What is the USB-C adapter?

The USB-C adapter is a small board that sits between your DE1's Bluetooth (BLE) module and the machine. It adds a USB-C port, giving you the option to connect your DE1 to a computer or tablet with a cable instead of relying on Bluetooth.

Why use it?

Bluetooth works well for most people, but a wired USB-C connection can be more reliable, especially in environments with a lot of wireless interference. It also opens the door to tighter integration with desktop software. If you have ever had Bluetooth drops or connectivity issues, USB-C gives you a stable alternative.

USB-C hub: connecting DE1 and Half Decent Scale together

With a USB-C hub, you can connect both your DE1 and your Half Decent Scale to a single tablet over USB. This gives you a fully wired setup where the app talks to both devices without Bluetooth. A powered hub can also keep your tablet charged while in use.

On Android, this currently requires a Samsung tablet and a compatible powered USB-C hub. Most hubs do not work reliably -- hubs marketed as "MacBook Pro USB-C dongles" have been the most reliable in testing. Desktop computers (Mac, Windows, Linux) do not have this limitation and work with any standard hub.

Decent is currently developing a dedicated 4-port USB-C hub version of the adapter, which will simplify this setup. See the Basecamp announcement for the latest updates on this.

Compatible software

Two apps currently support connecting to your DE1 over USB-C:

Streamline-Bridge -- Decent's next-generation app, currently in developer preview. Runs on Android, Mac, Linux, Windows, and iPad. Supports both Bluetooth and USB-C connections. See the Basecamp discussion for details and updates.

Decenza -- A community-built app by Kulitorum, available on Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, and Linux (also on the Apple App Store). See the Basecamp discussion for the full feature list and support.

Installation

We have video guides for each machine model. Pick yours below and follow along.

I have a DE1Pro

I have a DE1(X)XL

DE1Pro Installation

DE1XL Installation

How It Works

The Bluetooth and USB-C connections cannot be active at the same time. When nothing is plugged into the USB-C port, Bluetooth stays on and works as usual. As soon as you connect a device via USB-C, the adapter automatically cuts power to the Bluetooth module and your DE1 communicates over USB instead.

Unplug the USB-C cable and Bluetooth comes back on its own, typically within about a minute.

Important: Disconnect USB-C Before Powering On

When your DE1 starts up, the firmware expects to find the Bluetooth module and will try to communicate with it. If a USB-C cable is connected at that point, the adapter has already powered off the Bluetooth module, so the firmware cannot reach it. The machine will get stuck during boot and won't start properly.

The fix is simple: always unplug the USB-C cable before you flip the power switch on the back. Once the machine is fully booted, you can reconnect USB-C whenever you like.

Troubleshooting

My machine won't start, or it's stuck showing four white LEDs

This is almost always the boot issue described above. Unplug the USB-C cable, turn the machine off with the back switch, wait a few seconds, and turn it back on.

My app can see the Bluetooth module but won't connect

This happens when USB-C is still plugged in. The Bluetooth module shows up in your app's device list because it was visible before the adapter powered it down, but it can no longer accept connections. Unplug the USB-C cable and wait about a minute for Bluetooth to fully restart before trying to connect again.

I want to switch back to Bluetooth after using USB-C

Just unplug the USB-C cable. The Bluetooth module powers back up automatically. Give it roughly a minute before you try to connect from your app.