3DR radio and Samsung Galaxy Tablet

I picked up a cheap Samsung tablet to use with Droidplanner and the 3DR 915 radios I have. The 3DR comes with a cable for connecting to tablets, mini USB on both ends, but the cover is blue on one end--which I understand is supposed to go into the tablet. When I connect the Galaxy to the radio it doesn't power up--I don't get the green power-on light that generally flashes until the radio pairs.  The radio works fine on my laptop. 

Any ideas? is there some driver required for the tablet?

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  • Just wondering, have you enabled the USB developer option in the settings menu? With the Galaxy S4 all you need to do is press the "About Device" menu in the "Settings Menu" then find the "Build Number" section, just keep pressing the word  "Build Number" and it should be enabled.

    • I'm assuming your question was to the original poster... so obviously I can't answer that.

      When I tried with my Galaxy Tab 4 7" I had NOT enabled "developer options". I have  enabled it on the Galaxy Tab 4 8" as I'm running the latest development version of droid planner.. so had to set up Android Studio, my Tab as a development device, etc.

      It's definitely worth a try... and now that I think about it even the 7" has to have FTDI (or equivalent) USB host controller. So really the only question is does the 7" output the normal 2A at 5V per the USB spec? Maybe THAT is the difference between the 7" and 8"

      I did try one of the OTG apps (USB Host Check) and it was unable to enable USB Host on the Tab 4 7", so my guess is that it's a hardware limitation.

      Buy the Asus Nexus 7 for DroidPlanner IMO.

      -Justin

      USB Host Check - Apps on Google Play
      Check if USB host functions are enabled on your Android-powered device. Starting from Android 3.1, applications can use functions of USB host, but m…
  • I did EXACTLY the same thing.

    I bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 7" and the darn thing doesn't have an internal USB host adapter/chip. So... the USB port on that model is really only good for charging.

    I returned the 7" and purchased the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 8" and it DOES have the USB chip (OTG)

    It (Galaxy tab 4 8") works-ish, but I discovered that the droid planner developers are using the Asus Nexus 7 as their reference tablet which is just a bit more expensive. While I don't have the 2013 Nexus 7 to compare with my Galaxy Tab 4 8", my impression is that the Nexus 7 is faster, and more of an 'open' android install than Samsung. I wish I would have gone that route. Droid Planner can be noticeably sluggish on my Galaxy Tab 4 and it crashes frequently. 

    -Justin

    • I did notice that Droidplanner crashes on mine. Thought it was an app issue but sounding like the Nexus works better.
      • Is it possible feed 5v to 3dr separately with ubec?

        max

        • Possibly, but I found a Asus Nexus 7 at Best Buy for $129, and it looks like it's going to work without fiddling.

  • Okay, I've chased this long enough, the cheap tablet goes to the grandkids. Sounds like the Tab 4 works okay, is there a better choice?

    • It looks like the Nexus and Galaxy Tab are the purest Android tablets meaning less crapware and more likely to be compatible with future Android versions. I'm an Apple guy but I do like the Tab Pro.
    • Developer

      The 2013 Nexus 7 is still one of the best choices out there :)

  • It might have to do with whether the tablet has USB OTG (on the go) and this determines if it can supply power.  If I remember correctly. 

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