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Magnetic Hold?

Has anyone seen any of the QI mats holding the N4 magnetically? The orb looks like it was able to hold the N4 magnetically, and since there's no magnets in the back, it seems to be activated while its inductively charging. Has anyone noticed this behaviour? If not, when would it be magnetic if at all?
I was really hoping for a car dock that charges it and magnetically holds it.

There's no magnetic hold on the energizer one for sure. It slides to the bottom of you have it bare back.
As far as the orb, if I remember correctly it is rubber that prevents the phone from sliding down. So in that case not for the car. I'm still holding out how that they will release an epic wireless car dock, but honestly think that when they finally do that it will end up being a usb plug in like the Samsung's.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

frigidazzi said:
There's no magnetic hold on the energizer one for sure. It slides to the bottom of you have it bare back.
As far as the orb, if I remember correctly it is rubber that prevents the phone from sliding down. So in that case not for the car. I'm still holding out how that they will release an epic wireless car dock, but honestly think that when they finally do that it will end up being a usb plug in like the Samsung's.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
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Nah according to most reports on the Orb it has magnets in it to hold the Nexus in place :-
blah blah website said:
The Orb itself is angled, so you can still see the display and use your phone if you need to, and the phone will stay in place because of magnets in both the handset and the Orb. You will even be able to orient the phone in either portrait or landscape mode as you prefer.
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http://www.phonearena.com/news/Google-announces-Wireless-Charging-Orb-for-the-Nexus-4_id36060
I don't believe any of the flat chargers have magnets (no need to hold a flat object down I guess).

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

Anyone tried converting the wireless charging orb to a car charger?

As title. I have a back skin on my phone and never had any slipping problem with the orb, so I was thinking if I could convert it to a car charger. Has anyone tried this? Does it stay put on the road?

I wouldn't risk it. One good bump and I'm pretty sure your phone would go flying.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

Someone did. I think it was in the orb thread. What was done was use a AC/DC converter to plug it in. Don't remember how they kept it set in place during right or left turns lol.
And a good bump in the road will indeedy knock it off.

lol I should do some experiment with some cushion near my dash...if it sticks it would be a very nice car mount.

There's a topic here somewhere where the guy drilled holes and put magnets so even hard bumps kept it in place.

Didn't work for me. I drive an Explorer and bumps in the road dislodge the phone from the charger. I ended up using a WCP-700 instead.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2263374
I'm the one who put magnets on the orb. I don't care what kind of sticky back you have, your phone is guaranteed to fall while driving. As a test put your phone on the orb and lift the orb up and start shaking it. See if the phone falls off. The way I did it, you can hit a pothole then take a jump being airborne and landing into a telephone pole and the phone will still be charging on the orb!
I put it in my car using a 2.1 amp car charger and it powered it up great.
Sent using Tap coupled with Talk on a device that will knock your socks off of my feet: Nexus 4

I've done it, and it works better than any of the other wireless chargers i've used.
I'll post some pictures of my setup in the next hour or so.
Currently i own three wireless chargers, the official one, the cheap one from china (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wireless-Qi...S_Cell_Phone_PDA_Chargers&hash=item48532ccec1) and the Panasonic one that moves the coil to your phone.
I've tried the first two in my car and the Orb by far is my favorite. Pretty much all i did was pull the rubber stopper from the bottom and use command strips to stick the orb in my center console. I plug the included USB into my Belkin bluetooth usb port (http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Blueto...68023962&sr=8-1&keywords=belkin+bluetooth+car). I keep a skinomi skin on my phone so it sticks to the Orb like glue.
Granted, once you see the pictures you will see the phone wouldnt have far to fall if it did come undone, but i've used this thing since i got it and the only time the phone has moved has been during times between skinomi skins (any clear skin will work. I had a dbrand leather skin and it slides eventually.) When i received my cheap wireless charger i attempted to use it in the car with the help of some grip tape (the kind for electronics, its the same material used for those grip pads you can by for your car). While it was in the car i used command strips to attach my charging orb to the wall next to my bed (upside down). I could just place my phone on it (the angle was about the same as it would be sitting on a desk) and it would charge. During the course of the night the phone wouldnt move an inch. I wouldnt try that without a skinomi or similar clear protector on the back. The glass slides, and so do cases and designed covers. Anyway, I didnt like the cheap charger in my car as it didnt charge consistently or quickly. Now it sits on my desk at work and the Orb is back in my car. I'll post pics once i go back out.

[VIDEO] Orb in the car using the magnetic method!
I have attached a video of the Orb in the car and it charges plus will never fall off. Check out the video.
Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwyXD14CvRY&feature=youtu.be
Sent using Tap coupled with Talk on a device that will knock your socks off of my feet: Nexus 4

Very nice tips. Once I get a higher output car charger I will start experimenting with it.

Actual charger in place and working in my car. Oh, it's not the Orb but the other LG Charger: LG WCP-300
Check out posts 351 and 388
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=41934426#post41934426
Sent from Tap coupled with Talk with respect to Beta on a phone that will knock your socks off my neck: Nexus 4

In the works
I'm in the process or rigging up the google orb to be a car charger....
only instead of a standard orb just placed in my truck, I've crossed it with a ram mount xgrip bracket...
Since the only necessary parts of the orb is the charging plate and circuit board, I took mine apart and attacked the case of the orb with a dremel, cut out most (all?) of the honeycombing structure in it, shaved it down to a ring, then reassembled it around the xgrip (pictures to follow... still needs some cleaning up and final tweaking.)
Not sure how well it will charge, I can't recall what the output of my cla->usb adapter is... I'm hoping it will be at least enough to maintain the charge, if not actually recharge the phone.

Samsung vehicle dock is AWFUL

I just got the current Samsung Vehicle dock and have to say, it's TERRIBLE. There are large side arms that grab the phone and they GET IN THE WAY. There doesn't appear to be any way to reduce this, short of hacking up the plastic and rubber.
It's a shockingly dumb design. It's not like the arms need to be that deep. Because none of the phones intended for this dock would ever need that much grab area. Because if you put a thick case on the phone, well, you'd have no need for the wireless charging aspect of this dock. Which is the only reason you'd shell out the money for it, as it's quite a lot more expensive than a non-charging one. That and the click-to-release button is kind of awkward to use. It's tucked around the back and, depending on how you mount the dock, kind of hard to get to if the usb power cable is in the way.
I should point out that with a Spigen Neo Hybrid case the S6 still charges in this dock. But the side ears still get in the way.
So, any suggestions on other wireless Qi charging vehicle docks that are known to work reliably with the S6? While still allowing some reasonable use of the phone while docked?

wkearney99 said:
I just got the current Samsung Vehicle dock and have to say, it's TERRIBLE. There are large side arms that grab the phone and they GET IN THE WAY. There doesn't appear to be any way to reduce this, short of hacking up the plastic and rubber.
It's a shockingly dumb design. It's not like the arms need to be that deep. Because none of the phones intended for this dock would ever need that much grab area. Because if you put a thick case on the phone, well, you'd have no need for the wireless charging aspect of this dock. Which is the only reason you'd shell out the money for it, as it's quite a lot more expensive than a non-charging one. That and the click-to-release button is kind of awkward to use. It's tucked around the back and, depending on how you mount the dock, kind of hard to get to if the usb power cable is in the way.
I should point out that with a Spigen Neo Hybrid case the S6 still charges in this dock. But the side ears still get in the way.
So, any suggestions on other wireless Qi charging vehicle docks that are known to work reliably with the S6? While still allowing some reasonable use of the phone while docked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Airdock 2.0...

Tylt makes a dock with wireless charging built in. If I was gunna get a car dock that's what I would look in to
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

The reviews for the Tylt are all over the map, and lots focus on crappy manufacturing issues.

The Airdock isn't for me. I prefer having some physical borders of some sort to avoid having to fiddle with positioning the phone for charging.
I've had Droid slider phones for years and loved their molded cradles (that and the keyboard). I've used a number of Qi charging pads with some tablets and really dislike not having a reliable plunk-it-down way to get them situated. Curiously, though, a Bobj case for a Nexus 7 straddles a Docooler pad perfectly. Trouble is it leaves the tablet looking like a drink coaster...
The Samsung dock fit right onto the same ball as the one in the back of my D4 mount.
I've also kept all my vehicle mounts on a Pro-Clip bracket. I'm using this one currently. I've had different mounting brackets over the years, and swapped around different mounting components. I use a Dual-T screwed onto the bracket and then a Dual-T Ball (from Arkon, iirc). This lets me pop just about all of it off the bracket to reduce theft risks. These have been MUCH more stable and useful (for me) than any sort of suction cup, vent or other mounting gizmos.
I've ordered an iOttie, we'll see how that goes.

Yep, as I expected, the iOttie is an improvement, at least in usability of the phone while docked. The side clamps on the iOttie sit higher on the side of the S6 than the Samsung dock. The right side clamp is mighty close to the side power button, but JUST barely below it. I may, at some point, nibble a small bit of the rubber out of that part of the clamp to avoid the button entirely. But for now it's not a problem. The S6 charges just fine in the dock. The lower clamp drops down enough to allow the S6 to detect the coil. And it also slides left/right to allow plugging an audio cable into the headphone jack on the bottom of the S6, should you so desire.
I'll report back more in another thread for it. But that won't happen until I get my replacement Pro-Clip mount for my Jeep. I managed to crack the tab that it uses to fit into the seam of the dashboard. Either it was me being ham-fisted, UV damage to the plastic or some combination of the two.
Regardless, FedEx tracking claims it'll be here on Tuesday. I won't hold my breath as FedEx has routinely missed their delivery targets. UPS, on the other hand, seems to be glad to get stuff in and out of their system as fast as possible, regardless of the delivery speed selected. FedEx seems to think that unless you've 'bent over' for their overnight fee then they'll route it to Hell and back instead of anything that might be quicker.

How is the charging speed in the Qi docks compared to the power usage of the phone sith gps nav running? I remember most of the phones I had were slowly discharging when using 1 amp charger in the car, I had to switch to 2 amps to make sure they sustain the power drain and charge the phone while navigating. Qi has like 750 mA charging current if I recall, isn't that too little?

Been using the air dock for couple of months now. Overall have really enjoyed it, works well when you position it properly.
It takes a bit do getting used to but once you have the right surface and positioning technique it works a charm!
+1 for air dock.
Sent from my SM-G920I using XDA Free mobile app

Very cheap foldable wireless charger.

Got this charger for £12.99 on Amazon:
mod edit - link removed
Feels cheap and looks cheap but it works and does the job well enough. It's foldable too, so you can use it either horizontal or vertical.
Worth it, if you need to buy a cheap one to leave at the office.

Would be great if wireless charger can work even with a metal piece on the back of casing for magnetic car phone holder

speed8081 said:
Would be great if wireless charger can work even with a metal piece on the back of casing for magnetic car phone holder
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Click to collapse
There are magnetic holders that claim to work without blocking the wireless charger. They use a metal piece shaped like an upside down "U" instead of a square one. Given all the warnings against mixing credit cards and metal on cases and what not with wireless charging, I'd be weary of trying it out myself on my own phone, but they do exist. Just search for wireless charging compatible magnetic mount, I'm sure some will turn out.

Could be that I'm missing something (perhaps even a crucial factor), but why couldn't you use a wireless charger at the same time you have a metal plate in your case? It can't be harmful to the phone right?
I have a strong enough carkit so I can use a relatively small circular piece of metal in my slim fit case for the Note 9, works a charm. I've tested the location in the case, so I can use this in my car and still be able to put it down on a wireless charger so it charges without a problem. Okay, so when I put my phone on the charger pad a bit to far down or up, it doesn't charge, but that's just a matter of trying which position is best and this will become a non-issue the more you use it (since you know exactly how to put it on the charging pad).
Please enlighten me whether or not it could be harmful in any way to the phone because I don't want to risk a $1250 phone for the convenience of charging wirelessly. But I haven't ran into trouble this way just yet. Been doing this also with my Galaxy S8 for over a year btw, it still works like new.
Btw, @OP, can you share a link to the charger?

bramgg said:
Could be that I'm missing something (perhaps even a crucial factor), but why couldn't you use a wireless charger at the same time you have a metal plate in your case? It can't be harmful to the phone right?
I have a strong enough carkit so I can use a relatively small circular piece of metal in my slim fit case for the Note 9, works a charm. I've tested the location in the case, so I can use this in my car and still be able to put it down on a wireless charger so it charges without a problem. Okay, so when I put my phone on the charger pad a bit to far down or up, it doesn't charge, but that's just a matter of trying which position is best and this will become a non-issue the more you use it (since you know exactly how to put it on the charging pad).
Please enlighten me whether or not it could be harmful in any way to the phone because I don't want to risk a $1250 phone for the convenience of charging wirelessly. But I haven't ran into trouble this way just yet. Been doing this also with my Galaxy S8 for over a year btw, it still works like new.
Btw, @OP, can you share a link to the charger?
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I put a link to charger on the video description.

I just bought this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C5KCQQ4/
Fast charges a little slower than directly plugging the Samsung charger into the phone (as expected).
The hinge is a tight friction fit, so the angle is adjusted wherever you like.