Atrix Lapdock Other Uses#

I bought the Atrix Lapdock since I couldn’t find any sub $100 portable HDMI displays. The only affordable displays I could find were USB only. With the Atrix Lapdock and some adapters, I was able to use it as a portable display for several devices, which is great for traveling.

It’s a good idea to remove the plate on the docking area (underneath where the phone would be). It makes it easier to plug in the adapters or have to sand/shave them less. You can easily pull it off with your finger nails (the plate actually has a couple of magnets to keep it in place, and two small plastic clips).

https://i.imgur.com/WpsmIh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/5HAGwh.jpg

Pictures and Videos#

Videos#

With a Nexus 4#

Works with the Nexus 4 just fine, appears to maintain aspect ratio. Adapters used:

https://i.imgur.com/MJs3n49h.jpg https://i.imgur.com/MUViVQIh.jpg

Using USB OTG#

Using a modified kernel with OTG_USER_CONTROL set, I was able to get the Lapdock’s keyboard, mouse, and USB hub working with my Nexus 4! While I wait for my Miracast adapter to arrive, I had to put something on the Lapdock’s HDMI port to make it turn on, so I used a Raspberry Pi for now. Here are a few observations:

  • I’m using an unmodified 5-wire Micro USB B Male to Female.

  • The phone does not charge even though the lapdock is sending power and data to the phone. Perhaps the kernel needs additional modification?

  • In the second and third pictures I removed the small WiFi USB adapter that was plugged into the Lapdock to show that the phone detected it, confirming the USB hub works.

  • Once I get my PTV3000 I can try using the Lapdock’s full potential with my phone.

  • No multitouch mouse/touchpad :(

Steps taken to accomplish:

  1. Download the modified kernel at the bottom of that post.

  2. Boot the new kernel following the instructions in the original post.

  3. Plug and play!

Note

Ignore the Raspberry Pi in the images below, I’m just using it to trick the Lapdock into powering on. Notice the mouse cursor on my phone!

If you can see, I ran lsusb on the phone, removed the USB WiFi adapter, and ran lsusb again. Notice the shorter “paragraph” on my phone. Definitely working.

https://i.imgur.com/qbs7sWgh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/yNgacICh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/K7glCXNh.jpg

Using USB OTG and Miracast#

It works, but it’s not really pleasant. If we can get Keyboard/Mouse to Bluetooth working that would be much better.

With a Raspberry Pi#

The Lapdock works great with the Raspberry Pi, but with a few caveats:

  • Every time the Lapdock’s lid is opened or closed, power is cut off the RPI for a second, causing it to reboot.

  • There is no “off” mode. When the lid is closed, power is cut off for a second, but then returned, so the RPI will power back on.

Adapters used:

Note

The Raspberry Pi only supports power from its micro USB port, and the regular USB ports on the RPI won’t allow enough power through. So I had to splice another USB cable into the micro USB extension and route the USB data cables (green and white) to the spliced cable.

https://i.imgur.com/cZR03h.jpg https://i.imgur.com/MrTBNh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/vCYfGh.jpg

With a Laptop#

I can use the Atrix Lapdock as a secondary display for my laptop. At home my laptop is docked to two monitors, so every time I traveled I had to deal with a single monitor. Not anymore! Adapters used:

https://i.imgur.com/ldQ0ch.jpg https://i.imgur.com/KONZZh.jpg

With a Wii#

I don’t have a 360 or PS3, but I have a Wii and after I found an HDMI adapter I tried it with the Lapdock. Turns out it works just fine. The Lapdock takes care of changing resolution as long as it’s at or below 1366x768. Audio works too by the way. This should work just fine with the Xbox 360, PS3, or any other HDMI devices. Adapters used:

https://i.imgur.com/TXiVxh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/UkdYJh.jpg https://i.imgur.com/cc5TKh.jpg

Lapdock 500 Teardown#

Comments#