Develop Bugs

Extended / Travel Battery Idea

I have posted this in other forums, but trying to get a general feel for the public acceptance on this:
I have an extended / travel battery idea.
Imagine this:
A small box about the footprint of our Evo. This box holds 2 of the regular batteries (think side by side flat). It has a normal USB Port on it and a micro USB Port. And maybe a few indicator LEDs. We can then hook this small box to a USB Charger, a Laptop, etc to charge the batteries inside.
Then when our Evo needs more juice, we have one of two options. Either pull out one of the batteries from this small box, or plug via USB cable into this box to charge the battery in our phone from the two batteries on board.
Because we are using stock batteries, the idea would to be make this box available, with and without batteries. Also it would need to work just with one battery installed. That way, people can spend as little or as much as they wanted.
Does anyone know of something like this? Is this something people would be interested in buying if could be purchased cheap enough... Maybe this is something when can petition Seidio to make?

webdude12 said:
Does anyone know of something like this? Is this something people would be interested in buying if could be purchased cheap enough... Maybe this is something when can petition Seidio to make?
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Thare a lots of things just like that with the exception of them using the HTC battery. Many are smaller than the evo and just have thier own Li-ion batteries in them and recharge via AC or USB. I have one made by energizer.
EDIT: http://www.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/

I know there are other options out there as far as being able to charge the phone from a remote battery. The key to my idea is, there have been a few occasions, where being tethered to a remote batter pack just isnt feasible.
With this option, would have the ability to pop out one of the fully charged HTC batteries and replace it in your phone and go on your way. But for things like long plane trips, etc, being tethered back to the battery pack is a great option, without wearing down your in phone battery.
I would think a company like Seidio would offer this for several different phones. The nice thing about the Evo, is its starting to use a standardized battery from HTC, as we see it in more devices.

I like the idea, but I don't think its something that would sell enough to be profitable to produce. Although, I think it would be a fun little project to tackle, I may steel ur idea and try to build a crude one for myself.
Right now, I just have a cheap remote battery charger in my pack, and a couple HTC batteries that are charged. If I can't get to an outlet, I'll swap batteries.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

producing the plastic box really is not that big of deal. Simple mold making stuff can be gotten from a place like Hobby Lobby. My concern is the electronics, i.e. making sure if dual batteries are installed, they do not drain to each other.
I would think with as many devices take this battery, it would be worth making. Right now, we have the following devices:
HTC Evo 4G (SPRINT)
HTC TOUCH PRO2 (Tilt 2)
HTC HERO
HTC DROID INCREDIBLE (VERIZON)
HTC Imagio
HTC Ozone
HTC Snap
And it appears the new HTC Slider that is coming to Verizon will use this battery as well, but thats not confirmed.
So, we 7 devices that are active on a many number of carriers. Thats alot of phones out there, that are potential customers.

Buy a couple of the AC Chargers for the battery casings a contacts ($10 maybe?). Use the Trickle charge circuit (making the voltage appear 3.8-4V) and install a mini usb port. Use a Plastic Hammond case or better still a 2.5" HDD case (cheap and will already have the miniUSB mounted).
Less than $20 before you calculate batteries.... and I hope you have a proper soldering station with a dremel and epoxy.

The idea of this thread is not to home brew this product, but to get enough feedback to see if its a plausible idea to take to one of our trusted manufacturers.
I do love small projects and do have some circuit design experience, soldering Station, etc... But anymore my time is better spent else where.

HTC Evo 4G PowerMat Wireless Charging Receving Door Review And Thoughts

here is a video that i did on the powermaty receiver door for the htc evo 4g.. let me know if you have any questions

I bought this... it works... however... i am not so lazy that I have to pay $60 to not connect my phone.... i ended up returning and buying sprint's extended battery. Having said that, it was really cool. Is it justifiable though? To each his own. Not bashing the product, just not for me.

I have the single mat that came with the door purchase
Is anyone else experiencing troubles or difficulties charging with the powermat?
It seems as if I'll put the phone on the mat sometimes, and if I don't sit and play with it until the position is JUST RIGHT, it will all light up indicating a good charge, then the two white lights will turn off, and the "unplugged" sound will happen, charging light will turn off, but the phone is still on the mat.
Or I'll wake up after its been sitting all night on the charger, no lights indicating its charging, and it will be at/ around 78% and it was placed on the charger correctly.
Is the powermat really this finicky?
Or would getting a multiple mat maybe enhance my experience?

Been using the PowerMat for a week now and have only one complaint. The Little Piece that must be inserted into the USB port has broken off. It is very small and I am sure that it will be lost in a matter of time. I plan on contacting the manufacturer and see if they will provide a replacement since it only lasted a week.

Returned mine... Got sick of how it had to be placed PERFECTLY, and if I got a text message or anything at night it would vibrate and slip from that spot and for some reason discharge rapidly.

i'll just let u guys know.. this thing is terrible. the connector for the case to phone is the worst, cheapest, poorly designed attachment i've ever seen. broke the first day of use. returned it.
garbage.

When we first got them in at Best Buy I put one on my phone and I was like "wow this is stupid, you have to plug it into the micro usb port" I figured it couldn't be that hard to slip something in between the battery and the phone but that's just me.
We sell a lot of Powermats this time of year... than they all get returned after Christmas lol

I plan on doing the touchstone mod, then I don't have to have a crappy plug on the bottom and I won't have to redo my 3m dinoc mod

mrono said:
I plan on doing the touchstone mod, then I don't have to have a crappy plug on the bottom and I won't have to redo my 3m dinoc mod
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Click to collapse
Same here, I was holding off doing the touchstone mod to see what this was gonna be like when it came out.
BUT, this little plug makes it an epic FAIL!
When I saw the prototype battery cover with the dongle, I just figured it was for testing only, and they would have that sorted out for production. I can see that if you weren't a hard core user, and just wanted to save a little hassle of plugging in ur charger, okay. But if ur like me, I plug my phone into my PC several times throughout the day for either ADB, music/movie transfer, etc. Having to deal with that little dongle would be extra annoying, thus not saving me any of the hassle that this setup was intended to help with.
What I really want to do with the Palm touchstone setup is to integrate it into my OB Commuter case and my car mount. This is where the wireless charging would have the greatest benefit, I believe. Imagine jumping in ur rig and putting ur Evo on it's mount, bam, it's charging. No clumsy cords strewn about the dash, this would be so much nicer.
At home, I really don't see the need or benefit of this charger. Ur phone has to be set in one place to be charging. So, I pick it up to take a call, and it's not charging any more. Or, I want to play a game on the couch, but my battery is low, and my charging pad isn't on the couch. I would still need a corded charger to plug into while I play with my phone. I do appreciate the progress in wireless charging though, it will be nice when it works over larger distances, like a couple feet. That I will gladly pay for!

JTNiggle;9186404
[B said:
What I really want to do with the Palm touchstone setup is to integrate it into my OB Commuter case and my car mount. This is where the wireless charging would have the greatest benefit, I believe. Imagine jumping in ur rig and putting ur Evo on it's mount, bam, it's charging. No clumsy cords strewn about the dash, this would be so much nicer.
[/B]
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Thats my goal with this. I tried the touchstone mod with my hero and it was a PITA to get it just right to charge. The touchstone also requires a 1000ma charger, and the couple of car-usb adapters I picked up wouldn't charge the phone.
I had some trouble with the little dongle (it is dirt cheap). I had to take a small flat head screw driver to the pins in the new cover and push them in toward the back. Did that and the connection has been great since.

I must be one of the few that actually enjoy this product. I have the Evo case along with the 3X home office mat.
Being that I have many gadgets and HATE wires, I picked this up on Christmas Eve today. After all, I have my Macbook Air with all the Apple wireless accessories, wireless internet, why not go wireless power right?
As with any thing I buy, I researched a good bit on the Powermat and Evo back cover. I did like how it looked pretty close to the stock back cover and the USB connector was understandable as how else could they get it to charge. However, I could see how for those who use USB constantly it might be somewhat a pain, and also probably break compatibility with many cases (including my Seidio slide case). I did like the Powercube that it comes with (which is pretty much just a charging receiver with mini USB + attachments) so that I can charge my DSi/PSP/iPod/etc. A very important observation I've come to notice is that everything charges as it was connected to an AC adapter, NOT USB which means faster charging including the Evo.
However, I've come to use my Evo less and less. It's strictly for calls now that I have a new iPod touch. I run the Evo as a MiFi router in my pocket all day and with Google Voice I can do most things on the iPod. At work, I use the Evo to tether all day for internet access since my office's internet is quite horrid and blocks all kind of legitimate sites. I hate desk clutter, as much as I seem to accumulate it, I try to remove wires from the equation. I absolutely HATE when I move something and hear something else fall or move around because of wires tangled/crossed, drives me nuts. So at home I have my 3X charger and I'll probably get a 1X one for the office so I can just keep my phone charging while I tether and if I need to run downstairs or across the building I can just pick it up and drop it back off when I return. No need to plug things in, I like that.
So I've really come to like the Powermat because it removes a lot of the frustation for me and also lets me charge multiple devices on a single mat. Instead of having to swap AC adapters out and find outlets, I can just use the Powercube attachments or the Powermat receiver for the device. No need to worry about something possibly throwing the device off my desk or just annoying wires. I just find it a lot easier and I admit much cooler when the noise and light come on as I place it on the mat. Some people say it's 'finicky' with charging unless placed just right but the magnets seem to guide it quite well on my mat.
I'm waiting for the new iPod case from Powermat that should fit the 4th gen models but so far I like what they've done. This is the future and the only way this is going to catch on is if it's supported. Once manufacturers see there is a standard out there, they will integrate it into their devices. I'm trying to do my part by supporting a standard that's actually quite tangible right now. There were many companies trying to do this years ago and now and only Powermat has seemed to grab a good market share of this 'wireless charging' tech.
We all would like for this to be just 'built-in' but manufacturers won't until there's a demand. I know with the current restrictions and modifications necessary to get it working with devices may deter some people, but I think it's a good step in the right direction. Glad someone is finally trying to bring it to the mainstream market.

JTNiggle said:
What I really want to do with the Palm touchstone setup is to integrate it into my OB Commuter case and my car mount. This is where the wireless charging would have the greatest benefit, I believe. Imagine jumping in ur rig and putting ur Evo on it's mount, bam, it's charging. No clumsy cords strewn about the dash, this would be so much nicer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Freakin brilliant dude, seriously

I absolutely love my EVO Powermat, but I keep having problems with the back cover losing function. It works fine at the start, but if I take the cover off to pop the battery out, when a reflash/reboot hangs, it stops functioning. Powermat said to take it back to Best Buy, which I did, but now my second new one has stopped working as well. It does the cute "chirp" when it lines up on the mat, but the LED doesn't light. Charging on cable, both USB and AC are still fine. Anybody else heard of this issue?

This isn't any sort of technological progress. It wastes a huge amount of energy, and doesn't charge the phone as quickly as a wall charger. Double negative if you ask me.

I think it's a great idea, but it fails miserably.
I sync with my (very locked down) work pc and after two battery d door failures in 3 weeks I returned it. The only way I can sync is through usb and the usb dongle doesn't hold up.
It has a premium price but in the end my experience wasn't positive.
Swyped on my PC36100 using tapatalk!

Their Customer Service people have been very nice, and apparently it is now well-documented that the little dongle sucks. Powermat is redesigning it and I am holding mine for return until the new piece is available. No sense going back to Best Buy again to get another one from the same lot.They will offer me a no-charge UPS RMA pickup when the time comes. Hey, I like it when it works... what can I say.

Tom:
Theres no way the design as it currently stands should have passed testing.
Swyped on my PC36100 using tapatalk!

@John: True... it's like they were so relieved that the lid fit right and the concept actually worked when you first installed it, that they never tested remove/reinstall cycles. There is a wrong way and a right way to test. When I worked as a project manager at a software company, the programmers used to get pissed when I broke a program. They were so personally invested in the product that they didn't understand that the goal of any good beta tester should be to break the product, not confirm that it works.

The only problem with my powermat is that when it is fully charged it cuts off and when I wake up the battery is at 80% or less. This is very frustrating, has anyone got a fix for this? I believe it is a setting in the phone that is causing this issue. When I first got the powermat it worked correctly and then I updated my phone and now it is not working! Any suggestions?

Which Portable Charger?

Just got back from glastonbury at the weekend with a dead phone and though investing in a portable charger may be a good idea.
Does anyone have any positive experiance with a charger that they would recommmend?
The veho pebble seems quite good (5000mah) but costs around £35, i dont mind paying this but would rather hear some positive reviews first. Sadly all the reviews i can find seem to be written by the manufacturer :S

Any but...
I have found that any will work, but usually you get what you pay for...

ordered a zaggsparq, seems to get good reviews
has a 6000mah capacity and 2 USB ports to charge devices.
Ill leave some feedback after using it a few times

battery charger
Battery chargers that you know has support.

kleinnj said:
I have found that any will work, but usually you get what you pay for...
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Click to collapse
That didn't work for me. I have a very cheap charger (similar to the one that came with my Milestone, you just plug it in and connect the USB-cable to it and your phone) that does *not* work for the phone (it does for my iPod, though).
The "funny" thing is: using it to charge my phone (or at least try) will switch the phone's "charging" light on but no power every reaches it.
Gave me a hard time thinking my phone (or at least the battery) was broken until I found out ...

rumpleforeskin said:
ordered a zaggsparq, seems to get good reviews
has a 6000mah capacity and 2 USB ports to charge devices.
Ill leave some feedback after using it a few times
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm interested in the ZaggSparq too, let us know how it works for you.

wow...
could you imagine being stuck behind this guy at a drive-thru?

Which Portable Charger
Believe you need care that costs need are quality problems, prevented you come in to look at:
__________________
Digital Camera Battery, Charger，DC Power Jack
Laptop cpu cooling fan

Do want to know how well ZaggSparq works for you too..

WARNING for the 'Extended Battery Power Pack for Samsung Galaxy Note i9220'

I wanna give a heads-up about the 'Extended Battery Power Pack for Samsung Galaxy Note i9220' from ebay. (link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayIS...sPageName=ADME:L:eek:C:US:3160#ht_2986wt_1165 )
The idea of the product is good. The build quality was kinda solid. I liked the feel of it attached to the phone. But when i tried to plug in the usb for the first time, it borke straight away and the little usb female host fell out of the case. I've mailed the seller about it. Waiting for an answer. Just a quick warning.. don't buy it.. just yet. It might work good when it stays complete, but i didn't got the chance to try.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/107586285/2012-10-08 18.46.01.jpg

I just received extended battery of the same kind but different brand "POWER BANK". It's no problem in charging but its power supplying time still suspicious and may need more recharge cycles to get its full performance.
It really looks great, good finishing and not so thick though it puts more weight on my hand. Some heat is generated during discharge to the phone.
The only really drawback would be the inability to pull out the S-Pen coz it blocks the bottom side of the phone. And the extra S-Pen with holder kit is only solution.
Sent from my GT-N7000

_terror_ said:
I wanna give a heads-up about the 'Extended Battery Power Pack for Samsung Galaxy Note i9220' from ebay. (link: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayIS...sPageName=ADME:L:eek:C:US:3160#ht_2986wt_1165 )
The idea of the product is good. The build quality was kinda solid. I liked the feel of it attached to the phone. But when i tried to plug in the usb for the first time, it borke straight away and the little usb female host fell out of the case. I've mailed the seller about it. Waiting for an answer. Just a quick warning.. don't buy it.. just yet. It might work good when it stays complete, but i didn't got the chance to try.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/107586285/2012-10-08 18.46.01.jpg
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Click to collapse
Noted and thanks. I am looking for a power bank from ebay as well.

I have the same unit as pictured above. When I got it several months back, I realized the MicroUSB adapter was very tight on all the cables I tried. Since, I have borked a USB port before accidentally apply too much force in the wrong manner when inserting a connector, I am usually very careful about the amount of pressure, angle and alignment when I am inserting connectors. I can see how someone could bork the connector like this, but it would also be end user error in my opinion.
It takes about forever and a day to charge both the battery bank and the internal phone battery via the usb port on my notebook. I have an HP Envy 17 3D with an actively cooled base that also has a powered 3 port USB3 hub on it. Using either the powered hub or any of the internal usb ports does not show a difference in the charging time. Charging from the Samsung charger from my Epic 4g Touch (Galaxy SII Family) appears to do it in less time as does the Motorola AC to MicroUSB charger seems to do it even faster.
The external battery takes a few cycles to get it to the point where it begins to show its full potential, being able to actively use the device while charging the battery. I only use it when necessary, which will increase once I have finally activated the note as a phone, I am porting service from Sprint to Straight Talk in the very immediate future.

USB jack replacement

The USB Mini-B jack (the USB port) on my LG P930 Nitro HD needs replacement. (This is partly because the battery life on the device is so short I have had to connect the thing constantly, using a variety of cables). The metal guides in the socket first appeared to separate from the male plug and are now a mangled mess, mostly at the back of the connector.
Does anyone have experience with do-it-yourself (DIY) replacement of this port?
The phone is rooted and running a custom ROM, so I can't take it for warranty.
I find many tutorials on screen replacement, but all I can find online are the replacement parts (such as this). Not a word, anywhere it seems, on replacing that port.
It's not easy to tell from either phone teardown video or the part itself, but it appears the socket is soldered to the board. . If that's true, I won't attempt it.
Also, does anyone have experience with the national myPhoneMD franchises regarding hardware repair ?

I can't speak to the level of complexity for doing this replacement, but I can tell you that indeed it requires soldering and not your run-of-the-mill soldering that you can do with any hobby soldering iron either. The 4 posts from that part you linked are just to hold the component in place...(If I'm not mistaken) there's still the actual USB connectors and they're likely surface-mount (magnifying glass and pinpoint soldering skills required here).
You might be better off with buying extra spare batteries and using apps like WiFi Explorer for accessing files on the SD Card remotely.

micro soldering definitely required
Namuna said:
I can't speak to the level of complexity for doing this replacement, but I can tell you that indeed it requires soldering and not your run-of-the-mill soldering that you can do with any hobby soldering iron either. The 4 posts from that part you linked are just to hold the component in place...(If I'm not mistaken) there's still the actual USB connectors and they're likely surface-mount
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting idea using batteries & WiFi ADB, but this device gets heavy field use and serves as my GPS on long trips. Plus, removing and replacing the Ballistic case is time-consuming. It's really too bad because after the better part of a year, I finally found a stable ROM where the battery would not drain in 2 hours or where the phone spent 1/4 of the time rebooting.
I found a close up photo confirming your observation. The signal lead connections are definitely smaller than my hobby-level solder skill can manage. The part is available from multiple suppliers, so someone somewhere has the skill set to replace it. I just hope it's not a three-week ordeal.

I feel your pain. My young son has been playing with my Nitro and he's nowhere near as anal as I am about not straining the USB cable when connected. Lately I've been noticing that I'm not getting good connections with all the USB cables I usually use (won't charge from the car adapter anymore. )
I'm glad you're even able to use the GPS for extended periods. I'm using a Hyperion fatty and CM10.1 ROM and when the car adapter *was* working, it couldn't keep my Nitro charged while using the GPS...If I couldn't get there within a couple/few of hours, I was screwed....And it's a high-capacity car adapter too.
...These guys need to get this magnetic USB connector to market, ASAP!!!
http://outsmartingtechnologies.com/project/magnetic-usb-connection/

Namuna said:
I'm using a Hyperion fatty and CM10.1 ROM and when the car adapter *was* working, it couldn't keep my Nitro charged while using the GPS...If I couldn't get there within a couple/few of hours, I was screwed....And it's a high-capacity car adapter too.
...These guys need to get this magnetic USB connector to market, ASAP!!!
http://outsmartingtechnologies.com/project/magnetic-usb-connection/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GPS: I have the same problem with battery longevity on trips. I could not run the phone continuously--even with the screen off--without going to 0%. On long trips there has to be a "refractory period" for the phone either off or in minimal consumption mode, if I want some battery left at the end of the journey or when I really need the GPS. I've tried a variety of DC chargers, but even the Stanley PC1A09 inverter powering the stock LG A/C adapter ultimately loses the battery fight. I am guessing that the inverter's output does not provide the A/C waveform as a wall outlet.
That magnetic connector looks great, but there would have to be a micro-format version.
None of the local repair shops in New Orleans, Louisiana will take on solder work at this scale. I ordered the $6 part but probably won't even try to install it, as I might destroy the board. Now I'm deciding between a local used locked phone, or a "new" unlocked phone on eBay. One particular seller with the best price has 99% positive reviews, but nearly all the negatives are from people who got used when they paid for new.

Have you tried bringing it to an actual AT&T store? I think we can give up the hope that they'll fix it under warranty, but at least they should be able to fix it at a cost...And if it ends up being cheaper than buying another Nitro used, then you've got a better deal.

My quit working I can charge it by putting something under the cord u might want give that a try it work for me
Sent from my LG-P930 using xda premium

stickman1981 said:
My quit working I can charge it by putting something under the cord u might want give that a try it work for me
Sent from my LG-P930 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's been my mode for a couple of months. I had ordered a Monoprice cable that didn't fit tightly, but just on my phone (all the other Androids in the house worked fine with it). In retrospect, that was an early sign of trouble.
I think the housing was stretched or distorted by an accidental cable yank months ago, and the socket just deteriorated from there. The short battery life made for more frequent connect-disconnect cycles on the hardware than I would have liked.
I ended up ordering a new replacement with a warranty that I'll probably trade with my son, and then he'll have a plan-protected phone to take to college. He's going to be in Canada and will need an unlocked phone (or else win the lottery). I'll take his locked AT&T phone for myself.
And I will take the bad-socket phone to the AT&T Device store in my area and see what it will cost to replace that port. If it's under $80-100, I'll probably go for it.