[Q] Webtop triggerable by hardware connection?

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I was just thinking, all that the lapdock is to the phone is an HDMI output and a USB input, so why does it trigger webtop, and could I trigger webtop the same way?

My initial thought is, it triggers it by something sent into the USB, is there any way anyone could identify what in particular so it might be mimicked?

I realize people have come up with software webtop without lapdock solutions, but I'd really rather just leave the software alone (harmless as the change may be..), I rather like it as it is (with launcher pro instead of default that is..)

So, what is the lapdock doing to key the atrix to go into webtop?

I did search for this, sorry if there's already a thread about it, I didn't find one..

Although I am not a hardware person and have limited experience with Linux, I am also interested in the answer to this question. I would have to assume that the Atrix recognizes the connection and sends a command to launch the appropriate software.

Once again...I am not really in any position to contribute much relevant information.

Just to throw out some other ideas that rattled around in my head for someone more familiar with this device...

There is a communication that comes from displays where they identify themselves and their modes for whatever device that connects to them- some pieces of this information could be key.

Beyond that, any particular piece of information the USB device identifies itself with similarly- a model or serial number the internal usb hub claims itself to be to the system, I know these are standard passive details these devices share with anything connecting to them.

In the identification side, I wonder if the files modified by the software webtop hack might lend details about what is precisely telling them to go into webtop..

If it's keyed off of some particular serial number or model information from the USB, I figure I could buy a cheap configurable USB diag board and flash it to mimic that info..

I sincerely doubt there's anything superbly intelligent in the lapdock where it does some non-standard communication as a handshake, I would think it has to be based on the standard passive device information every USB hub or HDMI connection shares..

edit:

Unless there's an extra device on the USB hub internally like a smartcard or flash chip with a key the atrix checks for..

I have webtop enabled without a dock, and webtop pops up when I plug just the HDMI cable in. I imagine it is just detecting the external display, and doesn't have anything to do with USB.

It should not be complicated as you you think. It's rather trigerred by some specific resistor on the pins 4&5 of micro USB connector

Originally Posted by jenarelJAM

I have webtop enabled without a dock, and webtop pops up when I plug just the HDMI cable in. I imagine it is just detecting the external display, and doesn't have anything to do with USB.

You arent running stock software then. It detects it yes depending on what software you are running but the docks sends a signal to the atrix to turn on webtop on stock.

Not sure that it uses resistors, because when software hack was not available, bunch of people tried to do it with resistors however nobody got it to work. The best way would be to take apart multimedia dock and look at circuitry . Most likely it has a microchip sending some kind of ID. The problem is you need a special device to sniff usb communication between devices. If somebody has a device like that it should not be that hard to sniff it and program separate microchip to send it to usb.

this should have been posted in q&a... not the dev section

Originally Posted by jgc121

this should have been posted in q&a... not the dev section

Sorry, I can never tell the difference, when things are technical and require some development understanding which place to put it. If a mod could move this post I would appreciate it then.

Originally Posted by jenarelJAM

I have webtop enabled without a dock, and webtop pops up when I plug just the HDMI cable in. I imagine it is just detecting the external display, and doesn't have anything to do with USB.

Its sensing an external diplay. The hdmi cable does a handshake upon connection of the cable. At that point, the software handles what happens. Webtop senses usb as well (like the car dock does), but the hack removes that check. Thats how hdmi triggers webtop.



Sent from my Motorola Atrix 4G on the network with the most backhaul, whatever that is