I normally love brodit products, having used them exclusively for the last 2 years+ (about 6 different ones for my various phones), but I won't be using this mount for 2 reasons:-
1) it's a REALLY tight fit, and I value having a scratch free phone.
2) the usb port is not lined up correctly meaning you have to try to bend either the phone or the mount to get the port in.
I've attached a picture, sorry it's bad, but you can see where the teflon (or whatever the soft covers are made of) has been taken off and put across the metal, you can see a line all up the side of the soft surface, but it doesn't show on the photo.
- Anthony
I already ordered one earlier this week. It hadnt arrived yet, but Im hoping that maybe you just had a faulty one and they generally fit better.... thanks for the warning though.
I got mine today. It hasn't scratched my phone yet, but I would agree that the connector is slightly off.
Same, no scratches, but I have to 'jiggle' slightly to get the connector to fit.
You know what, I have to take that back. I used this a few times last night and it was dropping in just fine, no need for jiggling!
any way to auto-activate the car-dock mode? maybe a DIY mod?
edit: btw: i had a bad experience with the holder for my hero. to be more exact with the tilt swivel. the screw was too short, and the adhesive was in the wrong place, so it would always unscrew itself and fall of. had to replace it with my own screw. haptics of the swivel are nothing to write home about too.
you can make it always run it when it's charging. for me charging = in car so that's ok.
Updates are Bolded. Scroll down to see it.
So looking around, it is obvious that there is no such thing as a dock that fits the G2/Desire Z equipped with an Otterbox. I have heard of a material called Friendly Plastic which is very malleable when prepped but when it hardens, it becomes a very strong plastic. I'm thinking of creating a custom cradle that will fit the Desire Z with the otterbox which will include a charger as well. So I'm going to be buying the material from Amazon and see if I can mold the plastic into a dock that custom fits my phone with the otterbox on.
I'll give updates as I work on this project. It might take a month or two since I am doing my Master's degree, an internship and also working on a film for school (we go into production this week [in fact equipment check out is tommorrow and we shoot thursday]). I'll try to get this thread updated as I work on it so stay tuned.
03/01/11
Ordered parts to create a custom dock. I looked around for Friendly Plastic which is extremely hard to find in California (specifically in the LA area). I found on amazon.com a similar item called Instamorph which I checked their website. It is extremely well planned and pretty much the same item but much cheaper.
http://www.instamorph.com/
Now if you delve into their site, they show you how to do it and towards the bottom of the page, there is also a "techniques" page where you can do some pretty cool stuff with the material at an advanced level:
http://www.instamorph.com/instructions/
They sell specifically via Amazon. If you spend over 25 bucks in on amazon, you might be able to get the super saver shipping, so if you plan any shopping, add this along for free shipping.
another item I bought is a Left Angle Micro USB Extender.
Now this guy is extremely rare and pretty expensive if you get it custom made.
I found a site called www.usbfirewire.com which sells various types of usb and firewire cables for an ok price. I'm saying that it is ok because it is a very unique type of cable that I am looking for therefor it seems to work best for me. This is the one I got:
http://www.usbfirewire.com/Parts/rr-mcbl-ext-xxg.html
2 things to note here: a custom made cable would cost $50, but the one I got cost me a little under 13 bucks.
Another note is that I got the 5inch length cable because I don't want to spend too much time trying to fit 3 feet of cable inside a dock of malleable plastic. I plan on utilizing as little space as humanly possible to give it the cleanest look.
Currently I have spent: $22.45 + $16.45 = $38.90
This seems like alot but it's because again, it is custom.
Once I get it, I will give more updates.
03/04/11
I just received the stuff, both of them. So I can say that they shipped really fast. I'm going to start making a test trial run of the Instamorph pellets and get used to it before I make the actual dock.
This is the Instamorph and what the pellets look like:
The 5 Inch Micro USB Extender:
2 hours later:
Lessons Learned:
1) 150 degrees Fahrenheit is a very low heat level. On my electric stove, it was around a 3 or 3.5 out of 10.
2) Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT have any of the Instamorph beads touch ANYTHING PLASTIC (this includes the otterbox, plastic cutting sheets, saran wrap, anything that you even think might be plastic). Instamorph can and will stick itself to any plastic material especially when it's closer to the 140-150 degree temperature. It is much safer when it's much much cooler. (you can find this out by touch. if it starts to resist molding, then it is probably safe to attempt an imprint, but you should test it with the smooth side of your otterbox. It will take several tries)
This is what happens when you get impatient:
3) Find a surface that is smooth (glazed surface is good).
4) Use metal equipment. Instamorph will NOT stick to metals, so using any material such as a metal spatula or a metal ruler to get hard edges. if you have a good non plastic cutting surface, you can use a knife or blade to cut it for corners and use your fingers to give it an edge.
5) find a curved edge (again non plastic) that you can mold the initial part of the plastic to get a rough shape.
6) You will constantly place the plastic back into the pot to make it soft again if you're doing alot of changes and shaping. You get on average 2 minutes of molding until it gets too hard to mess with.
1 hour later (dinner):
Ok, now that I am back from dinner:
Today I focused on creating the rough shape of the dock. I'm starting from the part that cradles the phone.
First of all, I set my stove on low. I am at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When you boil the pellets, this is when you pull it out:
Use tongs or something to take out the mass. If you think you're a badass and want to do it with your bare hands, you are most certainly welcome to do so. Here's another look of it when it's pulled out:
I then use the backing piece as a reference. I treated this mass like play-do. I rolled it and then spread it out on the counter surface. Here I force it into a larger mass that is about 3/4 cm thick.
I waited for the mass to cool down to a semiwhite color before I take a spatula to press down on the edges to get a flat boundary. This is what it looks like when it cools down completely:
Note that you see a notch on the bottom right. This is because when you open up the silicone port for the micro USB, it is a small flap. I use this as a reference piece so that I can create a gap for the flap to slide in so it goes straight into the slot without damaging anything.
The next part is to create the side guides to help you glide the phone in when you lock it down.The first part that I worked on is the right side of the cradle which is the bottom part of the phone. Here i created a long rectangle piece. I then use the edge of my kitchen counter (which is rounded, almost circular) to create a preliminary curve. I then measured the general area of it to how high it would guide the phone.
Originally I was planning to have it go all the way up to the end of the phone but I decided it was a bad idea and cut the side down to about halfway to allow me to grab it from the top half.
Now I worked on the left side (top of the phone). Here I noticed that there is a silicone cover for the headphones, so I decided to have the guide as tall as where the silicone port is at.
Now that I have done all that, This is all extremely rough work. Once I assemble the pieces that does not have the Micro USB port, I'll be sanding them down and smoothing it out so it looks better. Here's the general look of how it will be fitted in for now.
First of all this is only the part that the back of the phone will be sliding down. I am planning to create the bottom part that will house the Micro USB cable and the back piece that will hold the backing upright as the back base.
END OF DAY 1.
I will update on a later time. I am on set from 5:30am to 5:30pm so I might have time to work on the next step, but right now I might update this thread next week depending on how much time I have. I am currently juggling an internship, class, film production, post production, and moving to a new apartment (has to be done by the end of this month) so I might not update for a while. Hopefully I can work on it soon.
Small Update: 04/05/11:
After having an extremely hard time molding the material with a spatula and the kitchen counter, I finally caved in and bought a set of clay sculpting tool. (Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SVRSRY ). I'm waiting for it to come in the mail.
Another update to this is that I switched my method for creating the dock. I decided to start from the bottom first. I created the base for the dock by creating the first layer, this is where the general layout of where the microUSB cable will be laying on. Then I worked on creating smaller pieces that fit around the first base that sculpts itself around the cable. I'll be posting some pictures sometime later when I have more time.
April 26 2011:
I should've updated this a long time ago, but my internship has finally come to an end so I had enough time to give an update.
First thing I did was make use of the tool set that I received via Amazon from the above mentioned link:
Now with the use of these tools, I start to put the dock in parts and layers.
The first thing I did was create parts of the first layer, combined them into one piece, then finally heat them in the water pot just long enough to get a small amount of the whole surface moldable without damaging the core structure.
From that I create the next layer which is the top layer:
note here that the top piece (with the weird looking hole in it is made to accommodate the silicone flap that covers the port that comes with the otterbox case.
the last piece hasn't been change too much because I'm still trying to decide if I should have a backing piece for the phone or have a "well" that holds the phone just from the bottom.
the layers will be secured through 4 small metal bolts (the ones that you get from Ikea furniture that feature adjustable shelves [the small metal bolt thingies that you can remove and adjust.])
Another thing to note with this is that when using the pottery tools, you can easily dip the tips in the hot water for 5-10 seconds to heat it up and allow custom targeted molding at parts you specifically want.
Here are some more pics of the parts as I molded them.
5/27/11
So for the past few days I've been tweaking with the design and finding methods to give it a more defined look. While I was at Ikea, I came across these handle pieces that were meant for a particular furniture. They had 90degree angles, metal, straight. So I bought that and use it as a partial mold when I shaped the edges. After working about 6 hours over the course of 2 days, I have come pretty close to what I want before I finish it with sanding and a way to put it together.
Here are the pics of what I have ended up with so far. I still need to sand it, and also figure out a way to combine the pieces without encasing the cable permanently.
Here are the two pieces separated:
This is the bottom piece on where the connector pointed upwards
This is the bottom with the cable in it
This is what the pieces will look when put together (assuming that I can find out a way to combine them together [non permanently])
This is the dock with my phone in it (notice the rubber bands. It's only a temporary measure to keep it together). And It's charging! that means the connection is secure!
This is the side view from the right side
This is the side view from the left side
top view of the dock
From this point, I'd like to ask your help and suggestions as to how I can put the two pieces together to so that if anything happens, I can open it up and replace the cable again. I'm also considering the opportunity if in the far future when I happen to replace my Desire Z I can always remold the piece without doing extensive damage to the cable if it happens to survive.
My next steps are as follows:
Add a piece in the back to support the weight of the phone.
Sand and prep the surface to make it smooth.
Create a method to hold the 2 pieces together
potentially spray paint it to a specific color
Any suggestions would be great since this is my first ever project that is building a custom material.
Thanks!
5/29/11 - 99.90% completed!!!!!
After spending roughly 6 hours on it, I have managed to finish the dock!!!
The first thing I did was to drill 5 holes into the dock to place the metal pin. I started by drilling with a 1/16 drill bit as a guide. and finally followed up with a 3/16 drill bit. I drilled from the bottom piece with the 2 pieces together but stopped part of the way through the top piece because it was unnecessary to drill all the way through. This is for the metal pins to place in between the pieces.
After that I worked on just the top piece and drilled just deep enough for the pin to fit in flush.
Went back to the bottom piece to cover up the holes by using the plastic pieces that got pulled up as I drill to fill in the bottom hole and using the rounded end of one of the clay sculpting tools to jam pack it back down to the bottom to ensure a strong fit.
I then combine the 2 pieces together to see the fit. I noticed that I failed to account for the notch between the pin so I went back to the hot pot and heated up the inside surface of the bottom piece and placed the metal pins in and pushed it in so the notch sinks below the surface (with the help of a hammer [and no, don't go "HULK SMASH" on it, just tap it lightly]).
From that point, I tweaked the fit with the cable inside of it and by looking through the gap, I either added or removed plastic parts so that it finally closes completely.
After that is all done, I started with a 60 grit sand paper (with a hand sanding tool) and worked on ALL the surfaces and sanded until I got 99% of the surfaces rough
I then go back and refit the metal pins to make sure that the pieces still fit and see if I need to make tweaks (which I did since at 60grit, it takes away quite abit of plastic).
I did a little more tweaking with the plastic. Adding and removing as necessary to make it fit flush.
After all that is done, I go back and worked on all the surfaces again with a 150grit sandpaper to give it a smoother finish. and finally finished it off with a 220 grit sand paper.
A good hour and a half later of hand sanding it and sore back and arms the surface is as smooth as a 220grit sand paper can offer.
The last thing I did was reheated the hot pot to around 145 degrees Fahrenheit. I took apart the dock again and this time placed it in the hotpot for around 10 seconds. Just enough for the malleable plastic to "shrink" back into the plastic and give it a smooth finish.
After it's done, I ran the pieces through cold water to set the plastic and put the whole thing together.
Below are the pics of what I have done (again, these are thumbnails. Click on it for full size):
All the pieces completely disassembled. 5 metal pins. 2 plastic parts. Left Angle micro usb extender
Metal pins inserted into the bottom piece
Dock completely assembled
My phone on it
Plugged in!!!!
Landscape mode! (and notice that it's charging! So the cables work!)
More angles
Finally, I have one thing to ask of you guys. Should I leave the dock to look as it is or should I do something about it?
I am thinking about either spray painting it or buy a "skin" (think DecalGirl skins) and cut out the pieces to fit around it.
Tell me what you guys think and what you can think of to make it better! Thanks!
oh yeah, and I finally did something about the back piece of my otterbox when it got screwed up. I did the sandpaper treatment on it and here's what it looks like now:
Sounds interesting, looking forward to seeing your progress/results.
I'm currently in the process of ordering parts. So here's a question for everyone:
Which would be the best extension port for the dock. Standard USB, Mini USB, or Micro USB.
My plan is to mold a Micro USB male head to another adapter to give it the most commonly used female port. The idea is to plug in a cable into the dock to minimize the chance of the inner cord being damaged and moved unncessarily. (think of the docks you get off ebay that just have a male port to plug in the phone and a female port out the back end so you can plug in a cable of your choice (length, brand, etc)
Here's a poll of what your preference:
http://www.polljunkie.com/bA7AA5/Poll10601.aspx
Updated: 3/4/11
Any progress/updates?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
Unfortunetly, not yet. I have to get through this month first. I need to have a first cut of my film out very soon, internship, finish moving to a new apartment and deal with classes. I will be promptly resuming this project when this month is over.
Sent from my Desire Z via XDA App
small Update. Check bolded txt in OP
Updated April 26. Bolded text in OP
Updated May 27. Bolded txt in OP
mputtr said:
From this point, I'd like to ask your help and suggestions as to how I can put the two pieces together to so that if anything happens, I can open it up and replace the cable again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why not try Moulding little tabs onto one side & then a hole on the other so it kinda snaps/slides together. That way you can always reopen it at a later date
KarlosTheJackal said:
Why not try Moulding little tabs onto one side & then a hole on the other so it kinda snaps/slides together. That way you can always reopen it at a later date
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so you're saying to have one of the pieces have tabs that extends to the other piece and add a hole to kind of screw it in? Sounds like a good idea as well!
I'm a little fuzzy on the visual of it, is it possible for you to provide a visual example so I might be able to replicate it? Thanks!
Updated! 99.90% done!
does anyone have suggestions or comments on how I can improve on the dock?
The finished project looks awesome man! I think, like you said, if you added some type of black texture or skin to it that it would look fantastic and even store purchased. Great craftmanship.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
PatrickHuey said:
The finished project looks awesome man! I think, like you said, if you added some type of black texture or skin to it that it would look fantastic and even store purchased. Great craftmanship.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ah, so you think a black coloring to the dock would work? I'll test that out!
I'm also thinking of maybe taking the top piece back into work and take out more of the recess/well for the phone and maybe fashion a silicone or softer piece for the phone to rest in and might look better. (that or get a sanding head bit and sand it down till it's smooth)
Would you suggest using a skin (like a sticker type material) or just spray paint the darn thing?
as usual for those who have read any of this, I would like to get suggestions on what I can do to improve upon it.
Currently I'm also researching a method on how to activate the phone's "dock" mode. As far as my research goes, some android phones have a special magnet inside of it that reacts to polarity (one polarity for car mode and the other for home dock). I also read that potentially, HTC made a special micro usb cable that has 1 additional pit that "activates" the feature. I do not really know much of this so I'm trying to figure out how to make this happen. If someone here happens to know, and it can be something I can physically manipulate, I'll modify the dock to include the manipulation.
and again, Thanks for the praise and your suggestions!
nice work and detailed instructions are always nice. I would definitely spraypaint it black. Did you form the top and bottom parts by hand? they look a litte bumpy to me.I thought about doing this for mine and integrate it into my desk.
As for the docking mode (deskclock) i use Alarm Clock Plus. It switches into dockmode when you plug it in. I think they getting the info if its docked either from the orientation of the phone and its usb connection or the poweradapter - maybe both. Maybe its the dock im using but i did't notice some special wiring oder plug.
dieterxy said:
nice work and detailed instructions are always nice. I would definitely spraypaint it black. Did you form the top and bottom parts by hand? they look a litte bumpy to me.I thought about doing this for mine and integrate it into my desk.
As for the docking mode (deskclock) i use Alarm Clock Plus. It switches into dockmode when you plug it in. I think they getting the info if its docked either from the orientation of the phone and its usb connection or the poweradapter - maybe both. Maybe its the dock im using but i did't notice some special wiring oder plug.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
everything is formed by hand mostly. the curved parts had to be done by hand, but I did take down alot of the uneven by sanding it down for a good hour and half.
I'm currently using Alarm Clock Extreme and it does not have the dock mode, which bums me out, but I'm supplementing it with Night Clock which is a really neat app. I also paired it up with Automate It by adding a kill app on unplug action so it's sorta kinda like dock mode.
do you have any suggestions as how I can make the surfaces smoother? Is there something that I can do or get to remove the bumps more effectively?
i would use some kind of metalblocks and put the dock between them but that only works before putting it all together. Or maybe just wrap the plastic around the metalblock so that its hollow.
I probably wont be doing anything like messing with metal material since I do not have the necessary equipment nor do I have the time and money to afford that.
But I'm thinking of potentially using a skin type material and spraypaint it + my own design for it.
I had some fun with the dremel tool at my schools workshop room so I was able to get the right depth and well for the phone to slid in.
I wonder if there is anything like silicone material that can be injected on top of the material so I can make an impression (safely) and so when it sets it actually is cushioned rather than placed on the hard plastic.
I'll see if I can post more pics if I deem that the extra sanding I did made any difference.
Any updates to this?
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?
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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!
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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.
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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
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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?