Help Hack phone to used portable dvd drive?

[norb]

Is there any way to hack a phone to make it work with a portable dvd drive?

 

[mikedt]

I'm not sure if Android does have support for mounting CD-ROM and DVD-ROM file systems, never tried it. If it doesn't, no doubt it could be hacked, with CD/DVD driver support added into the kernel. Other thing, the portable DVD drive would have to have its own power source. A phone's USB OTG probably wouldn't have enough power to spin it otherwise, same with portable USB hard-drives.

 

[norb]

Well, where do we find someone to create this hack?

 

[mikedt]

Custom ROM and kernel developers I guess, to build a custom ROM with DVD support for the particular phone you've got. Which usually means enquiring the All Things Root forums here on AF, or enquiring over at XDA Devs or Cyanogen or something.

Ultimately it's Google that decides what goes into Android and what it supports, and everyone else goes from that AFAIK.

 

[norb]

It can be done with a non root app?

 

[chanchan05]

Not possible. Basically any hack to add to Android's base functions will most likely need root. This one especially so since we're talking about kernels and the like. One thing you could be familiar with is that when installing new hardware it asks you for admin password. Rooting is the same thing. Normally Android won't bother asking and the new stuff just won't work. Rooting gives you that dialog box and the password.

 

[psionandy]

@norb You didn't mention it in your other thread... But what is the problem you are actually trying to solve by having a portable drive connected to an Android device?

 

[dontpanicbobby]

Yes. But it depends on the DVD player/drive. Here's an example from 2012,

 

[psionandy]

Thanks Bobby... I have 2 of those.. They aren't standard dvd drives, but are specifically made with to work with Android as well as Windows and have built in wifi. I'D never thought of plugging them in using the cable. Normally I use them wirelessly.. Or as a normal USB drive for my laptop.

They do have an Android app that comes with them, so not sure if that's required...

 

[norb]

@norb You didn't mention it in your other thread... But what is the problem you are actually trying to solve by having a portable drive connected to an Android device?

i have to make discs as that's what the fool demands.

 

[chanchan05]

i have to make discs as that's what the fool demands.

I would of course assume that you do not have access to your own PC. I do not know where you live, but do PC Cafe's still exist there? They do in my country, and I could burn CDs there for cheap if I needed to. Would you have instead access to those? Should be easier than looking for specific disc drives that support Android.

 

[mikedt]

If I have to burn CDs very occasionally, I use my old white MacBook. And not trying to be cute and burning them with a mobile phone

Does CD burning software even exist for Android, probably not

 

[norb]

It should. It's a natural solution. The only difference between my phone and a pc is... It's water resistant, it won't play the same games, it won't do photoshplop, and it can't burn discs. Lame.

 

[chanchan05]

It should. It's a natural solution. The only difference between my phone and a pc is... It's water resistant, it won't play the same games, it won't do photoshplop, and it can't burn discs. Lame.

Honestly I don't even see why it should. And there is more difference between a phone and a PC than that.

 

[psionandy]

@norb You didn't mention it in your other thread... But what is the problem you are actually trying to solve by having a portable drive connected to an Android device?

i have to make discs as that's what the fool demands.

OK... you still haven't answered the problem that you are trying to solve... but you've hinted at it.
Based on the (limited) information you've given us THIS is the problem you should solve.

Now it depends on who the fool is, and why he wants discs.

He could be a client, who wants data archiving... in this case the way to solve the problem is by getting the information off the device itself, and to another device that can burn the discs.. This could be done via a LAN, WAN, Cloud or Physical connection (usb stick). Encryption could be something to consider here. As could costs for each option

He could be a professor in your college... in that case you may need to design some new hardware , and write some software. or add some hardware into the network. Possibly a low powered linux device to act as a bridging device (Raspberry Pi?)

He could be a relative, in which case you should look at what he's doing with the discs... Presumably he has something to read them with... is it data, TV programs, videos he's taking? Possibly a Low end Windows tablet would be a better option for him?

I'm making quite a lot of assumptions here.. (you never even said it was a he! ) but I hope you understand. By narrowing down the problem to just writing a disk via a phone, you're limiting the range of solutions and potentially making an easy problem into a very hard one.

 

[mikedt]

My phone can't use floppy disks either.[emoji14]

 

[norb]

OK... you still haven't answered the problem that you are trying to solve... but you've hinted at it.
Based on the (limited) information you've given us THIS is the problem you should solve.

Now it depends on who the fool is, and why he wants discs.

He could be a client, who wants data archiving... in this case the way to solve the problem is by getting the information off the device itself, and to another device that can burn the discs.. This could be done via a LAN, WAN, Cloud or Physical connection (usb stick). Encryption could be something to consider here. As could costs for each option

He could be a professor in your college... in that case you may need to design some new hardware , and write some software. or add some hardware into the network. Possibly a low powered linux device to act as a bridging device (Raspberry Pi?)

He could be a relative, in which case you should look at what he's doing with the discs... Presumably he has something to read them with... is it data, TV programs, videos he's taking? Possibly a Low end Windows tablet would be a better option for him?

I'm making quite a lot of assumptions here.. (you never even said it was a he! ) but I hope you understand. By narrowing down the problem to just writing a disk via a phone, you're limiting the range of solutions and potentially making an easy problem into a very hard one.

Um, hinted? I need to burn discs with my phone. I thought that was rather blatant.

 

[psionandy]

Nobody just wakes up one morning and decides... "Oh Hello world I want to burn discs with my phone"

The Question you've failed to answer is WHY?

People do things for a reason. Its a means to an end...

If you can share the reason, its easier to help.

If you're not interested in help, then thats your prerogative....

 

[norb]

Because I need to burn discs.

 

[psionandy]

OK.. I'm done here...

Burn your discs any way you can. Bye!

 

[norb]

You never did anything in the first place except try to derail the thread into doing something other than burning a disc with a phone.

 

[chanchan05]

The question really is, is it imperative to burn disks? Can't you just email the data to the person you need to send the file to? Or use a flash drive, if your phone supported USBOTG.

 

[mikedt]

Could probably go to an OEM in China, and enquire about them making a phone that can burn CDs for you. Will cost you a packet for the R&D though. But if this is a particular itch you have to scratch, then so be it. Bet your bottom dollar that Google certainly won't be interested in such a project, they want you to use their cloud services.

In theory my Windows 10 tablet probably can burn CDs with a powered portable CD burner via OTG. Although I've never wanted to try it though.

 

[norb]

The question really is, is it imperative to burn disks? Can't you just email the data to the person you need to send the file to? Or use a flash drive, if your phone supported USBOTG.

Um, if it wasn't imperative I wouldnt be asking.

 

[norb]

Could probably go to an OEM in China, and enquire about them making a phone that can burn CDs for you. Will cost you a packet for the R&D though. But if this is a particular itch you have to scratch, then so be it. Bet your bottom dollar that Google certainly won't be interested in such a project, they want you to use their cloud services.

In theory my Windows 10 tablet probably can burn CDs with a powered portable CD burner via OTG. Although I've never wanted to try it though.

which is why someone should get off their butt and make some money off an app. I would think you could create a system where you put the files in a folder, attach the kernel or whatever to the folder itself instead of messing with a kernel for the OS, and burn it like that. Like a seperate OS for the folder to attach to the drive. Even if it were the type with a seperate power supply required it would be better than nothing. These phones are computers and they should have full functionality.