Thursday, March 20, 2014

More on Miix 2 8 USB charging

The key to charge Miix 8 is to plug a charger into the USB port of a hub. If you plug only an AC adapter into the hub's DC-in jack, it won't work. You may use any hub and USB charger. Another important fact: don't plug in an OTG adapter into Miix before you connect the hub; i.e., you must connect the hub to an OTA adapter first, then connect the OTA to Miix. Afterward you may hot swap USB devices on the hub, as shown in this video:




PS: the cable plays a very important role as is in Galaxy S4 and Note 2. If the cable - all the cables from charger to Miix, are not short and/or thick enough, charging is either very slow or not effective at all. And of course, if you use a 3rd party charger, it must be able to output 2A or more current. I also plug AC adapter(s) to the DC jack of the hub(s), it helps charging speed while I use many USB devices (I even chain multiple hubs).

32 comments:

  1. Hey man, do you still make these?
    http://kingoftweaks.blogspot.com/2012/11/improve-philips-she3580-iem-earbuds.html

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    Replies
    1. You may go back to that article, I have added donation links for Paypal and credit cards. Thank you!

      Delete
  2. This isn't working here. I've tried with two USB2.0 hubs, one USB3.0 hub and two power-injection methods (Both 2.0A.) So I suspect you've stumbled across the right combination of adaptor cables or USB hub. (I haven't got one with a MicroUSB input.) Looking at your cables, what is the detail on the Micro-USB to USB (male) coming from the Lenovo Miix 2? This could be the answer.

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    Replies
    1. I tried 3 hubs so far including a 7-port, all fine. The one connected to Miix is a normal OTG adapter, male micro USB to female standard USB, nothing special about it neither and I've used other ones. This article has more on this subject:

      http://kingoftweaks.blogspot.com/2014/03/must-have-accessories-for-miix-2-8.html

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    2. Strange. I have three Micro to USB (Female) adaptors and two USB2 hubs. Maybe my hubs are so old that they don't support OTG functions?

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    3. My HUBs are very old too and very cheap.

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  3. Hi Sean,

    I was wondering if you could explain the need for all these different cables you use.
    Can't I just connect the USB hub with a standard USB cable and a micro USB to USB adapter?
    Why do you use 2 adapters between the USB hub and the cable going to the outlet?
    Also, is there a reason why I can't use the USB charging cable that came with the Miix to connect the Miix with the hub?

    Thanks in advance,

    Hans.

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    Replies
    1. Nothing special about these cables and adapters. As long as you can connect the charger, hub and Miix together, use whatever necessary. The only requirement: the cable(s) must be thick and/or short enough to not produce too much voltage drop.

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  4. other side note, you have to use a high amp wall transformer (the box that plugs into your wall power outlet) i just did this setup with my nook color usb wall adapter(rated for 1amp) and nothing. i then tried again with the power adapter which came with my asus t100. boom! started charging. this one is rated at 2amps. fyi friends

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  5. Thanks for the article, very informative. But, I really would like to know what kind of keyboard is connected to your Miix 2 8 ?

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  6. Never mind, I answered my own question from reading your other blog articles. Great stuff! keep up the good work!

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  7. it looks like this one

    http://www.amazon.com/BATTOP-ultra-thin-Aluminum-Bluetooth-Keyboard/dp/B00J2NB31G/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1398689029&sr=1-6

    but I don't know where Sean ordered his from.
    I DID order the one in the link for myself for 15$, should have it in a few days and I will report back then :)

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    Replies
    1. yep, thats the one (box matches Sean's from his picture)
      Fast shipping through Amazon, got it a day early :)
      Just paired it, worked like a charm (no win8 pun intended)
      IF YOU DO THIS!!!
      Be careful, the tiny screws on the back of that keyboard STRIP EASY!
      I had the right tool for the job, a tiny phillips head screwdriver I use for these types of projects. However one of the screws striped. Had to break the keyboard a little to get the last one out, but its not bad looking, just be carefull

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  8. Hi, when the Miix 2 is charged 100% and still plugged in, will it automatically switch to use AC line like a laptop? Or automatically use the AC line when I plug the adapter to the socket like a laptop, or it uses the battery all the time?
    Can you test this thing by using the AIDA64 Extreme - Power Management function? Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. It'll keep the battery topped up to 100% and use AC.

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    2. Thanks, nice Miix 2!

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  9. Please Help! I’ve tried three different hubs. There must be something different about your Miix 2 a driver a setting something in the registry…. The most recent hub is a D-Link DUB-H4. I can charge or use the attached device but not at the same time. If I connect to one of the 4 ports it will charge I must connect to the upstream port for the mouse to work but then it will not charge. Please I need to do both at the same time.

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  10. genius tip, thanks a lot! works like a charm with a random simple hama 4 port passive hub

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  11. Hi Sean, we love this blog about the Miix 2 8, in fact we purchased ours basically because of your suggestions to make it a all around handy tool. We have a little problem now, our original Lenovo charger was lost and we are having a hard time finding a new one that works. I noticed that in your video you are not using the original charger. Would you tell me where you purchased the one you use? Your info would be greatly appreciated.

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  13. Hi Sean! I'm a big fan of your blog and have followed some of your tweaks for the Miix 2 8. However, I found out that charging while using the USB port seems a bit elusive to me.

    Whenever I try to plug the charger and peripherals into the hub and the hub into the tablet while powered off, it would detect all connected devices and charge itself once it is turned on. However, if I try to do it while the tablet is powered on, I could see the tablet charging itself, but the peripherals are not detected :(

    Is there a way to use the USB port while charging without shutting down the tablet first? Thanks in advance!

    -Charles

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    Replies
    1. I have never had any trouble with my USB port. Unplug it and take it out; plug it in, sleeping or not, every device connects and charging starts. Flawless. And, I use two USB hubs connecting 7 devices.

      All I can think of: 1) plug your original Miix charger into your hub for charging. 3rd-party charger might be incompatible and may not ensure fast charging. This cannot provide enough power for your devices though, so: 2) your hub(s) must be powered too. My two hubs are powered by two 5V AC adapters.

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    2. Thanks for the response! I'm actually using the original charger and my hub is not powered :) So that answers everything! Thanks a lot!
      -Charles

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