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:
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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.
Related
Warning . This DIY is not for the inexperienced. If you have never disassembled a laptop( and get it back together working) or worked with custom DC power applications you'll want to follow the "do not try this at home" rule. It will require some fabrication skills as well, drilling and making brackets. Once I have this perfected I'll be offering a send in MOD service.
First I need to get a Dock, I have to keep mine intact as I use it daily with my demos and android integration services. If you want yours modded for free let me know. I will guarantee you will get yours back either in the condition it was sent or working with the MOD.
For the modders following along, assumed steps.
1. Remove feet from bottom of dock. Guessing assembly screws are there.
2. Disassemble dock and look for space somewhere along the edge to add a small barrel adapter.
3. Find power leads to the battery and solder extension wires.
4. Test that extension takes charge and that factory connector still works to charge
5. Fabricate bracket for connector
6. Drill edge of case to expose connector.
Let's hope it is this simple. =]
DevCake said:
Warning . This DIY is not for the inexperienced. If you have never disassembled a laptop( and get it back together working) or worked with custom DC power applications you'll want to follow the "do not try this at home" rule. It will require some fabrication skills as well, drilling and making brackets. Once I have this perfected I'll be offering a send in MOD service.
First I need to get a Dock, I have to keep mine intact as I use it daily with my demos and android integration services. If you want yours modded for free let me know. I will guarantee you will get yours back either in the condition it was sent or working with the MOD.
For the modders following along, assumed steps.
1. Remove feet from bottom of dock. Guessing assembly screws are there.
2. Disassemble dock and look for space somewhere along the edge to add a small barrel adapter.
3. Find power leads to the battery and solder extension wires.
4. Test that extension takes charge and that factory connector still works to charge
5. Fabricate bracket for connector
6. Drill edge of case to expose connector.
Let's hope it is this simple. =]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a dang good idea...I should have thought of this earlier! Looking at the dock, it looks like the bezel is clipped in as well. Also, the "clamp" part of the dock has some screws in it. Mechanism might be a little bit more complicated but hopefully not. You're going to need an awfully thing barrel connector to make this work. The Bezel is about the same thickness as the TF's bezel.
verkion
It is an excellent idea!
But I'm thinking. If you can do this on the dock, couldn't you also do it on the TF itself?
glg
glgehman said:
It is an excellent idea!
But I'm thinking. If you can do this on the dock, couldn't you also do it on the TF itself?
glg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure there will be no room in the tab to do it, would be great if you could though!
Think I am going to try this mod. Ordered 2nd dock. If I go over-my-head I will contact DevCake for help.
The issue with barrel plug on TF tablet is what to do when dock is attached?
The advantage of barrel plug on dock is charging both dock and tablet, eliminating the need for any proprietary 40 pin cable (because doc has its own), and if you want to screw around the dock costs less (still $150USD is a lot, but less compared to a spare $40USD charger). Still need to consider what to do if barrel plug charging and something plugs into 40pin connector.
I also plan to put in a slide switch to disconnect the dock battery from the tablet entirely to save juice when shut down. E.g. reports of doc losing power when attached. This could extend the stand-by life of the dock for a week or more.
Once the thing is opened up, it might be a good time to discuss placements. Everyone has different and great ideas. I have a digital caliper to measure stuff.
Bob Smith42 said:
Think I am going to try this mod. Ordered 2nd dock. If I go over-my-head I will contact DevCake for help.
The issue with barrel plug on TF tablet is what to do when dock is attached?
The advantage of barrel plug on dock is charging both dock and tablet, eliminating the need for any proprietary 40 pin cable (because doc has its own), and if you want to screw around the dock costs less (still $150USD is a lot, but less compared to a spare $40USD charger). Still need to consider what to do if barrel plug charging and something plugs into 40pin connector.
I also plan to put in a slide switch to disconnect the dock battery from the tablet entirely to save juice when shut down. E.g. reports of doc losing power when attached. This could extend the stand-by life of the dock for a week or more.
Once the thing is opened up, it might be a good time to discuss placements. Everyone has different and great ideas. I have a digital caliper to measure stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for it Bob,
I don't think installing the barrel connector on the Tablet is a good idea either.
I wouldn't place the connector on the front so the sides IMO are the best location but that will become clear when we see the innards.
The addition of the 40 pin connector while the barrel connector is charging is a big part of the mod. Bridging the power over to the barrel puts both power sources in parallel and this can be bad. When you attach 2 power sources in parallel that are of different voltage the voltage actually will travel to the lower voltage supply source and overload it. Remember any PC USB is 5V, not the 12 or 15 you will supply to the barrel so if the barrel is connected to the charger and the 40 pin is connected to the charger you will send more voltage back to the PC and BOOM! The universe will implode upon itself =/.
So how do we address the possibility of multiple power sources? either with a switch or an additional circuit that shuts one off when it see voltage from the other. The 3rd option is to disconnect power from the 40 pin which IMO is not an option, you want to keep that intact.
Bob if you frequent any DIY forums that deal with these kind of power MODS ask around about a circuit that will do this for you. You might want to start with RC forums, those guys know DC like no other. I'll start looking around but whatever we find needs to be small for sure.
Have you sourced some barrel connectors?
I would vote switch, just in case the circuit failed somehow. With a switch, you simply cant use both at the same time no matter what.
Good news.
I received my 2nd dock, and opened it. There are only two screws, under the rubber feet in the back by the hinge. These screws help support and hold the hinge in place. Run a plastic separator tool around the edge to open. I started in one back corner. It is tight in a few places. Do not bend the metal by the socket positions, where the metal is very thin and flexible. The front edge separates last (most difficult) using leverage of flapping open and closed the top/bottom pieces, and starting separation on one side.
I will post pictures soon. I took some and in the process of uploading. I have my digital caliper at the other office so measurements later.
There is a great position for a female socket for a barrel plug charger, behind the current charger and pointing to the back. It is between the hinge and a circuit board, so there is no leeway in width. The width is narrow, just under 5mm, so a socket needs to be thin. If we find a 4mm wide barrel socket, maybe 7mm or less high it should fit. Of course that makes a slim barrel.
UPDATE: On further consideration, we might trim up to 3-4mm of the hinge plate, giving up to 7-8mm square barrel socket.
The area between the battery (centered under the keyboard) and the back hinge is wide open. Literally room to drop in x4 sd cards end to end, and stack another row of x4 on top, with space left over. The entire space is about 5-10mm height. A switch can go anywhere in this area, mounted on the bottom face, which is protected by the protruding hinge.
I was thinking with all the USB ports, it might be worth considering loading up some internal USB devices later.
Bob Smith42 said:
Good news.
I received my 2nd dock, and opened it. There are only two screws, under the rubber feet in the back by the hinge. These screws help support and hold the hinge in place. Run a plastic separator tool around the edge to open. I started in one back corner. It is tight in a few places. Do not bend the metal by the socket positions, where the metal is very thin and flexible. The front edge separates last (most difficult) using leverage of flapping open and closed the top/bottom pieces, and starting separation on one side.
I will post pictures soon. I took some and in the process of uploading. I have my digital caliper at the other office so measurements later.
There is a great position for a female socket for a barrel plug charger, behind the current charger and pointing to the back. It is between the hinge and a circuit board, so there is no leeway in width. The width is narrow, just under 5mm, so a socket needs to be thin. If we find a 4mm wide barrel socket, maybe 7mm or less high it should fit. Of course that makes a slim barrel.
UPDATE: On further consideration, we might trim up to 3-4mm of the hinge plate, giving up to 7-8mm square barrel socket.
The area between the battery (centered under the keyboard) and the back hinge is wide open. Literally room to drop in x4 sd cards end to end, and stack another row of x4 on top, with space left over. The entire space is about 5-10mm height. A switch can go anywhere in this area, mounted on the bottom face, which is protected by the protruding hinge.
I was thinking with all the USB ports, it might be worth considering loading up some internal USB devices later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice!
Get some pics up !
One thing I would do is install another USB port and connect it directly to the battery so you can use the battery to charge other 5V devices without having to connect the TF.
I removed the circuit board, now, and pulled back some of the covering tape.
I will post pics tomorrow. Sorry. I want good sunlight of circuit board stuff, because I think that is where we will need to attach the barrel plug charger wires.
The charging socket on the dock has 20 solder points and it looks like up to 3? power lines (visual inspection). With my sub-mm solder iron I can attach wires to charge via a plug. At some point we will need to know at least the power positions on the cable/plug, especially the grounds.
I think we can simply cut into the x2 red and 2x black battery lines for a switch, or aux power. There are total 8 lines on battery, exactly like the tablet, and about 4 inches of exposed wires.
Full list of photos:
Plug showing depth behind battery & rubber spacer (7mm depth; 5.0mm battery, 2.0mm rubber spacer):
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Circuit board removed showing full hinge (back left):
Full keyboard under side:
Full bottom of dock with keyboard removed (large space between battery and back hinge):
Closeup of back left hinge and charging port (4.75mm between circuit board and hinge metal, 8mm between circuit board and hex nut on hinge):
Opposite to left hinge on keyboard side:
Back left hinge and charging port:
Keyboard under side (right half keyboard):
Keyboard under side (middle keyboard):
Keyboard under side (left half keyboard, side with power plug):
Bottom of dock (middle):
Bottom of dock (left):
Bottom of dock (right):
Bottom of dock (middle):
Bottom of dock (left):
Full keyboard underside with touch pad:
Full bottom of dock with keyboard removed:
Bottom of dock (left side, with power plug):
Bottom of dock (right back side, with USB port, large space between battery and hinge):
Bottom of dock (left back side, with power plug):
Under side of keyboard:
Bottom of dock, with keyboard removed:
Can u try to see if u can follow the usb ports to the 40 pin connector to see what points are for usb connection? That way we can follow up to the tablet and install a usb port in the tablet. There is plenty of room for one inside it
since the keyboard dock is opened, whats the battery rating in mah inside?
mlbl said:
since the keyboard dock is opened, whats the battery rating in mah inside?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery says:
ASUS LI-polymer Battery Pack C21-EP101
Rating: +7.4V =~ 3300mAh, 24Wh
It is 5.0mm thick, 137mm long, 104mm wide. It is wrapped in a black plastic bag-like cover, and the length at top seems empty when pressed - so about 20mm at the top is just a cover and not *battery*. The battery inside is closer to 5mm x 117mm x 104mm. There are two 2.0mm thick rubber spacers on top of the battery, running the full length and 29mm wide each.
Good to hear that. Thanks for the info
cowballz69 said:
Can u try to see if u can follow the usb ports to the 40 pin connector to see what points are for usb connection? That way we can follow up to the tablet and install a usb port in the tablet. There is plenty of room for one inside it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to use my fingers to easily slide out the battery plug on the circuit board. I will try to get some detailed photos of the circuit board today.
There are two groups of wires from the circuit board to the tablet plug. The silver colored is a shield and the black is unshielded. I was assuming the unshielded was USB, because USB lines do not *require* shielding - but, USB lines do require about 1 twist every 20mm or so. Also, I was assuming the shielded bits were keyboard & trackpad. But, I could be entirely wrong with these guesses.
One partial approach is to unplug both silver and black groups of wires and test continuity of each line from the tablet plug.
Tracing lines on the circuit board might be a good approach.
I was also going to test my cable, the USB end continuity against the 20 pin connector, and then plug in my cable to the port and test the matching solder points under the connector on the circuit board. Slightly safer now with battery removed.
Suggestions welcome as we go.
I am going to try something like this for the power jack: (See UPDATE below for correct component)
http://parts.digikey.com/1/parts/1052051-conn-pwr-jack-0-65x2-6mm-smt-pj-038-smt.html
IMAGE REMOVED (I suggest you do NOT use the component seen in link above)
I ordered a variety of jacks to test. The "DX-UA Universal" has a 0.7mm ID, 2.35mm OD - Plug tip. I noticed the Motorola 10.1 tablet has a similar power plug, but unsure of their voltage.
==
UPDATE: I do *not* like the socket listed above, because it has an open bottom (hard to glue in place) and it is *not* tall enough. It is too short so if the charging plug is pushed up and down the socket can be pried loose, no matter how good it is glued in place.
Rather I prefer this other component:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=CP-031HPJCT-ND
I reviewed about 10 various component models. The new choice, CP-031HPJCT-ND is:
(1) cheaper, shielded costs more and no benefit.
(2) taller, it fills the space between top and bottom of dock. Therefore, the screws holding the dock top/bottom together also hold it in place in addition to glue, e.g. it cannot be pried loose by impact on the charging plug.
(3) the hole is centered in the component, giving max strength to each side (other similar have a hole off center, which some might prefer but I do not, e.g. this CP1-022PJCT-ND is not as good in my opinion).
I will attempt to mount the preferred CP-031HPJCT-ND in the next few days, and advise of results. There are some mounting details that are required to successfully use these components, e.g. hole placement, electrical connection, positioning, etc..
guys... if we're already this in depth then why not just wire the power leads from the existing usb port in the dock over to the power/charging leads on the proprietary connector?
it would be far eaiser than adding a new connector/modding the case of the dock and would be even more "universal" since you could still charge with any usb adapter out there...
dmc971989 said:
guys... if we're already this in depth then why not just wire the power leads from the existing usb port in the dock over to the power/charging leads on the proprietary connector?
it would be far eaiser than adding a new connector/modding the case of the dock and would be even more "universal" since you could still charge with any usb adapter out there...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good point but with some cons.
1. You still need to make or buy a cable to use an off the shelf universal charger.
2. That port will no longer supply power to any USB device you connect to it.
The main purpose of this mod is to be able to use almost any universal charger that is available so the extra work adding the new connector is worth it IMO.
Bob Smith42 said:
Full list of photos:
Plug showing depth behind battery & rubber spacer (7mm depth; 5.0mm battery, 2.0mm rubber spacer):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, looks like plenty of room in there.
So were you between flossing or is that flosser thing for something else =]
Last few days I been debating to Exacto off top two inches of my primes aluminum shell.
Right where the Wifi / GPS antenna are kept.
Of course doing so would VOID the warranty.. lol
But, it would test the theory of rather or not the aluminum back interferes
with anything.
The aluminum back is very thin. You could in theory take a ruler and scar
out a straight line. Go over the line many times with an exacto knife just
enough to break the aluminum shell. Then pull off top piece.
Hopefully it is just a shell and nothing is attached to it.
Anyone else brave enough to attempt such a venture?
My luck the wifi / gps / bluetooth results will be the same.
Good idea? Nuts? What do you guys think?
*** UPDATE ***
When I first got my prime its WIFI was very weak, and its GPS didn't work. I was very fustrated that I spent $500 on a tablet that didn't work! And it had Light bleed. I thought that when ASUS released its ICS update the problems would be fixed. They weren't. My return period had expired from where I purchased the prime originally so I tried to find as much info as I could on the prime's problems. Everything from aluminum backplate interference to pogo pin problems. I was fustrated so my original idea was just to Exacto off the top two inches of the prime. Well, after coming to my sense and realizing this idea was nuts. (sorry one too many beers). I just decided to try and open the unopenable! After seeing Anandtech teardown of the prime http://www.anandtech.com/show/5286/asus-eee-pad-transformer-prime-teardown I made some plastic tools and decided to open it up! To my surprise it was really easy to open!
Pics of opening the prime
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Thanks to XDA member Doktaphex for uploading these Youtube videos of him opening his own prime!
Pic of PCB (printed circuit board) Primary WIFI antenna having a flawed PCB design?
When I opened my prime I found that ASUS included two wifi antenna PCB towards the top of the prime to pickup Wifi / GPS signal.
The secondary wifi pcb was fine. However the primary wifi antenna's pcb had a design flaw. The pcb copper etching on the primary
wifi antenna was not connected! Asus used pogo pins that transfered the wifi / gps signal from one side of the tablet to the other.
These pogo pins would lay flat against the wifi pcb's copper pad. However on the the wifi pcb i pulled out of my tablet the signal
never made its way from these copper pads to the top wifi antenna because the copper etching in the pcb was gapped! I tested
and no conductivity was found!
Is this the reason why ASUS pulled shipments when the prime was launched?
Is this the reason why some peoples WIFI work and others dont?
You be the judge.
*** UPDATE ***
Ok here are the pics of my final mods. I removed both PCB Left and right Wifi/GPS antenna. I removed the pogo pins and drilled holes in the back of the aluminum backpanel. Holes where placed just below where pogo pins use to be. I then inserted some rubber gourmets around the drilled holes. Soldered on some wires to where pogo pins use to be and feed them through the rubber gourmets.
I have a MoKo Slim-Fit case so this mod works perfect for me. I can just tuck the wires behind the prime. And never even see the mod.
Awesome results. 32kbps/5kbps using speedtest for the wifi. Getting 20-30dBM in Wifi Analyzer. I can walk all around my house and get excellent wifi. I can walk out 50 feet in my yard and still pull all bars!
(Using Asus RT-N66U Dual-band Wireless-N900 Gigabit Router)
GPS works perfect. Using GPS Test it gets a signal within 5 seconds and 15+ birds, accuracy great!
Light bleed fixed for me. Just messing around with screws on display.
***Update***
I finally got my Tyco Antenna the other day and tried them out. Unfortunately they did not work out. I soldered them to where pogo pins use to be and tried placing them all over in the tablet. I couldn't get any good WIFI results. The only area I had OK results was where the original WIFI PCB where at. (50% of wifi I am now getting from just some external wire antenna.) I then positioned the Tyco Antenna to the back of the prime. The aluminum back of the prime is the problem. It just block/interferes with everything. Whenever you have something even close to the back of the prime it interferes with it. I got fustrated, but maybe someone will have better results.
***Update***
Ok, after all the mods in last week+ I found a little method that work best for external wire antenna. Its called the "Caprisun straw method." lol.
Whenever you place anything close enough behind or back of prime. The aluminum backplate interferes with the signal. Even with external wires when I tucked them behind the prime the signal would degrade some. So what is the "Caprisun straw method." Well my kids drink alot of Caprisun's from COSTCO. While my 8yr old left an empty one out I had an idea with the straw. (see pic).
I decided to place my wires in the straw. As I pulled the straw up and down my WIFI Increased considerable! Why? because I was getting signal away from that darn aluminum backplate. You can use whatever straw or color you want. But the whole idea is now it is pretty quick and easy to adjust your WIFI range with the straw. When I am done playing with my tablet I simply tuck the straw back behind the tablet in case. GPS you can have a straw on as well and just push it up out of case. (GPS results are amazing with this little fake wifi antenna).
***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!!
(Charter Ultra 100mbs connection, ASUS RT-N66U Router : 32kbps / 5.5kbps Speedtest @ 50 feet)
I had to laugh a little because my prime kinda looks like a little android with the antenna stickin out.
**Added 2-19-12 thanks to XDA member pileot and other Modders whom have found out that:**
IF YOU HAVE ANY ANTENNA / WIRE AFFIXED DIRECTLY NEXT TO / ALONG THE BACK CASE THE INTERFERENCE WILL BLOCK NEARLY ALL SIGNAL.
If you have any sort of wire / pigtail / antenna AWAY from the back of the case, you will get amazing reception.
***UPDATE***
lol I finally figured out what this switch was for. Located up above headphone
jack. Its the ON/OFF switch for mobo. So be sure to turn off your mobo power before you solder on any mods.
***UPDATE***
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
removed
10char
I'd say go for it bit first study those tear down pics very hard. Even better blow them up n print them out. I don't think there's a need to do the whole top. Just the area where antennas would be located. Even better find the FCC tear down of it for exact measurements so to lessen your chances of mistake or cutting too much. Good luck n keep up posted. You will be very popular in this section if you do this..lol
I think a more cleaner way is drill tiny holes the size of the speaker holes or slightly larger (just check the speaker holes and are too tiny). Just make sure you dont go too deep that you drill out the antennas. Maybe start of with 2 rows of 4 holes (depending how big the holes you want) on each side and center. I should patent this idea and sue anyone who copies!
I think, no. It doesn't need it. The window is already on the glass panel and just needs a solid connection.
Modded by MBOK
mrokeefe said:
I think, no. It doesn't need it. The window is already on the glass panel and just needs a solid connection.
Modded by MBOK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. If anything, take the back off and solder some wires on there and remove the pins they are using to make the connection.
mrokeefe said:
I think, no. It doesn't need it. The window is already on the glass panel and just needs a solid connection.
Modded by MBOK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I been looking at AnandTech teardown. The pogo pins connect to the
front glass. Now my question is on the front glass there is that where the
antenna for WPS / GPS are at? If so then the aluminum back would have
nothing to interfere with. Antenna is on front glass piece.
Soooo.. pressure point theory of pogo pins not making contact against
copper connectors on front make sense on why some wifi / gps not working
as well. And some have fixed by pressing harder on that region.
Evo_Pimpin said:
I agree. If anything, take the back off and solder some wires on there and remove the pins they are using to make the connection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd fully do it if I knew how to open it properly. The fix is so simple its stupid.
Ifixit.com should do a step by step
Modded by MBOK
Erusman said:
Last few days I been debating to Exacto off top two inches of my primes aluminum shell.
Right where the Wifi / GPS antenna are kept.
Of course doing so would VOID the warranty.. lol
But, it would test the theory of rather or not the aluminum back interferes
with anything.
The aluminum back is very thin. You could in theory take a ruler and scar
out a straight line. Go over the line many times with an exacto knife just
enough to break the aluminum shell. Then pull off top piece.
Hopefully it is just a shell and nothing is attached to it.
Anyone else brave enough to attempt such a venture?
My luck the wifi / gps / bluetooth results will be the same.
Good idea? Nuts? What do you guys think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really like this idea and think it just might work the key will be to make sure you located the exact right spot. If you do this let us know ASAP how turn by turn GPS navigation works and also if the range of your Wi-Fi increases
How about just taking the back off?
Do a before and after test of signal strength and speed.
(especially at some distance away where the signal seems to fade.)
Ride525 said:
How about just taking the back off?
Do a before and after test of signal strength and speed.
(especially at some distance away where the signal seems to fade.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
easier said then done and very risky exactoing one spot is a bit safer imo
Lol, I'd heat-gun the back and remove it long before taking an exacto knife to it!
I'll watch the thread, excuse me if I drop in laughing hysterically when you go right through some wires or straight into the antenna's you're attempting to help.
This is just my opinion, but if you're willing to void warranty and physically mod then you should be willing to go a tiny step further and fully disassemble for safer modding. Again, just the opinion of someone who's been waiting very impatiently to do exactly as he advises ^.^
mrokeefe said:
I'd fully do it if I knew how to open it properly. The fix is so simple its stupid.
Ifixit.com should do a step by step
Modded by MBOK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Someone should submit all the various threads n tear down pix to them. As this is kinda of a big issue. If ifixit got on it, it would generate alot of tech press. Would be good for both of us.
To the op, thinkn about it, might be better to take back plate off, solder connections then run some afterwards test. Then if you want you could still cut out an RF window on backplate n see how much better than just soldering connections that would bring.
I think sending all this info to ifixit would be a great idea.
PrimeTimeBro said:
easier said then done and very risky exactoing one spot is a bit safer imo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. Teardown shows the prime is separated in two halfs. Front is bezel
containing ips display. Back is where all the guts are at. Connected by
pogo pins. Looks like the bezel lifts out from the shell. The back is
solid. Just appears as if you could just pry around the fine line edge.
too scary for me! I'd think the speaker hole drilling would be less evasive.
Lol... Why dont you just remove the backing, if wifi improves there is your proof. Then drill a few small holes, solder on wired antenae extensions and lead then out of the holes your drilled. Now attach the wire to the back or around the edge of the outer casing. Sounds better to me then slicing apart your backing.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium
cutting the back isn't a smart move. Remove the back would make more sense and test, then if you are going to cut, at least the back is off and you wont slice the wrong thing or part.
I don't think you guys realize how hard it is to take the Prime apart.... why do you think exactly 0 people did it when the Prime first came out and the GPS issue was going crazy at the time and as far as I know no one on these boards has been able to take the Prime apart or has been willing to risk it we have only seen breakdowns from a handful of magazines/online sites.
Just drill a hole and hook up one of these =)
http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/259131067/2_4GHz_Wireless_WIFI_Antenna.jpg
The most ridiculous idea that I have ever heard. I realize that already people have pointed out that most of the Prime's gut's are actually attached to the back panel, but regardless.... just plain dumb!
I honestly don't mean to be rude. What the heck have you been smoking dude.
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:
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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.
Home Made Kydex Car Mount
See second post for an updated version
A Chief Geek How-To I’ve worked Kydex in the past for conceal holsters and large knife sheaths and thought it would be an ideal foundation to make a custom made vehicle mount for my phone. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the stuff, Kydex is a thermoplastic, which is a fancy way of saying you can heat it and it becomes extremely pliable. Think of it as being a wet noodle in consistency when heated to about 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Typically things this easy to mold have extensive drawbacks as being susceptible to heat and cold, but this is not the case with Kydex, in fact it’s quite the opposite in that is highly resilient, can be reheated to rework a botched job, and does not become brittle as it is very impact resistant. It is implemented extensively in the firearm industry and likewise in the blade industry. Keep these qualities in mind as you read through, who knows what you can make with the stuff. Oh and if the above isn’t enough, a few more great things about Kydex is that it comes in lots of colors, can be dyed, it’s plentiful, and best it’s CHEAP. There are lots of sources for it, but I typically just grab a sheet off eBay. A sheet of 12x12x0.093 black Kydex T will run you about $15 shipped to your door. I chose the thick stuff this time, but as it turns out it wasn’t needed. The thicker you go, the harder it is to get precise folds. Think of folding poster board versus folding cardboard. I already have a request in for quote for a few sheets of 12”X12”x0.06 which will be a bit easier to work as it is the same as the stuff I have used for other projects in the past.
My mount will be made for the Samsung Galaxy Note AT&T Version, however these instructions can be easily modified to make a mount for just about anything you want. The reason for doing this instead of just buying one is that I use the Seidio Active case and there is no case specifically made to hold my phone. I am not a big fan of the generic one size fits most as they tend to break after a year of use whether it was $10 or $30. ProClip makes amazing mounts, however they are quite expensive. My goal is to make something comparable to a Proclip, but at a fraction of the price.
Now, For A Few Words Of Caution1.) Kydex is easy to work with, but easy to screw up if you aren’t careful. Pay attention and have a plan going into the project, especially if this is your first venture into molding plastics.
2.) Safety should be your number one concern. What’s it matter if you produce the best gadget holder known to man if you chopped a finger off or burned your house down in the process? I’m not exaggerating here, either of these can easily happen if you’re not paying attention to what you’re doing. Because it’s such a versatile product, your required tools can be as simple as a hacksaw and heat gun, or as complicated a variety of saws, presses, crimpers, rivet tools, and so on. But in any situation, you will be heating and cutting, both have great potential to teach stupid people lessons in caution. Everyone likes a good story about stupid people, but no one wants to be around or associated with that person. Heat guns stay very hot for awhile after they have been used. In the video I comment about laying my forearm across it. As I type this I am holding my right army up slightly because of the nice blister that formed last night. Be careful folks.
3.) Take things slow. Drawl out what you want then make a mock up out of poster board. Kydex is cheap only when you don’t go through 5 sheets trying to figure it out as you go and end up with a pile of scrap.
So let’s see if covered our bases. Be careful. Know what you’re doing. Don’t be “that guy”. Good, let’s get started here.
What You’ll Need:A Mold Of Your Device I will be doing a Samsung Galaxy Note. This is a large phone, but very simple in design. It has no bumps or dips or serious curves, just rounded corners. If you want to leave it in a case, take this into consideration. I will be using mine in a Seidio Active case, so I will be sure to make a mold reflecting these measurements, not those of the actual phone or else it won’t fit. There are different ways of going about this. You can wrap your device in saran wrap (cellophane) then make a mold, then fill said mold with plaster. This is a lot of work, but tends to get a dead on mold. However, I passed on this as purposely introducing liquid to a $700 device is not something I wanted to do. Choose your battles, as they say. I have opted to carve out a wooden mold as the simple flat on all sides design of my phone will make this easy. A phone such as a droid or Razr would have me thinking of the plaster method. This is quite simple, take measurements, find a block of wood that is close, and cut down to a close replica, but it doesn’t have to be perfect nor pretty, just the right size. You will be working with hot plastic, so the block of wood may serve other uses as you go.
FoamFoam is used to “squash” the pliable heated kydex onto it’s mold. This does two things. First, it protects you from 300 degree sheet of plastic, and secondly, and just as importantly, it presses the plastic down tightly on all the dips and curves. This is especially important when making a firearm holster. This is where the retention aspect comes into play. My past holsters are snug enough that I can turn them upside down and jiggle while holding the holster and it will stay in place, yet a firm upward tug snaps it free. This can be applied for the retention of anything, even a phone. If your mold is the appropriate dimensions and you make a nice snug mold, your phone wont go flying out of it when you hit a bump and wont be rattling around going down the highway. Foam is typically used when making a “sandwhich” mold where you are taking the mold and wrapping it in hot Kydex then squashing it with foam to get a nice tight fit. I won’t be utilizing this method so you will not see future references to it, I just though it would be worth mentioning as it may be handy if you alter these instructions for your own use.
Gloves
You want a good pair of heat resistant gloves. Use your noggin here. You want to keep from burning your hands, but still be able to manipulate the tools and plastic. A pair of welding gloves will likely to be overkill, but a thin set of knit gloves may not be adequate protection. I like using a pair of “Mechanix Wear” gloves. They are a tad thin, but if you don’t loiter you’ll be fine. Keep a clean rag handy for extra insulation when shaping the Kydex.
Heat
Typically, I like using the kitchen oven although this time with all the intricate and numerous folds, I will be using a heat gun. I am doing this project while my wife and kids go to her parents house for vacation for a week. She won’t even know what I’m up to. If you are a newlywed, or just haven’t traveled this road, be aware that wives do NOT like their husbands using their ovens and other kitchen assets as a shop tool. I learned this lesson when I baked enamel on a firearm for the first time. Since then I’ve learned my lesson…not to let her know when and what I’m doing.
You’ll be heating your Kydex to about 300-400 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll want to keep a watchful eye on your Kydex, too hot or too long and you will burn it. Obviously heat guns are hot, the nose end where the heat blows out gets very hot and stays very hot. While doing this project, you will be concerned with the Kydex, be aware when you lay your heat gun not to burn something or someone. A decent cheap heat gun can be picked up at Harbor Freight, Lowes, or Northern Tool for $20-$40. You must be careful with these. If you choose to use an oven, it is advised to have a heat gun anyways as it allows you to fine tune your holster.
Cutting Tools
You’ll want a variety of tools at your disposal here. I used a table saw to make my initial two cuts removing the flat I was going to be working with from the rest of the plastic. You can also score the plastic with a box cutter and snap it. As mentioned, I went too thick so if you use thinner Kydex then you will find cutting it easier then I did. See the video for a better idea of what all was used. If you have access to a jig saw, band saw, or scroll saw then use that as it will yield far superior results and leave you with a lot mess clean up with a Dremel later.
Speaking of prettying it up, you’ll want some files or a Dremel to clean up the edges afterwards. You can even use your Dremel to cut if you feel comfortable doing so and have the right bits. But you’ll need to clean up some of your edges after cutting if they are sharp or jagged, but don’t go crazy, you may find yourself doing some detailed cutting and trimming after the molding process so don’t cut too tight of tolerances right off the bat.
Workshop Partner
This is a buddy that can help you out. These are generally easy to find. They will be there to hand you needed tools, open doors and move stuff out of the way as your moving with your heated plastic. They also serve a roll as reminding you not to do something stupid inadvertently. A single 12”x12” sheet of Kydex is more than enough to do 2 small projects. If your buddy has the same phone, make him one for $10 and recoup some costs of materials or trade him for a 12 pack of your favorite brew.
Getting Started Ok, let’s get started. Have your drawling ready and handy, just in case you need to reference it. Be sure that you have made a poster board mock up first. This will verify that your mold is right in comparison to your phone and when you unfold/untape your mock up back into flat form, it will then be a template for the cuts your about to do on your Kydex flat. You can now mark up your Kydex sheet with a carpenters pencil or other marking device in preparation for the cuts. On some projects you’ll want to leave excess material for fine tuning it later. Again, holsters are one of these as you will be test fitting. You can always trim a little more off, but can never put it back. For this project though, as it differs from the simple fold over and smush method used for holsters and sheaths, you won’t want much left over depending on your design as it may be difficult to make all the folds if there is too much in the way. You can always stop the folding, let it cool, make some trims, heat back up with heat gun and continue on. Always error on the side of safety folks, always always always.
Using your chosen cutting method, cut out your Kydex flat that will be made into the mount. This is a step that you must use upmost caution, lobbing a finger off here will get blood all over youre soon to be mount. Also, keep in mind that saw blades remove material as they cut so cut on the outside of the template or you’ll come up short which could cause your phone to drop out. Check your template against your cut Kydex to be sure everything looks good. Now is a good time to make sure all your cuts are straight and squared, this will make for a more professional looking end product. The mount at this point will be known as a flat before it is bent.
Now get your work area prepped for work. I use a large wooden cutting board for my work as I will be doing this inside on a desk because it offers easy access to electrical hook up and great lighting which is essential. Have everything ready to go. Make sure the area is clean and clear of any grit, dust, dirt, and debris. Hot Kydex will pick these up and will be embedded for good, we don’t want that.
Heating Things Up Just like a real firearm, you must be sure of your target and what’s beyond it. Sounds silly right? Do you want to melt the finish on your dining room table, or possibly even ignite it those papers laying nearby? Better to be safe then explain to the wife on the phone why she hears sirens in the back ground.
You will begin by applying small amounts of heat at a time. Get a feel for the material and the amount of heat produced by your heat gun. You will see the Kydex go limp all of a sudden as it hits the right temperature and it won’t take long. Use smooth sweeping motions with the heat gun heating things evenly. Go slow at first and you will get a feel for how it all works and within 15 minutes you’ll have the hang of it. Once you get the correct angle, you will need to hold it there for atleast a minute to ensure it cools in the proper position. If, or actually when, you jack something up just stay calm. It’s an easy fix, just reheat and reshape. Detailed projects like this get reworked over and over to get them just right, sometimes days later I’ll reheat and tweak it just right. Do not trim anything unless you absolutely have to until you are done. Test fit with your mold as you go.
When you have your basic mount done, test fit your actual fit and see how it feels. At this point you will likely be reheating the sides to loosen it or tighten it up some to get just the right fix. Once satisfied it will be time to get the ol Dremel out and start smoothing out lines and making it look a little nicer. This is the point that I ensured the volume rocker and power button was easily accessible. Also figure out where you will be drilling your mounting holes. As mentioned in the video, I will be doing two sets of holes in order to give myself the option of horizontal and vertical options down the road.
Wrap Up Now is the time where you look over your end result. Take notes on what you like and what you wish you would have done differently. Do you make your folds square and wish they were rounded? Did you remove too much somewhere? Do you perhaps want to incorporate a plug like I mentioned in the video? 1 12x12x.06 should cost you under $10 to your door. That’s ATLEAST two mounts, so play around and see what you come up with. Then when your happy with your end result, take what you learned and make a guide and/or video, post it up here, and make the community better.
Link To Video
Photos all photos from this buld will be dumped into: www.photobucket.com/kydexmountproject
Select one's will be shown below
Preparing To Drawl Up The Cuts
Take Your Time And Be Sure Your Measurements Are Double Checked
Primary Cuts Made With Saw
I Heat The Flat In Toaster Oven To Make Cuts Easier And Smoother
Time To Start Heating And Folding!
Choose a Good Pair Of Gloves. Carpenters Pencil Is Great For Assisting With Tight Angles
Almost Done- Stay Tuned For Future Updates
Two Videos Are Awaiting Upload To Youtube And Will Be Made Available Tonight.
I Plan To Update This Thread As My Build Progresses. I Have Been Using Kydex For Years, But Never For Anything This Detailed, It's A Learning Experience For Me Too!
Don't Forget To Use The "Thanks" Button If This Has Helped You And Rate The Thread So It Gets Stickied! Feel Free To Ask Questions And Make SUggestions.
Mount 2.0 W/ ChiefClip
Holster 2.0 Now With ChiefClip
Part I – Required Supplies
Part II – Making The Holster
Part III – The Swivel
Part IV – The Vehicle Specific Bracket
Part V – Final Assembly
Part I
Required Supplies
Tools
Heatgun
Gloves
Cutting Utensils – Boxcutter is primary tool for thin stuff
Dremel – Used to clean up edges and smooth out lines
Marker/Pencil – Carpenters Pencil works perfectly
Small T Square or ruler (or something to make nice straight edges)
Materials:
6” X 12” X 0.060" Kydex
Swivel Mount
Quality Permanent Double Sided Tape (recommend 3M, but swivel mount I listed comes with enough to do the job)
Part II
Making The Holster
I finally got my second batch of sheets of Kydex in after what seemed like forever. The second eBay vendor was far slower than the first, but he was a friendly honest guy who apologized for the delays. I wouldn’t hesitate to use him again, but wouldn’t expect things to be as fast as the other vender, who did not carry the thinner Kydex at the time of the project. This thinner Kydex is far easier to work with, so I highly recommend 0.060 thickness of Kydex. The cutting was easier as I was able to heat it slightly with the heatgun then run a box cutter blade right through it, or you can score it with the box cutter then bend it and it breaks right apart. Way easier than using a saw and snips making lots of ugly cuts that needed to be fixed later. Creating the mount was done along the same lines above. I used the same template and everything. The main differences is that I rounded the sides that wrap around to hold the phone rather than trying to make the squared right angles. This makes for a nicer appearance and is far easier to make and adjust. These steps are very similiar to the previous post, so I’m going to use those photos to get us started, only difference at this point is the thickness of the plastic we’re working with.
1. Cut Kydex to dimensions needed for your design. My design called for measurements of (TBA). This can be done by either scoring with a razor/box cutter, or you can heat the area with your heat gun and use your box cutter to cut clean through the material. It’s up to you, both methods yield the same result.
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2. Remove cut outs to allow your folds to be made.
3. Using your heat gun, heat the edges and big your folds. This will likely take a few attempts so don’t get frustrated. I’m estimating that I did each of the folds atleast 2-4 times to get them just right. I ended up using a medium size ratchet handle to get the nice curved edges. Keep in mind the plastic is very hot, so wear gloves and have a rag handy for holding down these bends for a minute or so while they cool.
4. Test fit the bends and adjust as you go. You will get the feel for the heat gun and learn how much heat is needed to make minor adjustments and when you need to heat the SOB all the way and make it flat to start from scratch again.
5. Use your Dremel to clean up all the edges of your straight line and round the top and make it look a little more refined and finished.
6. Once your happy with the fit and function of your holster, set it aside. You can always make adjustments to it later also if you’re not sure about something you want to do like trying to flatten out a side or what not.
Note: On this holster I plan to secure a 90 degree micro USB cable in to make for a “Dock” so I have one less cable to fiddle with. I’ll have more on this later once I pick up some epoxy and do a few trial and errors.
Total Time: 15-60 Minutes Depending On Luck/Skill/And Pickiness
Part III
Swivel Mount
I ordered my swivel mounts from ebay with a hope I could manage to do something with them. As it turns out, they were exactly what I needed and at $6 w/ free shipping you can't beat it. These are adjustable by turning a nut between the two pieces which is a common design on many GPS mounts, which is what this was intended for. This mount will allow you to rotate the mount to landscape or portrait mode. It will also allow you to tilt it towards you.
As you can see in the above photo, it does have a raised clip of some sorts on it. This is easily removed in a variety of ways. I chose to heat it up a little with the heat gun and lob it right off.
I then grabbed the Dremel and used it to grind down the remaining stump and the raised lines down and roughen up the surface overall giving the double sided tape a better surface to adhere to.
The swivel came with double sided tape on one side (side without nub) and a second piece that was unused, along with some odds and ends that you wont need. I left the applied piece where it was and only used my trusty 3M tape on the ground down side. So far it’s been in my truck for a week and it’s been fine so you can probably get away with using the included tape. If it fails, just scrape off and replace with 3M, but I doubt you’ll have issues with it.
Now set this aside and move onto the 3rd piece of this three piece mount.
Total Time: Approx 5-10 Minutes
Part IV
Vehicle Specific Mount, AKA ChiefClip
I like how ProClip approached the mounting solutions by making highly customized mounting options without a bunch of crazy drilling. I just did not have the $100 for the complete mount. I am sure they are worth every penny, but you have to have those spare pennies to find out. I don’t consider this a knock-off as the only thing I really copy is putting plastic between the molding cracks. They contour their brackets and use a slightly different approach then what I took by utilizing screws and such for mating the parts.
I did everything on the cheap for this project because the point of it all was that I wanted a quality rock solid mount without paying out the rear for a proclip and one that would fit my phone in my preferred case without using a “one size fits all” generic that, in my experience, failes after 6-12 months. A side effect of using this Kydex is that it's re-moldable, so if you get a different phone down the road, there's a good chance you can reheat and reform this to fit your next phone so long as it’s the similar or smaller dimensions.
Making this mount was surprisingly easy, it just took lots of test fitting and minor adjustments to get it just right. Watching ProClips installation video gives you an idea how it works and it’s quite simple. It simply slips into the gaps in the dash molding. This 0.06 Kydex proved to be the perfect thickness to provide a tight, but workable fit. Follow these easy steps for a similar fitting.
1. Test thickness of Kydex with your gaps using a scrap piece you cut out earlier when you made the holster part. If its somewhat difficult to get into the cracks, but once in doesn't cause any ill effects to your dash but stays put rather well, then you're good to continue. I am using the thinnest available. If this is still too thick, consider that you can still use your Dremel to thin it out some. If you go this route, do so very slowly as Dremels tend to remove plastic pretty quickly if you’re not cautious. Even at proper thicknesses it can be difficult to get into the gaps, gently using something to spread this gap will help, I imaging if you had a plastic screwdriver ( to avoid damaging anything) would work well.
2. Measure gap between two panels. See ProClips site for ideas of where to place it for your situation, but I recommend holding your phone there and thinking about this first. Is it viewable? Reachable? Does it block anything you may need such as vents or buttons? Can your turn your wheel without hitting it? Does it obstruct view to anything such as gauges or clocks? Using a ProClip location helps you get an idea what already works for others.
3. Cut a flat strip of Kydex to span this cap, plus and inch or so extra to insert into gaps, more if it'll fit. I cut extra that I knew wouldn’t fit then trimmed it later once I got a solid idea where exactly it was going elevation wise and how deep I could go.
4. Heat and bend one side, rough side out (towards you not dash, this is important)
5. Test fit it in car. Mark approximate location of next bend.
6. Bend second fold. If you’re lucky it'll go right in with a little persuasion. I had to heat and adjust a couple times.
7. Test to make sure it’s nice and snug and not going anywhere. I am covering one of the vents for my design, but in the summer I have the windows down and winter prefer the heat on my feet, so this won’t likely bother me much.
8. Ensure rough side of Kydex is indeed out (will explain later)
Total time, 20-30 minutes.
Part V.
Final Assembly
1. With the ChiefClip in place, peel the backing top from swivel and press onto it. The reason for the textured side out is to give a great surface to adhere to. Press long and hard to make sure it’s nice and secure.
2. Peel the second strip off and press your holster onto it. Again press long and hard. Now is not the time to be in a hurry and have your phone drop to the floor later.
3. Let it sit for about 15-20 minutes for the tapes glue to “cure” and get a nice solid bond to all the parts before test driving it.
Links:
Kydex:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/370596885506...84.m1439.l2649
and
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120858959138...84.m1439.l2649
Swivel Bracket:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/350551742207...84.m1439.l2649
90 Degree angled cablehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/390403412667...84.m1439.l2649
Very nice, thanks for posting. This looks like a fun DIY to take on.
Video added.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Tapatalk
New material added for the 2.0 version.
-Thinner, easier to work plastic
-Complete 3 piece set up (holster, swivel, mount)
-More pics
Feedback is appreciated.
That's one way to do it. :thumbsup:
Consider making the USB hidden and in the mount so it goes in the port when you dock the phone? That's pretty much the only thing I'd change.
BTW what was the total price for the three pieces? IYDMMA
BlkSquad said:
That's one way to do it. :thumbsup:
Consider making the USB hidden and in the mount so it goes in the port when you dock the phone? That's pretty much the only thing I'd change.
BTW what was the total price for the three pieces? IYDMMA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already working on that:
Chief Geek said:
Note: On this holster I plan to secure a 90 degree micro USB cable in to make for a “Dock” so I have one less cable to fiddle with. I’ll have more on this later once I pick up some epoxy and do a few trial and errors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the cable on hand, but salvaged the "dock" guts from my SGS Vibrant desk dock. Havnt decided which to use. the 90 degree is one hell of a snug cable and may be difficult to get phone to drop right onto it.
Total Price is almost nothing if you have tools.
$10 Kydex
$6 swivel
You have enough kydex in that $10 piece to make two holsters and clips. Very cheap project.
Warning: This MOD will void your warranty. You will have to open the device for performing this MOD. Only perform this MOD if you are willing to take a risk.
I took inspiration from Zack from JerryRigEverything to make a clear back MOD of our Honor 8.
It took me around and hour to do this. The only tool I used is a razor blade and scissors.
RESULT:
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Guide:
(NOTE: I am not responsible for any damage you do to your own phone.
1. Slowly remove the rear glass by heating the glass with a heat gun and lifting it with a suction cup.
(You can find many guides on removal of back glass on YouTube.)
2. Remove the connection between fingerprint scanner and the motherboard.
3. Remove the leftover adhesive on the phone.
4. Stick transparent double sided tape around the phone. Make sure you don't cover the camera lens, flashlight and laser.
5. Clean the Glass:
-You can slowly scrape off the lamination by using your finger nails or with tip of the razor blade.
(I noticed that there is a heat shield that is present on the lamination, so by doing this MOD you will loose it.)
-If you use razor blade, the glass might get scratched easily.
-Before cleaning near the fingerprint scanner, remember the orientation of the scanner.
-Use transparent double sided tape to stick the FP sensor back into its original orientation.
-Clean the whole inside of the glass and get rid of fingerprints and stickiness.
6. Reconnect the FP sensor cable back to the motherboard.
7. Stick the glass back to the phone and apply pressure around the glass to make the glass stick firmly.
I am posting this after using the phone for 3 days and as there is no heat shield, there is not much heat on the glass.
This is so head turning that many were curious about this.
MORE IMAGES (with guide)
Amazing, been searching for this but only found a Honor9 till now, gonna do it as soon as i found the Clear double side tape, good work.
kmry said:
Amazing, been searching for this but only found a Honor9 till now, gonna do it as soon as i found the Clear double side tape, good work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate. Do share your results!
Ah, hello, fellow transparent Honor 8 user!
I just did a sin.
This sin. https://imgur.com/gallery/rD6Srsd
I put that on my phone.
But, other than that, I made my phone transparent last year, and have always been screwing around with it. Here's some advice from me:
The honor logo on the glass itself can come off. Just a *little* harder scratching and it'll come off.
The shielding on the motherboard PCB is detachable. It kinda clips in place, so it can be "pulled" off. It looks MUCH better with it removed.
In fact, a lot of things can come off and be fine. The flash diffuser can be replaced with Scotch tape, the fingerprint sensor and screen connector bracket can be removed, some metal can come off...
ok maybe I lost the flash diffuser and fingerprint connector and screen connector bracket but you get the idea.
You can put anything behind that wonderful glass. I used to have a piece of paper with my name on it, but I removed it. Now I put in, uh, an ahegao image, and it's secured nicely.
That's all I have to say. Good job on this, btw, yours looks nice and secured but my back glass keeps detaching from the adhesive, no matter how much I put on. Maybe it's because the plastic layer in between is stretched out and tries to force itself out of the phone...
Noorquacker said:
Ah, hello, fellow transparent Honor 8 user!
I just did a sin.
This sin. https://imgur.com/gallery/rD6Srsd
I put that on my phone.
But, other than that, I made my phone transparent last year, and have always been screwing around with it. Here's some advice from me:
The honor logo on the glass itself can come off. Just a *little* harder scratching and it'll come off.
The shielding on the motherboard PCB is detachable. It kinda clips in place, so it can be "pulled" off. It looks MUCH better with it removed.
In fact, a lot of things can come off and be fine. The flash diffuser can be replaced with Scotch tape, the fingerprint sensor and screen connector bracket can be removed, some metal can come off...
ok maybe I lost the flash diffuser and fingerprint connector and screen connector bracket but you get the idea.
You can put anything behind that wonderful glass. I used to have a piece of paper with my name on it, but I removed it. Now I put in, uh, an ahegao image, and it's secured nicely.
That's all I have to say. Good job on this, btw, yours looks nice and secured but my back glass keeps detaching from the adhesive, no matter how much I put on. Maybe it's because the plastic layer in between is stretched out and tries to force itself out of the phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you so much.
Does removing the RF shielding on the motherboard cause any problem (regarding heat or other)??
vssrinath said:
Thank you so much.
Does removing the RF shielding on the motherboard cause any problem (regarding heat or other)??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not that I know of. I've had my phone near microwaves and stuff without any issues. Most of the heat is generated on the other side of the PCB, with the SoC, but that heat gets dissipated through the aluminum frame of the phone with thermal pads. In fact, once I hit a capacitor with my pliers because there's additional metal under there that I tried to remove, and the tiny capacitor got ripped off, but my phone still works fine. No issues of any sort.
Noorquacker said:
Not that I know of. I've had my phone near microwaves and stuff without any issues. Most of the heat is generated on the other side of the PCB, with the SoC, but that heat gets dissipated through the aluminum frame of the phone with thermal pads. In fact, once I hit a capacitor with my pliers because there's additional metal under there that I tried to remove, and the tiny capacitor got ripped off, but my phone still works fine. No issues of any sort.
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Woah, will remove those shields soon.
I'm thinking to stick a carbon fiber vinyl on the battery (just like mi 8 explorer edition), or anything cool.
Could you suggest some ?
Noorquacker said:
Ah, hello, fellow transparent Honor 8 user!
I just did a sin.
This sin. https://imgur.com/gallery/rD6Srsd
I put that on my phone.
But, other than that, I made my phone transparent last year, and have always been screwing around with it. Here's some advice from me:
The honor logo on the glass itself can come off. Just a *little* harder scratching and it'll come off.
The shielding on the motherboard PCB is detachable. It kinda clips in place, so it can be "pulled" off. It looks MUCH better with it removed.
In fact, a lot of things can come off and be fine. The flash diffuser can be replaced with Scotch tape, the fingerprint sensor and screen connector bracket can be removed, some metal can come off...
ok maybe I lost the flash diffuser and fingerprint connector and screen connector bracket but you get the idea.
You can put anything behind that wonderful glass. I used to have a piece of paper with my name on it, but I removed it. Now I put in, uh, an ahegao image, and it's secured nicely.
That's all I have to say. Good job on this, btw, yours looks nice and secured but my back glass keeps detaching from the adhesive, no matter how much I put on. Maybe it's because the plastic layer in between is stretched out and tries to force itself out of the phone...
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I did the same till recently got bored of it and bought a new blue glass cover, if you really wanna make sure the glass stays glued, you have to use transparent b7000 adhesive, and if you lost the plastic flash diffuser like me, with the glue, make a circle arround the flash, so dust dont come in to the camera and destroy it.
Here: http://imgur.com/gallery/iSd5PDp