GP2X built in USB host port - Intro & materials

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Intro & materials

The GP2X is an handheld running Linux. It has 2 arm-processors and a few peripherials, amongst others an usb host function. The usb host function is available through the ext-port, but no 5V is available there, so in order to get usb from that you'll either need a wall wart to supply the 5V or use a DC-DC-converter to generate 5V from the 3.3V that is available from the ext-port. Both solutions aren't really handy if you want to keep your GP2X portable.

Luckily, the GP2X does have some spare space inside the casing, and it uses a MAX1566, which is a DC-DC-converter. It uses this to generate the 3.3V for the system and some weird voltages like 17V for the LCD. But next to these, it also has an output for 5V, rated at 500mA. As far as I know, there's no peripherial that uses the 5V line, so we should be free to use that for our own purposes.

Needed:

- A soldering iron with a fine point
- Thin wire (wirewrap-wire will do)
- A female USB-connector (I got mine from an old USB-hub)
- 2x15K resistors
- 1x100n capacitor
- 1x68uF capacitor
- The guts to mod your GP2X
(The values of the capacitor aren't critical btw)
Please go and read the disclaimer at the end of this article first if you're going to build this yourself.

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