Hi,
Got my FireTV stick yesterday,
Seems to power fine via the USB port of my Sony Bravia TV.
Even games play quite fluently.
Sometimes the menus are a bit sluggish compared to the regular FireTV, but I guess this is normal due to the relatively slow CPU.
Was wondering if it somehow could still be underpowered and if I would miss out on performance. Is there any way to tell if it is getting enough power?
Check the specs of your TV to see how many miliamps its USB ports have, as long as its equal or more to the requirements of the fire TV you should be ok... it is possible that it can run at lower amperage, but is not good for the hardware, and you should use a proper power source.
I got mine yesterday as well and ignored the advice to use the supplied power supply.
I just used the 1,0 Ah USB port of my Samsung TV. Seems ok, only a warning at start so far.
Without a separate power unit this little stick is really a hidden addon for the TV
It can be powered via just the usb and the tv?
Pony1 said:
It can be powered via just the usb and the tv?
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Yeah works for me too, just powered thru the USB port of my Philips TV.
Work fine for usb power from tv as well.
Some old tv have low power usb port then give unstable performance. But with newer tv then it is fine
Related
Hello all. I was wondering if I were to install a A500 rom on my A100, would I be able to use a XBOX 360 controller on it? Of course I would need an adapter. Does anyone know this?
we still do not have a usb host enabled kernal so not at this time
Thanks for the reply. So is it technically possible once there is a usb host enabled kernel?
I really hope so.
From what little i know of USB host mode I beleave it is possible in ICS devices with usb game controllers
JohnnyDanger said:
Thanks for the reply. So is it technically possible once there is a usb host enabled kernel?
I really hope so.
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I don't think anyone knows for sure. I believe I read somewhere that the Hardware (on the board internally) was not wired to support it. If that is the case nothing done to the Kernel will enable it without opening up the device and performing a hardware mod. I could have been reading this about another device but I'm pretty sure it was the A100.
Bottom line is we will just have to wait and see.
I know for sure. No matter how it is rooted, no matter the kernal, no matter the ROM, adapter or not,it will not work. The USB port in the Acer A100 is not powered. It is set to be connected to something with power. Not to provide it. In order to connect a game controller USB to a device the USB port powers the controller. So it is a hardware issue, no ROM or Kernal can fix it.
Well, I assumed that you are talk about the wireless ones and thus, here is my info for you: Xbox 360 Controller are not Bluetooth, but both the PS3 and Wii controllers are and have apps to support them for Android.
Good luck with it, I'm off to try a Wiimote on my A100.
McPlot said:
I know for sure. No matter how it is rooted, no matter the kernal, no matter the ROM, adapter or not,it will not work. The USB port in the Acer A100 is not powered. It is set to be connected to something with power. Not to provide it. In order to connect a game controller USB to a device the USB port powers the controller. So it is a hardware issue, no ROM or Kernal can fix it.
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Power is one problem, but I think the bigger issue is that the port simply doesn't have a hosting mode. (Correct me if I'm wrong!) If it was simply power you should be able to run an external powered hub and get devices to work.
But I know that there's an internal USB bus on the board (courtesy of the NVIDIA chipset I think) that's being used for some components, e.g. the GPS (dmesg shows the kernel loading the pl2303 serial driver and hooking it up on USB.) That would mean to me there's a possibility of tapping into the board to hook into the USB bus, but that's beyond my skill level. A macro model of the motherboard in the service manual does show USB hosting available on the NVIDIA chip.
To the original topic: XBox 360 controllers require a relative lot of amperage to run; it probably wouldn't work on a little device like Acer even if it did power its port. (We could expect something in the ballpark of 250ma max in this mythical setup.) Bluetooth does work and works great; I have an iControlPad which works well and is a blast.
southbird said:
Power is one problem, but I think the bigger issue is that the port simply doesn't have a hosting mode. (Correct me if I'm wrong!) If it was simply power you should be able to run an external powered hub and get devices to work.
But I know that there's an internal USB bus on the board (courtesy of the NVIDIA chipset I think) that's being used for some components, e.g. the GPS (dmesg shows the kernel loading the pl2303 serial driver and hooking it up on USB.) That would mean to me there's a possibility of tapping into the board to hook into the USB bus, but that's beyond my skill level. A macro model of the motherboard in the service manual does show USB hosting available on the NVIDIA chip.
To the original topic: XBox 360 controllers require a relative lot of amperage to run; it probably wouldn't work on a little device like Acer even if it did power its port. (We could expect something in the ballpark of 250ma max in this mythical setup.) Bluetooth does work and works great; I have an iControlPad which works well and is a blast.
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Click to collapse
As for the 360 controller power, using a wireless unit with the charger cable allows it to be used as a USB version controller, this should alleviate the power requirements for the controller to 0, while allowing it be used as a wired controller. But again, we need USB host, which we don't seem to have yet, or ever. Or a wired controller with a powered hub, but only if it offers protection from the host port being charged, I seriously doubt the tab itself can protect itself from this as it was never meant to have something like that on it, and may just take whatever voltage goes into it. Same issue I've seen on another tab..maybe the nook, maybe the kindle, I've had both and I forget which is which sometimes.
Then again, the wireless with the USB attachment may try to draw power (as it is the charger) and work opposite of how I think, and of course not work as it'll try to draw power through the port for charging.
Here is what I know:
I can use a Samsung USB-to-HDMI adapter to display the screen on a TV while charging the phone. You can hook up a PS3 controller to the GN2 with a USB-OTG cable. I also know that you can connect certain devices to the GN2 via USB-OTG cable and a USB hub to charge the GN2 while using the peripheral.
What I would like to do:
I would like to be able to run an emulated two-player game on my GN2 while displaying on an HDMI connected TV, and having two controllers work at the same time for simultaneous two player action (ex. Street Fighter 2 Turbo for SNES). I already have a couple PS3 controllers as well as two generic USB PC gaming controllers that I would like to use.
Basically, is the USB port on the GN2 capable of being used to simultaneously charge the phone, and run the HDMI adapter and two USB controllers? If not, what about just running the HDMI adapter and charging the phone, then run two controllers via Bluetooth? Also, I see there is a smart dock (EDD-S20JWE) that looks to have all of the functionality I'm interested in, can anyone confirm this?
Thanks all.
I have never thought of that! I am also interested though!
EVOIXGSR said:
Here is what I know:
I can use a Samsung USB-to-HDMI adapter to display the screen on a TV while charging the phone. You can hook up a PS3 controller to the GN2 with a USB-OTG cable. I also know that you can connect certain devices to the GN2 via USB-OTG cable and a USB hub to charge the GN2 while using the peripheral.
What I would like to do:
I would like to be able to run an emulated two-player game on my GN2 while displaying on an HDMI connected TV, and having two controllers work at the same time for simultaneous two player action (ex. Street Fighter 2 Turbo for SNES). I already have a couple PS3 controllers as well as two generic USB PC gaming controllers that I would like to use.
Basically, is the USB port on the GN2 capable of being used to simultaneously charge the phone, and run the HDMI adapter and two USB controllers? If not, what about just running the HDMI adapter and charging the phone, then run two controllers via Bluetooth? Also, I see there is a smart dock (EDD-S20JWE) that looks to have all of the functionality I'm interested in, can anyone confirm this?
Thanks all.
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I actually just tried this very setup the other day: HDMI out + PS3 controller. In theory it should be awesome... But I found that the HDMI out is super laggy (both in terms of framerate, and a pretty significant delay between what shows on the phone screen vs. the TV screen). I tried it on both a TV, and a PC monitor, and it was the same. I posted about it here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2098948
It made every game I tried unplayable. I didn't even try a fighting game, but I'd imagine it would be even worse.
It makes the setup pretty unusable in my opinion, which has me pretty bummed out because I was really excited about it.
I'll just stick to GameKlip + PS3 controller for now.
hello all,
i want to purchase a usb hub, but with user opinions on the device.
what is the best usb hub to use with the fire tv? something incredibly fast and affordable(not over 70$)
you can provide links for me to check them out
There are USB hubs that cost $70?! Are they made by Monster?
I bought the Amazon Basics USB 3.0 hub for like 15 bucks and it has been quick and rock solid.
laidbackcloud said:
you can provide links for me to check them out
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I'm using this one for $7: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-4-Port-USB-2-0-Ultra-Mini/dp/B003M0NURK to support a Flirc and a Logitech Unifying receiver.
jpeg42 is referring to this one (I think): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQFGH80
IMO, depending on your usage, both are overkill. I also tested two others, from the extremely cheap ($0.99 at the checkout register of Walgreens) and a 10-port glitz-n-bling. They all work. I would suggest that if you're going to use more than four device get the one jpeg42 is using because it's powered externally. Some people have reported troubles with other self-powered hubs.
And I agree, for $70, it better be a really good one.
wellersl said:
I'm using this one for $7: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-4-Port-USB-2-0-Ultra-Mini/dp/B003M0NURK to support a Flirc and a Logitech Unifying receiver.
jpeg42 is referring to this one (I think): http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQFGH80
IMO, depending on your usage, both are overkill. I also tested two others, from the extremely cheap ($0.99 at the checkout register of Walgreens) and a 10-port glitz-n-bling. They all work. I would suggest that if you're going to use more than four device get the one jpeg42 is using because it's powered externally. Some people have reported troubles with other self-powered hubs.
And I agree, for $70, it better be a really good one.
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I got the playstation USB 3.0 hub that walmart sells, so far its working for my development testing.
jpeg42 said:
There are USB hubs that cost $70?! Are they made by Monster?
I bought the Amazon Basics USB 3.0 hub for like 15 bucks and it has been quick and rock solid.
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQFGH80
Can you reboot with this USB hub? I have a cheap powered usb 3.0 hub and I cant reboot firetv with it plugged in.
Remember the USB on the AFTV is only USB 2.0, I know...hard to believe huh!?!
Anyway, getting a USB 3.0 hub is just going to cost more and have no performance improvement.
HeXDeMoN said:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DQFGH80
Can you reboot with this USB hub? I have a cheap powered usb 3.0 hub and I cant reboot firetv with it plugged in.
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You mean like reboot with Play and Select button? I believe it works, but to be honest, I don't think I have rebooted the firetv more than once or twice.
I went for 3.0 only for other future purposes (as stated above, Firetv is only 2.0 but that is outdated) and for the power just in case I needed it for external HD + flirc + mouse/keyboard dongle.
jpeg42 said:
You mean like reboot with Play and Select button? I believe it works, but to be honest, I don't think I have rebooted the firetv more than once or twice.
I went for 3.0 only for other future purposes (as stated above, Firetv is only 2.0 but that is outdated) and for the power just in case I needed it for external HD + flirc + mouse/keyboard dongle.
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I still think it's a waste of money.
The AFTV itself is very future proof. The only thing not future proof on it is the 8GB storage. However, that's still enough to store thumbs, fan art, etc for about 5,000 videos. So, by the time your AFTV needs to be upgraded (3-4yrs?), USB 3.0 hubs will come down in price by a lot. And when you upgrade to an Amazon Fire TV 4 (which will have USB 3.0) you can just buy a USB 3.0 hub and daisy chain your old USB 2.0 hub to it...and use the USB 2.0 hub to connect peripherals, not hard drives.
jpeg42 said:
You mean like reboot with Play and Select button? I believe it works, but to be honest, I don't think I have rebooted the firetv more than once or twice.
I went for 3.0 only for other future purposes (as stated above, Firetv is only 2.0 but that is outdated) and for the power just in case I needed it for external HD + flirc + mouse/keyboard dongle.
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Yea with play+select button *or any other method* with my el-cheapo hub with power connected it will reboot but then hang on bootup .. if I try to reboot without the power plugged in then it never reboots and just hangs on the "please wait while fire tv powers off" or whatever it says when you hold the buttons.
So for me to reboot I need to unplug the hub .. annoying to say the least and impossible to get into the recovery with a keyboard+hdd ... wanted to install a mount script .. and was very confused when I couldn't reboot.....
As for the price difference.. I'm not going to miss $10 dollars but sometime down the road I'm sure I'll be mad I don't have a usb 3.0 powered hub ..
soo moral of story dont buy cheap hubs from aliexpress
Neo3D said:
Remember the USB on the AFTV is only USB 2.0, I know...hard to believe huh!?!
Anyway, getting a USB 3.0 hub is just going to cost more and have no performance improvement.
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Haven't checked the pins but i know for certain load times using 3.0 adapters and usb drives on this device are a little over twice as fast. As for reboot, that's probably hub enumeration in kernel.
Sent from my LG-VM670 using XDA Free mobile app
HeXDeMoN said:
Yea with play+select button *or any other method* with my el-cheapo hub with power connected it will reboot but then hang on bootup .. if I try to reboot without the power plugged in then it never reboots and just hangs on the "please wait while fire tv powers off" or whatever it says when you hold the buttons.
So for me to reboot I need to unplug the hub .. annoying to say the least and impossible to get into the recovery with a keyboard+hdd ... wanted to install a mount script .. and was very confused when I couldn't reboot.....
As for the price difference.. I'm not going to miss $10 dollars but sometime down the road I'm sure I'll be mad I don't have a usb 3.0 powered hub ..
soo moral of story dont buy cheap hubs from aliexpress
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I have the same issue with reboot and using hub. did you find the fix for this issue?
thanks
mrhoque said:
I have the same issue with reboot and using hub. did you find the fix for this issue?
thanks
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There isn't exactly a fix. I'm guessing your hub is powered. I was reading that when you reboot the AFTV with a powered hub plugged in, it recognizes the power and thinks it is connected to a computer, causing it to go into fastboot mode. Unfortunately, you'll have to keep unplugging every reboot.
With the Latest firmware I am now able to reboot with hdd connected. Although haven't tried with power connected
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Free mobile app
Will connecting the fire TV stick to the socket boost performance? What advantages does it have
Sent from my Nexus 5
If your tv has enough power to supply to the stick (most don't), there's no advantage other than not using a separate dongle
ldeveraux said:
If your tv has enough power to supply to the stick (most don't), there's no advantage other than not using a separate dongle
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Mines doesn't
Sent from my Nexus 5
It seems that also if the stick does run only powered by the TV USB it still may run slower if the USB power is sufficient for starting it but still limited. Personally I had some WIFI problems when not using the external power supply. Without power supply my WIFI networks haven´t been found but with it WIFI did directly connect. Menues did on my stick navigate faster when external power has been attached.
So probably there are some power saving mechanics in the stick similiar to those of a mobile phone with lowering the clock etc.
Hi, ive registered with this forum to ask for some information on the Amazon Firestick. I am thinking of buying a fully loaded stick from Ebay in the UK. My main question is i have a UMC 40 inch TV with a usb and Hdmi port but its not a smart tv. Will the Firestick work or do i need a smart tv. Any help would be appreciated Thanks
No SmartTV needed, only HDMI is mandatory of course. USB power can (or better should) be done with the USB power supply of the stick, so also USB must not be used from the TV and can be left free for other devices which need to be connected directly to the TV.
Calibaan said:
USB power can (or better should) be done with the USB power supply of the stick, so also USB must not be used from the TV and can be left free for other devices which need to be connected directly to the TV.
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= Plug the FireTV Stick into the wall for power, don't plug it into a USB port on your TV for power.
I use my tv's USB port for power with no ill effects. We don't use the USB port for anything else, and it means we don't have to have yet another device plugged into the wall. It does mean that the Fire TV boots up every time the TV turns on, but it boots fast enough that this has not been a distraction.
stealthdave said:
I use my tv's USB port for power with no ill effects. We don't use the USB port for anything else, and it means we don't have to have yet another device plugged into the wall. It does mean that the Fire TV boots up every time the TV turns on, but it boots fast enough that this has not been a distraction.
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It might work fine for you and other people, but in general, TV USB ports are not reliable as a power source. That might vary from brand to brand, however, it should be noted that an inconsistent power supply or one that doesn't meet the manufacturer's specifications can be bad for the unit over time.
I tried it with other devices. Its a nice way to eliminate wires but I got random reboots and freezes. Never tried it with stick but some people report it works fine.
In general it might work with regular USB power from a TV USB port but I personally had problems with WIFI. It seemed that the stick did switch down WIFI speed (and probably slows down the CPU) when the power is restricted to a TV USB port but does run on full speed with the external power supply. Also those decoding problems during video streaming which is often reported here may come from insufficient power.
A USB port is specified to deliver 0.5A at 5V so thats only 2.5W power which is guaranteed and it´s only mandatory for devices like TV sets to deliver more power. So it makes sense that Amazon did deliver an external power supply knowing the power consumption of their stick My hint would be to check first with external power supply if the stick is running fine and how is streaming working with speed and quality than it is still possible to try only with the TV USB power and it can be compared if there are no negative perfomance issues. But I bet most people will attach the external power again.