Help MHL Adapter Issues

[RJB]

I apologize for incomplete information, but wondering if I have enough to get some answers.

I had a TMo Galaxy Note and used a PipeLine MHL Adapter to connect to HDMI teevees.

My camera went wonky, so I did a warranty replacement and got a new phone. I don't know if I ever successfully connected the new phone to a teevee.

What I do know is, NOW I can't get it to connect to a teevee. It's the same adapter, and the same cable.

My Unit recently updated the software - I'm on Android 4.0.4, Kernel 3.0.8.

When I connect my laptop to the same teevee with the same cable to the same input, I get a clear signal from the laptop.

When I plug the MHL adapter into the phone and into power, the phone charges (and the screen stays on), so there's some evidence of a connection.

Any thoughts? Is there a setting on the phone to tweak?

Thanks in advance.

rjb

 

[Frisco]

I apologize for incomplete information, but wondering if I have enough to get some answers.

I had a TMo Galaxy Note and used a PipeLine MHL Adapter to connect to HDMI teevees.

My camera went wonky, so I did a warranty replacement and got a new phone. I don't know if I ever successfully connected the new phone to a teevee.

What I do know is, NOW I can't get it to connect to a teevee. It's the same adapter, and the same cable.

My Unit recently updated the software - I'm on Android 4.0.4, Kernel 3.0.8.

When I connect my laptop to the same teevee with the same cable to the same input, I get a clear signal from the laptop.

When I plug the MHL adapter into the phone and into power, the phone charges (and the screen stays on), so there's some evidence of a connection.

Any thoughts? Is there a setting on the phone to tweak?

Thanks in advance.

rjb

Wow.. thast's a good one, RJB. I'm first thinking about the update rendering the configuration path inactive as far as signal processing, while leaving a data path enough to show connection.

I'd clear everything out.. all caches involved and even the data. I'd also examine the Pipeline's connection guide for simple mistakes (click "show").

Spoiler

From http://pipelineet.com/products/mhl-adaptor/

Perhaps we'll see input from others here attempting this configuration.

 

[RJB]

Explain "clearing caches"...

I believe I've tried every sequence for connecting, but will diligently try that one in a bit.

And, yes, I've rebooted.

Thanks!

 

[Frisco]

Explain "clearing caches"...

I believe I've tried every sequence for connecting, but will diligently try that one in a bit.

And, yes, I've rebooted.

Thanks!

You can go into the application manager (via main menu) and select each widget/app you want to clear. Or you can go into the recovery area and wipe the cache partition.

They both should be done if you suspect a messed up configuration that got changed by an outside force, such as an update (or a downloaded and installed app not playing nice with the system).

In the Note you can access the recovery menu like this:

Power off the Note. Press and hold both Volume Up + Home+power on. Use the volume keys to navigate up and down the menu, select "wipe cache." Be careful because a factory data reset is also an item on that menu and that will return your device to the state it was in when first out of the box.

 

[RJB]

I must be thick, and it's late

When I press and hold three things - Volume Up, the "Home" icon", and the power button, my phone simplly vibrates once per second until I let go - and then it boots normally.

What on earth am I doing wrong?

Also: is there a way to rollback the system update, without doing a factory reset? Presuming clearing the caches doesn't work, I'm down to three potential causes, as I see it:
1) The HDMI output on the adapter went wonky
2) The new phone has a damaged USB port, not too damaged for charging or swapping data with Windows, but for converting a video signal to the adapter, or
3) The latest update/build to ICS doesn't support MHL. (Doesn't explain why no one else seems to have this problem).

If it's easy to rule out 3, then I'll replace the adapter. If that fails, then...?

 

[RJB]

Additionally, there used to be a way to test the efficacy of the data that my Palm Pilot was transmitting/receiving during a Hot Sync, using hyper terminal...

Any way of doing something similar with the Note?

 

[RJB]

I must be thick, and it's late

When I press and hold three things - Volume Up, the "Home" icon", and the power button, my phone simplly vibrates once per second until I let go - and then it boots normally.

What on earth am I doing wrong?

This may be T-Mo only, but it's actually the Vol Up, Vol Down, and Power Buttons.

Will try on home teevee in morning.

 

[RJB]

I had tried this on two different teevees in hotel rooms, to no avail.

Cleared the cache on the way home.

Plugged into home teevee - all good.

I was able to use the teevee as an HDMI monitor for my laptop while on the road, so I'm wondering if it wasn't the cache-clearing.

Why in heck would that have worked?

 

[Frisco]

I had tried this on two different teevees in hotel rooms, to no avail.

Cleared the cache on the way home.

Plugged into home teevee - all good.

I was able to use the teevee as an HDMI monitor for my laptop while on the road, so I'm wondering if it wasn't the cache-clearing.

Why in heck would that have worked?

Removing data from the cache gives the system a chance to "see things anew," and react to a different data path environment. Most often, there will be very little in the cache to cause the issues you describe; afterall, most cache clearing is about freeing up resource room so the system doesn't have to rake through so much stuff to function for this or that widget.

But sometimes there can be a cluster of data in there that the system will interpret as appropriate for a certain function and it just won't be at all, thus the seeming strange inconsistency you're seeing with the tv issues.

 

[RJB]

Bump.

Warranty issues on Note so replaced (with another TMo Note).

It isn't throwing a picture through the MHL adapter to the teevee.

My iPad and laptop, using the same HDMI cable, connect just fine.

When I set everything up, the phone shows it's charging. When I plug everything into the teevee, the broadcast signal goes away, the screen goes black, says it's "Connecting" for a moment, and then it says "No connection".

I worked the steps above - cleared the cache of the programs, and cleared the cache partition at boot. And still nothing.

Will take any other suggestions.