I know there's about three threads on the general subject, but didn't want to resurrect something that's only similar from 3 months ago and thread jack.
Simply put, I am looking for a magnetic mount wireless charger for the car. I'm a delivery driver and need to be able to just grab my phone and jump out of the car and not asshole with waiting for it to automatically release my phone or pushing a button to release the phone, etc.
Волк said:
I know there's about three threads on the general subject, but didn't want to resurrect something that's only similar from 3 months ago and thread jack.
Simply put, I am looking for a magnetic mount wireless charger for the car. I'm a delivery driver and need to be able to just grab my phone and jump out of the car and not asshole with waiting for it to automatically release my phone or pushing a button to release the phone, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been using a Scosche MagicMount Pro Charge for the last few months but it's been spotty at best. The magnets seemed like they were too close to the charging coil so the placement was very finicky for me. If it did charge, it would get too hot and would throttle down. This was with a dedicated AC vent blowing cool air on it. In the end, the heat didn't seem worth it for me. Not sure if their newer MagicMount3 is any better, but I don't really wanna throw down the money to try out something that might end up with the same results.
(TL;DR) In short, they exist, but as a concept, they really just don't work well. Here's a link to one anyway: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXV4RXQ that I mention later on. It appears to be the same, or similar to the one tysj mentioned, so, it may or may not work, it really depends on the positioning of the magnets.
Thing is, like tysj found out the hard way, it's not really something that can be done (effectively, anyway), because as you probably know, Qi charging isn't magic. It's inductive charging. (Keep in mind this is a simplified explanation, it's actually a bit more complicated than this, it uses inductive resonance charging which has a bit more to it allowing it to be more efficient and have a longer range, but at the base it's still an inductive charger, just with a capacitor to set the resonant frequency and range with peak efficiency) Meaning, the charger is running electricity (AC) through its coil, which creates a changing magnetic field, which induces an electric current (AC) in the coil in the device you're charging (it's converted to DC before it charges your battery.)
Essentially, it goes (Wall AC) -> DC (wall-wart/car) -> AC -> coil -> changing magnetic field -> coil -> AC -> DC
So, placing a pair of permanent magnets in the middle of this, right where the changing magnetic field needs to be, only serves to block the ability for the charger to change the magnetic field, which it tries to compensate for by putting more power through its coil. Let's just say that in a fight between the coil and a permanent magnet strong enough to hold up your phone, the coil loses, as it is no where strong enough to change the magnetic field of the magnet. While the charging coil's magnetic field and that of the magnets may, in places, be shaped in such a way to allow some of the chargers coil's magnetic field to reach the device coil if precisely positioned, most wont, and the permanent magnets will just further resist any changing magnetic fields in the device coil.
It could possibly be done with very careful and precise positioning of magnets, like this one from Amazon.com, for instance, although based on reviews (and tysj's reply) I'm unsure of how well it will work, and it certainly depends a LOT on where you put the magnets on your phone/in the case. That's a link with no referral code, and no tracking info, I always strip them when sharing, as a courtesy just the link. Since the location of the coil in the phone isn't standardized, it's hard to say. I'm not an electrical engineer (so there are most likely errors in here), so I honestly couldn't tell you. But as someone who has a (very) basic understanding of electromagnetism, including induction, this is really not a good idea.
In the past, I had a magnet in my phone's case for just that reason, and trying to use the wireless charger just created heat, and didn't really charge the device. And that was without a magnet on the charger, too.
If you want to read up on how inductive charging (including Qi) works, the Wikipedia article is pretty good. Wikipedia: Inductive Charging
I know you said that you
need to be able to just grab my phone and jump out of the car and not asshole with waiting for it to automatically release my phone or pushing a button to release the phone, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but, given the above, I strongly suggest a Qi mount with an automatic grip for essentially the same functionality, but in a way that actually works. Look around for something quick. I'm unsure if I would recommend the Scosche magnetic one above, just due to how you would need to get the magnet placement nearly perfect. It might be worth a try, if it doesn't work you can always return it.
Something like this one on Amazon.com (there are many different designs like it, this is just an example.) It uses an IR sensor to detect when your phone approaches, then opens, and closes once its on the stand, then it releases by touching a button. It's not quite as easy as a magnetic mount, but at least it'll wirelessly charge.
Either that, or use a magnetic mount and a charging cable.
If you do end up buying a Scosche one, do let us know how it works out.
There's also one that requires a certain case to use, so I imagine there might be more of those. IMHO those are more likely to consistently work, as the magnets are pre-placed in the exact position needed and in a way that wont get in the way of the coils.
Good luck!
Pitaka MagEZ case and their magnetic wireless charger for car, works nice for me
DeeZZ_NuuZZ said:
Pitaka MagEZ case and their magnetic wireless charger for car, works nice for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad that Pitaka is finally making a magnetic case for the Pixel 4. I got tired of waiting for them, so I just bought a generic carbon fiber case and used these metal tabs https://www.moshi.com/en/product/snapto-tabs/gray. You can line them up perfectly to work with the Pitaka wireless charger or probably any other charger. The company that makes the tabs also sell a wireless charger.
Does your Pitaka charger activate fast charging on the PIxel? I have the older version of the charger and it charges slowly.
slicck said:
Glad that Pitaka is finally making a magnetic case for the Pixel 4. I got tired of waiting for them, so I just bought a generic carbon fiber case and used these metal tabs https://www.moshi.com/en/product/snapto-tabs/gray. You can line them up perfectly to work with the Pitaka wireless charger or probably any other charger. The company that makes the tabs also sell a wireless charger.
Does your Pitaka charger activate fast charging on the PIxel? I have the older version of the charger and it charges slowly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems to charge slow, need to use ampere and see how much exactly.
Which case did you got and which charger to have fast charging?
Max I got with pitaka is 560ma or so, gonna send it back and get another charger which really gives 10w... Sadly, it is nice but slow charging
Волк said:
I know there's about three threads on the general subject, but didn't want to resurrect something that's only similar from 3 months ago and thread jack.
Simply put, I am looking for a magnetic mount wireless charger for the car. I'm a delivery driver and need to be able to just grab my phone and jump out of the car and not asshole with waiting for it to automatically release my phone or pushing a button to release the phone, etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you looked at the gravity type of holder? They have bottom fingers that when pushed down close the sides of the holder. So you can put your phone in and out without waiting. I tried one once and it worked until the vehicle went over a big bump - the phone went up, the sides opened and then... well, you can imagine. Not fun while highway driving. I only tried one (I don't remember the model) so there may be others that would give better results, at least for your use case.
For some reason I haven't gotten notifications that people have been commenting, only just today that somebody quoted me.
After a couple of other tries and no success, I went with the scosche magic Mount 3. The maintenance are probably far enough out away from the coil that there's little interference to the actual induction. Seems to work well, I want to say 1300 or 1600 mAh. Obviously not as good as a word connection, but decent nonetheless. Keep having trouble with the cables connecting in the USBC port as well, so wireless charging is a must for the car.
As for heat, it's a tough call. I'm in SoCal, so I actually have to put a towel over the mount while at work so it isn't a fireball when I am done working.
I did notice on the lock screen that it will sometimes tell me to adjust the alignment for better charging.
Ironically I fell into a new job and now it's more because of cable or port dero rather than speed, lol.
Волк said:
For some reason I haven't gotten notifications that people have been commenting, only just today that somebody quoted me.
After a couple of other tries and no success, I went with the scosche magic Mount 3. The maintenance are probably far enough out away from the coil that there's little interference to the actual induction. Seems to work well, I want to say 1300 or 1600 mAh. Obviously not as good as a word connection, but decent nonetheless. Keep having trouble with the cables connecting in the USBC port as well, so wireless charging is a must for the car.
As for heat, it's a tough call. I'm in SoCal, so I actually have to put a towel over the mount while at work so it isn't a fireball when I am done working.
I did notice on the lock screen that it will sometimes tell me to adjust the alignment for better charging.
Ironically I fell into a new job and now it's more because of cable or port dero rather than speed, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks.
Yea I ordered another one to test, also reached out to pitaka support. Gonna try few things and report back.
Another cable and another adaptor with qc3 charging
bdt1995 said:
(TL;DR) In short, they exist, but as a concept, they really just don't work well. Here's a link to one anyway: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CXV4RXQ that I mention later on. It appears to be the same, or similar to the one tysj mentioned, so, it may or may not work, it really depends on the positioning of the magnets.
Thing is, like tysj found out the hard way, it's not really something that can be done (effectively, anyway), because as you probably know, Qi charging isn't magic. It's inductive charging. (Keep in mind this is a simplified explanation, it's actually a bit more complicated than this, it uses inductive resonance charging which has a bit more to it allowing it to be more efficient and have a longer range, but at the base it's still an inductive charger, just with a capacitor to set the resonant frequency and range with peak efficiency) Meaning, the charger is running electricity (AC) through its coil, which creates a changing magnetic field, which induces an electric current (AC) in the coil in the device you're charging (it's converted to DC before it charges your battery.)
Essentially, it goes (Wall AC) -> DC (wall-wart/car) -> AC -> coil -> changing magnetic field -> coil -> AC -> DC
So, placing a pair of permanent magnets in the middle of this, right where the changing magnetic field needs to be, only serves to block the ability for the charger to change the magnetic field, which it tries to compensate for by putting more power through its coil. Let's just say that in a fight between the coil and a permanent magnet strong enough to hold up your phone, the coil loses, as it is no where strong enough to change the magnetic field of the magnet. While the charging coil's magnetic field and that of the magnets may, in places, be shaped in such a way to allow some of the chargers coil's magnetic field to reach the device coil if precisely positioned, most wont, and the permanent magnets will just further resist any changing magnetic fields in the device coil.
It could possibly be done with very careful and precise positioning of magnets, like this one from Amazon.com, for instance, although based on reviews (and tysj's reply) I'm unsure of how well it will work, and it certainly depends a LOT on where you put the magnets on your phone/in the case. That's a link with no referral code, and no tracking info, I always strip them when sharing, as a courtesy just the link. Since the location of the coil in the phone isn't standardized, it's hard to say. I'm not an electrical engineer (so there are most likely errors in here), so I honestly couldn't tell you. But as someone who has a (very) basic understanding of electromagnetism, including induction, this is really not a good idea.
In the past, I had a magnet in my phone's case for just that reason, and trying to use the wireless charger just created heat, and didn't really charge the device. And that was without a magnet on the charger, too.
If you want to read up on how inductive charging (including Qi) works, the Wikipedia article is pretty good. Wikipedia: Inductive Charging
I know you said that you but, given the above, I strongly suggest a Qi mount with an automatic grip for essentially the same functionality, but in a way that actually works. Look around for something quick. I'm unsure if I would recommend the Scosche magnetic one above, just due to how you would need to get the magnet placement nearly perfect. It might be worth a try, if it doesn't work you can always return it.
Something like this one on Amazon.com (there are many different designs like it, this is just an example.) It uses an IR sensor to detect when your phone approaches, then opens, and closes once its on the stand, then it releases by touching a button. It's not quite as easy as a magnetic mount, but at least it'll wirelessly charge.
Either that, or use a magnetic mount and a charging cable.
If you do end up buying a Scosche one, do let us know how it works out.
There's also one that requires a certain case to use, so I imagine there might be more of those. IMHO those are more likely to consistently work, as the magnets are pre-placed in the exact position needed and in a way that wont get in the way of the coils.
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good explanation and as an electrical engineer you were right on the spot. Even if there are engineered magnets to have their magnetic field so that I would not interfere with the charging field(almost impossible for generic device since the filed is mostly unpredictable as it's based on quality of charging current, quality of the charging pad and a lot other things) I would not let magnets strong enough to hold the phone near it as it is not engineered to hold to a strong magnetic field near for a long periods of time. For instance it could (not saying that it would ) interfere with the lte signal causing the modem basically to boost the signal to the max - leading to more energy, more heat and more wear and tear. Honestly there so much things that could go wrong just because of that magnet that I would just not risk it. Usually the hardware is shielded enough but there's the not direct influence on the hardware through the signal interference (the same way with the charging coil and the massive heat). Actually that's a good way to burn your charging pad especially if it doesn't have any limiters build in.
Related
Any way to enable wireless charging? Possibly removing the back and with a touchstone similar to what's possible with the s3?
Swyped while swerving from my Samsung GS3
Similar to this
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1962993
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Most places are declining to make this
We need moto to make these kinda features stock
The problem is the phone is not designed to be opened or the battery removed.. hence voiding warranty if u do so
That's why we prob won't see this for the RAZR HD and HD maxx
With the s3 u can just pop the back door off...this phone I have yet to see a breakdown... I really doubt the aftermarket companies that make those kinda product will want to invest in making a product that voids ur warranty just to install it
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app
This is xda surely warranties aren't a concern? If i saw a tear down it wouldn't be hard to set it up with a touch stone like the s3 i would think?
Swyped while swerving from my Samsung GS3
Thatoneguy. said:
This is xda surely warranties aren't a concern? If i saw a tear down it wouldn't be hard to set it up with a touch stone like the s3 i would think?
Swyped while swerving from my Samsung GS3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If their is room
I forgot where I read it
But the two screws on the bottom come out then the screen slides up..as far as I remember.. lol
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app
Not even worth trying, I attempted this mod on the Atrix HD which is done by connecting the positive terminal on the palm pixi to the +5v part on phone and it eventually worked but a usb had to be plugged into phone the usb wasnt plugged into anything but the phone wouldnt charge unless it actually detected a usb plugged in.
Unfortunately, I don't think it will happen. It is true that XDA doesn't care too much about warranties, but there is a big difference between hardware and software warranties. Accessory manufacturers aren't going to make something that you have to hack apart your phone for. What is worth more to you, a 30 dollar wireless charging accessory that you have to jimmy rig, or the warranty that protects your $650 investment? You can unroot easy enough to return to VZW but try explaning the wireless charging mod that's on there now.
I've been interested in getting a wireless charging solution for my phone, and while I have to look into it a bit more to figure out specifics for certain things, I think it may be possible to create a case that plugs into the USB port so we wouldn't void our warranties.
Designing the case wont bee too much hassle, a micrometer and some 3D modeling software. However we need to find a way to get a micro usb connector that has a 90 degree bend in it to go into the port without causing any sort of scraping. Possibly have the right hand side of the case hinged and secured by snaps on top and bottom? or have the connector itself removable.
So materials for a test setup would require:
Touchstone components
90 degree MicroUSB male connector
Soldering gun
Custom case
I don't have the setup to do this available to me right now, however I think the biggest problem would be getting a connector small enough to keep from adding a lot of bulk to the side of the phone. Heck, with it only supplying .42 A at about 4.8 volts, it may not be inconceivable to group 2 in a case for faster charging. I haven't worked with the touchstone charger myself before, so I don't know their size.
Anyways, food for thought, and a possible personal project once I get some more important things finished up.
Hi,
Signed up just to post my results so far.
Ive gotten razr HD maxx to charge through the USB port using a touchstone pixi back cover.
It works using the touchstone charging base but the usb wall wart that came with the razr hd. The amperage coming though was not enough using a motorola dedicated usb wall charger that came with my bluetooth headphones putting out 500mA. It charges a little slower using the induction charger. I need to figure out if this will work running off my cars electrical system as that is my main motivation for getting this to work.
To get the phone to go into charging mode you have to either short out the USB data wires or connect the D+ wire to a 2v contact on the touchstone pixi circuit. Connecting the usb D+ to the 2v contact hopefully will allow me to hardwire this setup directly to the phone and leave the usb port free if, assuming I can find enough room inside for everything.
The phone is charging right now on the touchstone base, estimate 2hr to full charge from 70%
Im going to try and shove it all inside the phone tomorrow.
DrunkenFerret said:
I've been interested in getting a wireless charging solution for my phone, and while I have to look into it a bit more to figure out specifics for certain things, I think it may be possible to create a case that plugs into the USB port so we wouldn't void our warranties.
Designing the case wont bee too much hassle, a micrometer and some 3D modeling software. However we need to find a way to get a micro usb connector that has a 90 degree bend in it to go into the port without causing any sort of scraping. Possibly have the right hand side of the case hinged and secured by snaps on top and bottom? or have the connector itself removable.
So materials for a test setup would require:
Touchstone components
90 degree MicroUSB male connector
Soldering gun
Custom case
I don't have the setup to do this available to me right now, however I think the biggest problem would be getting a connector small enough to keep from adding a lot of bulk to the side of the phone. Heck, with it only supplying .42 A at about 4.8 volts, it may not be inconceivable to group 2 in a case for faster charging. I haven't worked with the touchstone charger myself before, so I don't know their size.
Anyways, food for thought, and a possible personal project once I get some more important things finished up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont know if I can get this to work internally now due to soldeirng limitations.
There is just enough space to slightly force the phone back together (it does bulge) but the pins for the USB port are covered and recessed under the USB housing. There is not enough clearance for me to do a clean solder onto the contacts.
I can not find another trace for the 5v or D+ pin on the circuit board.
If i could remove the outer cover maybe but for now this is going to have to be a plug into the USB port/external mod until i either grow a bigger pair and try to remove the USB port or find alternate contacts to solder the leads onto.
EDIT: I actually just went for it and ground off the corner of the USB casing. And actually soldered the wires onto the pins. However the touchstone system will not allow this to work internally. The battey when laid on the coil will interfere with the EMF and cause an unstable voltage. It goes from a low of 4.8 to 5.5 v. Maybe someone thats an RF engineer can figure something out with the reflector.
Maybe if i get more motivation later ill check out a qi standard charging setup to see if its compatible. For now im going to find an outer case and just go with the usb plug use this externally.
Try picking up some foil tape and put it between the battery and coil. You should be able to pick some up at your local hardware or hobby shop. It may need to be touching the ground to be effective though. Depending on some things over the next month I might be able to start working on my own setup.
Tried that but no go.
With the foil covering the coil, the voltage fluctuates before the battery is even placed over it. I hope you can get it working internally, ive since used an otterbox commuter case to hold it all together.
DrunkenFerret said:
Try picking up some foil tape and put it between the battery and coil. You should be able to pick some up at your local hardware or hobby shop. It may need to be touching the ground to be effective though. Depending on some things over the next month I might be able to start working on my own setup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In what order are you putting the components? Phone, battery then coil. Or phone coil then battery? Basically is the coil between the hardware and battery, or is the coil between the back panel and battery.
I can see where the issues would arise if it is between the battery and hardware. Both would be giving off EM waves if the device is on. If it is between them, try moving the coil to between the back panel and the battery.
Right now I can't afford to try an internal mod where I could kill the phone if I screw up, so until a couple things settle down for me I will only be attempting an external mod that fits in a case. If I can get the design right I may be able to make it so there is still a USB port available.
*Edit*
I'm sourcing/pricing components right now and you've already given me the voltage output, but how about the current provided by the coil? What I'm planning involves building a small circuit that would short the D+ wire only when there is no USB cable connected.
Anyway we can get some pics of the project in progress?
Swyped while swerving from my Droid Razr Maxx HD
Thatoneguy. said:
Anyway we can get some pics of the project in progress?
Swyped while swerving from my Droid Razr Maxx HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I don't have the components at the moment to start my project physically, however as I said I am finding the parts I'll need. Apparently its a PITA to get male micro USB connectors without bulk orders, or importing from China. I'd prefer a SMT (surface mount for circuit boards) but those appear to be next to impossible. Anyways I've been able to find pretty much everything I need and just a matter of time till they get in.
My plan is to provide a clean circuit that would use the USB port on the phone to charge using the coil, while adding a new USB port into a phone case to still allow USB data and charging. However as the coil can create fluctuations in voltage and current, I want to have a setup that allows for it to be isolated while it is plugged in through USB.
Attached is just a quick circuit diagram I made using EveryCircuit, I need to refine it still, but just an example. Heck if you have the app rebuild it and you'll be able to see what it does. Left side is USB cable input, with a switch at top to simulate plugging in and unplugging, while the right is the phone side with the power source being the coil. The light/loads are to simulate the data lines and power lines and show whether the circuit works.
When I get the parts together I'll take pics and post a tutorial. I have some 3D modeling experience so I may even be able to design a custom case to put everything into.
DrunkenFerret said:
In what order are you putting the components? Phone, battery then coil. Or phone coil then battery? Basically is the coil between the hardware and battery, or is the coil between the back panel and battery.
I can see where the issues would arise if it is between the battery and hardware. Both would be giving off EM waves if the device is on. If it is between them, try moving the coil to between the back panel and the battery.
Right now I can't afford to try an internal mod where I could kill the phone if I screw up, so until a couple things settle down for me I will only be attempting an external mod that fits in a case. If I can get the design right I may be able to make it so there is still a USB port available.
*Edit*
I'm sourcing/pricing components right now and you've already given me the voltage output, but how about the current provided by the coil? What I'm planning involves building a small circuit that would short the D+ wire only when there is no USB cable connected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the coil was sandwiched between the back case of the phone and the battery. The metal in the battery is influencing the flux going through the charging coil. The base is not always on, it only turns on when the charging coil is present. If not present the base seems to send out a pulse every so often to detect the presence of the charging coil inside the phone.
The issues arise once the battery is laid across the coil, the base begins to oscillate and the voltage begins to alternate. Also the coils seem to only work within a specific frequency range, but i dont have a signal generator or oscope to confirm this.
According to the battery charging app the base is putting out ~6-700mA to the phone with an 1A charger plugged into the base.
Hi,
After my battery went from full to empty in less than two hours when using a sat nav app yesterday, I need an in-car charger for the dashboard. I have a micro USB one but the flap on the Z3 makes it annoying. So I was wondering if there were any good magnetic adapters?
I have a 2A USB charger for the lighter socket, so I only need either a USB-magnetic cable, or an adapter that will take a micro USB. Ideally one that exits at the bottom of the phone so it can be routed neatly, rather than sideways which will then need to bend round.
Anyone have any recommendations? How about some pics of how you're set up in your car? (I have an airframe+ vent mount coming today)
the X2 magnetic charger (which just clips on any usb cable) on amazon has great reviews, depending on your case or mount you might have to shave off some of the adapter
proclip / brodit (depending on where you are in the world) offers great magnetic mounts and chargers, some need to be professionally installed, however its been stated in reviews that they fit tight so they might not work with cases, especially bulky ones and they have been known to peel up tempered glass screen protectors
I am in the same boat as you, I want a magnetic charging mount for my car and I spent a few hours tuesday researching options to no joy :|
I've used brodit mounts before but I wanted something a little more discreet than a hardwired solution - which is why I went for the Kenu Airframe+
The X2 seems to get good reviews but I'm not sure if it would be frustrating that the cable would come out sideways (as the phone would most likely be in landscape mode). Although many of the satnav apps I'm trying actually work pretty well in portrait..
if you got it horizontal the cable would be out the top or bottom yeah?
I usually keep mine in portrait
you use waze?
probably would be coming out of the bottom of the phone if in landscape.
don't know what I'm using yet - I have about 8 apps installed and I'm trying them out. Some have demo routes which is helpful, but some need me to use them while I'm driving to test so it'll take a while to settle on one.
I quite like tom tom's look and feel as I'm familiar with their standalone devices, and copilot seems good too. Haven't tried waze or google maps navigation yet, they're next.
yeah waze is killer, my CO recommended it and ive been hooked since
Its 95% effective when spotting speed traps and errs on the side of caution (sometimes cops wont be there, moved along, already pulled someone over), gives reports on potholes, construction ahead, real time traffic, speed traps, stopped cars, etc. its amazing, my friends and I are blown away.
its only difficulty is when you don't give it a direct address, it can have troubles searching for a restaurant or some such but if you have the street name you're set
mgiraudjr said:
the X2 magnetic charger (which just clips on any usb cable) on amazon has great reviews, depending on your case or mount you might have to shave off some of the adapter
proclip / brodit (depending on where you are in the world) offers great magnetic mounts and chargers, some need to be professionally installed, however its been stated in reviews that they fit tight so they might not work with cases, especially bulky ones and they have been known to peel up tempered glass screen protectors
I am in the same boat as you, I want a magnetic charging mount for my car and I spent a few hours tuesday researching options to no joy :|
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an X2 adapter, it's great, BUT it is not strong enough to be secure when under the device. The torque of the cable will cause it to come off when above the device too.
Using a thinner-gauge cbale might help, but then the voltage drop will be too great to keep the battery from discharging.
My personal favorite has been:
Right-angle MicroUSB (this makes a HUGE difference in convenience on the Sony devices, since the cable goes to the right instead of straight down from the mount) - http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Micro-USB-Cable-UUSBHAUB3RA/dp/B001AR4NC8/
Quick charge 2.0 car charger - http://www.amazon.com/Powermod-Charge-Certified--Vehicle-Charger/dp/B00P9UILUM/ - The StarTech cables are fairly thin gauge, so drop too much voltage when charging at 5v/2A to keep the phone charged during Navigation. QC2.0 chargers supply the Z3 with 9v, so the same wattage requires less current, and hence less voltage drop through the cable. (same reason long-distance power lines run in the hundreds of kilovolts...)
Does quick charge work through the magnetic port, or you mean you use the USB Port?
rplumb said:
Does quick charge work through the magnetic port, or you mean you use the USB Port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the USB port, the magnetic port is too unreliable for a vehicle. The thin-gauge right-angle cables make using the USB port MUCH less of a hassle, but they need QC2.0 for proper charging through such a thin cable. (too much voltage drop for high-power standard-voltage charging)
So, I ordered the Air Dock 2.0 for my S6. I want to do a full review with pictures, which I will add when I get a few more minutes, but I wanted to give a quick first impression before that.
As a dock, the nano foam surface works as described. As long as you have a glossy finish on your phone (either the phone itself, a glossy, flat case, or the sticker that they provide) it has an amazingly strong grip. However, if you have a rubberized case like I do (I currently have the Incipio Dual Pro), it does not hold it at all. Which is as advertised, so while I was just a little bit disappointed, I wasn't heartbroken. So, I slapped the sticker on the back (which is actually just a little bit wider than the case so it overlaps on the sides of the case by a little less than an 1/8"), and it worked perfectly. You do have to apply just a little bit of pressure to get it to really grab hold of the phone, regardless of whether you are using a naked phone or the sticker. You can't be delicate with the phone when you are attaching it to the dock. The one thing I wasn't overly impressed with was the sturdiness of the actual mount/arm. I bought the textured surface mount because I was hoping I could use it on the lower part of my dash under the radio which has a textured surface (I have a 2012 GMC Sierra without the center console). It did hold fine when I finally found a flat enough spot to attach it to. However, regardless of whether I had it mounted to the dash or the window, there is a lot of shake in the arm (again i bought the standard textured surface variety, not the long flexible variety). I believe the ball is a standard ball like most mounts have, so I may test fit another mount that I have to see if that improves things.
As a charger, I feel it leaves a lot to be desired. I used the Ampere app to monitor the charging voltage. While sitting still, it charges at about 380mA. However, while driving down the road, I noticed that every time I hit a bump and the mount shook, the charging would sometimes drop down to as low as 80mA. It never chirped to say that it disconnected from wireless charging, but it got very low. I have to wonder if the constant shaking of the mount arm could cause the charging coils on the charger and the coils on the phone to go out of alignment and reduce teh amount of charge. I don't completely understand the technology but I'd imagine they have to line up pretty darn close to each other to get a good connection. On a 30 minute drive on back roads, with either the Ampere app or the Car Home Ultra app running (plus bluetooth and GPS), I only gained 1% on the battery. I fear that with Spotify and Navigation running, it may actually lose battery %. Also, in full disclosure, I did run that app with both the Incipio case on and the phone naked on the charger, with pretty much the same results. I am going on a work trip this next week and will be in driving for about 9 hours, so I will have a little better test case for how the charging portion works. I'll update this post either during or after that trip.
As for the NFC, I tried a couple of different apps (Trigger and NFC Tools/Tasks) to try to get it to start Car Home Ultra when I set the phone on the charger. I was never able to consistently get it to recognize the NFC. I will fully admit that this is the first time I've tried to use NFC for anything consistently (I use Wallet at McD's occasionally, but that's about it). So, I may not be hitting the NFC chip in the phone and the NFC chip in the dock just right. I tried "swiping" the phone in from all directions before attaching it and also tried attaching it at different points as opposed to centering the phone and charger on each other. Nothing seemed to help, sometimes the NFC picked up, most of the time it did not.
Overall, I am not sure this charger is worth $100 (I bought it direct from the AirDock site as opposed to Indiegogo because from Indiegogo you can't return the dock if you don't like it but you can if you buy direct). As a mount, it's very easy to slap the phone on the nano foam pad and it sticks, but as a charger I am not sure it performs up to par. I understand that there is a lot of discussion about wireless charging in general and whether it has enough output to charge when there is a consistent draw from navigation and music apps so it may not be the docks fault that the technology just isn't efficient enough. They could probably sell a lot more units by offering a version without NFC and Wireless charging and sell it as just a dock with BYOC (bring your own charger) for about half of what they are charging.
Let me know if there is anything specific you want me to focus on for when I do a full review with photos.
Thanks!
I have the first gen air dock. I've stopped using it because I experienced similar experiences as you. Wireless charging is pretty slow, especially if display brightness is up and navigation is running. What's worse is that it heats the phone up. In summer months, I'll actually see thermo warnings on my Note 3.
Just like you said about "offering a version without NFC and Wireless charging", I've done precisely just that. I bought an iMagnet Mount from amazon and replaced that with the airdock. I charge it with a wired charger. The magnet is super strong, and now I can really charge the phone without overheating it. Attaching/detaching the phone is still very easy, but I actually trust the iMagnet mount more.
ihuntinde said:
I am going on a work trip this next week and will be in driving for about 9 hours, so I will have a little better test case for how the charging portion works. I'll update this post either during or after that trip.
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Hi,
Are you able to share the results of your 9 hour trip and the phone charging during that? I'm considering getting the AirDock myself.
More results?
Yes, I am also VERY interested in seeing the results from the 9-hour drive please!
I am currently using a magnet setup + wired fast charger for my Note 5. I do love the convenience of magnet mounts, and really hoping to come up with a good solution to add Qi charging now. I have only been able to find 4 alternatives to the AirDock ($20-$50) and all of them have very mixed reviews, so I have been hesitant to try any.
The other thing I don't like about any of these is that they are all windshield mounts, and none have a dash mount. I should clarify... I need a dash mount with a surface of about 1-inch diameter that uses 3M tape. While some of these suction cups may work on a dash, they are typically 2-3 inches in diameter, and that won't fit anywhere on my dash, and I refuse to use the windshield as it would ruin my visibility/safety.
Right now I am experimenting with a DIY solution that cost me about $20 total. I can share details after I am done, and I may even make a Youtube video. Will then do some performance runs to see charge rates. It might be that I am satisfied with no gain, but no loss either. The thing I like about the DIY solution I am building is that it's modularized so I can remove the Qi charger and revert back to my current setup of magnet + wired fast charge, if and when I need that...
Finally I bought the AirDock myself. I am using it with the CD mount.
I use it with GPS nav and spotify music streamed via bluetooth to car stereo. By using the wireless charging it usually keeps the battery stable, it might move by couple percent up or down, depends on the trip length.
Great review. I was considering Air Dock for a long time
Hi.
Just got a new S6 and I thought I would try out the new wireless charging which I think is great. I installed my metal plate however into my phone case to use my magnetic phone mount in my car but the wireless charging no longer works with this small 1” by 1” plate in the back. I’ve tried moving the plate around and can get the charging to work but if any of the plate is in contact with the coil it gets really hot fairly quickly.
I am able to move the metal plate far enough down in my case that it doesn’t interfere at all with the charging or get hot but then my phone isn’t as secure on the mount.
Does anyone have any recommendations or suggestions to get these two things to work in harmony?
I’m not interested in buying a new mount that does both. I’d like to keep what I already have.
In the end if I had to pick one or of the other, the magnetic mount would be my pick.
Just wanted to see if anyone else has the same problem.
I'm with you on that... Having the very same problem...
All I can suggest is using the USB cable with that magnetic mounting plate - given that Qi technology depends on using magnetic induction for charging wirelessly, you can't have that plate anywhere near the charging coil and expect it to work.
Plus, that'll let you use Quick Charge 2.0 capable 12V car chargers.
Hi,
I want to retrofit wireless charging capability with one of those thin receivers you can put between your phone and the case and then plug into the usb port. The only thing that worries me is a coil or antenna or something which is sitting on top of the battery. I can be seen in this disassembly video: https://youtu.be/kNzDbb-lJzs?t=42 This would probably be covered by the added receiver. What is this? Would covering this up be a problem?
HilmarG said:
Hi,
I want to retrofit wireless charging capability with one of those thin receivers you can put between your phone and the case and then plug into the usb port. The only thing that worries me is a coil or antenna or something which is sitting on top of the battery. I can be seen in this disassembly video: https://youtu.be/kNzDbb-lJzs?t=42 This would probably be covered by the added receiver. What is this? Would covering this up be a problem?
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NFC.
It doesn't seem like a good idea to me.
Mhm, ok. If I don't want to use NFC anyway would this be a problem? I mean, the phone should be able to handle beeing placed on a qi charging station (if someone is ignorant that it does not have this function) without induction of any harmful currents into that antenna, right? So I would just loose the NFC functionality if I shield it with the receiver patch.
HilmarG said:
Mhm, ok. If I don't want to use NFC anyway would this be a problem? I mean, the phone should be able to handle beeing placed on a qi charging station (if someone is ignorant that it does not have this function) without induction of any harmful currents into that antenna, right? So I would just loose the NFC functionality if I shield it with the receiver patch.
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My reaction was not about NFC, it is even possible that it will continue to work, maybe it will be less sensitive. I just expressed my opinion that I personally dislike your intention, because I don't think wireless charging is a killer feature for the ZF6 that we have to regret not having. Moreover, our battery size and space in which it is located and cooled, and so on is not at all adapted for continuous wireless charging and higher charging temperature.
After all, we don't charge so often with our big battery, and when you charging by cable, you charge more environmentally and faster than with the best wireless charger. That is to be remembered, and that is what I meant and what was my point.
For me NFC and big battery are killer features, but wireless charging isn't.
_jis_ said:
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For me NFC and big battery are killer features, but wireless charging isn't.
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OK, I am getting your point. I just bought this phone, and was not used to having a battery that can go two days easily. I have qi chargers scattered around everywhere (car, office, living room ...) to top up my battery whenever I lay my phone down somewhere. That is starting to seem a bit pointless. I just discovered the function to slowly (and therefore least damaging to the battery) charge and reach 100% at a specified time. Perfect for overnight charging.
Let's give it a few more days to see if I still feel the urge to retrofit wireless charging.
But from the purely technical standpoint, I had another thought. The qi charger only switches on the charging field when it detects a compatible device set down on it. So it would not do that if an untouched Zenfone 6 would be placed on the charger, and there would not be any danger of inducing currents into the NFC antenna and damaging something. Now, if I retrofit a charging pad the charger actually does produce a field when the phone is on it, thats the whole point. No idea how much current would actually be inducted in the NFC antenna, but I am very certain it is not zero. Does someone have the technical background to at least make a guess?