icade core connection on Android 4.2.x - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I believe the latest Android releases somehow broke connection to Icade devices, and now they can no longer authenticate although you try and try to enter the 6 digit code.
I believe i found a workaround, at least because it works here now.
I think i got it working by pure luck here.
- install the Bluez IME from Play store
- enter the app and configure the bluetooth device by searching for the Icadecore (only one i tested)
- select IME (bluez ime) and activate your Bluez IME keyboard.
- try to connect with wrong code and let it fail.
- disable selected IME as keyboard and just use ordinary keyboard now.
- in regular android Settings, you will see the device is paired, and that you can configure it or connect to it. I tried to connect a few times using the white E2 button and after a few tries in got connected.
I believe the Bluez IME somehow makes the device authenticated in Bluetooth settings, and although it fails at native bluetooth connection a few times, it does connect after 3rd or 4th try.
if it still fails , re-enable the IME -> Bluez IME keyboard and when it connect try to type code, although it will fail. and then go back and deselect the IME and use internal keyboard. and then enable bluetooth in android settings and it should be connecting now after 3 or 4 tries and it always work the first time after this step. remember one of the white buttons awakens the devices and connect to android device
i can now connect without using the "Bluez IME" app.
hope it helps those trying to use it on Android4.2.2 (CM10.2)

---

I think i went through your motions right, couldnt get it to work
I was hoping my iCade Core could work with my nexus 7 so i could get controls working in a game I'm making, but for now looks like the controls will be iOS only *tear*
Nuxes 7 running 4.2.2
Thanks for your tips though I guess you're the lucky one

---

yes of good course:good::good:

---

hello, I tried several times but I was unable to pair the device on my nexus 7 with 4.2.1 rooted
any hint?
I can pair it with my galaxy tab 2, but after this, under mame, it won't work even if I can map the keys! Why is that??

---

I reason I went through your motions right, couldn’t get it to work.:good:

---

Dexter_nlb said:
I believe the latest Android releases somehow broke connection to Icade devices, and now they can no longer authenticate although you try and try to enter the 6 digit code.
I believe i found a workaround, at least because it works here now.
I think i got it working by pure luck here.
- install the Bluez IME from Play store
- enter the app and configure the bluetooth device by searching for the Icadecore (only one i tested)
- select IME (bluez ime) and activate your Bluez IME keyboard.
- try to connect with wrong code and let it fail.
- disable selected IME as keyboard and just use ordinary keyboard now.
- in regular android Settings, you will see the device is paired, and that you can configure it or connect to it. I tried to connect a few times using the white E2 button and after a few tries in got connected.
I believe the Bluez IME somehow makes the device authenticated in Bluetooth settings, and although it fails at native bluetooth connection a few times, it does connect after 3rd or 4th try.
if it still fails , re-enable the IME -> Bluez IME keyboard and when it connect try to type code, although it will fail. and then go back and deselect the IME and use internal keyboard. and then enable bluetooth in android settings and it should be connecting now after 3 or 4 tries and it always work the first time after this step. remember one of the white buttons awakens the devices and connect to android device
i can now connect without using the "Bluez IME" app.
hope it helps those trying to use it on Android4.2.2 (CM10.2)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot. I thought I couldn't make this work because in my Nexus 10 running 4.3, Bluez IME wasn't able to connect (I got differente errors regarding BT sockets). However, after trying to use Bluez IME, the iCade appears as already paired in Android Bluetooth settings. I had to try several times but finally it worked (I don't remember if touching "iCade" or the settings icon next to the name in the Bluetooth settings screen).
Off to play some Snow Bros now

---

Just tested this under 4.4.2 and it still works fine with BluezIME just so you know.
Trick seems to be to select Icade in BluezIME as controller type, and to make it fail a few times when you select BluezIME as keyboard and code fails. then after some tries to connect the device appear as authenticated in Bluetooth devices and you no longer need BluesIME as previously explained.
Bug somewhere in bluetooth, but it is working after some combo's to connect in that app.

---

For those that can use this method with success:
Would you please make a video of the whole process? And after the joystick is somewhat recognized, how do you enable it in, say, mame? Thanks!

---

Dexter_nlb said:
Just tested this under 4.4.2 and it still works fine with BluezIME just so you know.
Trick seems to be to select Icade in BluezIME as controller type, and to make it fail a few times when you select BluezIME as keyboard and code fails. then after some tries to connect the device appear as authenticated in Bluetooth devices and you no longer need BluesIME as previously explained.
Bug somewhere in bluetooth, but it is working after some combo's to connect in that app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean when you say to select the BluezIME as keyboard and code fails? I can't get any response from the iCade let alone a failed code message. This is a nightmare. I purchased a HP Touchpad and installed CyanogenMod 9 thinking I saved a bundle on an iPad!
:Edit: I figured it out! You don't try to enter any code at all on the iCade. Open the BluezIME app and turn on Bluetooth. Then scan for the iCade and while it's scanning hold down the five buttons on the iCade to make it visible and select it. Then go down and enable and select BluezIME keyboard. With bluetooth still on keep selecting the BluezIME keyboard again and again. Then (again making sure bluetooth is on) select the Android keyboard. Eventually with a bit of messing you'll have a paired iCade.
The big Eureka moment for me was when I realise you didn't need to do the traditional process advised by the iCade's makers at all. You don't need to go pressing buttons and moving the joystick to enter any code at all.
When it's paired don't forget to enable it as an input device in its bluetooth settings. Also it needs to be enabled in Mame4Droid too! Happy days lads!

---

Kooyonga said:
What do you mean when you say to select the BluezIME as keyboard and code fails? I can't get any response from the iCade let alone a failed code message. This is a nightmare. I purchased a HP Touchpad and installed CyanogenMod 9 thinking I saved a bundle on an iPad!
:Edit: I figured it out! You don't try to enter any code at all on the iCade. Open the BluezIME app and turn on Bluetooth. Then scan for the iCade and while it's scanning hold down the five buttons on the iCade to make it visible and select it. Then go down and enable and select BluezIME keyboard. With bluetooth still on keep selecting the BluezIME keyboard again and again. Then (again making sure bluetooth is on) select the Android keyboard. Eventually with a bit of messing you'll have a paired iCade.
The big Eureka moment for me was when I realise you didn't need to do the traditional process advised by the iCade's makers at all. You don't need to go pressing buttons and moving the joystick to enter any code at all.
When it's paired don't forget to enable it as an input device in its bluetooth settings. Also it needs to be enabled in Mame4Droid too! Happy days lads!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi all. Sorry to thread resurrect, but it looks like this one comes back every now and then as people figure out a method to make it work.
Here's what worked for me (HP TouchPad, using one of the early-ish CM9 betas, never bothered to upgrade):
Install BlueZ from Play Store. Install the BlueZ HID enabler thingee from the main android-bluez-ime repo over on google code (i can't link because i've hardly ever posted here)
Attempt to pair the iCade from the regular Android Bluetooth menu. When it asks me to enter the code on the iCade, I instead open BlueZ's menu, hit "Select device", then select the iCade. Then "Select Device Driver" and select iCade (HID). Then "Select IME", and select the BlueZ IME.
If it gives any errors, make sure the default IME is set to Default Android (otherwise BlueZ will repeatedly try to connect and fail and you won't be able to get the regular Android settings to try to pair), then go to the Android Bluetooth menu, set the iCade to pairing mode, select it in the Android bluetooth menu, when it asks to enter the code, flip back to BlueZ and hit Select IME and select the BlueZ IME. The connection works every time for me this way.
Then, I select my buttons in the main MAME keyboard settings. If you go this route, you are using BlueZ's IME, and you should NOT select the iCade option in MAME.
Of course, something that I discovered from randomly mashing buttons, is that it seems to be impossible in MAME's UI to actually -unset- buttons without possibly pairing an actual keyboard, or uninstalling the app and/or possibly the roms you want to reset, or something. Haven't figured it out yet, but I need to, because I really screwed up some keyboard settings.
Right now, this does seem to be getting some mixed results in some games that have 2 buttons seeming to always think that I'm pressing both buttons at the same time.. but I think that's because I screwed up my keyboard settings and can't figure out how to unset some of them.

---

Got it working a couple of times on the TF101 KitKat but now it doesn't work anymore. The ROM is the same as before, same version too. Bluez keeps reporting an error with bt socket. The icade works fine on the iPad. Is there a way to reset it or anything I can do? TIA

---

Hi,
I've just bought an iCade for use with an nVidia Shield tablet and cannot get it to work at all. I have tried the suggestions a couple of posts above but I constantly get 'BT socket errors' when using Bluez IME.
I have tried it on the shield and a hudl2 which are both Lollipop.
The iCade must be working because I can enter the 6 digit pairing code using the controller and buttons to successfully pair it.
Has anyone got it working with Lollipop?
Regards

---

My experience:
- Nexus 10 Tablet
- Ion iCade Core
Install BluezIme 1.20 and the HIDenabler.
Select your Icade in Bluezime and in driver: [iControliPad], I have not been able to make it work with [iCade (HID)] because it returns a connection failure [bt socket connect failed icade].
Select the IME Bluez IME.
In the bluetooth settings of your tablet select the iCade will try to appear between the synchronized items. Go back to the BluezIme menu and select the Gboard in IME.
Go back to the bluetooth settings of your tablet and select the iCade again and now it will connect.
The only problem I have is that the iCade does not disconnect automatically, I have to do it manually.

---

ElKurgan said:
My experience:
- Nexus 10 Tablet
- Ion iCade Core
Install BluezIme 1.20 and the HIDenabler.
Select your Icade in Bluezime and in driver: [iControliPad], I have not been able to make it work with [iCade (HID)] because it returns a connection failure [bt socket connect failed icade].
Select the IME Bluez IME.
In the bluetooth settings of your tablet select the iCade will try to appear between the synchronized items. Go back to the BluezIme menu and select the Gboard in IME.
Go back to the bluetooth settings of your tablet and select the iCade again and now it will connect.
The only problem I have is that the iCade does not disconnect automatically, I have to do it manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
2

---

ElKurgan said:
My experience:
- Nexus 10 Tablet
- Ion iCade Core
Install BluezIme 1.20 and the HIDenabler.
Select your Icade in Bluezime and in driver: [iControliPad], I have not been able to make it work with [iCade (HID)] because it returns a connection failure [bt socket connect failed icade].
Select the IME Bluez IME.
In the bluetooth settings of your tablet select the iCade will try to appear between the synchronized items. Go back to the BluezIme menu and select the Gboard in IME.
Go back to the bluetooth settings of your tablet and select the iCade again and now it will connect.
The only problem I have is that the iCade does not disconnect automatically, I have to do it manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used an App, Bluetooth Auto Connect and it seems that the problem of always turning on the Icade has been solved.
Edit: In the end the auto disconnection works. I have chosen ICade (HID) again and the strength to insist at the end the bluetooth of the tablet has recognized it.