LAVA SimulCharge USB 1-port Adapter for Samsung Galaxy Tab 4/S/PRO/Note - Model TL-002 (Micro USB OTG Host & Charge)

This works very well. I am using it with a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4, and a MyDigital SSD OTG 512GB solid state drive. I've used it for about a month now, with no issues. This adapter DOES charge and provide OTG data access at the same time. As far as I can tell, this is the only product on the market that can do both those things concurrently (except for something advertised on eBay that claims to do both, IF you put some switches in the right position, and then power it down every time you need to unplug the charger.) So in this respect, the Lava product seems unique. I do think it is quite overpriced, since the components to this thing certainly can't cost that much. And if Lava feels they need to recover design costs, they should do so through more "quantity" and not more "price", by marketing this thing a lot better and wider - since the company basically has a monopoly position for allowing an Android tablet to connect with serious storage capability (i.e., bigger than a USB memory stick). Go to the manufacturers web page to see what devices it claims "compatibility" with... but in my opinion there is no reason to believe that it would not work with any USB OTG capable tablet. (The Samsung doesn't even have to be rooted.) As an aside, another thing I suspect - it's not the Lava adapter's "box" that is the "special thing" that allows for simultaneous charging and data flow. Rather, I think it is the special cable they supply that runs between the adapter box and the tablet. I know this, because I tried substituting out for that cable, with a dozen or so products. Nothing allowed for simultaneous charging and data flow - it was "either / or", depending on what I hooked up - until I restored Lava's supplied cable to its proper place. So I think it is this specially engineered cable that is the "magic" here. Regarding photos: in one photo - see charging indicator in top right (while access to the music albums is concurrent). The other photo shows the interior connections - I normally keep all that stuff inside the tablet case's pouch. In sum - this works, and it enables your tablet to have direct access to 256GB, 512GB, 1TB... of fast solid state storage. For me, among other things, it's now a (much) better iPod than the iPod classic.

I did my research and this Lava TL-002 SimulCharge does work as advertised, although there are some issues. I purchased a Samsung S2 8" tablet because it was shown on Lava website to be compatible. Sure enough, if you hook everything up correctly in the correct order, it will charge the tablet while in USB Host mode and supply the power and full function to the USB device. I use a 5V, 2.1 amp charger. I have not tested it with any power-hungry USB devices, but it works fine on my DragonFly USB DAC (digital-analog-converter). I use the tablet/phone app, USB Audio Player Pro, which plays my hi-res music and also hooks up with Tidal music service. The line out on the DragonFly goes to my car stereo, amplifier, or headphones and sounds great. In fact, this is a great system that took a while to research and get everything to function as needed. I installed a SanDisc 200 Gb card in the Samsung S2 tablet which holds all my music and works perfect. One negative on this Lava TL-002 SimulCharge is that it is apparently required to hook to power first and make sure it is charging the phone or tablet. Then you can hook the USB device and the USB device will receive its power from the charging circuit and the phone/tablet is still charging. The 2nd issue is that the cables and connections on the Lava are not too good because if you accidentally barely move the cables, it will lose connection and quit working correctly. I have only had this a couple days and have everything working great. Hopefully it will keep working. I wish it was heavier duty and the cable connections were more robust. It is quite expensive compared to other "on-the-go" cables that supposedly charge and power a USB device. I could never get any other setup to charge while in USB host mode, so this works! 4 stars because it could be better.

Well 2 months in and this device stopped working. Thanks for charging 40 dollars for junk. Turns out I'm not the only person to notice it's bad lifespan. I'm really irritated with the wasted cash. I basically paid 40 dollars for an otg cable. Despite some reviews, this device is for some reason, limiting the current going to the tablet to 1000ma. 1a is hardly enough to keep the device powered by itself let alone charge. Small low powered devices like a Tab 4, this product should be perfect, but for us high powered Tab Pro and Tab S owners, this device is extremely flawed in this alone. Even Kernel Mods to enable fast charge does not work when using the Lava. Device claims its being charged, but looses power fast. I developed a data only cable to try a Powered Hub, even tho I know my Hub is isolated properly, it hardly charges. I've done many tests, and half the time the device charges, half the time it discharges while claiming its charging fine. Went from 80% to 60% in a matter of a 30 minute TV Show not using the powered hub, Using the Powered hub *AND* a Data Only Cable (So the tablet isn't providing power to anything) it charges 1% every..... 15 to 20 Minutes. As I'm typing this, its been stuck at 81% and JUST NOW hit 82. I'm sure this also has something to do with Samsung, figures they would cripple yet another part of an amazing device. Before you could fast charge and OTG by a typical Y Adaptor. If I would have known this, I would have not paid 45 dollars shipped for this and would have looked into other options.

This device works well with my Samsung Galaxy TAB S tablet. There was no configuration to be done on the tablet, and the SimulCharge worked perfectly right out of the box. NOTE: I have added pictures of the box that the SimulCharge came in. Be sure to check those out before you purchase this device. Of specific concern is that the manufacturer specifies that the SimulCharge is designed for Samsung tablets. No other brand is mentioned. Also, the box states that it works with: Memory Sticks, Printers, Cameras, Scanners, Keyboards and Mice. There is no mention of external drives. I'm convinced that if you use the SimulCharge as described by the manufacturer, you will have a good experience. Long, boring waits at the airport can now be a great movie viewing opportunity...without leaving my Samsung tablet low on charge when boarding the plane. UPDATE (04/11/15}: I just tried a 500GB external 2.5" drive on my TAB S. The tablet AND the drive functioned perfectly. The tablet indicated that it was charging at the same time the tablet was backing up to the drive. Note, I use a SWEES 5-port, 10A charger (search Amazon for B00LUG5IEQ) to power my USB devices. There is no shortage of power to go around with that handy charger. I didn't have to twiddle anything in the Lollipop 5.0.2 system to get everything working. Additionally, I've ordered a Plugable USB Ethernet Adapter (search Amazon for B00484IEJS) to provide a hard-wired connection to the net. The USB 2, 10/100 adapter is the best you can do at this time. However, the YouTube demo by LAVA on a TAB 4 (using that adapter) shows a faster connection then WiFi can provide. Can't wait to give it a try.

The good news: the adapter works. It will allow you to connect a USB flash drive or external hard drive to a tablet or phone. The bad news: It doesn't work if you connect a power adapter to the charger port while a drive is connected so your battery will run down faster.

First thing's first this item is not worth the amount it costs. Now that's out of the way, I will list the pros and cons of the item below: Pros and cons 1. It can be used as an OTG cable (although I prefer the Samsung OTG adapter if you're talking just quality) and the box is small enough so that you can plug in a power source that will allow you to use a storage device, which requires an external power source like an external hard drive that typically would be plug and play on a laptop or PC because the computer can provide enough power to the external hard drive but a tablet or phone cannot. 2. I used this item with my Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 and it worked, but I did have to use the Samsung charging adapter which came with my tablet. I was able to use an Anker cable, but Anker charging adapters and external batteries did not charge my tablet while my flash drive/hard drive was being used. Anker charging adapters and external batteries were strong enough to power an external hard drive for my tablet to read the files, but wouldn't charge the tablet at the same time. It appears the Samsung charging adapter that comes stock is a 5V and that's why. 3. I tried to use this on my LG G2 phone and it would only allow me to charge the phone or read my flash drive, depending on what was plugged in first (flash drive vs charging cable). It would not allow me to do both at the same time. So the part about it having to be a specific Samsung tablet appears to be true. 4. I feel like the product is very cheaply made. The material appears to be fragile and like it can easily break so each time I use it I try to be as careful as possible and I do have a fear it will break soon. 5. I also agree with previous reviews, which have stated the tablet charges very slow when your power source is plugged into the Lava. In conclusion, if you are really desperate for an item that helps your device maintain it's battery or powers your OTG cable enough so that you can use an external hard drive, then I would recommend you get this item. But for most people I would not recommend this item at all as the price is outrageous, material is very poorly made, and there are too many restrictions to actually make the item work. In the end I just don't think it's really worth it.

The only OTG with charging that worked for me. It did not charge with wall adapter, and will not charge with smart batteries or chargers. I was able to get it to work with a ravpower usb battery charger, but not with my Anker as it has smart quick charging. Also did not work with $10 battery from walmart. I got it to charge with usb power from my car inverter I got from a loves truck stop. I think if you can get a constant low current usb charger without electronics controlling the power output it will charge and give you access to your usb drive. I think it is the charger needing to read from the device you are charging to turn on its output. This is why I think constant low current (slow charging, not fast charge) will fix the problem.

I need to read the details better. This unit works on my Samsung tablet as advertised, great! Though I needed it for my Samsung phone, and it didn't work for that. This company has another the PL-2 which is advertised to work with my Samsung S-4 phone, though I haven't bought one yet. I'd like to try one so I could review it, hint hint.... ;-)