usb News - Page 27 of 28 - CNX Software

February 21, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 25 Comments

USB Solar Power Bank Review

A few months ago, I won a $5 coupon for DealExtreme, and decided to buy a “Portable 5V (30,000mAh) Li-ion Battery Solar Power Bank w/ Dual USB + LED – Black + White” for just over $20. For the price, solar charging was a nice bonus, and the 30,000 mAh was probably a “mistake” but it did not really matter. The SKU is gone, but 1BA-2 Solar power bank ($23.97) appears to be a very similar product. I did not plan to write about this gadget, but a few things happened that made me change my mind. First. it took over two months to reach me, instead of the usual 2 to 4 weeks. I ordered on the 9th of November 2013, and received the package on the 25th of January 2014. The reason being that the package got declined by Thai immigration (I live in Thailand). DealExtreme could not […]

February 11, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments

Keepod Unite Aims to Bring Computer Access to Africa with $7 USB Sticks and Refurbished Laptops (Crowdfunding)

The Raspberry Pi foundation has done a great job to bring to market $25 and $35 computers for kids to learn programming, but they have many other uses including hardware “hacking” and bringing low cost computers to developing countries. Keepod and NGO LiveInSlums have thought of an apparently more cost effective way to bring computing access to people living in slums in Nairobi, Kenya, by providing USB sticks (about $7) to boot refurbished laptops. This is absolutely NOT a $7 PC as a few other websites have mentioned. The goal is to facilitate NGO communication, the spread of knowledge and economic development in a way that’s personal and secure. The USB flash drives will belong to one person, and contains a Linux based operating systems with all files saved in the stick, and no modifications on the host computer which does not even need an hard drive to work, and […]

January 29, 2014January 29, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

RYVAL Elf Could Be the World’s Smallest USB Flash Drive

Hexino, a French company selling “fashion technology” under the brand RYVAL, may be offering the smallest USB flash drives available today with RYVAL Elf. This tiny mass storage device measure 1.8 cm x 1.8 cm x 0.68 cm, weights only 2 grams, and is available with capacities of 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB. The specifications listed on the company’s website are as follows: USB 2.0 compatible with Windows Vista, 7 and 8 Write speed – Up to 4 MB/s Read speed – Up to 12 MB/s Weight – 2 grams Dimensions – 18 mm x 18 mm x 6.8 mm Capacity – 8 GB to 32 GB Colors – Blue, Pink, and Green Material – Aluminium They only mention compatibility with Windows, but I don’t see why it could not work with Mac, Android, and Linux based devices and computers. It’s small enough to replace microSD cards for permanent storage expansion, […]

January 9, 2014 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

100W USB Power Delivery Solutions Coming Later This Year

Beside 5Gbps, USB 3.0 specifications promised the capability to deliver 100 Watt (20V, 5A) of power to charge laptops, monitors, and other relatively power hungry devices directly via USB. The USB IF is currently showcasing a prototype based on DisplayLink docking station capable of both charging a laptop and connecting to a display via the same USB “power delivery” cable, and is expecting retail products to become available by the end of the year. 100 Watt are only achievable for a full USB port, although micro USB power delivery is also possible but at lower power. The dock combines ROHM BD-92101 USB power delivery chipset with USB Graphics and docking chipset solutions from DisplayLink according to that press release. The main advantage of this system is that you don’t need to carry your power adapter without, you’ll just need to bring your laptop, and plug it into a compatible USB […]

December 28, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 17 Comments

$5.40 CHARGER Doctor Makes USB Power Measurements Easy

One way to make power measurement for USB powered devices is to make your own USB cable to allow for current measurement via a multimeter, but if you think it’s just too much hassle, I’ve found and purchased a small test device called CHARGER Doctor that shows voltage and current on a 4 digit display, and sells for $5.40 on DealExtreme. The device features a USB female out port, and a USB male input port, that you can place between your USB power adapter, and the cable to your device to alternatively display voltage (4 seconds) and current (9 seconds). It can be used for power consumption measurements, to test if your charger is working normally, or finding out the power adapter that will charge your phone the fastest. It’s said to support measurement between 3.5 to 7V and 0 to 3 A, with an accuracy of +/- 1%. I’ve […]

August 2, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

USB 3.1 Specifications Published, Supports Speeds Up to 10 Gbps

USB 3.0 specifications has been introduced in 2008 with support for up to 5Gbps bandwidth. Although, my PC has two USB 3.0 ports, I’m still very much living in a USB 2.0 world, as I’ve yet to use USB 3.0 peripherals… But progress never stops, and the USB 3.0 Promoter Group just approved the new USB 3.1 specification (PDF file) which can support data speeds up to 10 Gbps. So after Full Speed (12 Mbps, USB 1.1), High Speed (480 Mbps, USB 2.0), SuperSpeed (5Gbps, USB 3.0), we’ve now got SuperSpeed 10Gpbs (SUPERSPEED+) with USB 3.1. The standard is backwards compatible with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, but apparently not USB 1.1. It will also allow for up to 100W to be sent through a USB cable. If you are a developer, three developer conferences are planned in order to provide technical details about USB 3.1: USB 3.1 Developers Day […]

June 26, 2013June 26, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 9 Comments

Ethernet & USB Hub Combo for Android Mini PCs

The first time I saw a USB & Ethernet hub was the one that comes with SmartCandy mini PC, but I never thought of checking if they sold such item separately until this morning, as I’ve noticed that Asiapads is selling a “Zero Devices Hub” with 3 USB 2.0 ports and a 10/100M Ethernet RJ45 connector. Of course, you could always get a standard USB hub plus an external Ethernet USB dongle, but an all-in-one solution maybe more convenient for some people. Zero Device Hub sells for $14.99, and is said to be compatible with Android mini PCs such as Z4C and Z2C. I’ve also looked on DealExtreme, and there’s one device with the same features for $11.90, but according to users’ reviews it’s not compatible with Android. The same device is also available for $7 and up on Aliexpress. The Ethernet part is apparently based on DM9601, which works in […]

January 15, 2013January 15, 2013 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

USB Debugging and Profiling Techniques – ELCE 2012

Kishon Vijay Abraham and Basak Partha, respectively software design engineer and tech lead at Texas Instruments, provide an overview of techniques that can be used to debug Linux USB drivers on the host PC or/and the device itself. Abstract: The widespread integration of USB into embedded applications presents many developers with the challenge of debugging problems, that are difficult to detect and isolate when a USB device misbehaves. This paper discusses about the various USB debugging techniques which includes debugging at the host PC, at the device and in the cable and discuss when each of the above techniques will be handy. This paper will also discuss about the various facilities provided within Linux kernel to aid in USB debugging e.g sysfs, trace points etc. and the various user space tools available to help USB debugging e.g USBMON. This paper also discusses about the profiling techniques at various levels in […]