Related
http://www.craigsdocks.com/htc-rezound-car-dock-swivel-style/
Let me start off by saying I don't do a lot of reviews, forgive me if I suck at this, but I was compelled to do this one because I purchased the ibolt car dock from Verizon and was very disappointed so I found an alternative and want to prevent others from making the same mistake I did, being that the ibolt/Verizon dock is all I have to compare it to I will be doing so throughout the review.
Most of this info can be gathered from the video below so skip to that if you don't want to read this.
When I received my dock I was surprised most by all the extras it comes with, you receive a very long USB charge cable(good for hidden permanent routing#, 2 wire routing clips, 3 zip ties, plenty of extra double sided tape, 2 alcohol wipes
,and a metal wire to help remove the hard mount if you want to move it, and an alen/hex key for tightening the 2 set screws in set up.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
The dock itself is made of aluminum not plastic, and is an extremely simple design that once set up has only one moving part, anyone who works in any sort of mechanical field knows that this is a very good thing for durability.
The set up of the dock is more involved than just putting in the correct insert and going, but is not complicated at all. You have to set the depth of the cable block to match the depth of your phone with whatever case or extended battery set up you have, then the block is locked that position with double sided tape. The one draw back to this is that it is somewhat permanent and if you have different setups that change the thickness of your phone the position of the USB cable cannot easily be adjusted to match, you would have to remove the double sided tape, replace it, and reposition the block. I plan on using the same case/battery setup all the time so this is not an issue for me. You also set the depth of the microusb male plug itself so that it can reach the receiver in the phone, the plug may have to protrude more or less depending if your phone is naked or has a thick case, this is done with a simple set screw on the cable block. The other adjustment is the side stop which lines your phone up horizontally with the plug, this is also set with a simple set screw. Overall the set up of the dock itself took about 3 minutes.
Here is a video that shows the process of setting it up.
Mounting the dock. To mount the dock with the optional suction cup mount is self explanatory, I will say that the suction cup mount with this dock is a far better design than the ibolt, it seems much more sturdy and the range of articulation is much better. The dock does not come with this mount though it is extra, $9.99 I believe.
The dock does come with a hard mount block which is affixed to wherever you choose via double sided foam tape. Anyone worried about the tape not holding, DON'T. It is some sticky stuff, its not going anywhere. I used this mount and it is, like the dock, a very simple, sturdy design, no worries about it lasting.
Basically you figure out where you want it, stick it, tighten the dock to it and forget it. The one small draw back is that this mount does not articulate at all other than twisting from landscape to portrait. You will have to find a flat surface that is in a good place and at a good angle for viewing, I had several that would work fine and simply chose the one I liked best.
Looks. I think the dock looks great, it is very small and sleek, compared to other docks it looks like your phone is just floating free in space. When the phone is not in the dock its even more of a difference, there just isn't much to this thing so you don't even notice it there. Low profile would be the perfect term for it.
Clunky/bulky right? lol
If you have a Bluetooth set up it can look even cleaner, my wires are not set up totally yet.
I plan on routing the charging and audio cable completely hidden and even installing a hidden dedicated 12v outlet to power it.
Speaking of power. I used a generic 1A USB car charger. And as you can see from the picture below I was able to get a positive charge on the phone with the screen at full brightness 4g, gps, WiFi on, navigation running, transparent Pandora running w/ a live background, outputting through the headphones at max volume. The Ibolt without ridiculous modifications would be running at atleast -500mah in this set up.
In use The dock is very solid and sturdy, it does not bounce around on rough roads.
Mounting and unmounting the phone are done in a single fluid motion, it snaps right in and out without fail, I recall my ibolt needing a little wiggle every couple times to get it to sit on the plug. This is likely due to the one size fits all insert for a cased phone, not all cases are the same thickness, this dock adjusts to fit your phone in your specific case, both the depth to reach the plug and the depth of your phone are able to be set on the cable block so that the plug is in exactly the right place to accept your phone everytime.
Last but certainly not least, perhaps most importantly, it charges, cuz, uh yeah, its a dock, it should charge your phone.
Conclusion. Short and simple, if you don't plan on the thickness of your phone changing very often, and if you are not disgusted by the looks(which I don't get considering the alternative cheap plastic monstrosity), you should buy this dock, or wait for another one to become available because the ibolt/Verizon dock is junk.
http://www.craigsdocks.com/htc-rezound-car-dock-swivel-style/
+41mA? do you have any shots with it getting a full OVER +500mA charge?
Reportedly the same issue with some verizon docks was that it wouldn't give it the full charge and thus with GPS and other things on, there would sometimes be a net loss, or break even, but no charging happening actually.
it usually takes a minute for me to get the battery monitor widget to show the full charge happening.
Thanks..
thatsricci said:
+41mA? do you have any shots with it getting a full OVER +500mA charge?
Reportedly the same issue with some verizon docks was that it wouldn't give it the full charge and thus with GPS and other things on, there would sometimes be a net loss, or break even, but no charging happening actually.
it usually takes a minute for me to get the battery monitor widget to show the full charge happening.
Thanks..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This dock uses whatever USB charger you have, the dock simply holds the wire in the right place, it comes with a USB cable NOT a charger, the wire goes straight to your phone, it will charge exactly the same as without the dock. Regardless of what people may have reported I tested the ibolt/Verizon dock for 5 hours and it would not charge at all with a 1A charger as long as the screen was on, even at 10% with NOTHING else on or running but battery monitor widget.
If you read the review or look closely at the picture this is with the screen at 100%, GPS, 4g, wifi on, navigator and Pandora running with live wallpaper and media volume at Max outputting through the headphone Jack. The Verizon dock with the same 1a charger would be at atleast -500mA in the same situation. This dock will perform exactly the same as whatever charger you plug the USB cord into.
Watch the video.
Nice review, thanks for the write up and good pics. Is it mounted using that sticky foam tape where you have it under the vent? How much flat area does it need for the tape? Want to check where I might put it in my car.
Do you know if you can easily remove any residue if you later take it off? I'm not planning on selling my car any time soon and had my last phone for 4 years so it may be up there a while.
feralicious said:
Nice review, thanks for the write up and good pics. Is it mounted using that sticky foam tape where you have it under the vent? How much flat area does it need for the tape? Want to check where I might put it in my car.
Do you know if you can easily remove any residue if you later take it off? I'm not planning on selling my car any time soon and had my last phone for 4 years so it may be up there a while.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mounting block is pretty small I would say 1"x3" at most.
I havent removed it so I dont know for sure about the residue, the video says it comes off well and when you look at the tape it seems like it would come off, its not gooey or anything so I imagine it will stay in one piece when it comes off unless maybe it gets really hot and melts down which of course is possible in a car. If I had to make a guess I would say it will come off pretty clean.
Hello Everyone,
First of all I would like to thank Kane for the great review!
The mounting block is 1 inch x 1-3/4 inch exactly ... its very small
The mounting tape stays somewhat soft, but not overly soft, in the video of my install you will see that I do take it off and peel it pretty much clean, then with a fingernail the rest comes off, that was after it had been on my dash for about 2 months, however if it were to tough to get it all you could heat it up with a hair dryer and pick it off with a fingernail but I don't think this step would be needed.
If you weren't ever going to want to flip the phone from landscape to portait you could even take the block and the screw out all together and put the extra tape I give you on the back of the dock itself and use the same amount of tape I used on the docking plate.
These car docks I make are time consuming to produce, these are all made by hand and on a milling machine so they are all within 1/1,000 of an inch of each other, I made them as tiny as I could possibly make them without compromising its holding ability.
My thoughts were if its in the car you dont want to be looking at some giant dock blocking your windshield or if mounted on dash have it blocking other controls, basically you want to see the phone not a dock so I tried to make it basically invisible.
Its easy to make things big, the challenge is making big things small lol
Thanks for the info!
I just looked at my car and I think there's one place it could work, right above the built in stereo/navi screen. Just curious how far it sticks out? Also, it's stationary other than rotating from landscape to portrait, right? So does it come straight out at a 90 degree angle from the mount surface of the dash? I've never used a dock before so I want to be sure I'll be okay with it.
Oh, one more thing... does the phone touch metal or is there any sort of material in there? If it touches metal would it be possible for me to glue on some felt lining? I may not use a case with my phone so I want to save it from any possible scuffing.
feralicious said:
Thanks for the info!
I just looked at my car and I think there's one place it could work, right above the built in stereo/navi screen. Just curious how far it sticks out? Also, it's stationary other than rotating from landscape to portrait, right? So does it come straight out at a 90 degree angle from the mount surface of the dash? I've never used a dock before so I want to be sure I'll be okay with it.
Oh, one more thing... does the phone touch metal or is there any sort of material in there? If it touches metal would it be possible for me to glue on some felt lining? I may not use a case with my phone so I want to save it from any possible scuffing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
The total distance it sticks out would be 2 1/4 inches max thats with mounting plate and swivel attached, from the dash to the back of the dock itself is a little less than 3/4 of an inch.
However your dash leans once the dock is mounted thats the exact way it would lean its a perfect 90 degree's (basically if your dash leans back at 45 degree's then your phone would lean that exact same degree since its a perfect 90)... since this dock with its mounting plate and swivel sticks out, it may be possible for it to hover over controls that dont stick out to far, like in the video I have a raised part on my dash and it hovers over it, once you have it in hand you will find places you didn't think it would fit.
Your phone never touches metal, I use a automotive grade flocking fibers (this is on the dock and the arms as well, nothing without this flocking ever touches your phone).
Whats flocking? ... I put on a special adhesive and then blow on soft flocking fibers, it actually looks like it grew out of the metal, I use this on all my docks, none of my docks will the phone ever touch metal, they always ride on the flocking.
If you look at the second picture on this thread (the side view one) you will be able to see these flocking fibers, only where your phone would ever touch the fibers are used, the rest is painted and smooth.
Thanks for the Question's
Cool. I am definitely going to check this out. Thank you for the great write up, pictures and review.
I have the same dock and am real happy with it except for one thing. I hook it up with the MHL HDMI adaptor to a video monitor screen and even using the stock a/c charger (I have a/c power in my truck) that puts out one amp, my battery still eventually runs down playing movies etc.
The bracket itself is awesome.
~John
Ordered April 12th, received today in the mail. Have not mounted it yet, but I'm impressed with the build quality so far. I'll update after installation.
EDIT: Now have this dock installed in my Yukon and it was very simple. A few adjustments, finding the right place to put it were easy. The included tape to stick it on the dash is plenty strong and holding very well after 2 whole days. The phone, with the extended battery, fits solid if you do the proper adjustments during setup, and hasn't even thought about falling out of the dock yet. I am happy with this purchase for now.
jmorton10 said:
I have the same dock and am real happy with it except for one thing. I hook it up with the MHL HDMI adaptor to a video monitor screen and even using the stock a/c charger (I have a/c power in my truck) that puts out one amp, my battery still eventually runs down playing movies etc.
The bracket itself is awesome.
~John
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sucks but it would be much worse with the verizon dock. On the same note Craigsdocks just sent me a "new improved cable" for free without even telling me, its a much heavier gauge wire it has some sort DIY splice at the end of it. Anyway my generic 1a car charger now charges better than the home charger that came with the phone. No exaggeration whatsoever, battery monitor widget has shown 1090mA while the screen was on. Not a typo 100%+ the rating of my charger is getting to my phone, I was running 4g, GPS, wifi on, screen at 90%, Pandora playing full volume, navigation searching for satellite, and syncing my accounts and I'm still getting between 300-500mA recorded charge. I literally CANT get anything real sustained readings under 300mA. I have heard even the stock wall charger can't keep up with MHL but I kid you not my crappy generic car charger is now more powerful than the home charger. Oh and it puts the phone in dock mode now, and shows charging in ac mode but I'm sure the old cable did too, not that it matters what mode it is if you are getting that kind of juice, call it USBeautiful mode.
Maybe they sent me the cable because I gave a good review or maybe they are sending them to everyone, BUT GET ONE even if its for another dock or just a charger.
Kane5581 said:
That sucks but it would be much worse with the verizon dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well three things, his post is from Jan, the MHL adapter wouldn't work on the Verizon dock because it doesn't pass data and the dock has been fixed so it charges correctly now.
The reason the battery dies with the MHL adapter is the same reason the first round of Verizon docks didn't charge right, the data pins aren't shorted out so the phone thinks it's on a USB connection and only draws 500mA. The MHL can't be shorted out because it needs the data pins to transfer audio/video so there's really not much you can do about it. ibolt has update the Verizon dock to short the pins, the free replacement they sent me has no problem running GPS and music and still charge..
how secure is it with the extended battery? meaning, will it keep the phone in place just fine without worrying if it'll slip off if you're on a rough road/speed bumps/etc?
voxigenboy said:
how secure is it with the extended battery? meaning, will it keep the phone in place just fine without worrying if it'll slip off if you're on a rough road/speed bumps/etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have the extended battery but I have a regular tpu case on the phone and there is plenty of room left for a larger setup. It does not move period the way I have it I can't imagine it would be much different with the extended battery.
voxigenboy said:
how secure is it with the extended battery? meaning, will it keep the phone in place just fine without worrying if it'll slip off if you're on a rough road/speed bumps/etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have extended and it works just wonderfully. Has not fallen out yet.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
Thanks, I'm interested in one of these. Better than holding the phone while using the GPS!
trickster2369 said:
Ordered April 12th, received today in the mail. Have not mounted it yet, but I'm impressed with the build quality so far. I'll update after installation.
EDIT: Now have this dock installed in my Yukon and it was very simple. A few adjustments, finding the right place to put it were easy. The included tape to stick it on the dash is plenty strong and holding very well after 2 whole days. The phone, with the extended battery, fits solid if you do the proper adjustments during setup, and hasn't even thought about falling out of the dock yet. I am happy with this purchase for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get the new cable? You would notice the splice towards the phone end, the old one didn't have that, it also puts the phone in dock mode where the old one didn't.
Kane5581 said:
Did you get the new cable? You would notice the splice towards the phone end, the old one didn't have that, it also puts the phone in dock mode where the old one didn't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda premium
[GUIDE/DISCUSSION] How to Disassemble Prime / GPS, WiFi, Light Bleed "Fixes"
HOW TO DISASSEMBLE THE ASUS TRANSFORMER PRIME
!!!DO NOT APPLY A HEAT GUN TO YOUR PRIME!!!
Erusman said:
...glued down using
two sided foam tape. Not hot glue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Original credit to Erusman and his bravery to be the first among many to disassemble his Prime in search for the answers we all want. Click his name, keep up with OP, and give THANKS!
Additional credit to jdudb, wgr73, Doktaphex, jupppo, Wordlywisewiz, aznmode, and all other commentators and contributors.
THIS IS FOR EDUCATIONAL/DISCUSSION PURPOSES ONLY! MYSELF AND ALL CONTRIBUTORS TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DEVICES HARMED WHILE TRYING TO RECREATE THE FOLLOWING SCENARIOS/MODIFICATIONS
I DID NOT PERFORM NOR OTHERWISE CONTRIBUTE TO ANY OF THIS WORK - PLEASE GIVE THANKS WHERE IT'S DUE
I think the correct way of opening is from the bottom first. Unlatch the 2 bottom latch first then work your way up from the side.
The catches are operated through the dock slots and are there for all to see.
Video courtesy of aznmode.
.
.
.
.
.
aznmode said:
I think the correct way of opening is from the bottom first. Unlatch the 2 bottom latch first then work your way up from the side. If you look at the top tabs they are longer than the sides to secure the top better. Making it difficult to snap on if you close from the bottom first. When I closed it up I started from the top by sliding into the tabs rather than snapping it in. Snapped the side and then locked the latches on the bottom.
...
So initially prior to me posting this I had a hard time snapping the top because I followed the original video how to open and just reversed the procedure to close it. Turned out when I eventually shut the top last some of the tabs broke. So again follow my post to do the top first when closing it back up then sides lastly the bottom latches. I notices the tabs were longer so that's when I posted but only looked at the center ones. I reopened since and was following my own precedure to close it. that's when I notice the outer ones broke from when i closed it the orginal way before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jdudb said:
The catches are operated through the dock slots and are there for all to see.
...
I think you will find that those pins do hold the bottom of the prime together and as for the tool, any small thin rod would work such as a tiny screwdriver.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doktaphex said:
First of all I used a tiny torx screwdriver to release the internal catches at the bottom of the Prime. Look in the docking ports on the left and right, there are two small holes. They move with a satisfying click and this IS what holds the base of the Prime together.
...
After just releasing one, I see the arrow. It is pointing in the locking direction.
...
There's a tiny amount of adhesive tape just by the 40-pin connector but there is no more than what is at each corner of the device also. Just be gentle and you can ease it apart.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Erusman said:
Made myself some plastic tools for the job.
It opened up so easy!!!!
...
I didn't really think it was going to be
that easy to open up. Trick is starting from the top and using nothing but
plastic tools. (Wedge method of pry and move further down).
...
What you want to do is position first plastic tool center top of prime. Jam it
right in the seam, between black bezel and aluminum frame. Push it down
in there hard. This will give you enough room
to insert other plastic tool in and lift the bezel up. Then its just a matter of
working down the left and right top. When you get to a corner just pry up
very slow... wedge it. Foam tape will slowly give in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Videos courtesy of Doktaphex.
The following videos are "reverse," Doktaphex's laptop automatically recorded as mirror.
jupppo said:
I tried it by myself and the prime is really easily opend and can be closed without any scratch! First I used my fingernail to widen it a bit then I used a sharpend plastic handle from a scalpell to open it.
I put a cable on the pogo pin and... bang. I had GPS signals! I never had any before.
It also explains why pushing on the left side helps the signal: While you push left you lift the board on the right side slghly up, that the pogo has better connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
.
.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
.
LIGHT BLEED "FIX" - THIS MAY OR MAY NOT ALLEVIATE YOUR LIGHT BLEED ISSUES
Erusman said:
While I was in there I took and tightened the screws for the display.
Guess what the small amount of lightbleed I had in the lower left hand corner
is 90% gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wgr73 said:
As far as light bleed goes
Guys when you remove the back shell, you have total access to the screen! The bleeding is caused by the screen being stressed/too tight, flexing, ect. It can mostly be adjusted out almost 100% I noticed that mine is virtually gone now too. I'll play with the LCD panel some more as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To reiterate, THIS MAY OR MAY NOT ALLEVIATE YOUR LIGHT BLEED ISSUES
.
.
.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
.
.
.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR SCREEN BECOMES UNRESPONSIVE OR DISPLAYS STATIC
Erusman said:
The ribbon cable came out partial. That is when the lines appeared.
Be sure to turn off your prime. See OP and picture of the dip switch that turns the power off to mobo. Take the ribbon cable completely out. Take a small eraser from a pencil and VERY carefully go over the connetions on the ribbon cable. This will basically clean them up a little. (same process you do on PCI card copper etching to clean up the connection). Find yourself a very sharp point. I have a some soldering picks that I used. Place the ribbon cable in the connection level. DO not use your fingers to jam the ribbon in. On the side of the ribbon cable is small little notches. These notches are for the tools that the factory uses to place the cables in. Use your sharp pick and puch down on either side with notches. You will see a fine white line. And you may hear even a slight snap when it goes in. But that white line should be flush with the connection on LCD. I hope you get it working again. Let me know. PM me if you have any more problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MODIFICATIONS (& DISCUSSION THEREOF)
Please do not try using the cover as the antenna as it's gounded - even if it wasn't, this device was not made with that in mind
BEFORE ANY SOLDERING OR OTHER HARD TAMPERING, PLEASE TURN THE POWER TO YOUR MOTHERBOARD OFF
ANYTHING CLOSER THAN 1/4" TO 1/2" TO THE BACKPLATE OF THE PRIME WILL EXPERIENCE THE SAME SIGNAL DEGRADATION AS OUR CURRENT STOCK ANTENNA - BE IT INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL
xach said:
Hi all,
i've another method of fixing this wifi/gps issue without any soldering work. Basically i slotted in a small thin piece of plastic under the wifi/gps PCB (where the gold plate is) to get a better connection with the pogo pins. However, this can cause the PCB to be slightly bent and im not sure if there are any long term ill effects.
After this i'm getting better WIFI signal than my HTC Desire and managed to lock on to 9 GPS satellites (previously ZERO) in a semi open place.
The increase in signal is also the same as when i attach a wire to the pogo pin. WIFI performance at long range is still sucky but this definitely helped with the GPS signal.
Insert plastic tab as shown in red circle..i pushed it all the way in until the white piece of plastic cannot be seen. Did it for all three gold plate connectors (WIFI MAIN, AUX and GPS)
sorry i dont have a screenshot of GPS signal yet.. will post it in when i do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Transformer Prime slightly open (pogo pins not connected)
Transformer Prime closed and assembled.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dpwhitty11 said:
Here's the dpwhitty11 method:
Solder a thin wire onto wifi pogopin (which in my case got rid of the pogopin.... lol whoops. Doesn't matter though). Then route wire out thru mini HDMI-out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Erusman said:
Concept in my mind atm is drill
hole through back of prime to meet pogos. Solder on some antenna.
My prime is always in leather case so that would be cool.
Or play around and solder connection to factory wifi antenna. Bypass the
pogos.
...
Alright guys. Just got done doing a bypass of the pogos. I soldered some
wires to the pogos directly to the wifi antenna. Did a cold reboot. snap shut.
First thing I tested was GPS, using GPS test. It sat there for 60 seconds
and I still had 0 birds in view. Took it outside and it did start to pick up
some sats but they came up slow. Must be the aluminum backplate
blocking the signal.
Wifi worked better than it did before. (lol probably because the primary
wifi antenna was now connected.) I think the secondary was the only thing
working on my prime before. I actually got 32mbs and 5mbs! Same
as all my other tablets. HOWEVER, soon as I started to walk away from
my router the signal degraded. Speedtest results went down the further
I walked away.
I took the prime outside in the same spot about 50 feet from router as I did
with the alligator clips connected the other night. I did have one bar. Instead
of full bars the other night. Speed was around 8-9mbs and 800k 1mb with
speedtest.
You can draw your own conclusions on what is going on....
Aluminum backplate is interfering with GPS and Wifi...
It works but the signal is weak.... WHY? Asus put the wifi antenna in a spot
that doesn't see its way around the aluminum backplate.
Pogo pins.. hopefully they will use soldered wires instead of pogo pins next
time. I can see these little things not connecting to copper plate so easy.
But nothing compares to the Wifi/GPS PCB (printed circuit board) flaw!
I laughed for hours after seeing how the copper etching wasn't even connected
in the PCB.
Alright well good luck everyone! I am not going to do a final mod for myself.
I usually have my tablet in a leather case all the time. So i am just going to
put some external antenna on this thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erusman said:
Well what the hey. Finish my mods and prime is back together. I was just
going to wait to this weekend to finish it. But I wanted my prime back! Its
sitting all pretty in my leather case working great! Sorry its late and I didn't
take pics.
I just removed the PCB wifi in it. Removed the pogos. Drilled some holes
in backplate. Solder some solid gauge wire to GPS, Primary and secondary
wifi. Wires went out back. (about 5 inches in length).
While I was in there I took and tightened the screws for the display.
Guess what the small amount of lightbleed I had in the lower left hand corner
is 90% gone. (lol that must be the issue with the lightbleed!) I am too tired
to go back in and fiddle with it. Someone else can play with it.
Wifi is awesome. Walked all around my house and had three bars. GPS
worked and was fast. (maybe do a road trip in few days).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wgr73 said:
If I were you I'd trim your wires just 1-2mm outside of the case. It looks like they are hanging out several inches. Your signal will not change if you trim them, as long as the wire is exposed out of the rear case. I have tried different lengths and they have no effect outside of the case (also, you don't need the alligator clips on the ends).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erusman said:
***Update***
Ok I finished my final mod. I made myself some mini wifi antenna and placed them in my case. The mini wifi antenna are composed of a thin straw surrounded by heat shrink tubing. Capped with a plastic hole plug. Wires that come out of my tablet are inserted in the straw. Heated with lighter and sealed.
The mini wifi antenna I can pull up or down out of my case to extend the WIFI range. I am pulling three bars at more than 50 feet away. Amazing!!
I had to laugh a little because my prime kinda looks like a little android with the antenna stickin out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erusman said:
Ok, I just finished up another mod to my prime. My goal was to be able to mount the prime in a vehicle and use it on the road. So i needed the best WIFI and GPS I could get. And I did it!
Meet Optimus Prime
...
I replaced the old mod with external SMA male connectors and was able to mount on some external WIFI antenna. Large ones atm. But I have some small 2.4ghz stubby antenna on order.
...
I still need to mod my leather case to be able to insert the SMA connectors in it. However, I noticed with just the SMA connectors sticking out and NO WIFI antenna attached I still get good WIFI
(Both Factory WIFI PCB removed with soldered connection to SMA's)
The WIFI range on this thing is AMAZING! Full bars every place in my house and even out in my yard! 50+ feet away from my router. I think its limited to the range of my router more than anything now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RipplingHurst said:
But I'm thinking rerouting the antenna to the headphones would work. Could the headphone wires work as the antenna, similar to the alligator clips?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wordlywisewiz said:
Another idea would be to for an extreme antena would be to desoder the connections to the headphone jack then put a small wire from the wifi antenna to the headphone jack and sorry it lol then you can make a custom antenna with a standard 3.5mm connector
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wgr73 said:
More data guys. So I've wired my gps connection to the headphone jack, close the prime and the results are below:
...
Prime closed, GPS connected to my earphone jack. Results = not the best by any means but its getting there. I will try alternate points.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wgr73 said:
I can manage 11-15 sats (12 locked) with my headphone mod
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
janaha_ said:
Don't know what I hooked up to here, but it is ground.
5-6 birds and lock in about 10 sec with gps status.
Will test some more, and do a more permanent solution if it works OK.
If I remember correctly someone here asked if the pads that contact the antennas are conductive.They are on mine.Goes to backpanel.Ohm meter showed few ohms, but diode tester beeped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
wgr73 said:
So guys I was able to get 16 satellites in view indoor and 18 outside. What I did was unsolder the pogo pin and solder a wire directly to the board! Check out the pictures.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
janaha_ said:
The connector pins are the same used on wifi cards and are not related to GPS (I had a pigtail? connector laying around and it didnt't improve my signal, nor wifi)
I too struggle with no gps birds and not the best wifi when moving away from the router.
Like others the wlan/gps PCB is faulty, with no connection on the wlan part.
I didn't want to solder anything in case I wanted to return it, so I used copper wire and tape
Wifi improved, but didn't go through the roof (maybe 2-3 mbit)
GPS found no birds(tried for an hour last night with no success.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Erusman said:
look at this picture of Wlan antenna. Now look very closely at
what i circled in red!!! OMG! no wonder my wifi wasn't working!!! PCB has
design flaw!!! Its not even connected to the so called antenna! I used volt
meter to test as well. NO CONNECTION
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Erusman said:
This pcb is glued to front half of prime. Pogo pin pushes against copper pad
circled in red to make connection on this pcb. The connection suppose to
follow all the way up to the top of those thin soldered on copper antenna.
It DOESN'T. There is a gap in the design of the PCB. GPS side is completely
connected. Wifi side is not.
...
One thing is for certian. That PCB of the Left side Wifi is flawed. Never made
a connection. So that is why so many primes wifi suck. Only secondary
antenna on right side was working. Asus knows what primes (serial numbers)
have the flawed wifi pcb. They need to issue a press release and statement of
such! Its only right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erusman said:
I just want someone to test the gapped WIFI / GPS PCB. I have a feeling this PCB is doing NOTHING for WIFI.
I can't because I removed both my WIFI PCB on top and pogos.
Both WIFI PCB are glued down and DO come out very easy. You just have to take your time.
1.) Record WIFI db with WIFI analyzer and Speedtest) Factory.
2. ) Remove the right WIFI PCB. (One that doesnt have GPS with it and not gapped.)
This will leave the gapped LEFT wifi antenna still in tablet.
3.) Close up your prime and record results of only using the left PCB WIFI / GPS.
I can bet that you will get NO bars for your WIFI and you will get next to nothing with WIFI results.
Conclusion. Left WIFI/GPS PCB is not doing nothing for WIFI and the gap in the copper etching is a factory flaw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doktaphex said:
I guess everyone missed it when I mentioned that I had done a test with the main WiFi antenna connection covered with electrical insulation tape.
What happened in this situation was that I got almost no wifi signal whatsoever. So actually the Main antenna is pulling almost all of the signal and the AUX connector is just boosting it a tiny little bit.
...
yesterday I covered the connection to the main WiFi PCB with electrical insulation tape. When testing WiFi after this with only the AUX antenna, I got almost no reception whatsoever.
Therefore, the main WiFi antenna is working correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erusman said:
Thank you Dokaphex!! Then there it is. I bet you will find if you cover both sides of the WIFI PCB's with tape you will get same result. The LEFT WIFI PCB is doing nothing. Because with bare pogos not touching anything. You still get some WIFI. (I am talking no bars on WIFI bar) but like 5%.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ruprect said:
Erusman, you need to get this through your head .... RF signals do not need a piece of copper to get from A to B. Propagation, for example, is the fact that there is a big gap between the tv station transmitter and your tv antenna. yes the tv transmitter has megawatts of power behind it but the signals jumps the gap yes?
THAT GAP ON THE PRIMARY ANTENNA IS NOT A FACTORY FLAW
It is designed that way because that gap has one side of it at ground and the other side of that finely tuned gap will 'see' a carrier wave of a predefined band of frequencies. When combined with the other circuitry in the wifi signal reception, it delivers an adequate signal to be further processed down the line.
IT is Designed that way, please drop the faulty pcb talk, it is ridiculous.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erusman said:
Like i said I am layman when it comes to electronics. Thanks for the RF instruction. HOWEVER, I find it hard to believe you got WIFI from the Gapped PCB when others have not. Others have covered the RIGHT WIFI PCB all together and had nothing but the LEFT WIFI Gapped PCB working. They had no bars on their WIFI fan. Was getting minimal WIFI. WHY? Because the Left WIFI PCB is not working. I have taken out both PCB and I still had some WIFI as well. I was getting no bars with both WIFI PCB and same results as when only the LEFT WIFI PCB was left in. (Approx 5% of WIFI signal... NO bars on WIFI fan. Speedtest 1.8mbs 500k vs 32mb 5mbs) These are the tests we have done. I thank you for your input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
micaman said:
OK, I am once again stating that I have no technical background with this stuff so call this theory ridiculous if you like but I think its the GLUE. Yes the amount of glue that is used to secure the PCB in place Its seems like it would be the only variable in everyone's tablet. The amount of glue and the placement (flow) of the glue would be very difficult to control in the manufacturing process, thus the variable in everyone's prime.
Now the amount/placement of glue is either causing variances to
(a)the physical separation from the aluminum backing or
(b)compression causing a better connection to the pogo pin.
In essence the glue is causing the same effect as the shim some are using.
Considering some have already tried bypassing the pogo and soldering directly to the PCB I'm thinking its (a)
Pics of the backside of the PCB would be great.
...
I lean towards (a) not (b).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
jdudb said:
Since there seem to be many theories why there is poor antenne performance once lowered into the recess of the back, I might as well put my theory forward. I think that there is just too much radio noise from the circuits and it is drowning out the signals from both the GPS and WIFI. Maybe the latest tegra chips have excessive electrical noise? Has anyone else thought of putting a grounded insulated shield between the antenna and the main board with holes for the pogo pins? Say a sheet of aluminium foil covered on both sides with sticky back plastic and a small portion left bare so that it can contact the edge where the copper tags are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ruprect said:
small piece of ESDS bag, I thought of using, but now I`ve by passed the pogo pins, I no longer subscribe to this theory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Erusman said:
The copper loops on top are the antenna. And they are not grounded. Look at this pic. Where the copper loops on top go they have some felt material against the aluminum so it doesn't ground.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wgr73 said:
This has me thinking. Seems as though the OP has a bad PCB (Op, check the back side to make sure there is no trace going following the rear). The OP could do 1 of 2 things to fix his PCB, use a fiberglass pen to cut away at the PCB and jumper the contacts, or just solder around the PCB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Erusman said:
I hooked up two red clips to wifi pogo's.
I hooked up one black clip to gps.
I ran various tests. Wifi and GPS on. Everything is on par with all my other
tablets. 32mb 5mb wifi. GPS is up and running all birds 5 to 10 seconds.
...
Yep. My GPS didn't even work. Connected wire to pogo pin and had
all 15 birds in view with GPS test app. Took less than 10 sec.
...
Bluetooth? Well, bluetooth still had problems
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
jupppo said:
Well, some bad news. I was assuming a bad connection to the pogo pin was the reason for the bad reception. This is certainly not the cae for my prime. I know also assume it is the back plate.
I cut a 9,5cm (half GPS wavelength) cable an connected it to the pin. Great reception, even better than before, although I am inside and no other GPS gets signal here..
As long as the cable was outside the case it was great, but then I put the cable in the case and the signal decreased.
When I even closed the case. The signal was completly gone until I opened it again.
Looks to me that the aluminium back side shielded the signal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
mystkrh said:
I have a GPS repeater in my hanger at work, and I placed my transformer prime right under the unit with my phone in that spot all gps signals are ~50 in GPS tester. You can see in the pictures one is ok, I personaly think there is an AGC problem in the GPS receiver, and to test it I padded the signal with a anti static bad (we use this method to troubleshot gps antennas on aircraft) and when I did that you can see the 2nd photo of the best signal I think anyone has ever seen on a prime.
...
i just placed a static bag over the unit, I didn't put it in a static bag
AGC is Auto Gain Control its adjust the gain high at low signals and lowers the gain at high signals. If you have a strong signal with to much gain the signal will become unusable. I'm a avionics tech, I deal with radio's, gps rx's and that kinda stuff alot.
The pogo pin connection could be a problem but, but I really doubt it, they are getting a bad wrap in this whole thing. They really are not that bad of a connection as long as they compressed slightly when making contact.
The thing I worry about is the affect of the exposed signal with no shielding on the pogo pin at 1575mhz it doesn't take much to have a problem with reception.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
clackity said:
Automatic Gain Control. It applies gain to the incoming signal to try to achieve a predetermined (or optimal) signal strength. But anytime you apply gain, you increase noise. The trick is to improve the signal more than you increase the noise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
dpwhitty11 said:
Whoever it was who drilled the holes in his Prime, what kind of bit did you use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Erusman said:
Just a normal metal cutting bit. The aluminum is very soft. Be sure you are careful with the shavings when you drill. You want to make sure you use a can of compressed air to get the metal shavings out of the tablet. Bit size was 7/32. You can go smaller if you want. Just depends on what kind of rubber gourment plug you want to use, and size of your wire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doktaphex said:
So I've been making different antenna all day, but what I hadn't done was just sit the antenna in the open case whilst testing, I decided to do that. Results here:
...
As you can see, even with the antenna just sitting there in the case the connection is useless, same happens when connected to WiFi antenna, in the case, nothing much, move it out to the side, excellent connection in dB.
My current thought is to somehow stick an antenna where the speaker grill is already. At least that would save busting things up too much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
micaman said:
OK now watching that video (thanks by the way) i have to return to my initial theory that it must be the aluminum case that is causing an electrical interference with the antenna an not just blocking the signal. If the degraded signal was solely caused due to the antenna just sitting in the aluminum backing why did the signal improve whilst it was sitting on the keyboard which is also made of aluminum?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Videos courtesy of Doktaphex.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doktaphex said:
My latest idea is running a wire the entire way round the Prime, basically where the screen sits in the case, so far so good. I have a loop of wire attached to the GPS pogo pin. In theory, it could replace that black plastic surround that's about 1 mm thick on the screen.
It was a pain in the ass to install as a quick dirty mod, but doing it properly with tape and such like would make it a breeze. So far it's looking pretty good.
...
All of a sudden though, from having good birds in view I've got nothing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been confirmed to not work. I'm not sure about newer models or their claims to better WiFi.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Erusman said:
Other option you guys might try which i am toying with is adding these Tyco Wifi Antenna. They are used in laptops but extremely thin. Heck i dunno you might not be able to drill any holes and place these powerful boys someplace in tablet and get excellent wifi. I have a few on order already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...00_i00_details
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
green750one said:
What about using an antenna like this ... it's 2mm thick and might fit inside the case. Have no idea what reception would be like but it seems bit more designed than the stock antenna?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.mightygps.com/oem/dielectricantenna.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PersonOfKnownOrigin said:
I wonder if this could be useful
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.sti-co.com/antenna-produc...ransparent-gps
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Erusman said:
You could probably even cut yourself some copper strips and be fancy with the design and fit them around the entire plastic bezel on front. Then solder a connection to the pogos.
However, its all about if the signal is going to get in there. It may not matter how big of copper strip or Tyco antenna you but in there. The aluminum backplate may block it and you will get same results as factory antenna.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jchipper said:
i just ordered a PCB Copper FR4 Circuit Board .025" x 12" x 36"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.ebay.com/itm/36037716592...:IT&_trksid=p398 4.m1439.l2649#ht_1295wt_1139
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
junrider said:
I think with my idea of buy a thin copper sheet that is very filmsy. measure the the size of the contacts on the board, now double it. So if the contacts where:
[||||] you would need a copper strip of [||||||||]
fold the copper strip in half to form a <
Then take the outer end of the copper and put a light solder film, put some rosin flux on the contact, then take the side with the thin film of solder of your copper strip and place it on the contact and press the soldering gun on the strip and thin film of solder should bind the copper strip and contact without the mess of excess solder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lock-N-Load said:
Really though, in the end, it seems if someone wanted to get really hardcore, they could dremel a slice out of the back that is tall yet narrow, go to home depot and get some plexiglass, sand it down to obscure the view into the device, and epoxy that in place and place the wire into that as a window. Totally possible IF you wanted to kick it up a few levels now that the hard work is done and shows an antenna wire can hep. Essentially steal Apples' idea but keep it simple and make it home grown.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RipplingHurst said:
Now im wondering if we couldjust unplug the camera and use that opening where the wires would end. I could easily sacrifice the camera or the flash for such.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
buxtahuda said:
Here is a terrible drawing of my own personal idea for an internally retractable antenna similar to the straw-method that Erusman adopted as his final mod with his Prime/case combo. I'm currently just looking around and gathering my thoughts, but I hope to find a fairly compact, flexible, and lightweight telescopic antenna and place one or two of them just along the MoBo (underneath the bezel of the screen, but attached to backplate) with a hole cut out and insulated so that only the top two or three inches of the antenna will leave the Prime and without making contact to the backplate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, I don't think this would do well. You'd really need antenna large(thick) enough for the GHz frequencies.
I like the Card printer test card.. Looks like a Fargo DTC515 or 525 or a Magicard test card
Just so people know that card is 30mils thick CR80 card stock
How did u fix the lightbleed?
xxgmon3yxx said:
How did u fix the lightbleed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Getting there, sorry. After disassembled, just reseat the screws surrounding the screen and only tighten them enough to hold. The usual issue is too much/uneven pressure.
*EDIT: And I didn't!!!! Lol, credit given at top. Will edit so no one could possibly miss who to really thank
LOOKS great so far. Also try to add in pics showing close up of pogo pins and the pics showing the different ways they attached/soldered the wires to pins/PCB OG test. Maybe also along with those the screenshots showing how much better the signals increased from doing it. DIFFERENT theories n findings people had the seem very plausible.
Very important, add a disclaimer at the bottom saying this is a do at your own risk. You or others involved with compiling info for this thread assume no responsibility for any possible damages. If you proceed to try this, do with extreme caution and if you don't know what you doing or not confident, best not to try this at home
demandarin said:
LOOKS great so far. Also try to add in pics showing close up of pogo pins and the pics showing the different ways they attached/soldered the wires to pins/PCB OG test. Maybe also along with those the screenshots showing how much better the signals increased from doing it. DIFFERENT theories n findings people had the seem very plausible.
Very important, add a disclaimer at the bottom saying this is a do at your own risk. You or others involved with compiling info for this thread assume no responsibility for any possible damages. If you proceed to try this, do with extreme caution and if you don't know what you doing or not confident, best not to try this at home
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the reserved Taking my time, but I'm having to go through the entire thread two more times to ensure accuracy, and proper quoting/credit. It will certainly be done before midnight (10 PM now), so keep refreshing and you'll see me changing it lol
Great job..Appreciate it!
buxtahuda said:
For the reserved Taking my time, but I'm having to go through the entire thread two more times to ensure accuracy, and proper quoting/credit. It will certainly be done before midnight (10 PM now), so keep refreshing and you'll see me changing it lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for putting all of this together. I would have but as you see you've done it alot faster than I could on the prime alone with no dock. Once the bulk stuff or initial stuff is done, it'll be easy to update. The other thread could be the research thread n this one the actual guide n findings from research.
demandarin said:
Thanks for putting all of this together. I would have but as you see you've done it alot faster than I could on the prime alone with no dock. Once the bulk stuff or initial stuff is done, it'll be easy to update. The other thread could be the research thread n this one the actual guide n findings from research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, it's no issue. I've no life, so my Androids keep me company; gotta do 'em justice
Plus, the easier it is for you all to find and understand the easier I can get help also understanding lol
*EDIT: And two 22" monitors can help
demandarin said:
Thanks for putting all of this together. I would have but as you see you've done it alot faster than I could on the prime alone with no dock. Once the bulk stuff or initial stuff is done, it'll be easy to update. The other thread could be the research thread n this one the actual guide n findings from research.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome job! Thanks buxtahuda!
Now I can concentrate on drinking beer and watching the Super bowl
Erusman said:
Awesome job! Thanks buxtahuda!
Now I can concentrate on drinking beer and watching the Super bowl
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To quote a famous philosopher:
Beer, beer, beer.... bed, bed, bed!
Homer J. Simpson
Okay. Bulk work done, pictures all resized and just waiting for the site to update them.
Please let me know if anything's out of order/missing or if something can be scratched. I'll of course be keeping up with this thread, and will also be monitoring the original.
Good luck everyone, and thank you!
Cool thread, this really combines all of the test data. I should have some more btw pretty soon.
wgr73 said:
Cool thread, this really combines all of the test data. I should have some more btw pretty soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wonderful! Can't wait! I'm tearing mine down this afternoon.
Be sure to keep using Erusman's original thread for your general R&D, we'll use this to post it after and hopefully help spread the load of questions from over there.
Soon as I've got this laptop all put together and a bill ready for it, I'll hop back on to look over what's been being discussed.
Just to add to this, my prime doesn't seem to have any GPS issues.
Indoors (ground floor)
Indoors (First Floor)
Outside
I admire your work and would try this if I had crappy WiFi but mine works great. I don't have GPS but if I ever use my prime for navigation I'll use my BT GPS receiver. I just can't put my $500 tablet under the knife at this point
GOOD JOB! I'll definitely use this if I grow a set of stones to take my Prime apart.
Veeerrryyy tempted to tear this thing apart. Thanks guys for your bravery
TF201 | XDA Premium
This is a pretty "ballsy" move to make... and I approve of this message... and of the methods used here to disassemble our tablets.
Sent from the last remaining Prime; Leader of the Autopads.
Just bumping to keep up top, can't imagine anyone really wanting to go through 50+
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
Updated to the latest page of the thread, will soon start putting in links to the products underneath those latter pictures of antenna.
A couple of months ago, one of my co-worker's Palm Pre phone attempted to swim in a pool and drowned (electronically anyway). My co-worker replaced it with a Samsung Galaxy S2 and when he got it he was complaining about how much he loved his Palm touchstone inductive charger. Basically you just stick the phone near a little hockey-puck thing and magnets align it and it starts charging without connecting any wires.
We thought about it and had this great idea to mod his new SGS2 phone and at the time we thought we were the first to think of this. So, I bought an inductive charging kit on Amazon and we both mod'd our phones and I'm very happy with the inductive charging system.
While lots of people have done it for lots of different phones, this thread is about the i777 and I haven't seen any mod instructions out there for the i777 SGS2.
First you need to get a Palm Pre inductive charging kit. Go to Amazon and search for a Palm Pre inductive charging kit. They run less than $10 including shipping (yeah, seriously, I couldn't believe it either). I paid $8.35 for mine. While you are there, get a Palm Pre AC adapter... the kit is finicky about the AC adapter and most of mine didn't work with it. So that's another $3.70 (inc. shipping), so you are now up to $12 or so.
Once you get it, it should look like this:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
And inside it looks like this:
Open the kit box, and you will see a touchstone that you stick on your desk that is the charger and then the Palm Pre case back cover with the inductive coil on it. Peel off the inductive coil very very carefully as well as the four silver circular magnets and try to leave everything intact. Set it aside because when you put it on you want the contacts to line up.
Now comes the fun part, taking apart the phone, soldering the wire, and then routing the wire.
To take apart the phone, your best bet is to watch a Youtube video (that's how I did it), but fundamentally, unscrew the 7 small silver screws and then carefully, use your fingernails (best) to work your way around the gap in the edge of the plastic. Or - if like me you don't really have much in the way of fingernails - use a guitar pick or a thin credit card... like a store shopper reward card. Slide it into the gap and work your way around... not too hard. Don't use anything metal or it will scuff the plastic. Just start in a corner and work your way around, be patient and don't try to take them apart until you've worked all the way around. And if this description doesn't make sense, then watch a i777 disassembly video on YouTube.
Once you are done, you need to solder a wire to a resistor at the bottom. There's a close up here:
You could try to solder to the VCC pin on the USB connector but it's tiny and I personally thought the resistor was much easier to solder to without risking shorting any pins. I suck at soldering so if I can do it, others can too. Just get a fine tip for your soldering iron, get it hot (but not red hot), put some solder on the wire, and then touch the iron to the wire and then the resistor quickly. Do it quickly to make sure you don't damage the resistor or the PCB. It took me three tries but I got it.
Then route the wire.
You can see the wire route. I routed right... if you are looking at it yourself, you might think the the left side looks better, but it's next to the antenna and I thought the right side was less risky. I routed down, across the speaker (the bare black gap at the bottom is where the speaker is), under the PCB, then crossed up, and then dodged the screw slot in the upper right of the battery compartment by tucking the wire under the plastic there. But you don't have to do it like this... do it any way you want (although I'd steer clear of the antenna), you just want to route from the VCC resistor at the botton up to wherever you want to put the contact.
For the ground connection, any of the screws, or the sim slot metal or anything else works. I used copper tape and just routed with the tape to the screw in above the upper right of the battery compartment. But it doesn't matter. The metal of the SIM card slot works too... whatever you want. Ground is easy.
When you are done, it should look like this (more or less):
I used copper tape ($5 from a hobby store, look in the jewelry section) for the contacts, then lined them up with the contacts from the Palm Pre coil by putting the stock cover with the coil onto the separated plastic from the phone and lining them up by looking at them together.
Yes, this mod is not easy, and it voids warranties, but it is magic every time you stick your phone on a touchstone and it just starts charging. I bought a touchstone for my car, and then one for my nightstand. For <$20, I have a car charger and a home charger and it's super easy to just put the phone near the touchstone and let the built-in magnets hook it up.
Things to be careful of:
Do not short anything. Make sure not to short VCC to ground on the USB connector
Do not flip the power connections. Make sure not to tie VCC on the inductor coil to ground in the phone and visa versa.
Don't damage the resistor when you solder to it. Be fast. But get a good connection too
I used a multimeter to check for shorts and to make sure that I got VCC -> VCC, GND -> GND.
Very nice, only problem I see is you should of posted to the accessories forum. But overall a very nice mod and the directions were clear.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using xda premium
Nice mod! Thanks for posting it up. What's the difference in charging time compared to charging via USB?
Sweet, the TouchStone has been one of my favorite features with my TouchPad. I saw lots of people doing this with the Galaxy Nexus, but I wasn't sure if it would work with the i777. I know what I'll be doing with my next Amazon gift card.
Sent from my Galaxy S II (i777)
Now THIS is the kind of inductive charging mod I wanted to see!
Saving the pics for later, just in case.
I see that you have a case on your S2 in the first picture, does the inductive charging work through cases?
Hasn't this been done on the sgsiiet?
Sent from Optimus-Prime's SGSII
mfreywald said:
Very nice, only problem I see is you should of posted to the accessories forum. But overall a very nice mod and the directions were clear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, good point about the Accessories forum. I didn't think of that.
f1456 said:
Nice mod! Thanks for posting it up. What's the difference in charging time compared to charging via USB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't timed it, but it's not significantly slower. I'm not sure what the difference is, though, because I just stick it on the charger when I go to bed and wake up and it's charged. But when I was testing it, it seemed to charge at a rate slightly slower than the USB charger.
quarlow said:
Sweet, the TouchStone has been one of my favorite features with my TouchPad. I saw lots of people doing this with the Galaxy Nexus, but I wasn't sure if it would work with the i777. I know what I'll be doing with my next Amazon gift card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. If you have any questions let me know. And send me a message when you get it working.
Ashhong said:
I see that you have a case on your S2 in the first picture, does the inductive charging work through cases?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You, my friend, have incredibly sharp eyes. I'm using a bumper case - so there's no backing to it. I don't know how well the system would work with a real case, but I'd assume you'd lose some charging current/efficiency by increasing the gap.
Optimus-Prime said:
Hasn't this been done on the sgsiiet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but not as far as I know on an i777 and the internal routing is a bit different from SGS2 model to model.
This is a cool idea. Maybe make a side job out of it for those that don't have the patience or time to do it? I work in electronics for the semiconductor industry so I have the hardware skills but between life and work i don't know if/when i will find time to get around to doing it. Just wanted to suggest it to ya since it is a really cool idea. Thanks for sharing it.
Sent From My KickAss ATT SGS2 SPORTING my CobraRom
Nice. Would you be willing to post some higher res pictures showing the contact placement and the inductive coil installed on the back panel?
Also, were the inductive coil contacts labeled, or did you have to figure out which one was VCC and which was ground?
I've been meaning to attempt this mod after I saw a Galaxy S video showing it.
Can I get a picture of the back of the phone after everything is complete? Without the case, ofc.
sjwaste said:
Nice. Would you be willing to post some higher res pictures showing the contact placement and the inductive coil installed on the back panel?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can do ones of the inductive coil, but I'm not going to take the phone apart again... I should have taken better phones when I had it apart last night... but every time I need to put it back together, it takes a while. I think what we have will have to serve.
There's only one resistor near the USB connector so even though the photo is a bit blurry, if you take the phone apart, you'll see right away which one it is. There's not much there... just a capacitor (the yellow thing) a small IC (the black thing) and then the surface mount resistor (the orange thing in the photo).
As far as the coil, I just peeled it off of the Palm Pre kit and stuck it on the case of the i777. The only thing was lining up the contacts so that they matched the places that I put the copper tape. For that I used to back plastic that was off the phone, that the back cover would attach to, attached it as if the phone was together, and then eyeballed it from the other side.
Also, were the inductive coil contacts labeled, or did you have to figure out which one was VCC and which was ground?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used a multimeter to check. But the contact farthest from the coil is 5V, and the other, the inside one closer to the coil, is GND.
yahoowizard said:
Can I get a picture of the back of the phone after everything is complete? Without the case, ofc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like this:
It might look like the wire would interfere with a real SIM (instead of the microSIM that I have in there now) but it doesn't. Last week I was in Costa Rica and I had an ICE full SIM card in there and it worked fine. The wire doesn't push into the SIM card slot as much as it looks... or rather, you can tuck it under the plastic so that it's more out of the way.
Very snazzy. Got my parts in and going to complete this evening.
Stupid radio shack didn't have any copper tape tho...I'm going to try using the wire ends strategically placed and/or taped to get the same effect.
Sent from my SGH-I777 using XDA
I tried it last night, but it didn't work for me. I'm trying to find out what I did wrong. I solder a wire to the resistor and to the touchstone cover directly to test. Then I wrapped the ground cable around a screw and screwed it down. The tester displays that the cables are receiving all 5 volts.
Mine seems to be a different model because that "U" that is next to the resistor in the picture appears to be on top of my resistor.
I'll keep trying to see if I can get it.
chilean03n said:
I tried it last night, but it didn't work for me. I'm trying to find out what I did wrong. I solder a wire to the resistor and to the touchstone cover directly to test. Then I wrapped the ground cable around a screw and screwed it down. The tester displays that the cables are receiving all 5 volts.
Mine seems to be a different model because that "U" that is next to the resistor in the picture appears to be on top of my resistor.
I'll keep trying to see if I can get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NVM I got it to work!
I soldered only the right side of the resistor and it works flawlessly!
Sorry, I stopped reading the forum as things got busy at work.
chilean03n said:
NVM I got it to work!
I soldered only the right side of the resistor and it works flawlessly!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool. Congrats.
Mine is still working great too.
For the copper tape, I should have elaborated on that. I bought it at Michael's (a hobby/craft store). I think hobby stores that have supplies for making jewelry have it. I tried Radio Shack as well and they had no idea what I was talking about. Amazon has it too. But I think the cheapest option is a place like Hobby Lobby or Michaels or any other jewelry or stained glass window supply.
I tried aluminum tape - from Home Depot - but I had a really hard time soldering to it without soldering through it. Someone at work recommended copper tape instead.
Also, someone on another forum (I'm the moderator of the mobile devices forum at Anandtech) mentioned that their back cover has been popping off. This hasn't been a problem that I've had much - very rarely a corner will pop off after a day in my pocket, but otherwise everything fits pretty well. If people have problems with that, one could move the coil further down on the back cover and that should solve it. Or else you could use double-sided permanent tape from an office supply store and apply it to the inside cover where the cover is coming off.
I just picked up the parts to do this. $3 each for kits with charger and back from Amazon, so I picked up three. I have a couple of batteries that charge off USB that this could work for as well.
Test fit inside my otterbox commuter case seems ok, but will need more metal for the magnets in the charger to hang onto.
Tapped out by infinite monkeys on an Atari 800
just bought the parts to do this
just need the courage now
Sorry to bump an old thread, but this is an awesome mod.
@pfmahoney (or anybody else who has done this) have there been any adverse effects over time? I've read that on some other phones, you can't use the touchscreen while connected to the Touchstone. Is that the case on our model? I've also heard about overheating issues and compass issues. These reports were on other phones, though. Any thoughts?
Danation said:
Sorry to bump an old thread, but this is an awesome mod.
@pfmahoney (or anybody else who has done this) have there been any adverse effects over time? I've read that on some other phones, you can't use the touchscreen while connected to the Touchstone. Is that the case on our model? I've also heard about overheating issues and compass issues. These reports were on other phones, though. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you are right, you can't use the touchscreen while it's charging... well, actually, you can... just not the spot right in the middle. There's a circle about the size of the inductive coil that doesn't respond to input or responds erratically.
I haven't had any issues over time. I put it on the charger every night and it's been fine.
It does get a little warm, but not what I would consider excessively hot. I've had it get hotter playing games than it does on the inductive charger, but it definitely does warm up.
I have never noticed any issues with the compass - by issues, you mean the compass not working? I have never noticed that. I just tried the compass now and it seems to work fine... are these issues with the compass while it's charging? I've never tried that and I can imagine that there might be problems using the compass while it's charging inductively. If you need the compass while it's charging (for example in the car), you can always just plug it in to the USB plug - the inductive mod doesn't stop the regular USB plug from working.
Hello folks!
Someone else here on one of the other threads remarked about adding a heat sink to the CPU for these car stereos.
For my part, I haven't opened up the case itself yet, however from the pictures I have seen of various people doing hardware mods on the radios, it appears that there is very little in terms of a heatsink on some of these radios. Which is to say, nothing at all. It may depend upon your manufacturer.
I find this rather surprising as it is a poor design practice. Not every car dashboard will have adequate ventilation, and it seems to me that some of the folks manufacturing these units are cutting corners. This is not surprising since these car stereos are on the “bleeding edge” of the technology as it stands presently, and the manufacturers are doing it on the cheap. There is not much in the way of “mainstream” android car stereos from big-name manufacturers, currently.
I'd like to give you a couple links for some heatsinks should you wish to add them.
For starters, the RK3188 is a SMD [surface mount device] package of type TFBGA453LD. This microchip is nominally sized at 19mm x 19mm square, plus or minus a small tolerance. Keep this in mind.
A starting idea is to use heatsinks for the Raspberry Pi board. These heatsinks are on the order of 14mm square or so, smaller than the RockChip package, but still good enough to do the job. Here's a passive heatsink:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
https://www.amazon.com/Gdstime-Aluminum-Heatsink-Raspberry-Xbox360/dp/B00ZZ9P3QC/
Here's another that comes in sets of large and small heatsinks:
https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Heatsink-Cooler-Cooling-Raspberry/dp/B010DG5GM2/
This is good for attempting to cool multiple chips on the board.
Here’s some black aluminum 22mm x 22mm x 10mm heatsinks which ought to be a perfect fit:
https://www.amazon.com/10Pcs-Black-Heatsink-Aluminum-Cooling/dp/B00MJVPA2Q/
You could also use some 30 mm x 30 mm VGA heatsinks. Since these are larger than the chip package size, I’ll leave that to you to research. I don’t suggest them due to their size, and the possibility of potentially shorting out a component next to the CPU during the mounting process. You can do this as long as there are not other components in the nearby vicinity which are sticking up higher than the CPU. Also, check your vertical spacing should you have a stereo with a disk drive in it. The last thing you want is to add your heatsink, then find out the hard way you can't re-assemble your stereo! :crying:
You shall also require some thermal adhesive, for applying the heatsink to the CPU. (Unfortunately there are not any screw receptacles for securing a heatsink to the CPU socket with threaded fasteners.)
http://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Silver-Alumina-Adhesive-AATA-5G/dp/B0087X725S/
Above is a two-part epoxy that is thermally conductive. Use only a very small amount! It will flatten out in no time, and you don’t want too much of the “goop” running out the sides and shorting out traces around your CPU.
You can also acquire some 30 mm x 30 mm cooling fans to get some airflow throughout the entire unit.
https://www.amazon.com/Alpha-Omega-Case-30mm-3-Pin/dp/B000BSJGMO/
The idea behind using this is you would drill Ø1” or Ø7/8” hole on the back side of the stereo case using a hole saw, and then transfer some tapped holes for mounting. You would then have to splice the power wires onto some 12 V leads coming into the stereo. I throw this thought out because I have seen at least one OEM stereo that has a cooling fan built into the back of their stereo. If you go this route, you want the fan to push the hot air out of the back of the unit, otherwise you may get some whistling noises through the front or sides. (You might end up with such noises in any case due to the speed of the fan.)
Here’s another two fans that may fit in this application:
https://www.amazon.com/20mm-Turbine-Brushless-Cooling-Blower/dp/B00LG0EJFK/
https://www.amazon.com/Vktech-Brushless-Cooling-0-1-0-3A-50x15mm/dp/B00EL938E6/
That’s all! Best of luck to you!
Thanks for the information, what are your thoughts on these:
https://amzn.com/B00REFP61M
Also, since copper transfers heat faster than aluminum, and aluminum dissipates heat faster than copper, what about using one of these:
https://amzn.com/B00OUJQYCU
To essentially create a heatsink with copper plate, and aluminum fins? I only know this from servers i've built in the past and dealing with cooling, so i'm def no expert, but it sounds like in theory it would work out good? Thoughts?
TripFlex said:
Thanks for the information, what are your thoughts on these:
https://amzn.com/B00REFP61M
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent idea. If it is adhesive and thermally conductive all at once, it's a great way to go.
TripFlex said:
Also, since copper transfers heat faster than aluminum, and aluminum dissipates heat faster than copper, what about using one of these:
https://amzn.com/B00OUJQYCU
To essentially create a heatsink with copper plate, and aluminum fins? I only know this from servers i've built in the past and dealing with cooling, so i'm def no expert, but it sounds like in theory it would work out good? Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This I'd pass on. An aluminum heatsink will work just as well as a copper one, but I'd avoid trying to mix and match both because of the galvanic corrosion you would get from the 2 metals being stuck together. You really don't want copper/aluminum "rust" boiling over onto your motherboard / daughterboard.
Aluminum heatsinks are used the world over because aluminum by itself may corrode a bit but aluminum corrosion is stable, inert and seals in the metal below it. I'd go with the aluminum heatsink and be done with it.
CaptShaft said:
Excellent idea. If it is adhesive and thermally conductive all at once, it's a great way to go.
This I'd pass on. An aluminum heatsink will work just as well as a copper one, but I'd avoid trying to mix and match both because of the galvanic corrosion you would get from the 2 metals being stuck together. You really don't want copper/aluminum "rust" boiling over onto your motherboard / daughterboard.
Aluminum heatsinks are used the world over because aluminum by itself may corrode a bit but aluminum corrosion is stable, inert and seals in the metal below it. I'd go with the aluminum heatsink and be done with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup didn't even think about that, glad I asked
I think i'm going to give this a try, if I do i'll take some pictures and report back with results .. pretty sure I have an infrared temp gun I can use too
Sooooo ... doesn't look like that's going to be possible (at least with mine), here's some pictures you can see the frame sits right on top of it without any clearance
I wonder if I should just put some heatsink compound on top of it so it touches uses the frame LOL
Sooooo ... doesn't look like that's going to be possible (at least with mine), here's some pictures you can see the frame sits right on top of it without any clearance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"Brilliant" engineering on the part of the fine folks that thought that one up, huh?
I wonder if I should just put some heatsink compound on top of it so it touches uses the frame LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The metal chassis is probably grounded, but the CPU chip die package is some kind of inert silicon-based insulator module which keeps the circuits underneath it properly insulated. I don't think it would be too great a risk of making the chip use the entire chassis as a heatsink. That's what some phones do these days, BTW.
The only problem might be if there is any static electric discharge onto your car frame, and whether or not that would fry your stereo if it were to overpower the insulation of the chip package. (Static electric discharge can reach up to 1000 VDC or more, BTW. You don't really "feel" it as a human if you are carrying that kind of charge because your body can act as a low-power capacitor of sorts.)
A better bet might be to get the dremel out, and relieve the chassis around the CPU, then put the heatsink on shifted forward so it doesn't touch the frame. That's a lot of screwing around, however. It's your call.
this is my instalation with an old AMD heat sink
Here's mine I'm currently trying to come up with a way to raise the fan up off the heatsync with some kind of rubber to dampen the noise. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipPdj3INNn0veHfbezArjtqgMScPkkJJrY3vwM1kwXyjbpWPj1oIY4_KAkwc7Sj4gg/photo/AF1QipM2PmtuRiIUnXF98lKklljp-Ss_UdXu74zH4u2X?key=X3RIREl1cGk5RkFUNTFFbE55Y0pHaVVsMDZjcHN3
Believe it or not that little sucker put our more noise than the big one above it lol. The big one has rubber grommets going thru the top so the screws dont touch it. Took the heatsync off and applied arctic silver :good:
TOMMYX2 said:
this is my instalation with an old AMD heat sink
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can i ask what that vertical board near the top right side edge of the case is? Is that the RAM? Does anyone know if a heat sink be attached to the back of that?
Friends
They gave these points for Heatsinks
greeting
Radoslav
TOMMYX2 said:
this is my instalation with an old AMD heat sink
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The native "heatsink" ( metal sheet) has holes for airflow. with AMD heatsink this holes are covered.
no problem at all?
P.S. what it is the diferences without and with this AMD heatsink? temp before and after.
Mine HU indicate 88 C ( stocK- without heatsink )
Thank you!
Where are all the boys should be placed heatsink?
I see some pics of thermal paste... please dont. You will probably damage it instead of cooling it. Use thermal pads instead. As long as the chips are black, no paste. And even some chips(like the upgraded pi3 and pi4) that are not black, still dont use thermal paste.
i also saw some one(believe one of the dutch members) having a nice heat sink with integrated fan. Cant fins the thread any more.
I have a px3 mtce www (kld) I decided to mount as you can see from the photo of aluminum heatsinks attached to the varus chips (px3) and an arm on mtcd with a termal pad that I think is of good quality (the brand produces cooling products) and has the 3m double-sided tape. I didn't find a temperature sensor (CPU-z software) but after testing I noticed that after a few minutes the main processor px3 heatsink got hot (over 45 degrees) ... I would like to ask if you think everything works well ( around that poor thermal pad that does not transfer heat) and the chips cool better without anything above than a fake thermal pad, compared to the heatsink they seem to heat up ... I have another question, can I install a fan ?? From the images we see a white 3-pin connector not used .. Will this be the fan cable?
https://ibb.co/T81jky5
Yes of course you can At 1st I used a huge PC fan mounted to the top lid I dremeled out a hole covered it with mesh worked well but was way too loud. So now I run 2 laptop fans one to circulate the air and 1 to exhaust the hot air. I dont have the 3 pin connector so I found empty 5v and neg contacts under the power connections rear right of the unit if your looking at the screen.
I understand .. Thanks friend .. I'll try them .. Anyway you think the double-sided thermal adhesive works well if I feel the heat on the aluminum heatsink? Or it could choke the chips compared to cooling in the air (original I don't have heatsink and fans) ... Ie the thermal double-sided tape, or it works, or not ... Can it work in half and do damage ??
I have experience with thermal paste but not with pads
Added an intel chipset heatsink on my px5
Before doing so i dismatled the px5 som, applied a good dab of heatsink compound, and applied the intel heatsink
I found Alex Android Radio [youtube] and he is also a member on XDA,
he offers selfmade cooling heatsinks for android headunits for 15 euro.
On my px6 unit temps went from 80 C under load to 55 C under load.
I'm trying to track down a metal back cover for my Nexus 6. I haven't found one anywhere online. I am not looking for a faux metal skin, or a metal case. I want to replace the plastic back with a metal one. Any ideas?
You do know that wireless charging won't work with a metal back, right?
A metal back cover would most likey kill your cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC reception.
To answer your question, I have never seen one. You could possibly cut the top/bottom off of a soda can, cut the resulting cylinder in half, peel the stock cover off, trace it onto the sheet of aluminium, cut it out, and use that.
JimSmith94 said:
You do know that wireless charging won't work with a metal back, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it would kill wireless charging, that's why new metal phones don't do wireless charging. I've never used it though. The signal through should be fine in theory because the antenna bands are actually built into the metal frame. Each corner has two lines on top and side which allow the antenna to get signal.
i have found the perfect solution only ull hav to use CAD to mak design of the back panel or found a exact data file with all needed measurements im gonna get one done just not sure wen, im also thinking of modding the phone and new back panel to act as a fanless heatsink as well
http://www.protocase.com/
elite-NSX said:
.... im also thinking of modding the phone and new back panel to act as a fanless heatsink as well
http://www.protocase.com/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've often thought about creating some sort of heatsink for these devices. Please do make a post about your experience if you do it!