How to Mod Factory Cover on Extened Battery on Gnex CDMA - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

I was very frustrated to find out that my new 2100 mA battery wouldn't allow my gNex to fit in my Incipio Case so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I'm sure I'm not the first to do this but just trying to show everyone in hopes to get out the idea.
I noticed that the Factory cover was very close to closing over the extended battery but just wasn't enough. So I grabbed my Dremel and went to work on the factory cover. I assumed I would have to cut all the way through the cover to make it fit but I was able to make it work by making the cover paper thin..
Here's the video I posted on Youtube that I have created to explain everything.
http://youtu.be/q-Z1tiotZFg
If anyone has any questions please post and let me know. Hope this well help. Feel free to find me on Google+. Thanks guys. Hope this helps.
https://plus.google.com/i/oUgwiUG3fbw:gGx3WKoMueI

I've been wanting to do this for a while. Thanks for the video. With the ground down stock cover, when viewing the phone from the side, does it look stock? Is that little lip under where it says SAMSUNG right above the bottom of the door still there?

Related

Battery cover seems loose

Anyone have the same problem? My friend just got a brand new Dash, and the battery cover on the back of the unit seems to give in a little like mine. It's very prone to opening up when taking out of your pocket. Anyone have a fix for this? I was thinking of getting a new cover from eBay, but I figured it would yield the same results.
I think all of the excalibur phones have the same problem because I had the same and my friend did too.
Our solution:
Open the battery cover.
Put very small pieces of scotch tape where the screws are (on the sides).
About 1cm or less should do perfectly. Stick them near the screws or on top.
See the problem disappear
My phone feels much more solid now that the slight give in the battery cover is gone.
Also, I got a new Mugen 1200mah battery for the phone. I noticed it was probably slightly thicker than the original, maybe 1mm or less. So I removed the scotch tape and installed it and the cover sits beautifully. No creaking at all!
Hope this helps.
Yeah,
I have had the same issue.
My fix was to cut my buss. card to fit the dimensions of the battery. I then place it over the battery and then put the battery cover back on. The battery cover is much tighter and you have the added security of a buss card if your phone gets lost!!!!!!
Wow guys, awesome tips. I'm glad to discover that I am not the only one suffering from this.
I actually just purchased the Mugen 1200mAh battery for the phone as well. I guess I'll wait for it to arrive before trying the tape and card strategies.
PS - BTW, do you notice a significant gain in juice with this battery? If I don't charge my phone everynight, I can expect it to die halfway between the next day. I am hoping to be able to get at least 2 full days with this battery as I do a lot of weekend traveling.
I decide to buy one of those thin rubber covers for the S621 (5.00 bucks), fits great and protects from falling. Battery cover is permanently tight.
Regarding the Mugen:
Well, I just installed it yesterday so I am not sure, but I think there's a slight improvement. To tell you the truth, I am so used to charging my phone every night that I haven't really tested it.
Will give it a try and let you know.
Btw, with the Mugen, the cover now fits so well and feels so solid..its great!
Update:
Well, after using it for a few days, I can say that is battery is a very definite improvement over the 960mah one. I am trying to finish the 6th Harry Potter book on iSilo (reading it again to refresh my memory before the 7th comes out) and mostly, I am reading whenever I get the time to read.
That, coupled with checking mail through EDGE and lots of small calls, SMS sending, etc..
I am left with about 55-60% battery at night.
Earlier, it used to be more on the 25-35% side.
Downsides:
One day, my phone turned off on its own. This happened twice. The first time I turned it back on, my keylock was still on.
I haven't noticed the problem since that day but its something to consider. But, I had also installed Sprite Mobile Swipe and a few games on that day so maybe it was to do with them.
Anyway, its working perfectly now so I am very happy
Hi All!
Where I can find a Mugen 1200mah? Please write a link.
Hi, please search for Eten Webshop in Google. It's the first link you get.
I don't know whether we are allowed to post links here.
This battery is awesome. It is a lil thicker, as mentioned, and it does make the back cover a lot sturdier. It also adds a lot of juice over the original. Highly recommend it.

[DIY] Improve the fit of your battery cover

This discovery was totally an accident. I had screwed up my LED, so I took my Evo apart to clean the grill out. I put the cover on and noticed that it fit damn near perfectly for the first time.
All you have to do is loosen the screws around the edges of the phone. You may have to tweak all of them, or just a few of them. It just depends on how your case fits. You'll have to mess around with it and figure out what works best for your device.
You will need a Torx T5 screwdriver!
If you don't have one, you can get one on iFixit. The screwdriver itself is $4.95, plus $2.83 shipping I think. But, if you use any of the coupon codes off RetailMeNot you can save $5, so basically you get it for the $2.83 shipping cost. I used the code "90308fixit" although it may or may not work for you. Like I said there are a bunch more on there that people say work.
As usual, YMMV. If you screw up your Evo, break something, stab straight through your thumb with the screwdriver, etc etc, it isn't my fault. If you blame me, I will laugh at you. Just because it works for me, doesn't mean it'll work for you.
Br0tip: There is a tiny black sticker on the middle screw on the left side. It doesn't say anything, but it's there. If you break it or remove it, you won't have a warranty. I can't show you a pic because I had to remove mine to get the whole case open, but consider yourself warned.
Let me know how it works for y'all. I know it's made my Evo a LOT more comfortable to hold.
Thanks for the tip. My experience has indicated that the fit has more to do with the battery cover than the phone itself. I have two stock battery covers: one black and the other white. The latter one came with my white Evo and fits very poorly. Tons of give/movement. The former, which I purchased to give my Evo the Oreo look, fits perfect. Solid as a rock. So if you don't want to mess with the your phone itself, you may try swapping out the cover.
davpel said:
Thanks for the tip. My experience has indicated that the fit has more to do with the battery cover than the phone itself. I have two stock battery covers: one black and the other white. The latter one came with my white Evo and fits very poorly. Tons of give/movement. The former, which I purchased to give my Evo the Oreo look, fits perfect. Solid as a rock. So if you don't want to mess with the your phone itself, you may try swapping out the cover.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had noticed that too. My original Evo it fit perfectly, then I had to get it swapped & since I had carbon fiber on my cover I kept my old cover. It didn't fit as well on the new Evo. It seems they fit one Evo almost perfectly, but any others & it gets rought.
I messed with mine some more this morning, and the thing that seems to affect it the most is that all the screws are screwed in exactly the same depth.
why do u guys like to spend so much money lol
i bought the full kit from dealextrme for 2.45
Card trick
I put a folded business card between the battery and the cover and fits really well cant even notice that the card is there. But boy does it make a difference
Thanks for the tip GeniusDog! I have a white evo, and the battery cover always bulged a little bit towards the middle of the phone making the battery cover creak a little bit. All I had to do was loosen the top and bottom screws a little bit, and Its perfect

Samsung Captivate Extended Battery

I work directly with China's largest manufacturer of Extended batteries. They finished the AT&T Samsung Vibrant for T-Mobile and I've sold a bunch already with 100% feedback on Ebay. Userid is kevinjmoore. Unfortunately, they don't want to make a mold for the Captivate because they don't think there is enough demand in the USA to warrant it. To prove them wrong, I am trying to generate interest so that I can pay for the door mold charge and have them produce a bunch. The battery is the same as the Vibrant so that part is done. It is a 2800maH, which is nearly double the capacity and does last more than twice as long as stock--I know, I have the phone. Please email me at kevinjmoore at gmail dot com to get more details and help us get this rolling. I've reviewed all the forums out there and battery life is definitely one of the top issues. The rubberized door feel is awesome and it doesn't add a bunch of thickness to the phone like you think it might. Total production time is 20-25 days. My price will be at most $40 incl shipping. I may bring it down if demand is high enough. I will need a minimum of 50% fully refundable deposit. If I don't get enough demand in 30 days, I'll refund completely (less $0.30 Paypal fee). Please forward this, tweet this, facebook this and let's get this thing done My communication and customer service is second to none. We are building a US based website that will be up in 2 weeks detailing the over 35 other phones/extended batteries and hundreds of accessories (including IPAD and IPHONE) that we carry.
I found this pic on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Samsung-Vibrant...448289815?pt=US_Batteries&hash=item1e5f52f017
There is no way I would do that to my captivate. Just make a battery that fits in the factory space that has a 25% more power and i would be happy.
alphadog00 said:
I found this pic on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Samsung-Vibrant...448289815?pt=US_Batteries&hash=item1e5f52f017
There is no way I would do that to my captivate. Just make a battery that fits in the factory space that has a 25% more power and i would be happy.
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Click to collapse
+1
10chars
I would do it in a second for double the life are you kidding me! As long as the back cover had some sort of style to it.
unfortunately I'm gonna wait for the seidio 3000mah extended battery.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Ewwwww...
That looks fugly as hell... I would get 2 extra OEMs w/ desktop charger instead...
Doesn't look horrid for the Vibrant. But the Captivate? Yea.. look like a damn camel hump or a hemorrhoid on the back of my phone. No thanks.
I had one on my Dream and other than being somewhat a nuisance for carrying cases/belt clips it was well worth it. In fact it worked so well I sold it to my buddy who had a dream when I switched to the captivate. He loves the damn thing cause he can use his phone all day long now without having to charge it.
I am a someone who prefers function over cosmetics. If it works better but is uglier wtf cares? When was the last time you looked at the back of your phone and was like wow- that sure is purdy You don't interact with the back of your phone. Also with the back being rubberized I would find it easier to rest on my shoulder during long tech calls with clients as I dont use bluetooth headsets. Just this morning I almost dropped my cap as it slipped from my hand getting out of the car- luckily I caught it, but still with the rubber this is less likely to happen. Again.. function over form all day all long.
I carry mine in my pocket. I like the captivate because it's thin. If I need to I'll carry spare battery before I double the thickness of the phone...I'm just sayin'
Mike
if i had the battery i could make the dies. are you looking to make a plastic cover or stamp an aluminum one?
anyway it would be nice to have on hand for trips or events where i dont know how long i will go without a charger. i dont think i would walk around with that in my pocket but it would be nice to have one available for occasional use and there are plenty of people that have come around here complaining about horrid battery life. i find the battery life quite good and in an every day environment you can always plan around it but obviously some people want more or just like to complain.
If I traveled, I would be all over this. Unfortunately, the $9 2-pack of batteries with wall charger on eBay just doesn't makes this as economical when I can just reach over and pop in a fresh battery and have the old one start charging.
It adds a "WHOPPING" 6 mm to the phone (not even 1/4"). I gave it to my friend to hold and he said he actually liked the feel better with the door that way. It felt more stable and fit perfectly to how you cradle your phone. The door is better than stock and fits easily in your pocket. It is NOT bulky at all. To not have to charge your phone every 7 or 8 hours if you are a moderate to heavy user is so worth it. I can't imagine not having it or carrying around 2 or 3 batteries all the time.
It is 6mm extra on an 11 mm phone (about 50% thicker for double capacity). It's a no-brainer.
i think you'd sell them but i think this might not be the right forum for it, the less than enthused response doesn't mean that people who travel aren't looking for something like this, it just means that we dont have that many people on the forum looking for this. are you getting feedback on your ebay store asking for it?
Email me at kevinjmoore at gmail to discuss.
Correct me if I am wrong but...
Isn't our metal back plate aid in reception? I thought the antenna was in direct contact with the back plate. Seems to me that a big piece of plastic holding in a big battery would give us signal loss...
Shovelhead84 said:
Correct me if I am wrong but...
Isn't our metal back plate aid in reception? I thought the antenna was in direct contact with the back plate. Seems to me that a big piece of plastic holding in a big battery would give us signal loss...
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Click to collapse
no it appears to be grounded not an antenna but i could be wrong i dont know much about cell antenna design. there are two contacts and one goes to the metal chassis indirectly through a shiny plating on the back of the plastic housing. the other goes to the board but i didn't trace it to tell if it went to the points that contact the chassis and plastic cover, electronics today can be difficult trace.
i know some antennas form a loop and it can very well be an antenna but i find that my phone works fin with the battery door removed. also there is no reason a new batery door cant be stamped from aluminum. or lined with aluminum tape.
I assume that you can't have a battery like this and use a case like the Body Glove Mirage? Are there alternative cases that will work with a battery like this?
A better solution would be a silicone case with a pocket for a spare battery. Carry it when you need to and switch when you need to.
a picture (if you have a functional unit) would be a lot helpful...
waghoba said:
a picture (if you have a functional unit) would be a lot helpful...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Any/ all pictures of all angles would be highly appreciated. Only then can i make my decision. I too am interested in this.
alphadog00 said:
A better solution would be a silicone case with a pocket for a spare battery. Carry it when you need to and switch when you need to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now this wouldn't be a bad idea either....
Espaa Valorum said:
I assume that you can't have a battery like this and use a case like the Body Glove Mirage? Are there alternative cases that will work with a battery like this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my experience with the BG Mirage + the specs provided by the OP, its a definite No. Not with 6mm (50% thicker) but i would applaud anyone who would try it. Who knows, it might actually work out. Now if only Otterbox cases work with ANY extended batteries..........then I am ALL OVER IT.

Case or battery cover with kickstand?

This may have been addressed elsewhere already, and if so please accept my apologies. I watch movies on my vibrant fairly often and I would like to have it stand up on its own without having to carry anything extra around. As I recall the htc evo had this feature built in. is there a case or battery cover wroth a kickstand for watching movies? Thanks in advance!
I bought the one they had in the t-mobile store, it is a clear case with a part that you can pull out to prop it up.. sadly it got scratched up really easily and gathered dirt on the inside and looks like garbage. I am going to end up using it to mount my phone while in the car to keep it out of the way..
Not sure I would recommend it, but if you want it bad enough I suppose it is ok.
jereader said:
This may have been addressed elsewhere already, and if so please accept my apologies. I watch movies on my vibrant fairly often and I would like to have it stand up on its own without having to carry anything extra around. As I recall the htc evo had this feature built in. is there a case or battery cover wroth a kickstand for watching movies? Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Samsung-Gal...Accessories&hash=item19bf52d29b#ht_8593wt_905
not the prettiest kickstand,but its something. its just a back case with a built in kick stand. works better than the evo's kickstand

Wireless charging ingredients came today

So am wondering if there is a perfect position to place the device on back of my phone cover, is it a suck and see moment?
I know a few people have already done this mod do we have a total on the number of successors
Cheers
Lee
My final ingredient, copper foil tape, came last night. I was unsuccessful the first time. The second time works perfect. Doesn't work with my Samsung protective cover+ or my diztronics tpu. There are a few methods so just pick one you prefer.
Sent from my GT-N7100
@rbiter said:
My final ingredient, copper foil tape, came last night. I was unsuccessful the first time. The second time works perfect. Doesn't work with my Samsung protective cover+ or my diztronics tpu. There are a few methods so just pick one you prefer.
Sent from my GT-N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What did you change the second time to make it work
Is your profile pic from the internet cos I have seen that before so I might know you from somewhere else?
Cheers
Lee
Didn't change much. I tried to make my folds neater and added more at my ends. Oh and the first I tried to do it sticking to the battery. And the second time I did it on the battery cover. I wanted it work on the battery cover because it would be easier to take off or put back on. But it works nicely now. I only have to charge once a day mostly so I can just put it on my charger at night without the case. Was hoping it would work with a case so I could have one at work. Oh well. Samsung needs to get on the ball and release an official cover already. The note2 is approaching 10million sold which is plenty to bring out an accessory like this.
Sent from my GT-N7100
I am having big trouble getting the ends rolled, all I am achieving is 5-6 small folds which end up flat and not rounded?
Also cannot get it to stick down to the copper points on the phone itself?
Is it an option to run it to the battery points instead not heard that before?
EFCLEE said:
I am having big trouble getting the ends rolled, all I am achieving is 5-6 small folds which end up flat and not rounded?
Also cannot get it to stick down to the copper points on the phone itself?
Is it an option to run it to the battery points instead not heard that before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Crinkle after a couple of folds or try and round out after few folds. Hard to explain but once you get few folds try to start rolling that one so it will have more depth to reach contacts. And once you do get some depth I kind of mashed it over contact points. As for the inductive coil contact points don't forget to use that little piece of foam inside the pre back cover. That is what helps mash it down onto the contact points once the cover is placed on. And NOOOOOOO. DON'T try and deviate into the battery. Potential for more to go wrong if you go that route. This is already a cheap and not so effective for the results so if you can't do it, then wait til an official OEM product comes along.
Sent from my GT-N7100
@rbiter said:
Crinkle after a couple of folds or try and round out after few folds. Hard to explain but once you get few folds try to start rolling that one so it will have more depth to reach contacts. And once you do get some depth I kind of mashed it over contact points. As for the inductive coil contact points don't forget to use that little piece of foam inside the pre back cover. That is what helps mash it down onto the contact points once the cover is placed on. And NOOOOOOO. DON'T try and deviate into the battery. Potential for more to go wrong if you go that route. This is already a cheap and not so effective for the results so if you can't do it, then wait til an official OEM product comes along.
Sent from my GT-N7100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is now working, re-done all 4 copper tracks making the rolls a lot neater than first attempt!! and yes they were bad!!
Now to monitor charging times, I did read 12% per hour so if I get that or more I will be very happy
Thanks for your help much appreciated!!
ps.. if there are now 2 people using your profile pic can you tell me who it is??
Thanks
Lee
Buckwheat from our gang aka the little rascals.
Sent from my GT-N7100

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