I was asked for more information after mentioning this in another thread. I felt like it might generate some questions, so it should have it's own thread.
I wanted more power, but the cheap extended batteries are, well, cheap.
They are OK for the price I suppose, but they lose power quickly and in many cases aren't any better than the stock battery. I wanted a real increase as well, the 2000 from Samsung wasn't going to cut it. So, what to do? Connect 2 OEM standard batteries together!
Materials:
An extended battery back cover from a cheap ebay battery or a friend, etc. The stock Samsung "extended" back cover from the 2000 won't work. I used the one from a Hyperion "3500".
2 OEM 1750mAh batteries (shimshop on ebay has the real deal, about $30/per)
Soldering skill and equipment.
Directions:
Remove the sticker covering the battery. It peels off without too much hassle. You will be left with a bare battery with the NFC antenna on one side. I've attached some images so you can see what they look like taken apart.
Remove the plastic cover on the side with the holes for the battery to connect to the phone.
Now you have a circuit board that is kind of a pain to work with. Both ends you can get to are (+) terminals, as is the metal case of the battery. The (-) terminal is in the center of the battery, see the little hole in the center of the PCB, that's your other terminal. How to connect? Well... There are a couple options. Here's what I did.
Peel up the NFC antenna and let it hang there.
Use a Dremel with a cut-off wheel to cut through the metal connections from the battery to the PCB on the small ends of the PCB.
GENTLY lift the PCB up a little so you can get under there.
On one battery, remove the PCB entirely. Just wiggle it back and forth a bit or use wire cutters to disconnect the (-) terminal. The metal tabs break off EASY. Peel up the NFC sticker as well and just put that bit aside.
Put the second battery over the first. Secure with a bit of tape or something to make soldering easier.
Solder a piece of wire between the two (-) terminals. It doesn't have to be huge. 18ga should be plenty. It's short and likely won't ever see more than about 1A. NOTE: As I mentioned the ENTIRE METAL CASE of the battery is (+). If you short this wire to the metal case, it will get VERY HOT, VERY QUICKLY. DON'T DO THAT. It's bad for the battery, and for you.
Hopefully, you didn't break the (-) terminal off the second battery on the previous step.
Now gently press the PCB back into place on the lower battery. You might have to use a knife to cut some of the plastic between the PCB and the battery to make room for the little wire.
Line it up carefully, as close as you can with both sides and tape it down. Now solder a short wire between both (+) terminals on the battery. You can use the wire and solder to bridge the gap to the PCB from cutting it off before.
Now you have this NFC antenna in the way. Use a small piece of the sticker as insulation under the top 1/2" or so of the antenna on the back. Just to make certain that nothing will short to it. (I don't think it will, but it's cheap insurance) And set the NFC antenna on the new back of the battery. It won't fit quite right, and will overhang a bit. That's what the sticker is for. You could try to extend the connection, but it's more trouble than it's worth.
Remove your earlier tape holding things together.
Use the two stickers you removed from the batteries to cover them back up, sticking the NFC antenna down in the process. Well, most of it anyway.
Now you can try to cut down the tabs on the top plastic to fit properly so you can put it back on.. but I didn't bother. Once I made enough space, it got really flimsy and broke easily.
Now test the connections on the PCB with a voltmeter. Make sure you don't have polarity wrong or anything. Pretty hard to do, but you're going to put it in a $500 phone, so watch it.
If it looks good, put it in the phone and power up. It should work fine. Put the back cover on, and maybe get a case. I'm using the cheap bumper case from ebay. It leaves the back exposed, so just about any battery will fit. It looks a little ghetto before the cover, but it works fine. And it's made from OEM cells, they even have "Samsung" and part numbers laser etched into the metal body. So it will perform to spec, tested with a meter, last as long as a stock battery, which should be a couple years, and if you aren't completely stupid with a soldering iron, be as safe as a stock battery.
Nice hack. I just wanted to point out though that this can be very dangerous. Potentially causing a fire.
Scroll down to the "Cell phone and Camcorder batteries" section:
http://www.ladyada.net/learn/lipoly/
I also found this:
"When using multiple LiPo cells (parallel or series), they have to be charged with a special charger just for them that has been calibrated and is accurate. Then they need to be balanced out with a balancer (some chargers are able to balance themselves or support balancer attachements). So LiPo packs often have a special balancing plug that allows access to all individual cells inside a pack that is only used during charging. The charging is done through the primary terminals, and then the balancer plug is used to top off all the cells to the same voltage. As long as you use a balancer on all the cells somewhere along the line (preferably simulatenously).
It's best to balance all the cells as close to simultaneous as possible. Not a problem if all cells are in the same pack since the charger and balancer do them all simulatenously (duh!). If you use two packs you could charge them separately (I suppose you could charge them simulateously by connecting them in parallel also... as long as they don't get overcharged), and then top of them off separately. But it's probably best to connect all the cells in both packs to the balancer simulateously via the balancer plugs so the balancer monitors and tops off all the individual cells in both packs simutaneously. Depends on what the charger can do.
Still...I'd stick a diode on each pack to prevent one from charging into the other and read up more about it (you never do seem to see Lipo packs where cells are in parallel to increase capacity. They just use bigger cells. There may be a technical reason why they are never seen in parallel within a pack. Possibly due to cells charging other cells. I'd google more about it from RC truck and plane websites."
I don't want anyone getting hurt so make sure it's safe.
*paging Fire Marshall Bill*
On a serious note, it seems cheaper though to just buy a Siedo or Mugen extended battery, when you add up the cost of the battery cover, and the two OEM batteries and the materials. Nonetheless, I hope it works out for you as you put so much effort in to it.
2manycells said:
*paging Fire Marshall Bill*
On a serious note, it seems cheaper though to just buy a Siedo or Mugen extended battery, when you add up the cost of the battery cover, and the two OEM batteries and the materials. Nonetheless, I hope it works out for you as you put so much effort in to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree!
Other testing of sedio and mugen didn't impress me for the premium price. Every extended battery for cell phones I've ever seen used this same arrangement. Radio control people do it all the time as well. The RC guys have shown that parallel cells are perfectly safe for years.
Series packs need balance taps and such, but cells in parallel balance themselves. You can't really use a balance tap on parallel cells anyway. The voltage sense would be the combined voltage. The internal resistance of the cells limits the cross cell current as well. RC users do this with 6 cell series packs that have much higher capacity. The only difference is longer wires.
Wish you had pics for each step but nice write up. 2 2100 extended batteries would be even better!
ttabbal said:
Other testing of sedio and mugen didn't impress me for the premium price. Every extended battery for cell phones I've ever seen used this same arrangement. Radio control people do it all the time as well. The RC guys have shown that parallel cells are perfectly safe for years.
Series packs need balance taps and such, but cells in parallel balance themselves. You can't really use a balance tap on parallel cells anyway. The voltage sense would be the combined voltage. The internal resistance of the cells limits the cross cell current as well. RC users do this with 6 cell series packs that have much higher capacity. The only difference is longer wires.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
do you have a pic of the battery in the phone?
there are lots of people here that seem to think the mugen and siedo batteries are as good as oem. probably because they write premium a lot on their website and charge double the price of oem. im sure your power pack will last longer than any other extended battery in the 3000mah range.
I'll take a pic once I get to a camera.
Battery ordered and will be in touch with a bench tech in my HQ that is a master at soldering, I'll explain what I need done and hope for the best. I'm also contacting seidio about ordering an extended battery cover by itself.
G-Nexus
Cm-9 Nightly
Stock Kernel
4.0.4 Radios
Also wanted to add I will be working on a full detail step by step
G-Nexus
Cm-9 Nightly
Franco Kernel
4.0.4 Radios
Here's a pic of the battery installed in the phone. If you want to see with the cover on, really, look at any extended battery thread. They all look about the same, and yours will depend on what cover you get to put on the phone. You can see the NFC antenna peeking out on the top. It doesn't seem to cause any issues so I didn't bother to try extending the leads or anything. And doing that might cause tuning issues, though I'm not sure what frequency is used so it's hard to say.
davwman said:
Also wanted to add I will be working on a full detail step by step
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please do! I got distracted putting things together and forgot to take more pics.
awesome! i thought of doing this as well. I bought the 3800mah ebay battery and it barely outlasts the 2100mah extended. I will be doing this mod for sure ;D
ttabbal said:
Here's a pic of the battery installed in the phone. If you want to see with the cover on, really, look at any extended battery thread. They all look about the same, and yours will depend on what cover you get to put on the phone. You can see the NFC antenna peeking out on the top. It doesn't seem to cause any issues so I didn't bother to try extending the leads or anything. And doing that might cause tuning issues, though I'm not sure what frequency is used so it's hard to say.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
looks good, is it the battery the same thickness as those 3500mah extended batteries?
have you thought about putting a bunch of those cheap 5 dollar oem batteries from amazon together to make a big external power pack? maybe have them in a 2.5in external hard drive case or something. do you know if you would need a board for this?
the whole point of this was because those cheap chinese batteries suck. With this you know you are getting twice the capacity as your stock battery. This is the one thing I miss from my thunderbolt, my 2750mah extended battery was oem so I knew what i was getting.
ttabbal said:
Please do! I got distracted putting things together and forgot to take more pics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thread already going I will give credit to you for starting the idea
CodeName Android
007 kernel
Hybrid 3 Radio
neotekz said:
looks good, is it the battery the same thickness as those 3500mah extended batteries?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just about yes. I chose not to use the oem 2000 batteries as i didn't think the extra thickness would fit under the cover i have.
And no, i wouldn't use the cheap batteries for an external. If i wanted to do an external, I'd use an RC pack in a case like the hdd case mentioned.
i was talking about oem batteries for older phones like the captivate and droid X. you can get them for around $5 now or you think those are fake?
neotekz said:
i was talking about oem batteries for older phones like the captivate and droid X. you can get them for around $5 now or you think those are fake?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quite possibly. I doubt real OEM batteries are available for that little, even for phones a few years old.
http://www.mobilecityonline.com/wir...utm_term=BACY38SSGNLN-BK&utm_campaign=froogle Idk about you but $56.99 for 3800 mah and NFC .
Related
Anyone saw this yet? It is pretty expensive though, lol:
http://www.amzer.com/Amzer-3500-mAh-Battery-Backup-Solar-Charger-P83981.htm
I saw this on Fommy.com and was thinking about getting it.
How exactly does it work?
Does it charge it's own battery if not plugged in to the phone, then later when there is no sun you can charge your phone of the charged battery?
If so, that is kinda bad ass.
Yeah I think that is how it does work. If not, than that price is not worth it, lmao. Hopefully it works as how you described it though.
BigWorldJust said:
Yeah I think that is how it does work. If not, than that price is not worth it, lmao. Hopefully it works as how you described it though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly how it works. It has a 3500 mAh battery battery built in. For comparison the Vibrant comes stock with a 1500 mAh battery.
That's actually not a bad price, considering that a 2500 mAh Innocell from Seidio will cost you about the same. The Innocell is an internal battery with a replacement back cover. I was going to get one but I'll probably get the Amzer now.
For comparison shopping you can go to ThinkGeek dot com and search for "solar charger" to find the 4 or so they sell. They even have a $200 for laptops.
Follow instructions for usage. Do not overheat or overexpose the Amzer Solar Charger to direct or indirect sunlight and AC/ USB charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WTH? Do not expose to direct sunlight? How is it a solar charger then? Idiotic legal disclaimers. This one's right up there with "Do not insert screwdriver into eye."
Nice. So basically it is worth it?
I say it depends. If I need more batteries I'd rather get them separately and have a charger specifically for it like the ones you can find on ebay.
Taking out the old battery and popping in the new one only takes a minute while charging from a solar battery could take who knows how long.
Col.Kernel said:
That is exactly how it works. It has a 3500 mAh battery battery built in. For comparison the Vibrant comes stock with a 1500 mAh battery.
That's actually not a bad price, considering that a 2500 mAh Innocell from Seidio will cost you about the same. The Innocell is an internal battery with a replacement back cover. I was going to get one but I'll probably get the Amzer now.
For comparison shopping you can go to ThinkGeek dot com and search for "solar charger" to find the 4 or so they sell. They even have a $200 for laptops.
WTH? Do not expose to direct sunlight? How is it a solar charger then? Idiotic legal disclaimers. This one's right up there with "Do not insert screwdriver into eye."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
direct sunlight means lots of heat (over 100F on a good summer day), lots of heat is not good for batteries. solar charger does not mean it charges from sun.......it needs any light source.
Follow instructions for usage. Do not overheat or overexpose the Amzer Solar Charger to direct or indirect sunlight and AC/ USB charge.
LOL
kolyan said:
direct sunlight means lots of heat (over 100F on a good summer day), lots of heat is not good for batteries. solar charger does not mean it charges from sun.......it needs any light source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol.
mini semi scientific answer: they use heat to turn into electricity, and it's not that efficient, but it's enough to work (and gets better every year).
So sure, any light source might work, but something other than the sun will basically not work that well. Having it in a lighted room will do zero for it, for example.
designerfx said:
lol.
mini semi scientific answer: they use heat to turn into electricity, and it's not that efficient, but it's enough to work (and gets better every year).
So sure, any light source might work, but something other than the sun will basically not work that well. Having it in a lighted room will do zero for it, for example.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, but there is a battery in side as well. if it was just a solar charger then yes, more sun = better
I saw a similar product on Dealextreme for much cheaper. From the feedback the important thing is to find out if the charging current is at least 700mA. If not the Vibrant might not be charged properly.
Here are the ones from DE: http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.1101~search.solar usb charger
designerfx said:
lol.
mini semi scientific answer: they use heat to turn into electricity, and it's not that efficient, but it's enough to work (and gets better every year).
So sure, any light source might work, but something other than the sun will basically not work that well. Having it in a lighted room will do zero for it, for example.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A solar cell does NOT use heat to produce electricity, it uses light waves. Full spectrum light is the most efficient but any light source will work.
The waves impact the cell and cause a potential difference on the diode, this then creates a current in the cell. Heat is actually BAD for solar cells, the cooler they are the more current they produce. This is one of the reasons that solar panels in snowy environments can produce more electricity than cells in the south. Reflected light off the snow is another reason.
sfsilicon said:
I saw a similar product on Dealextreme for much cheaper. From the feedback the important thing is to find out if the charging current is at least 700mA. If not the Vibrant might not be charged properly.
Here are the ones from DE: http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.1101~search.solar usb charger
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's cheaper because you get less. 1800 MAh as compared to 3500 MAh storage.
I looked up the reviews of the Amzer solar one on amazon and it didn't look too promising.
I decided to get this one (no solar):
And for those in windy areas...
kizer said:
Follow instructions for usage. Do not overheat or overexpose the Amzer Solar Charger to direct or indirect sunlight and AC/ USB charge.
LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People, the warning is not to put it in sunlight. It is to not put it in sunlight AND have it plugged into the AC/USB charger — thus providing 'double' charging.
Solar or not
<$20
You might want to look for one that includes a std usb adapter so you can use it w the oem cable for whatever phone/gadget, or get an Amzer mini-to-micro usb adaper for $5 (and get an adapter for your future phone, too).
But yeah. $70 is a little steep. I'd rather get two of these. You could get 4 for that price.
Edit: Im liking this. It says the battery can be replaced, and it doesn't say with what,exactly, but it looks AA sized to me. It has all the adapters, the port you plug your phone into is usb (yeah, you could probably scrap the cable and the adapters), and it looks like it chrges via the same port. None of these parts is entirely enticing, but the stuff in the bag, not to mention the bag, is a MacGyver use-for-everything in whatever way you need package. I think part of the appeal to me is the mystery as to whether it really is as all-purpose as I think it is. I love this kind of Asian innovation. I'm very tempted to support it. If I do, I'll report back.
OK, while I'm at it: $7, free shipping, with std usb so you can use your OEM cable.
Amzer sells a lot of overpriced stuff, this is one of many
solar chargers
Well i was looking for one and i got from dealextreme , but after 3 months, its not charging properly. Not sure why?! My brother got for me one and its good, he said he got from Chinabuye, its online store from China. Good battery life. so far so good.
Amzer is JUNK
Amzer makes JUNK. Purchased their junk before and it's not worth it even if it was free.
The owner of Amzer, basically gets Chinese manufacturers to make his junk and label it Amzer. His products are the same junk you can find on ebay for 50 cents.
This is BS.
The great question:
Is it better to 1) carry extra batteries with me and just trade them out as they die but maintain the light, sleek form factor of my EVO, 2) get an extended battery that will make my phone thicker and significantly heavier (resulting in fewer case choices or cradle fit issues) or 3) get an external travel battery that plugs into my phone via USB and recharges my battery with another battery?
Well each has it's pluses and minuses:
1) Extra Batteries: The problem is, of course, transporting them. You also need to buy an external charging dock to keep them juiced and the phone has to be taken apart to replace them. With some cases such as the Otter Defender, this can be a significant hassle. As far as transporting them, it is easy to buy an unobtrusive $10 leather zippered pouch and carry them that way.
2) Extended Batteries: Easily charged in your phone and not requiring replacement during a long day, these batteries are an attractive option. However, say goodbye to your sleek and slim EVO. These add significant heft to your device and make it twice as thick. Also, unless you pay top dollar for a name brand, you risk having a "fake" product of questionable build and even more questionable capacity. Watch a video of a "Lion" battery fire and you will realize you don't want to play with cheap knockoffs any more than you would buy knockoff medicine from a guy in China to save a few bucks. And oh yeah, good luck finding a case that fits your "pregnant" evo.
3) Portable Battery Chargers: Again, these can be an attractive solution. They can come in many sizes (up to 8000 mah) and can recharge your phone even as you use it. The issue is bulk. One 5400 mah device is about the size of your EVO. So, imagine carrying 2 EVO's with you (never mind the USB cord). Compare this to carrying a spare 1500 mah battery in a small leather pouch (which you would hardly notice is even there). Also, these charge your phone using USB cable. This means a maximum charging rate of 500 ma. If you are using your phone for power intensive tasks such as Google Navigation, your phone will still run out of power even if it is plugged in.
CONCLUSION:
Weighing all of the factors, I recommend getting a couple extra 1500 to 1750 mah OEM batteries along with a wall charger (don't be cheap - these things can go boom). Simply carry them in a small zippered leather pouch you can pick up anywhere they sell wallets. A fully charged battery in your phone and just one of these "stand-bys" should get you through even the most grueling day.
The only hassle here is physically switching them out; however, that is less of a hassle than dealing with a "double-thick EVO" extended battery or an "extra EVO in your pocket" external travel battery. You should only have to change the battery out once in a 24 hour period. With the other solutions, you have to deal with their negative aspects 24/7.
You keep your slim form factor, you not are limited by case choices and you extend your power - win.
** This conclusion assumes the user will eventually have access to AC power to recharge sometime in a 24 hour period. For camping, etc, where you will be away from wall/car juice for extended period, the external travel battery may be your best choice (and you can carry it in your backpack).
It looks dumb and feels kind of bulky, but there is no way I'm turning off my phone, taking off the case, and prying off that flimsy batter door all of the time. I hate that process and feel like something is breaking every time. Big pregnant evo for me.
I still have to laugh when people talk about the added "bulk" extended batteries like the Seidio adds to the phone . Most of the time people who see my phone and realize I have an extended battery usually respond with "Well thats not that much bigger" . Im not shooting down your opinion I just feel this obsession with have a super thin phone is a bit overboard . Hell I remember years ago when phones were on the trend of being super small , hell I remember seeing one model that when it folded up I swore the damn thing was just alittle bitter than a book of matches . Now the trend seems to be bigger phones or atleast leaning in that direction (examples : HTC EVO , DROID X , Epic 4G isnt small either) . Overall like the OP outlined it comes down to a choice , longevity using all the features of the phone (bigger batter) or slim phone with "enough" power to make it through the day if you micro manage all the features on the phone . Ive tried both worlds , Ive tried the stock battery which did make it through the day but just barely . I currently have the 3500mah battery installed and I can tell you this now I wouldnt go back to the stock battery . The added size now fits the size of the phone in my mind . The phone is already tall and wide , Hell the Droid X is even taller and wider (actutal casing of the phone not the screen) . In the end its your choice and its your phone , whatever makes you happy with it you go with it . Screw what everyone else might say about it LOL
Biofall said:
It looks dumb and feels kind of bulky, but there is no way I'm turning off my phone, taking off the case, and prying off that flimsy batter door all of the time. I hate that process and feel like something is breaking every time. Big pregnant evo for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a business man who wears a suit every day, my biggest issue is that there is no way to carry my phone (other than a belt clip which is way too geeky for me) in my suit pocket or pants without looking like I have either breast implants or an erection.
Actually, you have your "pregnant" EVO "all the time". You only have to change your battery once Still, everyone has their preference and that's why I created the thread.
** Being a flash-a-holic, I have become quite accustomed to pulling my battery (boot loops and all) so I am probably less intimidated by the process than the average user. For me, changing a battery out takes maybe 10 seconds at the most. When compared to carrying around a thicker, heavier phone all day, the choice is clear (10 seconds of hassle vs 24/7 discomfort).
Again, no "right" answer here.
I use spare batteries. I have an extended but I hate the way it makes my phone look and feel. I keep a couple charged spares in the car at all times and another couple in my computer bag just in case. I would much rather do that then have an ugly block sticking out the back of my phone. My phone lasts well over a day on a charge so I never really end up swapping them out except for in the morning when I put a fresh one in. I usually still have about 50% left when I swap them out in the morning. I never charge my phone directly, I always just swap the battery with a fresh one and charge them with my wall charger. It only takes a minute to swap them and the daily reboot never hurts. I bought all my batteries on ebay (except for my seidio extended which NEVER gets used) and all eight of them cost me about $50 combined, which is cheaper than the one seidio.
_MetalHead_ said:
I use spare batteries. I have an extended but I hate the way it makes my phone look and feel. I keep a couple charged spares in the car at all times and another couple in my computer bag just in case. I would much rather do that then have an ugly block sticking out the back of my phone. My phone lasts well over a day on a charge so I never really end up swapping them out except for in the morning when I put a fresh one in. I usually still have about 50% left when I swap them out in the morning. I never charge my phone directly, I always just swap the battery with a fresh one and charge them with my wall charger. It only takes a minute to swap them and the daily reboot never hurts. I bought all my batteries on ebay (except for my seidio extended which NEVER gets used) and all eight of them cost me about $50 combined, which is cheaper than the one seidio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 My reasoning exactly.
This is purely theory, but I have the feeling that younger users and those in manual labor type jobs will opt for the extended battery, whereas those of us where we have to wear a suit to work and sit at a desk or visit clients all day would prefer the swap-out just for appearance sake. A construction foreman is not going to want to swap out a battery with dirty hands in 30 degree cold but he(she) won't mind how the fatter phone looks.
In conclusion, those more concerned with the look and feel of the phone will opt for extra oem's, those who are looking for pure utility will opt for extended.
I've had my EVO for almost a full month, and yet its still caseless and exposed because of this dilemma. I'm leaning more towards keeping it slim and having a wide variety of cases to choose from. Obviously going to something like the 3500 would require a new battery door. So, what's the maximum battery size the EVO can hold before needing the new door? I've seen 1600, 1700, 1750, 1800, and 2000 mah batteries. Also, would these slightly stronger batteries make ANY difference? I've seen reports saying those batteries are tested and not actually as strong as they say.
Thanks in advance....
AGSLight
ROOT YOUR PHONE. solves all the troubles of extra batterys. I have 4 batterys i bought before rooting. Now they just sit in different areas around the house and car because i never use them. Easily 18hours of battery with decent amount of use.
Well, I super use my phone;all day pounding.....even the Sprint extended barely makes it about 18hrs.....so I prefer the constant functionality...!
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I recently got a Seido extended battery case and I thought I could fit two regular batteries in order use one battery and have another battery there in the unit as a spare. As I thought about this however, why beat the bush?
Why not think of a way to connect the two batteries with a piece of electrical tape and have a cheap ~$6 3000mah battery. Thoughts?
Well..you could always wire the contacts together, that way the contacts on the phone hit both of them at the same time. However, you would have to worry about over powering the phone (too much current to it). So..probably wouldn't be worth it. However, if you have insurance you could always try it...
I actually thought of this before and was about to run to radioshack when I ran into a snag....
I was going to wire them up using a relay so when there was no charge on the original battery it would auto switch to the other. E.g. only one battery connected at a time.
Problems:
1. Phone would shutdown when the relay switched, not too big of an issue as you would just turn phone back on.
2. I think phone would shut off before relay would switch, due to Android turning phone off before battery is truely dead
3. Charging would be an issue due to relay
4. All the relays I found were pretty big
As far as wiring two batties at once to increase capacity. There's only 2 ways to do it:
1. Parralell (Wiring + to + and - to - and one battery entirely to load) which will end up with the same voltage as one battery but twice the amps!
2. Series (wiring - from one battery to load, + from other battery to load, then remaining - and + together) which will double the volts but the amps will be the same!
P.S. I'm not a licensed electrician...
Well ur gonna have to do alot of thinking. What ur gonna have to do is hok up 2 battery's to 1 circuit board otherwise you will blow up the battery's and fry your phone. So be careful and solder right. Do a good job and don't mess it up completely.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Kept thinking about it and here is the easiest way to do it...and the reasoning why it will work.
1. If you are to do it you will need 2 identical batteries. Same make, model, and age...preferably new. Otherwise one will degrade.
2. Running in parallel WILL double mAh or discharge rate. I didn't think so at first but it will.
3. Since we can't supply the phone with more volts than it can handle we cannot wire the batteries in series.
4. So we must wire them in parallel, this will double batteries mAh, volts will remain equal to one battery, and double the amps.
5. Doubling the amps should not hurt phone as it will only use what it needs. It is bad to have less amps but not more.***
So, according to my original battery specs if I were to wire two together the end result would be:
3000mAh 3.7V @ 2A
To my knowledge this should work fine.
There is only 2 things that should be verified by an electrician - i.e. not me.
***1. I know more amps is OK, but doubling them I am not sure about. The phone SHOULD only draw at 1A regardless.
2. Charging with the batteries connected together should be OK, this is why I said to make sure their identical. But I would still recommend charging them separately as this is where most damage can be caused to batteries.
You would be fine with them in parallel, amperage is a nonissue as amps are pulled not pushed, charging I'm not sure about I don't know how the charging circuit works in these phones.
Ps I am a licensed electrician
If you ever take one of those cheap Chinese 3500 mah batters apart its just two smaller batteries hooked together and wrapped up.
Well that is all any battery is, a groping of cells. And the cells inside of a single battery are paired to match the exact specs the phone requires.
P.S. I actually have another battery on its way in the mail. I had my warranty send me one so I have a spare. If it is identical to my current one, which it should be, I will test this idea out.
Wouldn't it be easier to order an extended battery with the battery cover from eBay for like $7.50 delivered? Or is this something you wanna do just to see if you can? I don't see why anyone would take the risk of blowing up their phone for this.
rugedraw said:
Wouldn't it be easier to order an extended battery with the battery cover from eBay for like $7.50 delivered? Or is this something you wanna do just to see if you can? I don't see why anyone would take the risk of blowing up their phone for this.
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More or less just to do it, and I have warranty with no down payment so I can get new phone.
rugedraw said:
Wouldn't it be easier to order an extended battery with the battery cover from eBay for like $7.50 delivered? Or is this something you wanna do just to see if you can? I don't see why anyone would take the risk of blowing up their phone for this.
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This ^
Why spend the time and risk damaging your phone?
I can understand the curiosity, as this has crossed my mind before as well, but i figured it simply wasn't worth the time/money/effort
dowmace said:
You would be fine with them in parallel, amperage is a nonissue as amps are pulled not pushed, charging I'm not sure about I don't know how the charging circuit works in these phones.
Ps I am a licensed electrician
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I'm an electrical engineer and this is correct. The circuit (phone) will draw the amperage needed to run regardless of capacity.
This is the same deal if you get a laptop charger. If your laptop takes 12VDC at 5A and you use a 12VDC that is capable of 12A, you won't hurt your laptop, as the laptop will only pull 5A max from the charger. If you use a 14VDC at 5A you will probably fry something on your mainboard.
Similarly, if your phone takes a 5V .5A charger and you use a 5V 1A you don't fry your phone.
Can I use it with lapdock?
Cases that fits?
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Don't own either the mugen battery or the lapdock, but from what I can tell from pictures and research you cannot use the lapdock or any cases with the battery. By all means use google to search for cases maybe, but the dock on the lapdock is too thin. You might be able to make it work if you take off the back when you put it on the lapdock.
Yea, you should be able to. There is a sleeve that comes off the dock to allow it to be used with rugged cases.
See the pic @ hxxp://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/atrixlapdockadapter.png/
*From the Lapdock manual.
Just out of curiosity.
What´s the up time you guys get with this monster?
I can get double with this battery versus the stock one. There is an issue as all people have to understand. The phones voltage/capacity/etc cannot correctly depict the current level on batteries much higher than stock. Its a HARDWARE issue currently present on the atrix. But it roughly uses a good 2000mah ish on the 100-2%. Rest of the charge remains from 1%-dead.
Nice,
And how does it feel in your pocket? Looks pretty big. (No Pun intended)
cldot said:
Yea, you should be able to. There is a sleeve that comes off the dock to allow it to be used with rugged cases.
See the pic @ hxxp://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/534/atrixlapdockadapter.png/
*From the Lapdock manual.
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It is impossible to use any docks of any kind with this battery/back cover.... its too big - even with sleeves removed from the docks... this nearly triples the thickness of the phone... far beyond a rugged case...
I had no idea that that piece came out. Lapdock works with my mesh cover now. Awesome
Sent from my Atrix 4G
its real thick i dont see it docking at all however you could use some sort of mini usb male to female cord to plug it in that way
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
There are different types of extended batteries, the very strong beast batteries wont fit into lapdock, they are too big in size. But there are also extended batteries like 1900mAh which add couple of extra hours, they fit under the original backdoor, so they ought to be compatible with lapdock
I've heard most of this batteries are causing issues on Atrix...even calibrating batery, wiping stats and all that stuff, otherway it can be just a band issue, why not?
Maheidem said:
Just out of curiosity.
What´s the up time you guys get with this monster?
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I am using 4800mAh [HLI-MB860XL] battery and i get average 3 days out of it.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2300mAh-BH6...Accessories&hash=item256b82ec49#ht_6598wt_922
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GOLD-2430...238?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cb98fb716
Very good batteries and normal sized
vanada said:
I am using 4800mAh [HLI-MB860XL] battery and i get average 3 days out of it.
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Really? I'm getting like 6 days+ with moderate to heavy use. You do know the battery indicator will only display the first 2000mah due to a hardware limitation? If you do understand that, you might want to try a different kernal, I'm using Faux's 1Ghz enhanced.
So I had this idea this morning and I wanted to share it with the community. If you guys know any resources that could make this a reality please send it my way!
Moto 360 SmartStrap
Band is made of a polymer, soft touch, water resistant material
inside the band, there are numerous super small, rechargeable li-ion batteries
A copper wire runs through the entire band on the sides of the batteries
Obviously there are multiple openings in the band to latch the device
Additionally, there is a thin, stainless steel plate with a cutout for the sensors to attach on the bottom
This plate has reactive copper plating on either side
The plate also has a button which activates the copper on either side, delivering extra charge to the 360 when not in use, or switching it over for wireless charging
This would allow the wireless charger to charge the 360 and the strap at the same time, delivering extra power on the go
Any thoughts? Recommendations? Nuances? Help making this a reality?
Thanks!
I think this is a good idea. Although different designs would be tough. I can see having two half bands that are batteries and when snapped together will make a larger battery. The top if the watch can have a qi charger and can be qi charged itself...
I would certainly go for this! As long as it looked visually appealing.
Nice! I was thinking about this too, lol
Great idea but I'm doubting anyone will pull it off. In addition, it would have to circumvent the charging screen that comes on.
Not feasible. Only very small batteries would fit in such a band. Furthermore, qi charging is very inefficient. You'd end up getting like 50 percent of the stored battery. Finally, at the moment, when the watch is being charged it is non functional...
I've been thinking about this since the watch was announced. A few good ways to do it but the capacity issues and harm to self might not make it worth it. Having a battery go around your wrist can't be good for your heart.
Sent from my LG-D415 using XDA Free mobile app
I don't think it's practical to do it within the acceptable band thickness... Unfortunately.
Great idea nevertheless
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
its a good idea. Or even like a small solar strip on the straps.
benburch9 said:
Not feasible. Only very small batteries would fit in such a band.
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thesparky007 said:
I don't think it's practical to do it within the acceptable band thickness... Unfortunately.
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Smallest LiPo cells i can find are 10mA, they measure 14mm x 9mm x 2mm. A pair of straps 100mm long could each hold 100mA of battery, allowing space for flexibility.
benburch9 said:
...qi charging is very inefficient.
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Not true, wireless charging can be made as efficient as wired with the correct modifications (Source). As it stands, its only a few percentage points less efficient than a direct connection.
The problematic part is the electronics and Qi integration. LiPo batteries should generally be charged and monitored individually as they can charge at different rates and WILL explode violently if overcharged. I think this would add too much complexity/bulk into the design. I don't think this could be done without it looking a complete mess.
Ichibahn SLC said:
Having a battery go around your wrist can't be good for your heart.
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You just make that up?
skally said:
Smallest LiPo cells i can find are 10mA, they measure 14mm x 9mm x 2mm. A pair of straps 100mm long could each hold 100mA of battery, allowing space for flexibility.
You just make that up?
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Interesting point about the efficiency, although even comparing a difference of 70 percent efficiency for wired to 55 for wireless (which is a reasonable estimate for current efficiency from their slides), you've still lost 22 percent efficiency compared to wired.
As for your band though... I don't think that a band made of 1cm links would be comfortable, that's quite wide. Furthermore, at 2mm of cell thickness, the metal band is going to need to be like 4mm thick at a minimum. While that's not completely crazy, you have a band that is on the thick side with really wide links and is only giving you ~78 percent return on your battery capacity.
IMO the idea of placing batteries in a band is promising... eventually. We need lipo cells to shrink a little more and we either need an advance in wireless charging or a wired connection. At the moment there are just too many compromises.
charge moto 360 withoung charging screen!
SilentAce07 said:
Great idea but I'm doubting anyone will pull it off. In addition, it would have to circumvent the charging screen that comes on.
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I was also thinking of something along the lines of this. a small qi charger that could be attached to a backup battery or usb charger and placed under the watch while wearing.
In the process of testing the watches limits i found a way around the charging screen.
Place your moto 360 on the dock, hold down the side button until the settings screen comes up and simply press restart.
When the 360 restarts it will be in non-charging view but still charging. Only temp.
Another way is to hold down the side button while charging, bring up settings, choose change design, select watch face and run an app. It will hold on the app screen as long as you are in the app but will reset to charging screen if you let it stay in wear to long.