Database Info

DIY-USB-Cradle made out of the box

Hi,
I was a bit bored this evening and I thought I could build myself a usb-cradle for my diamond. I just slammed it together because I just wanted to see if it could work.
What you need:
- the orginal plastic box your diamond came with
- good aiming skills, (i was too lazy to measure anything)
- about 60 - 90 minutes, depending how fast you work
- some tools i guess
- NO glue! Everything will fit so there is no gluing needed (i hate gluing)
What i did:
- cut out the shell the diamond was lying in, cut the top bit off and cut out a gap for the usb cable to fit through. This will be called the "tray" where the phone will be sitting in
- cut a gap into the top of the box to slide the "tray" into it
- cut a small hole into the back edge of the box, for the usb cable to fit through, when the box is standing on the table
- please take a look at the pictures so you might get a better idea of it
Hope someone likes it
greetz, Greebear
PS: you can even hide the charger and usb cable under it
EDIT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nG0EKw0r1Y

How about a pic of the finished cradle without the phone.
Surur

here you go

doesnt seem too sturdy

good luck if u have to send the phone back
hehe nice job tho

mugglesquop said:
good luck if u have to send the phone back
hehe nice job tho
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks... hmm... hope i dont have to send it back then

sorry, couldnt help myself.
i got a bit of inspiration when seeing you diy cradle out of the box...
tought i could do that myself... but i just changed the design a bit...
here are the pics:

yeah, nice
i like planting seeds

greebear said:
yeah, nice
i like planting seeds
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i actually use my diy cradle every day
but im upto making some improvements...
trimming it down and adding some rubber feet and weight...

Jeeze guys..appreciate initiative, but you can buy a cradle from HK on eBay with a UK AC adaptor for less than a tenner....
,,,nice to see the box recycled I suppose

aaah, i had the box lying around anyway, this way its more or less usefull again
i know the cradles costs nearly nothing, but it was just good fun to build

recycling foam. i am using this to keep my devices upright on my night table.
foam from a TV and knife. that's all. easy to add the usb plug for charging in diamond's "cradle".

Was also thinking of making something from hard foam, one for home and the other for office.

I have a bunch of scrap lexan and acrylic panel material 3-6mm thick at work. I guess I'll have to try my hand at making a cradle. It would be useful since I just throw my phone on my desk right now and I really don't want to get it all scraped up.
There is something nice about making stuff that you could buy...just because you can.

what could be even better is when you have acces to a mill... mill it out of a massive block of acrilic

I found a good usb-cradle too.
"Freedent box" + piece of rubber, it doesn't look nice, but it's very simple for office desk.
For home, I have the HTC Cradle !!!

I was thinking something like this since I'm creative and I don't want to pay that much for a htc cradle.
Get some plastic, design it, mold it. Make a box.
Get the Dongle that has a 3.5mm, 2.5mm, and a usb connector.
Anyone see where I'm going
That way, my cradle will be able to attach to my 5.1 system
I'll post pics if I ever get to it.
Something like this:

In situation:
It looks ridiculous... but, it's very reliable !!!

hsena said:
In situation:
It looks ridiculous... but, it's very reliable !!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i got it

Much respec
Who cares if manufactured cradles cost peanuts and your home made one has a face only a mother could love...the warm after-glow of having created something useful from nothing more than compensates.

Custom DIY Dock for phones with cases or extended batteries

If you found this helpful don't forget to hit the thank you button!
Update 18Jan2011: I was not 100% happy with the way the dock looked, it did not looked well finished and was not very smooth. the plastic is actually very hard to sand, it would take some serious time doing it by hand and with a sander or dremel the plastic heats up to much and melts. The perfect solution is to add plaster, I had some in the garage and you probably do too. This was easy to do, just cake some plaster all around your dock, make sure that you only put a thin layer on the part where the phone will sit, you don't want to change the shape of that. after it dries take some sand paper to it and make it baby butt smooth. After getting it the way you want grab a damp paper towel and clean all the dust off, I also found that this does a good job getting rid of some hard to reach imperfections that sand paper could not. Once the dock is all clean its ready to be painted, don't forget to tape off the micro sd plug.
I am really satisfy with the way the dock looks now, here is a pic of it.
the only down side to this is that if you drop it, you will most likely chip off the plaster so keep it safe. If you guys have any ideas as to something better I could of used let me know because I will be making another dock for the second fascinate in the house.
After adding plaster
{
"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"
}
Hello everyone, I will attempt to give a step by step instruction on how to make your own custom dock. It does not matter if you have a case (any) or an extended battery this method will work for you.
This is not the cheapest method, or the easiest or the fastest or the safest and the dock wont look as good as the OEM dock, but at the end you will have a dock that fits your phone perfectly and that is what really counts.
Materials
1- AMACO Friendly Plastic Pellets, the 4.4 oz bottle prob has enough for this project but its $12.5 and you will need to pay for shipping (on amazon). I think the best deal out there is the 28 oz bottle, it has a lot more than your going to need but after you realize what you can do with this stuff you will be glad you got the bigger bottle. here is the link Amazon.com: AMACO Friendly Plastic Pellets, 28-Ounce, Ivory: Kitchen & Dining
2- Plastic wrap. You will need to wrap your phone and case to protect it against hot plastic and water.
3- Pot, stove, water.
4- Small chopping board or something else thats flat, to flatten the soft plastic.
5- Cooking thermometer, to measure the temp of the water.
6- Micro usb cable, if you will not be using the OEM usb cable make sure that your computer recognizes the phone, some usb cables don't work for some reason. I made the mistake of not checking and the cable i bought on ebay does not work with my laptop, not a prob for me because dock will be in bedroom.
7- Cold water in a bowl.
8- Dremel tool with sanding attachment to sand plastic. If you don’t have the dremel or something similar its going to be a challenge to put details on your mold.
9- Spray paint of desired color (optional)
Guide
1- Read the instructions on how to use the plastic pellets. I am not responsible for any damage you do to yourself or your phone. You will be dealing with hot water, you can burn yourself or get your phone wet if you’re not careful.
2- Fill the pot with water and bring to a temp between 140 F and 150 F.
3- Get your phone ready, turn off your phone and take the battery out. You will need to protect your phone form hot plastic and a little bit of water. I suggest you wrap your phone with plastic wrap (look in the kitchen) then put the case on and wrap it again. Don't over wrap because this would add bulk to your phone and it will change its size.
4- Plug in the micro usb cable to your phone.
5- By now the water should be hot enough, check the temp and drop some plastic pellets in, enough for plastic to cover the micro usb cable plug to the phone. The pellets should turn clear when they are ready to be molded. I did not have a thermometer so I just had the water below the boiling point. the water should hot but not enough to burn you if you were to dip your finger for a sec or 2.
6- Take a spoon and scoop out the plastic, start molding the plastic around the usb connection, make sure to press in plastic in between the plug and the case, this would make a sort of key so when you slide your phone in it will only fit one way, this will prevent any damage to the usb during normal use.
7- Let the plastic cool, you will notice that it will start to turn white again. It should take about 10 mins for it to be stable enough for you to unplug it and put it under cold water. It is very important to make the usb part of the dock first, if you try to make the rest of the dock first in my opinion is harder to get the usb part later.
8- Drop some more pellets in the hot water, enough to make the cradle part of the mold like in the picture bellow.
Once the pellets are ready take them out and roll them into a ball, grab the chopping board and press the ball to flatten it. Make sure to put plastic wrap in between to prevent the soft plastic to stick.
9- Plug in the micro usb and make sure the molded plastic fits. place your phone the on top of the flat soft plastic. This step is one of the hardest. You need to mold the plastic around the left side of the phone by the volume rocker. This is important because it will create a sort of track for you to slide you phone in. Also keep in mind that you will want the 3.5mm audio jack and the cameras uncover. Keep molding it around the back of the phone and on to the plastic of the usb plug. Don’t worry if there is a lot of extra plastic you will be able to but the excess with some scissors but try to and smooth as possible this will make it look nicer at the end.
10- Let the plastic cool on your phone, this will guarantee and exact fit, don’t try to get it off your phone or you might end up bending or twisting the plastic. After about 10 mins it should be cool enough to get off your phone without bending. Run in though cold water to finish cooling it off. You should end up with something similar to the picture above but with a lot of excess plastic, start cutting all the extra until you have the basic shape you will want, again remember that you might want the audio jack or camera uncovered.
11- Start sanding all the sharp edges and making the mold look the way you want it, I rounded all the corners and made it a curvy look. It’s up to you. Also make it look smooth, focus on the front of the mold and not the back as that will probably be covered. A good technique is to dip in the mold in hot water for a few seconds. the mold should be tacky but not soft. Start rubbing your hand trying to buff out all the imperfections. Make sure the mold still fits on your phone, is very easy to mess it up.
12- Once your happy with the way your cradle looks is time to find what is going to stand on. There are many things you can use, you can even mold yourself a stand. I wanted it to be heavy that way there was no chance of the phone tipping over or sliding around easily on my nightstand. I could not find anything around the house that was the right weigh or size. I ended up finding a rock on my back yard that had the right characteristics, it had 2 flat sides to I knew I could work with it.
13- I used the rock as the stand. I molded plastic all around the rock making the flat sides flatter and made sure it would not wobble. Again make it look nice, and smooth.
14- Once your happy with the way the cradle and the stand look is time to put them together. Melt some plastic, enough to cover the parts of the cradle and stand that will be touching, you will use it as glue. Dip the stand and the cradle to make them tacky. Put the melted plastic on the stand where it will be connected to the cradle. Press the pieces together and hold it for a min or two, then run it through cold water. Your almost done!
15- Make the newly added plastic smooth and put some finishing touches to the dock, your prepping it for painting.
16- Paint the dock your desire color. Make sure not to paint the usb connection you might clog it.
You’re DONE!!!!
ENJOY YOUR NEW DOCK!!
If you found this helpful don't forget to hit the thank you button!
if you have any questions just ask
here is all the pics i took

I didn't read through it yet, but from the looks of it looks very nice. I dont have a use for it. However, i know many will.
Good job.

thanks, I do love it so far very functional.

Very novel idea, and good use of moldable plastic, very nicely written tutorial! Props!
I could see this being a nice way to have an Audio AND charging dock for a car though. Build in an audio cable as well, and buy a universal phone mount that has a removable phone holder (many do, check out semsons.com ) - mold your "dock" to the mount without the phone holder, and voila, instant car dock with audio and charging capabilities. I might give this a go sometime.
However, I would suggest that just getting the Verizon / OEM kickstand case, as a viable/easier alternative for a desk cradle - having the kickstand is like having a dock built into the phone - and IMHO it's also the best case around for our devices (and one of the best kickstand cases for any devices ever). You can get Samsung/OEM charging cords, just like stock with the funky connector, off ebay in 4' and 6' lengths for just a few $'s. I have one plugged into every one of my PC's and cars.

So does it go into the dock app automatically?
Sent from my sch-i500 Showcase using XDA app

Protonus said:
Very novel idea, and good use of moldable plastic, very nicely written tutorial! Props!
I could see this being a nice way to have an Audio AND charging dock for a car though. Build in an audio cable as well, and buy a universal phone mount that has a removable phone holder (many do, check out semsons.com ) - mold your "dock" to the mount without the phone holder, and voila, instant car dock with audio and charging capabilities. I might give this a go sometime.
However, I would suggest that just getting the Verizon / OEM kickstand case, as a viable/easier alternative for a desk cradle - having the kickstand is like having a dock built into the phone - and IMHO it's also the best case around for our devices (and one of the best kickstand cases for any devices ever). You can get Samsung/OEM charging cords, just like stock with the funky connector, off ebay in 4' and 6' lengths for just a few $'s. I have one plugged into every one of my PC's and cars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought about that before, I decided to build the dock because I wanted to stop messing with wires. the dock just sits there ready to go, all I have to do is slide my phone. best example, the other night I realized I forgot to dock my phone, it was one of those times where you were about to fall sleep and you realize you forgot something, normally you will have to fing the cord and try to plug it in to your phone, in the dark is not the easiest thing to do specially if all you want to do is go back to sleep, with out even looking I reached over grabbed my phone and docked it, that simple. I really like not having to grab the usb cord and plug it to my phone. to me that is worth the effort.
I do agree with you that the case with the kickstand is one of the best, too bad I already spend 20 on my seidio case.

elijahblake said:
So does it go into the dock app automatically?
Sent from my sch-i500 Showcase using XDA app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry i didnt get back to you sooner, kinda busy these last couple of days.
to answer your question, no it does not go to the clock app or dock app, if anyone knows what I could to to make it do that please let me know. thanks

jonagpa said:
sorry i didnt get back to you sooner, kinda busy these last couple of days.
to answer your question, no it does not go to the clock app or dock app, if anyone knows what I could to to make it do that please let me know. thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there's several people trying to figure this out... I remember one was even going to buy a dock and tear it apart, never heard anything else about that...
Someone tried magnets, but said that didn't work..
So it looks like it's probably something built into the actual dock..
Guess you may could get someone to write an app that makes the desk app auto open when your phone is plugged in and tilted in an angle???? (prob only work if rooted though) I'm talking about stuff way over my head, so..

The official dock probably has one of the pins on the usb connector shorted out or connected to the 5v power to tell the phone that it's docked...
Sent from my Samsung Fascinate

Pfredd said:
The official dock probably has one of the pins on the usb connector shorted out or connected to the 5v power to tell the phone that it's docked...
Sent from my Samsung Fascinate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's exactly what I thought but with one having the OEM dock its hard to tell, if someone that owns a dock and has a multimeter could they check continuity between pins and give us the info we might be able to figure it out.

This is awesome, and congrats! You've been picked up by xda and your idea/thread announced on their twitter feed!
I don't have a sammy phone but have tossed around similar ideas for a while know. I made a car dock for my G1 out of kydex some time back. I was able to form it around my phone for a secure fit and ease of removing it by pressing a tab, but had to plug the usb in after it was mounted. Ofcourse the other problem I had was not being able to slide up the physical keyboard.
I toyed with the idea of using a piece of thin but strong spring steel to have sticking out from the tab are to fit between the keyboard and display. This never went any farther than an idea.
However, you have reknewed my interest! I could make a mold similar to yours, although flipped 180 degrees. Have the front of the mold make a J shape under my send, home, trackball, back, and end key, and have the part under the send key wrap to the left and up. Like a J. The base could be formed to follow the shape of the sdcard cover and then folow forward to just before the volume key cutout. Do basicly yhe same to the top area, shaping out the camera button.
This should form a contoures socket for the phone to slip into. The shape and fit should prevent it from vibrating loose in travel, and would permit me to flip up the screen for physical keys access! This could also work on the droid 1 and 2, lg ally, and about any other phone with a keyboard.
Awesome post, thread and idea. I tip my hat to you sir!!!

jsp254 said:
This is awesome, and congrats! You've been picked up by xda and your idea/thread announced on their twitter feed!
This should form a contoures socket for the phone to slip into. The shape and fit should prevent it from vibrating loose in travel, and would permit me to flip up the screen for physical keys access! This could also work on the droid 1 and 2, lg ally, and about any other phone with a keyboard.
Awesome post, thread and idea. I tip my hat to you sir!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I cant believe it was picked up by xda, now with all the views surely we can get someone that has the OEM dock for the fascinate to figure out how it knows when is docked so we can auto launch the dock app.
@ jsp254 looking forward to see your car dock, that's actually my next project so if you have any tips let me know.
I will also like for anyone that attempts this to post their tips and if they added any new ideas.

You rule!!!
Great idea!!!

roberto188 said:
One word....GHETTO!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't mind constructive criticism, but don't make those kind of comments here, it doesn't add any value to the thread. I also stated on the guide that you won't end up with a dock of OEM quality.

roberto188 said:
One word....GHETTO!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's pretty cool, a lot of work and I don't think I'm going to try it but's it's a very good DIY. How about showing us something better...

The problem I see with the car dock, even in Chicago it gets pretty hot in the summer, and inside a car it could get to 110-120 degrees, would that melt the plastic, or at least deform it enough to have to redo it? If not, then I will definitely try it, as I got an extended battery for my EVO and don't have a car holder anymore.
Great tutorial though, I might have to try it anyways.

thenuge said:
The problem I see with the car dock, even in Chicago it gets pretty hot in the summer, and inside a car it could get to 110-120 degrees, would that melt the plastic, or at least deform it enough to have to redo it? If not, then I will definitely try it, as I got an extended battery for my EVO and don't have a car holder anymore.
Great tutorial though, I might have to try it anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good point, have not tried it in hot weather (its cold here in mass) however it should not deform until it reaches a temp of at least 140f°.

thenuge said:
The problem I see with the car dock, even in Chicago it gets pretty hot in the summer, and inside a car it could get to 110-120 degrees, would that melt the plastic, or at least deform it enough to have to redo it? If not, then I will definitely try it, as I got an extended battery for my EVO and don't have a car holder anymore.
Great tutorial though, I might have to try it anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow and I thought it got HOT in Mississippi...

elijahblake said:
wow and I thought it got HOT in Mississippi...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it doesn't get that hot outside in chicago, but greenhouse affect is a killer.
I know it is workable at 140f, but will it deform at 110 under slight pressure, like holding the phone? It doesn't have to melt to be a problem, just sag a little bit or change so the phone doesn't fit.

thenuge said:
it doesn't get that hot outside in chicago, but greenhouse affect is a killer.
I know it is workable at 140f, but will it deform at 110 under slight pressure, like holding the phone? It doesn't have to melt to be a problem, just sag a little bit or change so the phone doesn't fit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I am gonna set my oven to 110° and leave a piece of the plastic there for 10 or 15 min, I'll let you guys know what happens
Update: It seems like I can't set my oven to a temp lower that 170* so I cant actually test this my self, maybe someone else can.

Inductive charging mod SUCCESS!!

I finally got it working! I had to use the usb port so I'll need to get a touchstone for work, home and car but it is pretty sweet. It is pretty straight forward, but the hardest part was cutting the usb in half and soldering on it. I used http://www.qianqin.de/2011/09/18/samsung-galaxy-s-wireless-inductive-charging-mod/ as a reference. The wiring for the (+) is in the pics, but for the (-) I just slipped the black wire through one of the small holes in the bottom of the back cover and sandwiched it between the sim card and the metal sim holder to gain a ground.
I know it's not elegant, but I just wanted to share. As far as I know no one else has done this with a sensation.

Wow, that's pretty cool man.

Nice work mate, I love seeing people experiment and come up with new things

Nice!
I think there was another person that tried but didn't get it working because he was using his stock cover and also said he couldn't get past some of the wiring. I forget but I think it had to do with the sd card being in the way or something.
But good job in getting it done!
Can something like this be done to keep from cutting the usb?
http://www.qianqin.de/2011/09/28/high-waf-inductive-charging-mod/

kpjimmy said:
Nice!
I think there was another person that tried but didn't get it working because he was using his stock cover and also said he couldn't get past some of the wiring. I forget but I think it had to do with the sd card being in the way or something.
But good job in getting it done!
Can something like this be done to keep from cutting the usb?
http://www.qianqin.de/2011/09/28/high-waf-inductive-charging-mod/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you have a industrial grade precision solder station I doubt it. The internals are too small and crowded unlike the HTC EVO or Incredible. Believe me I tried; my phone has been completely broken down around 4 times already.

Share the process
Show us how you did this ! post some in depth pictures or do a small tutorial or something... I gotta know lol

Anyone else got this working? I am looking at getting a micro usb male connector and a palm touchstone kit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1P-5-Pin-Mi...70?pt=Camera_Cables_Cords&hash=item27bf534f9e
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Palm-Tou...303436?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item43aa7faf0c

I was thinking of the same thing and I have the otterbox I was thinking of a way to attach the micro USB to the cover over the port.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App

dobah said:
Anyone else got this working? I am looking at getting a micro usb male connector and a palm touchstone kit.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1P-5-Pin-Mi...70?pt=Camera_Cables_Cords&hash=item27bf534f9e
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Palm-Tou...303436?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item43aa7faf0c
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That definitely would be easier than cutting into one, but the actual metal "plug" portion of the usb is too long. My pics are really blurry but I had to remove the pins, separate the inner plastic and outer metal, cut both in half and surgically bend the + pin into a square "J" shape, glue it in place, reinstall the metal casing and solder the pin to the wire without melting the plastic bit that holds the pin. It was a B!TCH!
Even though I cut the connector in half (actually closer to 2/5) it still sticks out just a bit unfortunately. There is a positive resistor inside the phone that could be used, but things are so tight that I doubt anyone short of a surgeon could solder to it.

nice job mate
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium

Instead of soldering and dealing with melted plastic, is it possible to use conductive glue? I have never used something like this especially if I am trying to send some decent power though this.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/No-Solderin...630?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f0f745c0e

i don't believe in god's i know believe in you!

wondering that how you gonna transfer your data to via usb?

I don't plan to transfer anything through usb. Everything will be transferred via wifi + astro.

Great job! Are you thinking of selling these? I'd buy one!

afroken3130 said:
Unless you have a industrial grade precision solder station I doubt it. The internals are too small and crowded unlike the HTC EVO or Incredible. Believe me I tried; my phone has been completely broken down around 4 times already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in the process of doing the same thing to my Sensation. I wanted to make sure that the Touchstone charger would support the weight of my phone in it's case, so I took the short cut of using parts from a microUSB charger to route from the induction coil terminals to the charge port. I'm halfway through routing all the necessary connections to go through the board instead of the charge port. In the attached picture, I've highlighted 2 test points that will let you route your +5v line into the board. I'll use the metal housing of the sim card reader to attach the ground.
hxxp://i.imgur.com/koag4.png
Since the back of the phone is metal and its always going to be in a case I'm going to have to use pogo plugs or some other form of metal contacts to go through the back housing to allow me to pull off the case/back whenever I need. I'll have my charge port free to use over USB as well

orias said:
I'm in the process of doing the same thing to my Sensation. I wanted to make sure that the Touchstone charger would support the weight of my phone in it's case, so I took the short cut of using parts from a microUSB charger to route from the induction coil terminals to the charge port. I'm halfway through routing all the necessary connections to go through the board instead of the charge port. In the attached picture, I've highlighted 2 test points that will let you route your +5v line into the board. I'll use the metal housing of the sim card reader to attach the ground.
hxxp://i.imgur.com/koag4.png
Since the back of the phone is metal and its always going to be in a case I'm going to have to use pogo plugs or some other form of metal contacts to go through the back housing to allow me to pull off the case/back whenever I need. I'll have my charge port free to use over USB as well
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you make a full tutorial ?
ti will help a lot of users

Once I finish it,I will.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app

Im not sure what does this mod do ? Sorry for my noobness lol
Sent From My Sexy Sensation Running Aokp.

The inductive charging mod lets you charge your device by simply putting it on a base.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda app-developers app

Homemade cell phone stand on the cheap

Made this originally for my G2, but can theoretically be used for any cell phone. I figured i'd post this in an area where everyone can see, not just the G2 peeps.
Gallaphanx said:
I've been wanting a dock/stand for some time now, and don't like the docks on deal extreme and im finding it hard to find the first party dock from when the phone first came out. So I decided to make my own stand, one that would still allow me to plug in/charge the phone.
It's really simple and is made from a shisha tin (hookah tobacco tin) and 1 paper clip. The tin's lid still lifts off as well, so I can store my second battery, sd cards, cable, etc in the tin. Sits at a nice angle, is great for making calls over speaker phone since the phone is elevated, works great for remote apps like the XBMC app, and makes for an awesome alarm clock.
It most likely works with most phones (depending on where your ac plug is), so it's not necessarily for the G2, but the G2 is my main phone. Works with both my extended and retail battery in place, and how the paperclip is in the tin, it's easily bendable and can be formed to angle other phones. The tin is haevy enough and the phone sits at an angle that makes it so the stand sits strongly, no wobble or anything, even when I use the phone in the stand.
Everything I used was:
Shisha tin (could use any tin)
1 Paperclip
Exacto knife - to make holes in tin
Pliers - to bend paperclip accurately
I can take more pictures for you guys if you'd like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My original thread here!

.
No double threads please, best way is to ask your forum moderator to move it to General Accessories section instead opening a second one, for that reason thread closed.

DIY quick charge system

The dock is obviously great if you don't mind paying for it or get it free. However it's a bit clunky to carry around with you (if using a portable external battery) or in a car.
It's not a great option having to remove the waterproof flap all the time to charge as well.
So I got to thinking, could one modify an old mini / micro usb cable (I've tons of old micro ones laying around), so that the +/- cables go straight to the metal contacts on the Xz. I assume it is just a case of +/- on the docking connector? Would it matter if they were connected the wrong way...?
It'll be a bit of an in-elegant solution but to start with I was thinking of some bluetack and some sort of spacing connector bar to quickly press onto / pull off the phone.

I am pretty sure the polarity would matter, as it would be DC. However this is easy enough to check using a multimeter on the dock.
Good luck
For in-car use, I personally would put the sony charger there for the moment.
Brodit the in car holder maker will also make a version of holder which will use the contacts, but not sure when that will be out.

I'm wondering now if it might not be easier just to wait for a cheap chinese dock to come out on ebay. The dock's also got an advantage it'll hold your phone nicely if you want to use it with an external keyboard, or watch a film for example.
Just not keen on spending £25 on one.

I think it would be pretty easy to make your own, for the electrics would it just be a case of cutting the micro usb connector off then attaching red + black wires?

MobiusPizza said:
I am pretty sure the polarity would matter, as it would be DC. However this is easy enough to check using a multimeter on the dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could someone with a dock check and post it?
Would be great.

This would be so cool. If it was like the Magsafe connectors on Macbooks it would be ideal. Probably not for me though. Hope you can do it.

Exactly what I was thinking off..
Taking the +/- 5V from the USB cable is not a problem. The main challenge is how to mount the 2 wires onto the metal contacts!
Removing the flaps has been pretty troublesome so far, especially when you're rushing off to somewhere and ya gotta use the GPS..

MasK said:
Exactly what I was thinking off..
Taking the +/- 5V from the USB cable is not a problem. The main challenge is how to mount the 2 wires onto the metal contacts!
Removing the flaps has been pretty troublesome so far, especially when you're rushing off to somewhere and ya gotta use the GPS..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
copper foil would be easiest way to make the contacts, I've used it a few times in the past with my DIY wireless chargers

MasK said:
Exactly what I was thinking off..
Taking the +/- 5V from the USB cable is not a problem. The main challenge is how to mount the 2 wires onto the metal contacts!
Removing the flaps has been pretty troublesome so far, especially when you're rushing off to somewhere and ya gotta use the GPS..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that the biggest challange will be finding someone who will tell us which pin is + .....
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

has anyone got a dock yet?
The 3rd party stockists haven't shipped them yet have they? The bundle/deal is a post out one..

made a sort of dock, using 2 pins from a computer molex connector + foil, held the correct distance apart with glue from a hot glue gun, but need to wait until someone can find out the polarity before trying it!

I have exactly the same DIY idea but I want to kill two birds in one stone – wireless charging and MagSafe type of mobile charging interface.
I target for Xperia Z for its IPX protection and 4G. Being an IPX certified device, the port covers are important that I don’t know why Sony doesn’t have wireless charging just like its competitor Panasonic (model P-02E has both wireless charging and replaceable battery) having. The charging dock can solve this shortcoming a bit but the dock is only good for placing at home or in the office. When charging with external battery pack on the road, the it is better to have some handy charging cable to charge through the 2-pin. Then MagSafe type of cable is a good candidate.
Googled a bit and found a flip case (Muvit Qi Wireless Charging Kit for Sony Xperia Z) with Qi charging ready and I wonder it is utilizing the 2-pin as well. If I do the DIY, I will use a thin plastic case with the following components:
1) attach a Qi/Touchstone charging coil at the inner back side of the case
2) on side edge of the case facing the 2-pin of the device, I will attach a new 2-pin port with 2 small iron plate on each end, the 2-pin will connect to the charging coil and acts as the connector for the 2-pin of the device and piggy-back to the dock for charging
3) MagSafe type of charging cable is made by a normal USB cable with one end chopped to make a 2-pin connector with 2 small permanent magnets on each end for attaching to the iron plate mounted on the case above

Great idea Kimmy, looking forward to your work! Let us know what parts you use and where you get them! Would be great !
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

I was thinking of a simple clip onto the side over the pogo pins.
Has anyone got the polarity yet?
Those of you who maybe reading this and have the dock already please check the polarity.

And we have an answer!
The + is the upper pin, - is the lower
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=38868648
Time to start playing
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2

I've just built my mark1 dock from a few bits of spare wood and an old sony ericsson ct75 charger plug( from an old powermat powercube), I just moved the spring loaded pins on CT75 plug a little further apart to mate a little more comfortably with the contacts on the XZ.
Cost absolutley nothing so although it looks rubish I'm happy to have a working dock. and not have to open the charger flap anymore. Tomorrow I might cover it in soft black cloth and i'm sure it'll look much better.
I'm going to bend a bit of black or clear Acrylic for my next dock because it looks like you can get away with a kind of z profile, I'm also thinking about making something for my car

jimsey said:
I've just built my mark1 dock from a few bits of spare wood and an old sony ericsson ct75 charger plug( from an old powermat powercube), I just moved the spring loaded pins on CT75 plug a little further apart to mate a little more comfortably with the contacts on the XZ.
Cost absolutley nothing so although it looks rubish I'm happy to have a working dock. and not have to open the charger flap anymore. Tomorrow I might cover it in soft black cloth and i'm sure it'll look much better.
I'm going to bend a bit of black or clear Acrylic for my next dock because it looks like you can get away with a kind of z profile, I'm also thinking about making something for my car
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is really cool, I have been working on something similar, but was having a hard time finding suitable pins(Tried just bare wire and foil!), Never thought of using the pits from an old Sony Ericsson charger

antipesto93 said:
This is really cool, I have been working on something similar, but was having a hard time finding suitable pins(Tried just bare wire and foil!), Never thought of using the pits from an old Sony Ericsson charger
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah I wanted spring loaded pins and came across the old sony charger adapter when looking through my box of spares.
I opened up the jack and the pins just slide out with some careful pulling and slide back into another position, I then trimmed off the 2 prongs sony use to hold the charger into the phone, then it was just a case of fixing the jack in place with some hot glue.
the other idea i had was nabbing the battery contacts out of one of my daughters old toys, or making contacts from copper foil, but i'm happy with this result.
As i said I'll cover it in Black felt or plether tomorrow, and i'm sure it look much neater

What about instead of making a dock, just making a small, magnetized connector that attaches directly to the pins?
I'm still waiting for the phone to be released here so cant experiment but do you think this could be achievable?

I'm going to have a go at a small clip on using sugru/silicon rubber
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2