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[VIDEO] Google Nexus 7 Tablet & OTG Cable for USB Host Connection

reverendkjr

reverendkjr

Newbie
Google Nexus 7 Tablet & OTG Cable for USB Host Connection - YouTube

I have taken the time to connect an OTG (On The Go) cable into my Nexus 7 tablet to demonstrate for you how to take advantage of the USB Host capabilities of the device. You can plug in USB input devices such as a keyboard or a mouse, or both, with the use of a USB hub. You can also plug in a USB drive for extended data storage, as long as you download a free app from the Play Store called StickMount. Now, StickMount requires that your device is rooted, so if you have not done that yet, please follow my "Idiots Guide to Unlocking & Rooting your Nexus 7", located here:

Idiots Guide to Unlocking & Rooting the Google Nexus 7 Tablet - YouTube

Results may vary in terms of what USB devices work, and what doesn't work.
 
I watched the idiots guide to rooting the nexus and it is quite good for most folk, but I seem to need a moron's guide where I can read on paper step by step how to do this as my recall abilities are limited and I am certain I would miss some important steps trying to do it from memory.
 
Awesome stuff!
There was a time when nothing brought me more pleasure than setting up a big kludge of USB cables, adapters, and devices to work together!
I'm going to look into rooting my Nexus 7 this weekend if I get a chance so I can tinker around with my own pile of USB stuff.

Thanks for taking the time to make the videos!
 
stridermt2k said:
Awesome stuff!
There was a time when nothing brought me more pleasure than setting up a big kludge of USB cables, adapters, and devices to work together!
I'm going to look into rooting my Nexus 7 this weekend if I get a chance so I can tinker around with my own pile of USB stuff.

Thanks for taking the time to make the videos!
Click to expand...

The main reason that I made this video is to show the world that it is possible to do this. There are a lot of questions about OTG out there, and this should answer most of them.
 
4ubest said:
I watched the idiots guide to rooting the nexus and it is quite good for most folk, but I seem to need a moron's guide where I can read on paper step by step how to do this as my recall abilities are limited and I am certain I would miss some important steps trying to do it from memory.
Click to expand...

I was able to play it in a window of my desktop and as a result I was able to unlock and root.

As a side note using the otg cable, I was able to use my Logitech USB wireless keyboard and mouse that I got from Sam's
 
reverendkjr said:
I'm glad to see some successes.
Click to expand...

LOL I'd be surprised if I didn't really. The video was incredibly easy to follow, and to be honest I've done this kind of thing lots of times over the years to varying devices.

I DID experience the mess you described when trying to install the drivers using the automatic method, but the manual method worked fine.
 
kind of a pain in the ass, since some things dont exactly work the first time, but the video is easy to follow.

I did a backup of my data, unlocked and rooted, then restored. I had to re-set some things, but overall all is right in the world. :)
 
I got rooted without too much effort (once I figured out how to use the volume and power buttons on the boot screen), but I haven't gotten an OTG adapter yet. All the cheap ones seem to ship from Hong Kong, so they take a month to arrive, but since they are so cheap, I just bought 3 different ones from amazon (about $1 each and free shipping). I figure one of the 3 is bound to work correctly :-).
 
Claghorn said:
I got rooted without too much effort (once I figured out how to use the volume and power buttons on the boot screen), but I haven't gotten an OTG adapter yet. All the cheap ones seem to ship from Hong Kong, so they take a month to arrive, but since they are so cheap, I just bought 3 different ones from amazon (about $1 each and free shipping). I figure one of the 3 is bound to work correctly :-).
Click to expand...

I have tried two different ones from amazon and they both seem to work the same. I think you'll be okay.
 
I'm curious as to why rooting and the Stickmount app are required to support OTG?

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 (with ICS) and I got a OTG cable for it, plugged it in and away I went. No rooting or additional software needed.

BTW, I ordered my cable from a vendor in Hong Kong and got it in 4 days, not a month!
 
It's not required for all OTG support. Rooting is only required for mass storage support, and it's only because Jelly Bean, for some reason, does not automatically mount mass storage devices. Stickmount simply detects a mass storage device getting connected, and mounts it in the file system.

Not sure if it's just an oversight on the part of Google, or if there was some reason for it, but there you are.
 
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