not contain a proprietary cable. The only cable you will need is your regular USB cable for your device. The Ratoc card has a cable ( Dongle) which you must order from Ratoc if you ever need a replacement. They only warrant this cable (Dongle) for 90 days ( This should tell us something about the durability of this cable). Solar Express elimenates this problem. No Dongle !!!

#3) Cost will be $89 !!!!!! $89 for not one but two ports. The Ratoc USB host card costs $139 and the InterPocket USB host card will no longer be manufactured. www.interpocket.co.uk

#4) The ability to automatically sense and switch between the Pocket PC power 5v @ 100ma and an AC adapter( Included) which can deliver 5v @ 500ma from each port carrying that much power. No adapter or cradle can currently do that. That is the difference between this solution and any current product out there trying to solve this problem.

#5) Is not brand specific! Will work on Pocket PC's with 16 bit Compact Flash slot and has Windows Mobile ( Pocket PC 2003)
You cannot take your adapter for an E-200 and hook it up to a Dell or HP device. All of the current adapters,cradles and what have you are brand specific, I say again. brand specific. With this Solar Express thing it will work with any, any Pocket PC with windows mobile(pocket2003) and a CF slot. Tell me of one cradle or adapter that you can say that about it!

#6) Drivers are based upon the Windows CE.NET 4.2. This means that the drivers will be based on the .NET Compact Framework!!!!!
www.twin-paradox.com/classdrivers.html

The following hardware devices have been tested and proven to work with this card according to their website.

Some specific examples of USB peripherals supported by SolarExpress PDA are:

Canon's USB BJC-85 printer
http://www.usa.canon.com/html/index1.jsp
Iogear's USB Hub
www.iogear.com
Iomega's USB bus powered Zip 100 drive
http://www.iomega.com/na/products/product_family.jsp
Maxtor's USB external hard drive
http://www.maxtor.com/en/products/external/onetouch/index.htm
Memory Experts' USB Flash Hard drives
www.clipdrive.com
Microsoft's USB Hub\Keyboard combo and Mouse
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/default.mspx
Olympus D-510 Zoom
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_digital_dseries.asp

That's already quite a bit to be able to connect to with a pocket PC through USB. More drivers are on the way too according to them.

With this little device you can turn your Pocket PC into a work horse.

#7) It is only .547 inches high, 1.94 inches wide, 3.68 inches long.

Unless I'm missing something this seems like a great answer to the Pocket PC USB problem.

It would take a much bigger and bulkier design of the pocket PCs to supply power for up to two USB ports delivering 5v @ 500ma.

Now that is a heck of a lot connectivity and features coming from one card and an AC adapter !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!