3/4g internal modem.

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nateleduc

Member
Apr 2, 2011
24
5
I'm looking to start a thread about turning an a500 into a a501. I've done a teardown of the a500 and it has the capability of potentially being able to support an internal card. It has the space/slot and screw mounts.

Before I start ordering and soldering parts to the circuit board I'd like to get a few facts straight.

1. The firmware (kernel) between the a501 and a500 are the same? I've heard that it is, and that it isn't

2. Drivers- obviously drivers will need to written. No way of getting around that.

3. PCIe Riser extender - As you can see from these pictures, the plastic bracket is missing/not included. You can see on each side there is two holes for mounting the bracket. I'd recommend the extended below, as it will allow me the needed length between the two.

http://www.amazon.com/PCI-Express-Riser-Flexible-Cable/dp/B0054CIL46

The reason I'm picking this is because I can solder this

Here is the empty space:

2248d1303706344-whats-under-hood-acer-iconia-tab-a500-img_4996.jpg


Now here is the space with a pcie wlan card

IMG_20110914_223340.jpg


You can see from the last picture that there is a space issue that needs to be addressed.

IMG_20110914_223350.jpg


I would need to use riser with an extended back end inorder to align up this the screw mounts.

IMG_20110914_223357.jpg


this picture is just of the screw mounts.



I've seen a few threads now about the idea of this , nothing really taking liftoff, so I thought I'd be the first to start.

Also, is there a command for listing hardware/chips in android , using android terminal emulator. Something like lspci (linux command)

**********************************************************

On to pcie 4g/3g cards.

Here is the 4g card I found:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-5150-...135?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a38d57f7

I'd rather have one with the major cellular provides, but I can't seem to find any. Clear has a basic 200mb (holy hell) for $20. Not bad for 4g coverage.

3g Card

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Inspiron-15...118?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5645ae677e

This one is cheap, and from verizon.

$30 /2gb plan from verizon.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let me know what you think. If you have anything to add please feel free to let me know
 
Last edited:

fxandrei

Senior Member
Jul 13, 2010
169
5
wow .. really interesting ..
now u know what would be even better ?
to have this module external.
to be able to connect it to the a500.
anyway ..
sure hope u get something..
 

Mazda

Retired Recognized Developer
Oct 19, 2008
5,273
12,519
wow .. really interesting ..
now u know what would be even better ?
to have this module external.
to be able to connect it to the a500.
anyway ..
sure hope u get something..

I agree!! Your average XDA user is open minded when it comes to flashing roms, kernels and different types of software mods but they aren't that open minded to cracking their device open and screwing around with things internally. A usb type of module would be great!! I KNOW you're properly thinking like "WOW, do you want it to clean your house too" BUT T'll put my wallet where my mouth is and will donate 75 dollars if you can get this thing working via usb or provide some sort of brick-proof way of doing this.

I'm really excited to the idea of possibly having 4G on this tablet!!
Good Luck!!

Sent from inside my house using XDA Premium
 

AdamOutler

Retired Senior Recognized Developer
Feb 18, 2011
5,224
9,826
Miami, Fl̨̞̲̟̦̀̈̃͛҃҅͟orida
It looks like its missing one of these..
7g24series.jpg



Mouser is a great source for parts like this. It will involve soldering a connector and possibly writing a driver.

Once you find out the parts requirement, any electronics repair shop can handle it.
http://www.mouser.com/Interconnects/Memory-Card-Connectors/_/N-72bz7/

I can't help anymore then this, I don't own one of these devices. However, kernel=drivers. You've got two issues. Kernel support and Hardware. Once you've got the physical connection done, search for some linux devices which uses similar hardware and grab the kernel modules built for your kernel. If you're lucky, you can just insmod them into the device. If you're not lucky, you'll need to build from source.
 
I

I-S

Guest
A little background: I'm an electronic engineer with some experience of teardown work.

I agree with Adam that you need a socket rather than trying to solder a flexy on.

Do you have any teardown information on the A501, or would someone with an A501 be willing to get photographs. I think the key hardware things to find out are 1) what socket is used for the card and 2) what card is used.

If you get a 3g card with the same chipset on, then wouldn't it be as simple as hacking in A501 firmware for the driver?
 

bedwa

Inactive Recognized Developer
Oct 5, 2008
1,152
718
Springfield IL
A little background: I'm an electronic engineer with some experience of teardown work.

I agree with Adam that you need a socket rather than trying to solder a flexy on.

Do you have any teardown information on the A501, or would someone with an A501 be willing to get photographs. I think the key hardware things to find out are 1) what socket is used for the card and 2) what card is used.

If you get a 3g card with the same chipset on, then wouldn't it be as simple as hacking in A501 firmware for the driver?
That one itself would be the ideal. But that makes sense. ;)
 

superhotluv

Member
Sep 27, 2010
18
0
The story doesn't end at installing the card mount, but also needs other components to work. Instead you can tear down a 2 port USB hub, tear down your 3G modem and Stick it in an empty place do some soldering so that the end result should be as follows........

1. The socket which generates USB inside the case, should be fed to the USB hub,
2. One output of the hub should go to the USB dongle we earlier ripped out
3. The other output of the hub should be the cable that extends to the outside USB port.. after all we need this USB also for external USB for attaching keyboards, flash drives etc..:D:D

I hope I gave a unique idea here :rolleyes:
 

Tigrouzen

Senior Member
Oct 9, 2007
1,626
2,063
51
MARSEILLE
You need to see a real 3g version to know if other thing missing like transistor on board neer pci card, or usb its more sure

Look for version 3g before investigate pciMe 3g and pciMe connector also sim connector of course

---------- Post added at 11:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:20 AM ----------

The story doesn't end at installing the card mount, but also needs other components to work. Instead you can tear down a 2 port USB hub, tear down your 3G modem and Stick it in an empty place do some soldering so that the end result should be as follows........

1. The socket which generates USB inside the case, should be fed to the USB hub,
2. One output of the hub should go to the USB dongle we earlier ripped out
3. The other output of the hub should be the cable that extends to the outside USB port.. after all we need this USB also for external USB for attaching keyboards, flash drives etc..:D:D

I hope I gave a unique idea here :rolleyes:
Yes this one what i do it cause you can found mini usb 3g and open it to integrated on board
 
Last edited:

OrionBG

Senior Member
Sep 21, 2004
1,623
343
London, UK
Xiaomi Mix Fold 2
This was attempted once before and was proven that the boards of the A500 and A501 have differences! Somewhere here in the forum was a thread and there were diagrams and photos of the tho devices! There are many missing components on the A500 that will have to be mounted and it will surely be cheaper (better working) to sell the A500 and get an A501 if you so much desire 3G!
 

BlackICE

Senior Member
Jan 14, 2006
133
1
Vienna
www.nets.at
The story doesn't end at installing the card mount, but also needs other components to work. Instead you can tear down a 2 port USB hub, tear down your 3G modem and Stick it in an empty place do some soldering so that the end result should be as follows........

1. The socket which generates USB inside the case, should be fed to the USB hub,
2. One output of the hub should go to the USB dongle we earlier ripped out
3. The other output of the hub should be the cable that extends to the outside USB port.. after all we need this USB also for external USB for attaching keyboards, flash drives etc..:D:D

I hope I gave a unique idea here :rolleyes:

It is nice idea, but you should know that the hub as well as the dongle need power. If the USB output on the device itself is not giving enough power for both of them then it will not work or not work reliably.

Of course the battery will also be drained much faster as all the power saving measures do not affect the hub and the dongle.

And as for the pci connector: maybe you could compare the A500 with the A501 model and see if there are other parts missing. Usually not only the connector is left out but also some other parts on the board itself. So it may be much more soldering and work as you originally though of.
 

nateleduc

Member
Apr 2, 2011
24
5
well that's depressing to know. that brscket in the fifth post was what I'm looking for.

can someone post a link to that thread with the pictures if the two teardowns?
 

superhotluv

Member
Sep 27, 2010
18
0
It is nice idea, but you should know that the hub as well as the dongle need power. If the USB output on the device itself is not giving enough power for both of them then it will not work or not work reliably.

Of course the battery will also be drained much faster as all the power saving measures do not affect the hub and the dongle.

And as for the pci connector: maybe you could compare the A500 with the A501 model and see if there are other parts missing. Usually not only the connector is left out but also some other parts on the board itself. So it may be much more soldering and work as you originally though of.

Goood you understood what I meant with. Definitely the USB out port of the Tablet can handle both. you should buy a two port low power hub and try on

I also did the analysis of power usage, and found that the power used by the hub is really miniscule, and can be used with ease. You must appreciate that the Max power is drawn by the screen rather than the other hardware components, and inevitably the power consumption will increase once you add a 3G module in the tablet, as in A501. So the total power consumption is well within the limits.

I did the practical experiment of leaving the data ON on the tablet, overnight, and I find no extra power usage than without, in the sleep mode.

The only challenge in both the cases is that you have to change the Rom. Either the stock 501 Rom or one of the marvellous custom Roms. I am personally using Virtuous Galaxy 1.0.5 , with an overclock and code for 3G modem, that works seamless.

Once I do this activity I would post a video , or at least a set of pictures.

:rolleyes:
 
Last edited:

anarchyuk

Senior Member
Mar 27, 2007
738
51
North East England
Sorry i dont know much about these devices but I am not sure what usb has to do with it??? looks like a mini pci e slot to me... (correct me if i am wrong) it cant harm to try soldering the points together.. swap the kernel from the 501 over as long as its got the same build and you have r/w to the system partition and see what happens...
 

BlackICE

Senior Member
Jan 14, 2006
133
1
Vienna
www.nets.at
Sorry i dont know much about these devices but I am not sure what usb has to do with it??? looks like a mini pci e slot to me... (correct me if i am wrong) it cant harm to try soldering the points together.. swap the kernel from the 501 over as long as its got the same build and you have r/w to the system partition and see what happens...

Did you read all posts? I don't think so.

it does not harm to solder a socket there but it will not work as there are for sure other components for that pcie slot missing.

As for the USB solution read the earlier posts as this is a solution, which would work.
 

ultraprimeomega

Senior Member
Oct 31, 2006
669
22
Texas
Another type of wimax card for clear is the one inside their Rover puck wifi point. no one talks about it or i have seen a picture online but i got one that just works fine, its a half size pci-e mini card so you would have more space to move it around and the antennas come with it, just find one with broken usb port and open it to get the card.

As for driver info i will post with pic of card, it uses the same driver as their clear 4g stick,(grey and black color)
 
Last edited:

Uhuhu

Senior Member
May 8, 2011
118
43
androidurbano.wordpress.com
I know it's a bit 'off topic', but.. Since the Iconia has this 'slot', do you think it would be possible with the xoom too??

Check this out: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/5oVhXNLhi3U1AZRy.huge
Step 8 from iFixit --> At first glance, this appears to be a Wi-Fi board, but wait: there are no chips on it! It appears to be just a mini-PCI interconnect board for the antennas. This board is probably just a place holder for when the 4G upgrade becomes available.

Back on topic:
The Iconia A501 has the Qualcomm MDM6600 chip on one of it's boards or it's just a modem? I ask that because by seeing the Xoom 3G teardown we find the said chip. It seems that the chip is missing on the Xoom WiFi according to some here: http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/45910/Wifi+Only+Xoom+upgradable+to+4G+LTE

So, if you are missing some key parts of the system, I don't think it would be possible to just add a modem to the list of bills to make it 3G/4G unless it's just a software lock?
 

dstyl

Senior Member
Apr 24, 2010
70
2
Heilbronn
I know it's a bit 'off topic', but.. Since the Iconia has this 'slot', do you think it would be possible with the xoom too??

Check this out: http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/5oVhXNLhi3U1AZRy.huge
Step 8 from iFixit --> At first glance, this appears to be a Wi-Fi board, but wait: there are no chips on it! It appears to be just a mini-PCI interconnect board for the antennas. This board is probably just a place holder for when the 4G upgrade becomes available.

Back on topic:
The Iconia A501 has the Qualcomm MDM6600 chip on one of it's boards or it's just a modem? I ask that because by seeing the Xoom 3G teardown we find the said chip. It seems that the chip is missing on the Xoom WiFi according to some here: http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/45910/Wifi+Only+Xoom+upgradable+to+4G+LTE

So, if you are missing some key parts of the system, I don't think it would be possible to just add a modem to the list of bills to make it 3G/4G unless it's just a software lock?



Maybe there is the empty space on other tablets with the same chipset too


http://pdadb.net/index.php?m=pdamaster&posted=1&cpu=a2250nvt

So you can (if it works) pimp every moto or acer tab to 4g
 

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  • 3
    I'm looking to start a thread about turning an a500 into a a501. I've done a teardown of the a500 and it has the capability of potentially being able to support an internal card. It has the space/slot and screw mounts.

    Before I start ordering and soldering parts to the circuit board I'd like to get a few facts straight.

    1. The firmware (kernel) between the a501 and a500 are the same? I've heard that it is, and that it isn't

    2. Drivers- obviously drivers will need to written. No way of getting around that.

    3. PCIe Riser extender - As you can see from these pictures, the plastic bracket is missing/not included. You can see on each side there is two holes for mounting the bracket. I'd recommend the extended below, as it will allow me the needed length between the two.

    http://www.amazon.com/PCI-Express-Riser-Flexible-Cable/dp/B0054CIL46

    The reason I'm picking this is because I can solder this

    Here is the empty space:

    2248d1303706344-whats-under-hood-acer-iconia-tab-a500-img_4996.jpg


    Now here is the space with a pcie wlan card

    IMG_20110914_223340.jpg


    You can see from the last picture that there is a space issue that needs to be addressed.

    IMG_20110914_223350.jpg


    I would need to use riser with an extended back end inorder to align up this the screw mounts.

    IMG_20110914_223357.jpg


    this picture is just of the screw mounts.



    I've seen a few threads now about the idea of this , nothing really taking liftoff, so I thought I'd be the first to start.

    Also, is there a command for listing hardware/chips in android , using android terminal emulator. Something like lspci (linux command)

    **********************************************************

    On to pcie 4g/3g cards.

    Here is the 4g card I found:

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-5150-...135?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43a38d57f7

    I'd rather have one with the major cellular provides, but I can't seem to find any. Clear has a basic 200mb (holy hell) for $20. Not bad for 4g coverage.

    3g Card

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Inspiron-15...118?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5645ae677e

    This one is cheap, and from verizon.

    $30 /2gb plan from verizon.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Let me know what you think. If you have anything to add please feel free to let me know
    1
    Make a video when you got it running.

    Still learning basic programming.I've taken a programming fundamentals and half of programming structures. Teacher was Indian and had us read from a book. If someone wouldbwrite the driver I would jump into it
    1
    I've been searching for the old thread I was referring! And after 2 hours nonstop staring in the monitor (ohh my eyes) and reading threads I've found it!
    The concrete post is this one!
    I think that this will shed much light on the internal 3G situation!