Expandable memory on nexus 7

the1m.polo

Well-known member
Dec 9, 2011
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Hey can use the usb port on the nexus 7 to read a hard drive?

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using AC Forums mobile app
 
Hey can use the usb port on the nexus 7 to read a hard drive?

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using AC Forums mobile app

I know it doesn't supply enough power to power a mechanical drive (typical external hard drive with only a USB cord), but flash memory and external hard drives with their own power cord should work. I haven't done it, so I don't know the details of what you can & can't do with the files onboard, but it can recognize the drive.
 
Yes. You need an OTG cable and an app like Nexus Media Importer. Thumb drives work without additional power but hard drives will not. But I can use my Western Digital My Passport drives with a USB Y-cable, connecting a small external battery to the cable to provide power. My setup includes:

Amazon.com : eForCity dual A to Micro-B USB 3.0 Y Cable, Black : Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: T & S Electronics Micro USB OTG Cable - LIFETIME WARRANTY! (Micro USB OTG to USB Adapter. Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC ONE, Nexus 7 & Nexus 10, Galaxy Tab 3, ASUS MeMOPad, and all OTG compatible devices.: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: WD My Passport 1TB Portable External Hard Drive Storage USB 3.0 Black: Electronics

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om.homeysoft.nexususb.importer&token=xwXVO3e5

Dave

edit: any of a myriad of external batteries work with this (I have a Duracell and an Anker):

Amazon.com: external battery: Electronics
 
The tablet will not supply enough power to an external hard drive, however, it can read flash-based drives like a USB stick. Just make sure you get the OTG cable in order for it to read. Simply plugging in the flash drive with a USB adapter will not work - it has to be an OTG cable to get it into host mode.