Getting TOSLINK out of tablets and phones while charging the devices

I'm starting this thread in hopes that it helps others attempting the same thing do so without the trial and error that most incur. I'd like it to get a sticky on the thread and as more options become available we add to this list.

I came across a USB DAC that will allow you to output toslink from an iPad/Android tablet/phone.

http://www.parts-express.com/smsl-x-usb-dac-digital-audio-interface-with-dsd-support--230-236

How to use this with an apple device:
The only other items you will need are a USB camera kit 3 from apple and a car charger lighter port. This combo allows connection to the DAC and charging occurs via a lightning cable to the car charger. The drawback here is that it outputs at max 48kHz audio and most of the time it's 44.1kHz. Getting a third party app will not allow you to get around this. Apple has made it so the internal DAC cannot be bypassed.

How to use this with an Android device:
You will need a powered USB hub and a car charger lighter port. The powered hub allows both the device and DAC to get power. I've been able to play 24 bit/192 kHz audio files out the toslink port of the DAC from my Sony Xperia XZ phone just fine. DSD files require use of the iis port, which I have not looked into using.

I hope others find this useful. Ride on and enjoy the music.

Game changer coming for guys with a Helix DSP Pro or any with HEC slot. Straight USB streaming input HEC. I'm itching to move over to one of the DSP models with HEC to try it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

With android the device has to support OTG charging.. Remember that hubs are not like ethernet switches, the host can only be on the host side while there are several clients.. The host end is generally not powered save for some really cheap Chinese devices at are absolutely terrifying. I have a schematic to fake the Galaxy S5 into OTG charging, just have not had the balls to do it with my sole phone.

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Originally Posted by chad

With android the device has to support OTG charging.. Remember that hubs are not like ethernet switches, the host can only be on the host side while there are several clients.. The host end is generally not powered save for some really cheap Chinese devices at are absolutely terrifying. I have a schematic to fake the Galaxy S5 into OTG charging, just have not had the balls to do it with my sole phone.

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Interesting.. Didn't realize this on android devices. I thought they were just micro-USB but I guess that's just the connection, not the USB type.
Camera kit on iOS now has a chargeback lightning input and USB output.

http://www.scientificcomputing.com/b...-about-usb-otg

So they don't just sell an adapter for charge plus OTG use at the same time?

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Originally Posted by chad

With android the device has to support OTG charging.. Remember that hubs are not like ethernet switches, the host can only be on the host side while there are several clients.. The host end is generally not powered save for some really cheap Chinese devices at are absolutely terrifying. I have a schematic to fake the Galaxy S5 into OTG charging, just have not had the balls to do it with my sole phone.

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My Sony Xperia does support OTG. I had forgotten to mention that requirement for it to work. Thanks for catching that.

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Originally Posted by Babs

Interesting.. Didn't realize this on android devices. I thought they were just micro-USB but I guess that's just the connection, not the USB type.
Camera kit on iOS now has a chargeback lightning input and USB output.

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Not all are micro USB. My phone is USB-C. It will vary which style USB port the manufacturer chooses.

yeah, there's OTG support, which most modern devices support, then there is the elusive OTG charging support where you can use an OTG device and charge.... That's a bit tougher to come by but I suspect it will soon..

Oddly, somehow, the superbook that is coming out seems to circumvent that with allegedly all supported phones.

Googled that Superbook.. Now there's a cool concept.

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Originally Posted by Babs

Googled that Superbook.. Now there's a cool concept.

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I will totally own one... I'd be even more stoked is Android OS supported Java.

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Originally Posted by chad

I will totally own one... I'd be even more stoked is Android OS supported Java.

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I'm running a Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, and it seems to support OTG with charging.
Sometimes it comes up and says it's charged, shows it's charging, and when I turn off the car
it says like 46%. Periodically I bring it in the house and fully charge it on the house charger. Usually works fine for a month or more until I have to do it again.

Jay

Charging current too low? 500ma is about as much as you are going to get out of standard USB, it's current limited.

Going forward, I'd look for the device to have a USB C connector. Not only does orientation of the plug not matter(you can connect it with either end up) but it supports up to 100 watts of power through the cable according to the standard.

"up to" being the operative words, note that USB chargers are 2+ amps... It's just that the USB standard for the data transfer protocol is 500ma... If there is a hub in there it's likely watering it down... Belkin powered hubs are notorious for throwing some meaty current though.

I forget if my Nexus 7 had OTG charging out the box or if it was part of the ROM / kernel that I loaded. My biggest issue was finding a reliable enough power supply to use in the car that would both charge the Nexus as well as power a USB hub. I think I went through a couple cheap $5 supplies from eBay before settling on a DCDC-USB. The cool thing with the DCDC-USB is that it has a programmable output, I increased the voltage from 5v to 5.3v to accommodate for the loss in the cables and it charges quickly, almost always keeping the tablet at 100%. Additionally it has a pair of outputs, so I have one powering only the Nexus and the other powering the hub. I simply soldered on some female USB ports and plug the OTG Y-cable into one and the hub power into the other.

I use a Monoprice 4 port hub, hanging off of there I typically have a 128Gb flash drive, USB-DAC and Joycon for steering wheel controls. The DAC I use works fine with either optical or 3.5mm to RCA out.

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Originally Posted by chad

"up to" being the operative words, note that USB chargers are 2+ amps... It's just that the USB standard for the data transfer protocol is 500ma... If there is a hub in there it's likely watering it down... Belkin powered hubs are notorious for throwing some meaty current though.

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Well, the new Mac Books are using USB C power supplies for 85 watts. I'd say they are pushing that limit already. You have to remember USB C is a new standard. The old restrictions for USB A do not apply.

Correct, but the current is limited by the receiving or transferring device... Namely the hub in this situation.

Came across NEPlayer for iPad and iPhone. It will work through a USB DAC connected to the new camera kit for high res files played at high res. It does cost some money, but verified to work.