USB-C

[donc]

My very quick test this morning shows that the Cosmo won't throw its hands up with a USB-C charger. Results so far..

USB-C charger to left port approx. 2.7A @ 5V
USB-C charger to Planet USB Hub (one from my Gemini) into left port 0.75A @ 5V (Cosmo does state it is charging but I suspect at 0.5A, the rest is for the hub)
USB-C charger to right port doesn't seem to charge

Haven't actually tried the Pump Express charger in the box or a standard USB-A charger to compare against (I assume USB-A chargers are required for the right hand port). The hub result is interesting, clearly passthrough is working on Cosmo but why the charge is so low I am not sure. Will try some other USB-C hubs over the coming days.

[Marc Laporte]

Left and/or right side USB-C port charging?
My Cosmos DOES NOT charge through the right side USB-C port.

Both ports will charge the Cosmo, though I have not yet determined if one is fast charge and the other is 5v 2a only.

Maybe you are both correct?

I have found both ports to charge when the Cosmo Communicator is turned on, but only one charges when the device is turned off.

[NormMonkey]

I recently got one of these portable monitors that can do USB-C as well as HDMI.

Initial experimentation:

Works fine with HDMI using the Gemini USB-C to HDMI dongle, as expected.

USB-C does not work.

I didn't know what Developer Options : Simulate Secondary Display was for.  Turns out it has nothing to do with this, and caused my Cosmo to freeze.  When it came back it was overlaying a mirror of its own display, half size in the corner (and that included the overlay, so it kind of recursed off to infinity).  After first reboot it became unresponsive quickly.  After second reboot I managed to get back to developer options and turn this option back off.  Apparently it's for developers to be able to simulate what their stuff will look like on a different sized display.  I recommend not messing with this.


I suspect USB-C direct to display will never work.  On the other hand, this monitor has several options about how it handles DP over USB-C (different protocols mainly), so perhaps I'll do a bit of testing, though I am not hopeful.

Ultimately I *am* hoping that we will at least be able to use the display as a second display instead of just a mirror of the main display, at least in linux if not in Android.

 Charbax had a video of the Planet team showing this at a trade show booth using OXI way back in Feb.

Does anyone from the Gemini world have any experience with getting a second display to work?  Has anyone used OXI or Leena or Sentio?

[mithrandir]

Does anyone from the Gemini world have any experience with getting a second display to work?  Has anyone used OXI or Leena or Sentio?

As expected...
With the Gemini with the propietary Adapter it works out of the box (afaik mirror only, but don't know for sure, using Debian mainly). With Linux using the adapter is not possible (yet) and required changes to the hwcomposer driver. So don't expect to get this working soon.

[Tom D]

Assuming the Cosmo's motherboard is similar to the Gemini's, it was a well know fact that the motherboard did not support HDMI out. The proprietary adapter for the Gemini (which I have also used with the Cosmo) does the magic of converting the USB to HDMI. So a normal USB-C to HDMI adapter will not work,

[adfh]

So what's the relationship between the cover display, and the right USB C port?

I have:

• Google/Foxconn USB A to C adaptor
• Supplied "PumpCharge" USB A charger (but USA plug, can't use because Australia - no compatible options were offered so I went with the one that'd be next most useful)
• Huawei USB C charger (from my Nexus 6P)
• Lenovo USB C charger (my work notebook)
• Belkin USB C charger (car)
• Small, cheap USB A mouse

If I try to charge, screen on or off, via the right port, nothing happens.. zip.. nada.. nothing.. not even a slow charge.. with any of the above chargers..
Left port.. charging is fine on all of them.

If I :

• Connect mouse with A-C adaptor to left port: WORKS
• Connect mouse with adaptor to right port and cover display off: FAILS (powers on but does not register)
• Connect mouse with adaptor to right port and cover display on: WORKS (powers on and functions)
• Connect mouse with adaptor to right port and cover display on, then turn cover display off after connecting: WORKS
• Connect mouse with adaptor to right port and cover display on, then turn cover display off, then remove mouse: Weird noise coming out of the speakers like a CPU stuck in a high speed loop inducing interference

[NVDSYPE]

On my CC the USB-C to HDMI Cable doesn't work, I don't get any image on my HDMI monitor (standard PCB). Also regular charging doesn't work at the right hand side. The charging I only tested when my CC was shutdown completely.

[MonkeyControl]

I haven't received my Cosmo yet , so can't confirm any behaviour discussed here, but as for charging on RHS, Indienogo update from 16/12/2019 includes the statement:  

"1.  New settings:  switch OFF cover display on power down
This feature helps saving battery when Cosmo Communicator is powered down by switching OFF the cover display.  When powered down in this way, you will only be able to switch on your Cosmo using the Esc key and charge your Cosmo using the left hand side USB-C port.  We continuing to look into further power saving firmware possibilities.  "

[gymbo]

I haven't received my Cosmo yet , so can't confirm any behaviour discussed here, but as for charging on RHS, Indienogo update from 16/12/2019 includes the statement:  

"1.  New settings:  switch OFF cover display on power down
This feature helps saving battery when Cosmo Communicator is powered down by switching OFF the cover display.  When powered down in this way, you will only be able to switch on your Cosmo using the Esc key and charge your Cosmo using the left hand side USB-C port.  We continuing to look into further power saving firmware possibilities.  "

And that MIGHT affect the HDMI-output as well...

(And people have reported that the special Gemini/Cosmo USB-C to HDMI only works when plugged in one way, it does nothing the other way. Might have something to do with the fact that it is a special cable for Planet, and it might not be wired to work both ways...)

[spook]

On my CC the USB-C to HDMI Cable doesn't work, I don't get any image on my HDMI monitor (standard PCB). Also regular charging doesn't work at the right hand side. The charging I only tested when my CC was shutdown completely.

Assuming you are using the PC supplied one... I have had very mixed results with it. Some HDMI monitors work fine, others not at all, yet others needed me to reboot the Gemini / Cosmo and pray to the HDMI gods. Sometimes hoppig on one foot while reciting the alphabet backwards seemed to help... I've never been able to get it to work with a HDMI to DVI adaptor (for monitors that only had DVI).

In the end I decided to get a DisplayLink USB to HDMI adaptor. It uses a different technology and just works. Any monitor, all the time, with DVI adaptos or anything. It is a tiny bit bulkier than the PC adaptor, but it's a small price to pay for something that works 100% of the time. The only issue is it works only on the LH USB-C port (opposite of the PC HDMI adaptor) so you can't charge it at the same time. On the plus side, it also wirks through a USB hub, so you can have an external display, a keyboard, mouse etc... Just no charging...

[spook]

Does anyone with a good understanding on how PCBs work have any idea what could be going on on the Cosmo re charging? It's so strange. For me the RH USB-C port charges (though slowly) when the device is powered up and the COD is on. "Great!" I think. "Finally I'll be able to connect peripherals on the LH port through a USB hub and charge through the RH port".

Nope! As soon as I connect a hub to the LH port, the CC stops charging off the RH port. I know very little about how modern PCBs charge. I do understand there is a lot of "smarts" in it, but it baffles me why plugging something in one port would stop the other from charging.

To make matters stranger (but in a good way) the LH port DOES seem to charge through a USB hub (unlike the Gemini). At least this means that I can supply some juice to the CC while using peripherals.

It is all very strange though!

[gymbo]

Does anyone with a good understanding on how PCBs work have any idea what could be going on on the Cosmo re charging? It's so strange. For me the RH USB-C port charges (though slowly) when the device is powered up and the COD is on. "Great!" I think. "Finally I'll be able to connect peripherals on the LH port through a USB hub and charge through the RH port".

Nope! As soon as I connect a hub to the LH port, the CC stops charging off the RH port. I know very little about how modern PCBs charge. I do understand there is a lot of "smarts" in it, but it baffles me why plugging something in one port would stop the other from charging.

To make matters stranger (but in a good way) the LH port DOES seem to charge through a USB hub (unlike the Gemini). At least this means that I can supply some juice to the CC while using peripherals.

It is all very strange though!

Are you sure it actually stops charging, and not only stops DISPLAYING that it is charging??

It was always possible to "charge" the hub itself on the Gemini as well, so you could use the hub and only consume battery directly on the Gemini (and not consume from the peripherals; it's the only way I could connect a 2 TB drive to the Gemini, and not having it shut down on me...). But definitely a big improvement if it actually charges through the hub as well. And is it not possible to get the Display Link adapter to function on/through the hub??

PS: Have you tried standing on your head, when trying to get the HDMI-adapter to work? Might be less tiresome, and it should be easier to operate the Gemini/Cosmo when not moving around so much... Of course then you would have to turn the display upside down as well, and that might also be difficult at times...

(Yes, as I've said as well before, sometimes it seems to be some "magic" you need to do, to get certain things to work on the Gemini. And make sure you don't have any voice-assistant working when reciting the alphabet backwards... Or is that actually also a requirement to get it to work      )

[NVDSYPE]

@Spook: I use the official Gemini USB-C to HDMI cable. I am going to test it with my TV. I am steel waiting for my dock and user guide. Of course also the pouch, but nobody has received it. Thanks a lot for your suggestion about the displaylink USB-C to HDMI  adapter.
@MonkeyControl and gymbo: I never had a smartphone which requires that a phone should be powered on before charging was possible. Even before I installed the firmware upgrades I was unable to charge from the RH side port. I hope that you will receive very soon your CC.I will verify if my cover screen is active. I must admit that I did my test after the cover firmware upgrade+other firmware upgrade.

[klampfenfreak]

HELP, please!

 the right USB-C port on my Cosmo does absolutely nothing! Neither the power adapter nor any low power peripherie device (mouse) will be recognized while plugged in. Latest Android, no root.
Is the port defektive?

[Dickon Hood]

HELP, please!

 the right USB-C port on my Cosmo does absolutely nothing! Neither the power adapter nor any low power peripherie device (mouse) will be recognized while plugged in. Latest Android, no root.
Is the port defektive?

Mine won't charge if the cable is plugged in the wrong way around -- yes, this is a type-C which is allegedly immune to this problem, but it certainly makes a difference.  I've no idea if that also affects devices -- I don't own any USB-C devices, only hosts -- but it might be worth trying.