I just picked up the extended battery, for my Thunderbolt.
The extended battery cover clearly has a huge LTE antenna.
The antenna, on my stock cover is very small.
Can any one else confirm?
That's the secondary. The main one is by the kickstand.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
Why would the stock cover, have a non existent extended antenna?
I would think they would both have the same one.
tanman21 said:
I just picked up the extended battery, for my Thunderbolt.
The extended battery cover clearly has a huge LTE antenna.
The antenna, on my stock cover is very small.
Can any one else confirm?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
forgive me if im wrong because im no expert but i think the metal things you see sticking out are just the contacts for the antenna. the actual antenna is hidden under that black electrical tape looking thing running around the edge. with that said we cant really see how big the antenna is under that black tape thing.. we dont know if they are both the same size. just cuz that tape is thicker doesnt mean the antenna is bigger...
You are right. I am assuming that there is an antenna under that tape.
On the stock battery cover, there is not even any tape at all.
http://shop.htcpedia.com/htc-thunderbolt-extended-battery-door.html#6
I want to order this but the reports of the batt cover not having same antennas has me a little worried. Also anyone know a good seido case like the platinum one that fits this ?
According to the fcc website the antenna by the kickstand is for 1x voice only. The 3g and LTE antenna are where the two tiny holes in the cover are, and the gps antenna is the piece of "tape" that u see in the stock cover. A buddy of mine ripped his stock cover apart and it appears that the 3g and LTE antennas are molded underneath the plastic with some sort of conductive spray at the factory, that's why the very small contact point that's visible looks like the only antenna. I'll try to get a pic of the torn apart cover.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
radiowatcher_06 said:
According to the fcc website the antenna by the kickstand is for 1x voice only. The 3g and LTE antenna are where the two tiny holes in the cover are, and the gps antenna is the piece of "tape" that u see in the stock cover. A buddy of mine ripped his stock cover apart and it appears that the 3g and LTE antennas are molded underneath the plastic with some sort of conductive spray at the factory, that's why the very small contact point that's visible looks like the only antenna. I'll try to get a pic of the torn apart cover.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the link to the site you obtained this information?
On the stock cover, the antenna is on the outside, hence the two feedthrough holes. It looks like it's on the inside of the extended battery cover.
I actually experienced a little better reception with the extended battery door.
It wasn't much, but I did pick up 4G in a few more fringe areas than before.
If I press on the back cover just below the camera it creaks as if part of the cover is rubbing against the phone itself. Anyone else having this issue?
Mine creaks badly as well, but does it on the opposite side, towards the bottom.
You can go to T-Mobile's store and get a new one.It is free.Mine hasn't ggot this issue
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Few options here, you can call HTC and they will send you a new cover as a warranty replacement(one time only). Or get an aftermarket over capacity battery, like Anker or Chicitech these batteries are 1900mah and they are a little wider which takes care of the space between the cover and phone(there is more detail on accessory section). Third option is the ghetto solution, take few layers of tape and put it on the battery which creates support for the back cover. I had a little creaky back cover also and new Anker battery took care of it for me.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
Knight2040 said:
Mine creaks badly as well, but does it on the opposite side, towards the bottom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My one does a little bit when taking out from charger.
has to be pressed side ways.
but its very small movement near the small screw where the metal and plastic meets.
and it started happening after I dropped mine from a meter height (lucky for the floor mat).
I have an Anker battery and it still creaks.
If you're in Canada, dealing with HTC/Bell sucks.
I still haven't had time to take it in store, but I will try that next.
After taking apart the GPS antenna module(led flash cover), cleaning the antenna contacts on the cover and spring clips on phone, and SLIGHTLY bending the spring clips out for improved contact with the cover the GPS lock was back to being less than 10 seconds for initial fix and instant refix.
With such an improvement I decided to do the same procedure to the other 2. The antenna under the battery cover(clean and bend spring contacts out alittle), and the one under the sim/sd card cover(clean and bend spring contacts out a little). My WiFi signal is definitely much better at distance! Bluetooth is better as well!
It is not difficult to do at all, and the results are immediate and VERY noticeable.
Search YouTube for desire hd/inspire 4g GPS antenna cover removal so you don't f it up. Hardest thing is getting GPS cover off, and it takes all of 5-10 minutes!
Good luck all.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA
Thanks. This actually increased the speed of my stock inspire and battery life.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA
GPS FIXED!
I wanted to bump this thread, as I ended up finding this solution on another forum. I have almost always had issues getting my GPS to lock. I tried all the software based fixes, but none of them seemed to really work. I opened my antennae, cleaned/bent the pins, and now I get INSTANT GPS lock (without any software fixes installed). I strongly urge anyone with issues to try this.
Another alternative is to solder a new antennae:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1318892
yes it is a good thing to clean the contacts and rebend them for additional contact force. That ghetto wire solder job that the person did in your link is only a hair above trying to get a gps signal while hopping on one foot. There is quite a bit of calculations that have to be done to choose antenna length and thickness in respect to the frequency it operates on. What this user did was just pick a random length of wire and connect it, and poorly soldered at that (they probably have a coat hanger coming out of their tv). This type of modification is a TERRIBLE idea and should be avoided at all costs.
But as I said, what the OP did in this thread with the cleaning, this is a good idea.
what did u clean it with?
Im looking at the silver led cover and im like how the hell you take that off I know like something needle nose pliers.
I basically just scraped the metal until it was shiny. A fine steel wool would work, or even sand paper. You just want to get any gray stuff off.
CYRAXDroid said:
Im looking at the silver led cover and im like how the hell you take that off I know like something needle nose pliers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You do it from the inside .
Summary: You are going to remove the battery and then It should reach back to where the plastic cover is. From there you can push (from the inside) the plastic peach and then slide something under it to keep it propped open.
1) Remove your battery
2) You need to prop the plastic piece up from the inside of the case. You could bend the tip of a knife, or whatever.
3) You slide the "prop" inside the battery slot and you want to line it up under the plastic piece around the light.
4) From there you can "push" it up and slide something under the edge to keep it lifted (I used guitar pics). You probably want to use a couple to work your way around.
5) Remove it from the battery facing side first.
Once you have it off it should be obvious where the metal pins are. Bend them upwards, and scrape/clean them off if there is any discoloration.
Putting it back together is a little tricky. Be careful to not break any of the snaps .
Thank me if this helps!
Well I didn't do it but still thank you for posting that info
Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using xda premium
Hi all,
Here's my 5 minute wireless charging mod. Now new and improved so that NFC performance is not affected at all. I've also posted step-by-step pictures to aid in explaining the hack.
You need to make one decisions before you start, do you care more about using NFC or using a magnetic compass app? The reason for this is that the magnetic sensors are in the bottom part of the phone. If you use magnets instead of metal disks, this will affect the accuracy of the magnetic sensors, so a compass app will not work well. But if you use the metal disks that come with the Palm case, and you do the hack with the coil very low in the phone case, it won't hold through a case, so you may need to build some sort of rest for it. I use NFC all the time, and never use the compass, so decided to go with replacing the metal disks with N42 magnets. Also, this charging mod works fine through most cases, I've tested it with TPU and with the Rock cases. It might not work through an Otterbox, I haven't tested it. Using magnets makes it more likely to work with cases. Alternatively, you could use the nonmagnetic disks, but rig up some sort of support so that the phone would sit in the right place on the charger without depending on magnets.
No soldering, no carving, the only tools you need are a knife, and some scotch tape! Some sort of plastic tool, even a plastic knife is helpful too.
The shopping list is below, and totals about $17-$19 depending on which vendors you buy from. The links below are from Amazon, for simple one-stop shopping. You may want to buy two Touchstones for home and office. I wouldn't try to cheap out and use another AC adapter, as most of the adapters I tried failed to work with the Touchstone base.
Palm Pixi Charging back
Palm Touchstone charger
Palm Touchstone AC adapter (important, most chargers won't work)
Copper Tape
OR
Copper tape from Michael's
50% off coupon for Michaels
If you want to replace the metal disks with magnets, to make the phone hold better to the charger, then buy these magnets from Amazon, or
http://www.amazon.com/Applied-Magnets-Earth-Neodymium-Discs/dp/B0012AUU84/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1350067151&sr=1-1&keywords=neodymium+disk+magnets+1%2F4+1%2F32
these from ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190734931794
Total = $17-$19
Time: 5 minutes.
Okay, here's what you do.
Picture 1: Shows the Palm Pixi charging case as you will recieve it. (I recommend the Palm Pixi, not the Palm Pre, as the polarities are reversed on the Palm Pre.) After you get all the parts, gently peel the black tape off the Palm pixi case, (Picture 2 and 3). Then gently and carefully remove the circuit board (Picture 4), the silver metallic tape (Picture 5), the coil (Picture 6), and metal discs. Preserve the silver foil tape, you will need it. You may also want to preserve the black tape.
Next, I show that you can make a template for positioning the coil and discs/magnets by cutting up the Palm Case (Picture 7), and then drilling out holes where the metal discs and the center of the copper coil are (Pictures 8 and 9). I then made a paper template, which is easier to use (Picture 10).
Now here's the clever part of the hack. Put the coil into your Samsung battery cover upside down, as shown in Picture 11. Then fold the L shaped flexible circuit board up as shown in Pictures 12 and 13. This positions it so that you can make an easy connection to the phone using just copper tape. You will run small pieces of copper tape from the top and the bottom power terminals, which are those little square metal terminals shown in Picture 13. (Picture 14 and 14-5). You can then position the discs or magnets. The easiest way to do this is to plug in your Touchstone base, and then lay the back cover on the Touchstone charger. Put your magnets or discs in, and make sure they align with the magnets in the Touchstone base. Note that if you use magnets, you may have to flip them to get them into the right orientation. Use the template you made to check the alignment. Once you get it like the picture, just tape everything down with scotch tape. (Not the terminals.) (Picture 14-5 shows this clearly.) Note that you need to put back in the silver tape over the coil as shown in Picture 14-5, otherwise it won't charge.
Cut the copper tape down to about 1/8 of an inch, and tape two extensions from the charging terminals in the phone. I used a pencil to poke the tape down into the little wells so there was a good contact. Next, lay down the cover and the phone, and tape copper tape to the charging terminals on the charging coil so they will hit the tape on the phone when you close the cover. I folded under the final 1/8 of an inch to make a little lump, to make it more reliable. (Picture 16).
It's useful to check your work with a voltmeter. Place the battery cover with the mod onto the Touchstone base, and check to make sure you are getting 5.5 volts off of the two terminals. Then after you add the copper tape extensions, make sure they are reading the same voltage. If you are not getting voltage, press the tape harder onto the terminals, as the sticky side is less conductive. You could also fold over the copper tape onto the terminals, and scotch tape it down.
Finally put the back onto the phone, and test to see if you get the popup message in Picture 19. If all is good, then you can open it up again and add back the black tape to make it pretty (if you care). (Picture 15). Then should be no real bulge as shown in Pictures 17 and 18.
If it's not working, there are three possible reasons. One, you have a bad connection between the terminals and the copper tape. Check it with a voltmeter. Two, the copper tape that goes into the phone's charging terminals is not making good contact. Fold over a bit of the tape, and gently jam it down into the terminals. (Gently so that you don't break them off!) The third reason is that the tape pieces from the coil are not making contact with the pieces on the phone, see Picture 16 for how the alignment should be. If you are getting the popup repeatedly, then you have an intermittent connection.
Oh, one more thing. Be sure to test this with your phone at less than 100% charge, as it won't work if your phone is 100% charged! I found this out the hard way!
Close the cover and you are done! It sounds complicated, but actually if you just copy the picture, it takes 5-10 minutes.
Here are the pictures, numbered as in the instructions:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qpymo0x6rpmkezx/XMT4z_wDq_/New%20Improved%20wireless%20Charging%20Hack
Thank you's appreciated.
A FEW UPDATES: Here are a few updates from clever ideas from our members.
You can use hotglue to attach everything once you are sure of the location.
The disks in the Pixi cover are metal, not magnets. Replace them with magnets for a better hold.
The magnets (and the coil) could go in a case like an otterbox, instead of inside the phone. Then you'd run thin wires into the battery case. Or you can run the copper foil out from inside your phone so that it connects with the mod inside the case. See post #217 for a way to do this elegantly.
BE aware, the Palm Pre polarities are reversed, so if you use a Palm Pre back, you will have to reverse the polarity.
IF YOU AREN'T GETTING VOLTAGE:
The most common problems are:
1. You are not using a palm charger and cable for the Touchstone. Most chargers/cables won't work, it's better to just use the Palm charger, they cost $4 on Amazon. Are you using the Palm charger/cable?
2. Your copper tape is not making good contact with the little prongs on the flexible circuit board. Try removing the tape and checking voltage on the prongs themselves. Then put the copper tape on firmly, and check the tape for voltage.
3. The coil is not in the right place. You may want to make a template like I suggested to get everything aligned properly. You won't get voltage if the coil is not just right. Use scotch tape to get everything working, then you can use more permanent methods.
4. You used a Palm Pre back instead of a Palm Pixi back, and you forgot that the polarities are reversed on the Pre back.
5. You are not getting a good contact at the charging pins on the phone. Do this: (thanks nonsns3)
Cut tape a quarter inch wide. Ball up a quarter inch on one end and tape it so that the ball is right above the connector pins. Also make sure the exposed part of the ball is not the sticky side. Using a pen, push the ball end into the hole so that it contacts with the pin and you should be all set. This should be the easy part.
Most of the time the two issue areas are:
1) copper tape doesn't make good contact with the pin on the back cover because one side is adhesive.
2) copper tape doesn't make contact between the back cover and the copper tape on the phone itself when you close the cover.
FAQ:
Can I charge the regular way with a micro usb charger after I make this mod?
Yes, it works fine. Just don't plug in the micro usb and the touchstone simultaneously, as I don't know what would happen.
Should I use magnets in the mod instead of the metal disks?
It depends on how thick a case you plan on using, and how firm a grip you want the phone to have on the Touchstone base. You can always use scotch tape and test it both ways.
Will this interfere with NFC?
No, typically it won't, and you can decide on the placement of the mod over the battery, or below the battery. Below the battery has no effect on the NFC, over the battery makes NFC a little more finicky about positioning.
Will this interfere with my compass app?
Only if you use magnets instead of the stock metal disks. And then only if you put the mod low in the battery cover, as the sensors are low down.
Will this interfere with GPS?
Absolutely not.
My phone slides off the Touchstone base, what should I do?
I've modded my bases so that the top is horizontal instead of sloped, which makes phone alignment easier. I used Sugru, but any substance that allowed you to fit in the bottom will work.
Everything was working great, now it stopped working.
Usually the reason is that you've dislodged some connection inside the phone. If this happens, just open up the battery cover, and check all the connections, especially where the copper tape meets the charging terminals inside the phone.
Should I put magnets onto the Touchstone base?
Yes, see my attached picture, this helps with a firmer grip, and may even obviate the need for using magnets inside your SG3 case. Note the magnets can attach two ways depending on their polarity.
I find the charging noise annoying, especially after the phone is fully charged, and it keeps beeping at me.
Yes, on some ROMs this is very annoying. To fix it if you have root, use Root Explorer to got to /system/media/audio/ui . Then press the button on the top right that says, "Mount R/W" so you can change the files. Find Charger_Connection.ogg and either delete it or if you might want it back, just rename it to Charger_Connection.ogg.bak . Reboot, and no more noise, but be sure you see the charging indicator on the phone since you won't hear a beep.
I am considering doing this but with a twist. I would put the coil between the otterbox rubber and hard plastic and put the wires though a hole in the battery door. I would probably have to cut or thin out the rubber so it would fit flush, but I am confident it could go through the fairly thin otterbox plastic.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
This seems like a cool idea but whats the point if it needs to stay on the touchstone? (If im correct on that)
Nice work. I really like this and will be doing it as soon as I get money for the parts. Thanks for sharing
Sent from my s3 using xda premium
I'm pretty sure all wireless charges have to sit on their charging bases. The simply alleviate the need to hook up cables to you phone (which could as to the life of the phone considering how many times you'll be plugging it on over the next year or two).
--
Sent on the fly.
Just curious. Does this mod interfere with NFC?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
The point here is to eliminate the foolish cases that wireless chargers have to equip your phone with to work. This is one of those amazing things that this site has to offer. Fine work my friend!
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
android94301 said:
Hi all,
Here's my 5 minute wireless charging mod.
No soldering, no carving, the only tools you need are a knife, and some scotch tape!
The shopping list is below, and totals about $17-$19 depending on which vendors you buy from. The links below are from Amazon, for simple one-stop shopping.
Palm Pixi Charging back
Palm Touchstone charger
Palm Touchstone AC adapter (important, most chargers won't work)
Copper Tape
OR
Copper tape from Michael's
Total = $17-$19
Time: 5 minutes.
Okay, here's what you do. After you get all the parts, gently peel the black tape off the Palm pixi case, and remove the coil, and magnets. Preserve the silver foil tape, you need it. Mark the top of the magnets with a marker, and gently dig them out with a knife. Don't break them.
Pop open your Samsung Galaxy S3.Lay the back cover on the Touchstone charger, and put the magnets in the same orientation they were in in the Pixi cover. If you flip the orientation, they will be too close together. Then lay in the coil, with the tape extending up to the right. Make sure there is enough room to add the copper tape later. You may need to slide the cover so the magnets are slightly to the left.
Once you get it like the picture, just tape everything down with scotch tape. (Not the terminals.) Cut the copper tape down to about 1/8 of an inch, and tape two extensions from the charging terminals in the phone. I used a pencil to poke the tape down into the little wells so there was a good contact. Next, lay down the cover and the phone, and tape copper tape to the charging terminals on the charging coil so they will hit the tape on the phone when you close the cover. I folded under the final 1/8 of an inch to make a little lump, to make it more reliable.
Close the cover and you are done! It sounds complicated, but actually if you just copy the picture, it takes 5 minutes.
Several tips:
I actually replaced the magnets with some that were a little more powerful, but you can get away with using the original magnets.
If you want to have a more finished look, you can use the black tape cover from Pixi cover to cover over the mod, but I'd tape it first, and make sure everything works.
Here are the pics:
Thank you's appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wouldn't those magnets mess with the phone's magnetometer thus things like the compass? I wouldn't see a problem to do away with the magnets and just put it on a regular wireless charging pad so there isn't a need for the magnets. Other than that issue, kudos for the directions for such a cheap mod :good:
RyanW114 said:
Wouldn't those magnets mess with the phone's magnetometer thus things like the compass? I wouldn't see a problem to do away with the magnets and just put it on a regular wireless charging pad so there isn't a need for the magnets. Other than that issue, kudos for the directions for such a cheap mod :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
I just tested it with Smart Compass, and it seems to work. How many people use a compass app anyway? Don't most use GPS, which isn't affected by the small magnets.
In terms of NFC, I haven't tried NFC, so I don't know. But other's who've used the same system don't have problems with NFC. You could always mount the coil lower, so it wasn't near the NFC chip.
I don't understand the question about the phone needing to stay on the Touchstone. How is that different from the phone needing to be plugged in while charging? The major advantage of this mod is that a) it's way cheap and way cool, and b) you won't wear out the micro usb port plugging in and out. Also, I find it much more convenient to just lay my phone down on the charger whenever I am not using it, so it's always fully charged.
con247 said:
I am considering doing this but with a twist. I would put the coil between the otterbox rubber and hard plastic and put the wires though a hole in the battery door. I would probably have to cut or thin out the rubber so it would fit flush, but I am confident it could go through the fairly thin otterbox plastic.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would work, although with slightly stronger magnets like what I used, my phone has a Rock Case on it, and everything works right thru the back cover and the Rock Case.
Ahh I see, not worth it to me, I use my phone while charging a lot.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
android94301 said:
That would work, although with slightly stronger magnets like what I used, my phone has a Rock Case on it, and everything works right thru the back cover and the Rock Case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear this works through the Rock case!
I already had all the parts you listed in the mail before you started this thread, and my biggest two worries were:
1. Slight bulge from coil might prevent Rock case from fitting
2. Rock case will prevent this from charging
Great to know neither of these will be a problem!
K
android94301 said:
Hi,
I just tested it with Smart Compass, and it seems to work. How many people use a compass app anyway? Don't most use GPS, which isn't affected by the small magnets.
In terms of NFC, I haven't tried NFC, so I don't know. But other's who've used the same system don't have problems with NFC. You could always mount the coil lower, so it wasn't near the NFC chip.
I don't understand the question about the phone needing to stay on the Touchstone. How is that different from the phone needing to be plugged in while charging? The major advantage of this mod is that a) it's way cheap and way cool, and b) you won't wear out the micro usb port plugging in and out. Also, I find it much more convenient to just lay my phone down on the charger whenever I am not using it, so it's always fully charged.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Last time i checked the 'magnets' in the palm pixi cover are not magnets but small pieces of metal. The magnets are in the pixi charging pad. I did this mod a long time ago and just used some really really small wires to complete the connection, i have been meaning to buy the copper tape but, lazy.
Nice mod!! If you could post a vid of a tutorial that would be sweet!??? I have always been the type to learn the best by watching it in action... Great job though!!:good:
TheMorlince said:
Last time i checked the 'magnets' in the palm pixi cover are not magnets but small pieces of metal. The magnets are in the pixi charging pad. I did this mod a long time ago and just used some really really small wires to complete the connection, i have been meaning to buy the copper tape but, lazy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, they are small and thin neodymium magnets. What phone did you do it on "a long time ago"?
Ordered
Just ordered the parts. Touchstones for $3.50 and back covers for $3. Makes me sad though to see how Palm has fallen. My wife had a Pre Plus and touchstone and we both loved that phone. Probably would have bought a Pre 3 if they had ever come to market. Got 2 touchstones so I can have one at work. I will most likely epoxy the components to the battery cover since new battery covers are like $5. Should hold up better than Scotch tape over time.
Will report back when I get it all working.
nsmal24 said:
Just ordered the parts. Touchstones for $3.50 and back covers for $3. Makes me sad though to see how Palm has fallen. My wife had a Pre Plus and touchstone and we both loved that phone. Probably would have bought a Pre 3 if they had ever come to market. Got 2 touchstones so I can have one at work. I will most likely epoxy the components to the battery cover since new battery covers are like $5. Should hold up better than Scotch tape over time.
Will report back when I get it all working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good idea, maybe I will have two covers, one with wireless charging for most of the time, and maybe one plain one for travel, etc.You might want to play around with it a little first, using scotch tape, check out NFC, etc, before you commit to gluing it all down.
Can you post a video that would be really cool
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
F***ing brilliant
For those looking to glue & not use tape just use silicon as it is easy to remove with no damage if needed but more stout than tape
This is awesome, thanks! The cover fits after gluing all that extra stuff without a problem, right? And how fast is the wireless charging?