Quote:
Originally Posted by ixtab
This may be a no-brainer, but couldn't one try to simply attach a normal USB keyboard? I'm sure there are adapters from "normal" to Micro-USB. Probably a bit of other fiddling is required (like configuring the USB port correctly, not sure if that's possible... I'm an idiot when it comes to electronics), but at least the kernel of the KT has the usbhid.ko modules lying around.
Or am I blatantly missing the obvious?
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The external USB connector is only used for connecting to a host PC. There is an internal USB port that supports OTG (On-The-Go) which can be used in host mode to connect to USB devices such as a keyboard (or even a USB hub for multiple devices). There are two potential problems making it difficult to use:
1) You need to open the kindle and solder in some wires.
2) If you have a 3G modem installed, the USB port is used by the modem.
If you have a wifi-only kindle, the internal USB port should be available for your use, but you would need to configure it and install a device driver.
Another possibility would be to connect a USB bridge device to the external USB jack, such as a small microprocessor (Arduino or whatever) that acts as a host and communicates with the kindle as a device. It could also connect to a keyboard or other devices and share that with the kindle.
Because the kindle is not a host, it does not supply 5v power to the external USB power pins, so devices would need to be powered by an external power supply or battery pack.
So, maybe it is not so blatantly obvious after all.
EDIT: The above information was obtained from early posts by yifanlu and others. After reading the Freescale iMx.50 reference manual, I discovered that the host-only port is internal, and the OTG port is external. So a USB keyboard CAN work plugged into the external USB port (but needs software support).