DONE! (kinda, still waiting on my magnets)
Behold, wireless charging in your car! No more tacky wires(well, in a way), no weird looking dock.
Items Needed for this exact project
Lexus IS300, any year, without navigation
Nexus 5 (or pretty much any other QI enabled device)
Soldering iron
Qi Charger
Lots of patience, 30 minutes to an hour of time
Small amount of soldering skills (just 2 soldering points)
A power source behind the "scenes" (panels), in this case, a GROM Audio device with a 5V output USB (female)
Micro USB cable that you are fine with leaving in the car
I think that's it.
Now, here's how I did it.
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This is a wireless charger($11 cheap one off eBay, they have tons on there, output is 1A), torn down to its bare essentials. No more plastic. With the help of a soldering iron, I desoldered the plugs from the charging area to the middle piece that has the light to fit into...
This!
Well this, my Center console vent that is in my IS (No navi )
Top View.
Bottom Views, last one with the cable plugged in.
Now, it is installed! Notice that the panel fits on top without any modifying to the panels, except for the actual charger itself.
Now how does it power up you ask?
With the help of my Grom audio device (which also gives me aux on my stock Lexus Stereo.) I left the USB plug in access in the glove compartment, just incase anything bad happens, or to not waste energy on the charger when I don't need it. Trying to figure out how to make my glove compartment less messy, but so far this is the best that I can do.
Note, no video. I will have that posted sometime, I just recorded it off an iPhone, so I will need to edit it so you get the full effect. Or not, I will probably just upload it, it will just take a few days.
Now, I want someone to do this, but even better than I did! Anything is possible!
Best of luck m8! That does sound amazing
Make sure the magnets are strong, otherwise a simple speed bump will toss away your nexus
You could try some HDD Neodymium magnets taken out of a HDD.
daniel_loft said:
You could try some HDD Neodymium magnets taken out of a HDD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turns out the magnets I ordered are Neodymium, so I shall see how it works in a few days.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Bumping because it is pretty much finished.
iLikeTurtuls said:
DONE! (kinda, still waiting on my magnets)
Behold, wireless charging in your car! No more tacky wires(well, in a way), no weird looking dock.
Items Needed for this exact project
Lexus IS300, any year, without navigation
Nexus 5 (or pretty much any other QI enabled device)
Soldering iron
Qi Charger
Lots of patience, 30 minutes to an hour of time
Small amount of soldering skills (just 2 soldering points)
A power source behind the "scenes" (panels), in this case, a GROM Audio device with a 5V output USB (female)
Micro USB cable that you are fine with leaving in the car
I think that's it.
Now, here's how I did it.
This is a wireless charger($11 cheap one off eBay, they have tons on there, output is 1A), torn down to its bare essentials. No more plastic. With the help of a soldering iron, I desoldered the plugs from the charging area to the middle piece that has the light to fit into...
This!
Well this, my Center console vent that is in my IS (No navi )
Top View.
Bottom Views, last one with the cable plugged in.
Now, it is installed! Notice that the panel fits on top without any modifying to the panels, except for the actual charger itself.
Now how does it power up you ask?
With the help of my Grom audio device (which also gives me aux on my stock Lexus Stereo.) I left the USB plug in access in the glove compartment, just incase anything bad happens, or to not waste energy on the charger when I don't need it. Trying to figure out how to make my glove compartment less messy, but so far this is the best that I can do.
Note, no video. I will have that posted sometime, I just recorded it off an iPhone, so I will need to edit it so you get the full effect. Or not, I will probably just upload it, it will just take a few days.
Now, I want someone to do this, but even better than I did! Anything is possible!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pircture links are broken. Try imgur album.
Update on pics please
Andrew149 said:
Update on pics please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I have some info to offer that may help people with this project. I did the same in the center console of my Miata, and here's a few things that may help people. First my setup.
Qi charger laying flat in center console, foam around the edges to keep the phone from moving (with a hole in the foam at the bottom, this is important). Immediately behind it I installed a fan because the phone would otherwise overheat because: I'm also running appradio unchained to an appradio head unit AND using a netgear push2tv for wireless display to the head unit.
This is a very nice setup, with a few flaws and considerations:
1. Phone likes to get hot and either barely charge or just maintain charge: the fan certainly helps, but also the phone being in a closed space with very low auto brightness helps keep this manageable
2. Must QI chargers will not accept straight vehicle voltage. My energizer pad would stop working as the voltage varied up to 14.3v when the car was running. As a result I added a simple few dollar voltage regulator inline to keep the voltage as close to 12v as possible. I should have tried to add in a delay as well since sometimes restarting tthe car will cause a momentary voltage drop big enough to confuse the charger, but it won't restart after the car does, leaving it flashing at me in error. This can also be solved by just going straight from off to start, and it doesn't happen all the time, so I'm dealing with it till I open it back up again.
Hope this helps someone
thepoetlives89 said:
Pircture links are broken. Try imgur album.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fixed, thank you for the idea.
compuw22c said:
Qi charger laying flat in center console, foam around the edges to keep the phone from moving (with a hole in the foam at the bottom, this is important). Immediately behind it I installed a fan because the phone would otherwise overheat because: I'm also running appradio unchained to an appradio head unit AND using a netgear push2tv for wireless display to the head unit.
This is a very nice setup, with a few flaws and considerations:
1. Phone likes to get hot and either barely charge or just maintain charge: the fan certainly helps, but also the phone being in a closed space with very low auto brightness helps keep this manageable
2. Must QI chargers will not accept straight vehicle voltage. My energizer pad would stop working as the voltage varied up to 14.3v when the car was running. As a result I added a simple few dollar voltage regulator inline to keep the voltage as close to 12v as possible. I should have tried to add in a delay as well since sometimes restarting tthe car will cause a momentary voltage drop big enough to confuse the charger, but it won't restart after the car does, leaving it flashing at me in error. This can also be solved by just going straight from off to start, and it doesn't happen all the time, so I'm dealing with it till I open it back up again.
Hope this helps someone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cable that I bought from grom audio outputs 5v (does not list the Amps.) Knowing a little bit of info about car chargers and how it pretty much rushes the power to the device before calming down after a second or 2, I made sure the USB is accessible in the glove compartment, as shown in picture 10. The wiring is a little messy, but I barely had time to install the unit.
Regarding the heat, I have an iPhone that I used for music (it was cheaper for me to buy it than buying an iPod), and a stock stereo so I don't have to worry about the heat too much, but being on the dash will definitely heat it up, along with the charging itself, especially during the heat. I'll most likely be using it at night, or on long trips, mainly because I have not got magnets to hold it down. I tried the hard drive magnets, however the ones I received were too small (the said 1x3, so I assume CM but it was MM.) I have a dead hard drive, which I might use for the magnets. I am looking for a magnet thats like the size of a quarter and 1mm thin, so pretty much a magnet quarter or penny hahah. If the magnet from my HDD don't work, then back to eBay again!
Related
I didn't want to clog/hijack THIS THREAD but the pin info and idea was very helpful. After waiting and waiting and waiting for official word of a charging dock that utilizes the pogo pins on the side, I've given up hope. And lets face it if you kill the usb port on this thing "you're screwed". so I really wanted to reduce my usb port usage and utilize a feature that comes with the device.
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My material list is 8 screws, 46 gauge guitar string, a strip of 1/2" playwood that happened to be ripped down to 2 1/2" in my garage, usb cable, piece of flat 1/8" thick plastic and a tiny bit of solder. The way that I screwed/bent the piece of guitar string gives the perfect amount of spring so that when the device is set both are compressed and make contact with the side of the device.
This was very spur of the moment and took me a half hour to build. And it works brilliantly. Yes I could have spent more time on design and material type and getting proper pogo pins. But I'm lazy and intent of this thread is spark ideas in other peoples heads. So now this masterpiece lives on my nightstand and I drop my galnex in at night and wake up to a full charge in the morning without having to use the usb port.
**edit** The pic of the lockscreen is in landscape using the Team Kang AOKP rom.
good day.
THIS is what I love to see here. Ingenuity. Looks good to me. I am thinking of putting some docks together here this weekend. One for the nightstand and one for the office.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
VERY awesome work. I love some hacked together ingenuity for sure, haha. I've had the car and desktop dock on order from Clove since December but I think I'll be cancelling the orders fairly soon and working up something on my own.
MacGyver would be proud
Terminators run on Android
Very nice!
Love it, nice work. Like you said, you could get some cheap pogo pins off digikey, but I like the character of your design.
Going to have to try this over the weekend. What is the third pin for on the phone?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Zane_Grey said:
Going to have to try this over the weekend. What is the third pin for on the phone?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a decent, and probably relevant, read speculating on the function of the third pin on the Nexus One: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=631508
I love this, but I got some questions I'd like answered before attempting this.
1.For those of us without guitar string, would a paper clip bent into proper shape work well too?
2. What cable is that, that you were using just a power cord or was that usb?
3. You said it just sits on your night stand so does that mean you cant transfer data to your computer?
Also a video just going over it more or perhaps some more pics of the back there would be nice (at least for me) to see what is screwed around the screw.
jonnyg1097 said:
I love this, but I got some questions I'd like answered before attempting this.
1.For those of us without guitar string, would a paper clip bent into proper shape work well too?
2. What cable is that, that you were using just a power cord or was that usb?
3. You said it just sits on your night stand so does that mean you cant transfer data to your computer?
Also a video just going over it more or perhaps some more pics of the back there would be nice (at least for me) to see what is screwed around the screw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. no idea, sorry. Check out the pogo pins though.
2. Thats a power cable, a usb would have a wire for data.
3. the pins don't transfer any information (well... the middle one does, but not anything useful to a pc) so transferring stuff would be impossible. (but thats what wifi is for)
This is beautiful and ugly at the same time.
One thing I would recommend is cutting out an area at the bottom of the phone so that you COULD attach a USB, OTG, or MHL cable if need-be. Perhaps that side of the dock could be shaped like a B, or notched to also allow access to the headphone port.
I would also maybe split out the power connection to a microUSB port to power MHL or other accessories. Or maybe just wire up a fullsize female USB to power another unit such as a bluetooth headset or whatever. It just would be nice to have a powered USB port just in case.
To the guy above, sure it may not look perfect but a coat of paint would spruce it up very well.
Overall A+
I might try my hand at something like this. I'm a cheap ass when it comes to buying crap for phones (since I go through them often). I have all the materials already with the exception of spare guitar strings but the paperclip idea sounds great and can be bent to size. I have some Poplar wood in my basement that would even look good with a heavy clear coat.
player911 said:
One thing I would recommend is cutting out an area at the bottom of the phone so that you COULD attach a USB, OTG, or MHL cable if need-be. Perhaps that side of the dock could be shaped like a B, or notched to also allow access to the headphone port.
I would also maybe split out the power connection to a microUSB port to power MHL or other accessories. Or maybe just wire up a fullsize female USB to power another unit such as a bluetooth headset or whatever. It just would be nice to have a powered USB port just in case.
To the guy above, sure it may not look perfect but a coat of paint would spruce it up very well.
Overall A+
I might try my hand at something like this. I'm a cheap ass when it comes to buying crap for phones (since I go through them often). I have all the materials already with the exception of spare guitar strings but the paperclip idea sounds great and can be bent to size. I have some Poplar wood in my basement that would even look good with a heavy clear coat.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am thinking of attempting this as well. Except I dont have the wood to spare for this, so I am trying to look for a generic stand on ebay that would be possible to modify to fit at the least the pogo pins and at the most everything you mentioned. Because it would be a MHL adapter built in and ready to go.
Nice Job! Very creative use of guitar strings in lieu of pogo pins! I might have to try something like this...
jonnyg1097 said:
I am thinking of attempting this as well. Except I dont have the wood to spare for this, so I am trying to look for a generic stand on ebay that would be possible to modify to fit at the least the pogo pins and at the most everything you mentioned. Because it would be a MHL adapter built in and ready to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm looking for something generic too, something that came to my mind was some kind of business card holder. Just a thought I'd throw out there.
chuckdz3 said:
I'm looking for something generic too, something that came to my mind was some kind of business card holder. Just a thought I'd throw out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make it out of Lego blocks! Dunno how you would keep the pins in place though..
4Pr3mier said:
Make it out of Lego blocks! Dunno how you would keep the pins in place though..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DUCT TAPE! (j/k) Gorrilla glue/super glue will work if you drill a small enough of a hole.
Or even some kind of poxy to hold it there. I might have to run to the Lego Store at the Mall of America to go buy me some Legos to build me a stand!
Munchys said:
DUCT TAPE! (j/k) Gorrilla glue/super glue will work if you drill a small enough of a hole.
Or even some kind of poxy to hold it there. I might have to run to the Lego Store at the Mall of America to go buy me some Legos to build me a stand!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol! Soo tempting to make a duct tape stand HA! I so totally need to restring my guitar and I already have some new strings.... (yells at wife) HONEY WHERE'S THE DUCT TAPE!!
For those looking for generic stands, I saw some on ebay that were just acrylic kinda in an "S" shape sort of deal that looked like could hold the nexus fully and was pretty modifiable.
Although than running a particular rom, has anyone found a way to get the GNex in to landscape mode while on a dock? I did a quick search and didn't find anything. On my D1 I used a magnet placed in a particular spot to force it into dock mode.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
This is a review of iBolt xProDock car mount for Samsung Galaxy smart phones (Note 2, S3, S4): http://www.ibolt.co/ibxs-33603
After reviewing close to half a dozen of different car mounts, I thought I was done. They all typically have suction cup base and phone mount attached to it, with different variations of the mount/grip mechanism. Very straight forward stuff. I heard about iBolt, but never had a chance to review it in the past thinking it will be just another car mount variation. But with a number of people asking me about which car mount to use with Zerolemon extended battery, I started to research more about mounts capable to accommodate cases up to Defender size which also offer the best vibration-free support. Everything pointed to iBolt. What I didn't realize is that although priced at $39.95 which is higher than most of the car mounts - you get so many additional bonuses that it takes this car dock into a totally different category I would refer to as "smart car dock".
So lets start with suction cup base. This one is a standard piece with a new type of sticky-gel base that helps it being attached to textured area and some uneven surfaces. It's a new trend with a lot of premium car mounts, and I have demonstrated in pictures below it sticks upside down and sideways to textured surface without any problem. What I did like is an honest warning included with the instruction card about possibility of leaving an indent on soft leather or soft textured material dashboards. I have experienced that before with another brand, and wish I would have been informed ahead of time about it. The base has a standard universal ball joint mount so it's interchangeable.
Now to the mount itself. It a 3 contact point mount with two expendable rest feet at the bottom (will extend to a depth accommodating Zerolemon battery/case without a problem) and spring loaded latch in the middle at the top. I found the grip to be tight enough to hold the phone in landscape mode very sturdy, no wobbling or vibration. It is possible to use one hand to insert the phone by pushing it on the latch to expand it and sliding the phone in to rest on the support feet. To remove it, I had to use both hands. This 3-point support configuration with back plate not covering the entire back of the phone allows the camera to be open so you can use it as a dash cam. Also, due to universal joint connection, you can obviously rotate the mount 360 deg and tilt it to adjust to a better viewing angle. The quality of material didn't feel flimsy at all, and I hardly experienced any flex.
At this point I would be done with my review for a typical car dock, but iBolt provides you with a number of valuable surprises. First of all you get so called "charging arm" which is a flexible short piece of micro-usb male-to-female cable that secures in the back of the mount with cable wrapping around any side to be plugged into the phone. You can position it facing right or left, and with flexibility of the cable you can bend it at any angle. The cable is heavy duty, no need to worry about pumping 2A of current. Next you get 9ft (yeah, 9 feet!!!) of heavy duty charging/auxiliary cable to connect to your car charger and to extract audio output from HDMI interface. A lot of car stereos support bluetooth interface but for phone connection only. Audio output from the phone is not support. I learned it a hard way a week ago when my Sirius receiver unit (routed to car stereo) start acting up and I wasn't able to stream my audio from the phone. I had to use my little Anker bluetooth speaker connected to a phone which caused a conflict since it wanted to connect to both phone and audio while car head unit was fighting over phone connection. With this setup, I don't even have to power up bt speaker. Just use aux cable to connect to aux-in of the speaker and listen to streaming audio from my phone that way. This cable itself is high quality for sure. And if that wasn't enough, iBolt offers it's own custom dashboard app for driving. Very highly configurable app; I captured various setup screens for you to get an idea of it's flexibility. You can use it without iBolt dock, but with xPro dock as soon as you plug it in - you can have it start automatically and trigger certain evens like toggling BT or WiFi. I did have a small issue with my Note 2, when plugged in it was turning my display off requiring me to press Power button on the phone twice for it to come up. So, I need to investigate it further. I have seen on the Play market, iBolt guys constantly working on this app updates and resolving different compatibility issues.
Overall, this car dock turned out to be full of surprises. I found it to be a great value considering all the extra bonuses with included cables and capability to support Note 2 with large cases, including Zerolemon battery with it's TPU case (although spring loaded latch with it's rubber lining did put some marking on TPU case, but those were hardly noticeable and easy to wipe off). So for anybody who is on a road a lot and in need of a decent sturdy car mount with flexibility of audio output for streaming and included quality charging cable - iBolt xPro Dock deserves a serious consideration.
Here are the pictures.
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I would've bought this ages ago but ibolt seen to be intent on screwing over their UK customers. On amazon the samsung version isn't available on prime, it's almost £50 without it, seems a bit much for a car dock. I checked again today and was glad to see one samsung version on prime but it turns out that one doesn't include the aux cable, one of the reasons I want to buy the thing in the first place. They don't seem to be active on xda anymore either.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
What are you going to use the 9ft cable for?
nm8 said:
What are you going to use the 9ft cable for?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flexibility of routing it in the car, snaking it around dashboard, windshield, center console, etc. It takes advantage of HDMI audio output so you can charge the phone and have audio output going to aux input of your stereo or external speaker. I know 9ft sounds like extreme, but it's better to have a longer cable rather then be short on a connection.
Ah ok... I just use bluetooth in my car and just normal cigarette type cahrger..
nm8 said:
Ah ok... I just use bluetooth in my car and just normal cigarette type cahrger..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Newer car stereos connect to both phone and audio through bluetooth, while older units (like with my '07 GS350) only connect to phone but not audio. For me bringing audio out from the phone is the only way to stream it to my car stereo.
Can you remove the flexible charging arm completely so there are no cables at all? I think you can since it looks like you have to remove the cable to reverse it.
irishrally said:
Can you remove the flexible charging arm completely so there are no cables at all? I think you can since it looks like you have to remove the cable to reverse it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I believe you can.
Although if you're going to do that you may as well save someone and buy a universal car dock IMO.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
D3_ said:
Yes, I believe you can.
Although if you're going to do that you may as well save someone and buy a universal car dock IMO.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's easily removable.
The audio cable has some issues like buzzing noise when my phone is 100% charged
xxxnewman said:
The audio cable has some issues like buzzing noise when my phone is 100% charged
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get the same noise, it isn't the dock's fault (the dock just provides some wires, basically). The noise you hear is called a ground loop -- the power adapter in the lighter socket is grounded to the chassis, while the ground line of the aux audio goes from the phone, through the stereo, and then to the stereo's electrical ground. In theory both grounds are at the same potential, but in reality there are many small sources of resistance which cause a slight differential between them. Ground loop filters for stereos are available, but you'll have to pull out the head unit to attach it inline with the power connection. The simpler solution is a filter which goes inline on the audio cable, between the phone and stereo aux input. They can be picked up on eBay for about $10.
So I'm really missing wireless charging after having stuffed it into my GS3 and the Nexus 4 obviously having it built in. So... being that I still had 2 chargers and 2 pads left over, I've decided to begin modding the Moto X after seeing there was quite a bit of room in the bottom of the phone under the battery cover when I was replacing the woven black with a MotoMaker back. Here's the pre-fitting photos. I had to trim some of the foam away at the bottom, and still need to trace where exactly to place the wires for the charging. I'm guessing I'll have to solder directly to the back of the USB port. Where it sits will be a perfect angle, and should not interfere with NFC at all (Yay google wallet!)
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I'll be posting periodically with updates, although I don't know when I'll have more time as I have 2 infant daughters that demand much attention.
Awesome!
I've been missing qi charging as well, hopefully you get this to work.
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk
icase81 said:
I'll be posting periodically with updates, although I don't know when I'll have more time as I have 2 infant daughters that demand much attention.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Curious to see how this goes. Even though I am quite sure the results will be positive.
Sub'd
I hope you don't abandon the idea and keep us updated. Seems like a worthy project!
Go OP! I can't wait to see success with this, so that I may be able to do this mod myself as well.
Exactly what I was hoping someone would do. Hopefully this works out and is simple enough to do. :good:
Looks awesome, OP!
On a side note - where did you get the MotoMaker back? I'd like to change my back to a custom-colored one eventually too, but I haven't been able to find any backs online.
terabyte128 said:
Looks awesome, OP!
On a side note - where did you get the MotoMaker back? I'd like to change my back to a custom-colored one eventually too, but I haven't been able to find any backs online.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can get them on ebay now. Been eyeing getting one but waiting for the wood backs.
Well this is awesome man...!!!!! :good:
Wow, god speed. I don't yet have a Moto X (still holding out for a wood back) but I'm so used to using those Palm wireless chargers on my current phone (SGS)! I have one at work and one at home on my nightstand. It's a perfect angle of inclination for my preference and the wireless charging works great. Are you having any problems putting the phone back together? I know they don't leave much room in there for something as thick as one of these chargers. And I guess if I eventually get the wood back that probably wouldn't make for an easy time getting it off :-/
I'd like to do this too, which coil receiver do you recommend?
Thanks,
Danny
dhoppy said:
I'd like to do this too, which coil receiver do you recommend?
Thanks,
Danny
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one he is using in the images uses the Palm Touchstone charger, you can find a bunch of applicable coils on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/bhp/palm-wireless-charging I am fairly certain that this coil will only work on that Touchstone and is not compatible with QI or Powermat.
edit: I also highly recommend buying some tiny magnets (I bought 1/4" by 1/32" circular ones) instead of the metal disks that are included so you can get it to snap a lot better to the stand.
thanks
Anyone trying this should aim to have the charging coil as close to the camera as possible, the antennas are all in the lower back of the unit and you won't want to block them at all.
I have been looking at some wireless charging options myself. One of them is a small pad that should fit under most soft cases, it has a thin ribbon cable with a very low profile micro usb connector on the end. The better option is something like that but integrated internally. I haven't opened a Moto X yet to see how much space there is. What is the maximum thickness we can hope to have, is there anywhere near 1mm if we remove the silicone pad?
Everything I am looking at is Qi compatible.
I have also been studying high-res pictures of the inside of the Moto X looking for possible solder points for power, doesn't look too friendly at this point.
Steve-x said:
Anyone trying this should aim to have the charging coil as close to the camera as possible, the antennas are all in the lower back of the unit and you won't want to block them at all.
I have been looking at some wireless charging options myself. One of them is a small pad that should fit under most soft cases, it has a thin ribbon cable with a very low profile micro usb connector on the end. The better option is something like that but integrated internally. I haven't opened a Moto X yet to see how much space there is. What is the maximum thickness we can hope to have, is there anywhere near 1mm if we remove the silicone pad?
Everything I am looking at is Qi compatible.
I have also been studying high-res pictures of the inside of the Moto X looking for possible solder points for power, doesn't look too friendly at this point.
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There is plenty of room towards the bottom and the silicone is maybe a mm in the thickest area. Insofar as blocking the antenna, I've never had issues with my sgs3 or note 2 with putting the coil over the antenna. However, with regards to solder points, you are right. This is not going to be easy without fully disassembling and finding either the microUSB solder points or the charging circuits entry points from the microUSB. I may be abandoning this if that's the case.
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Has anyone tried this (for the qi standard)? Thinking about giving it a shot.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Universa...faultDomain_15&var&hash=item27db52d3fa&_uhb=1
the green man said:
Has anyone tried this (for the qi standard)? Thinking about giving it a shot.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Universa...faultDomain_15&var&hash=item27db52d3fa&_uhb=1
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That looks like it would be perfect to slip between the phone and a case, would bending it to conform to the back of the phone affect it's charging ability though? Or would it even be able to be bent?
"There is plenty of room towards the bottom and the silicone is maybe a mm in the thickest area. Insofar as blocking the antenna, I've never had issues with my sgs3 or note 2 with putting the coil over the antenna. However, with regards to solder points, you are right. This is not going to be easy without fully disassembling and finding either the microUSB solder points or the charging circuits entry points from the microUSB. I may be abandoning this if that's the case."
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So how would one check to see which of the 4 prongs connected to the ribbon going to the battery are the correct +/- terminals. I've been studying over the iFixIt.com images to come up with a plan and I think if I can get a random wireless charging coil from eBay then cut that ribbon to fit into the 2 needed ports for the battery ribbon, then the only thing would be size/fitment under the back cover.
alk195 said:
That looks like it would be perfect to slip between the phone and a case, would bending it to conform to the back of the phone affect it's charging ability though? Or would it even be able to be bent?
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It shouldn't matter. As long as the plug is in, and the pad is near the wireless charger.
This is kinda smart; can't believe this isn't widely known. I've never seen something like this.
alk195 said:
That looks like it would be perfect to slip between the phone and a case, would bending it to conform to the back of the phone affect it's charging ability though? Or would it even be able to be bent?
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Someone has to be the guinea pig on this.. I would love to be able to slide this under a case.
This is a Review of Galaxy Note 4 Qi Wireless Solution.
I was never a fan of wireless charging especially if it requires adding parts to a smartphone. It’s different with my Nexus 7 HD where Qi receiver is built in: just place it on a charging pad and off you go. Adding Qi receiver coil/pad and making sure it still works with my preferred case, not to mention without making case bulge out, seemed to me like a hassle. Back in the days when I had my Note 2, it wasn’t even an option since my provider (Verizon) disabled access to wireless charging contacts. With my Note 4 I was on a fence and the only driving force behind it was my use of the phone as GPS everyday to/from work where I have 1hr of driving each way and need to have my phone plugged in. Constant plugging and unplugging of micro-usb cable takes a toll on that port. So here I was, looking for a wireless solution for my Note 4 and accepting the fact that I will only be able to charge my phone at a maximum 1A (current limitation of a common inductive coil charging), which is half the speed of a typical 2A wired charger and even less in comparison to rapid charging.
I start looking into 3 common pieces of this solution: a wireless charging receiver pad to add under the battery cover of my Note 4, a wireless charging transmitter pad/stand, and a car mount with a wireless charging transmitter. Starting with a receiver coil/pad, you will find dozens of parts under $10, but unfortunately they don’t work the same. They all have an inductive receiver coil, some converter circuit, and two sets of contacts. They all will add thickness to your phone, making your battery door bulge out a bit, but not significantly. The problem, they all introduce a heat to the back of your phone (you have a high current going through a metal coil), but some make it very hot and others more tolerable. The one I found to be work the best for me is this Qi receiver pad: http://www.dx.com/p/newest-hot-sale...amsung-note-4-n9100-black-358059#.VM1OF7B0z3g - $7.99, 1A output, and about 62mm x 40mm in size. It was very easy to install, and had a little sticky strip on the back so it holds the pad in place once you align it with pins. Plus, it didn’t add too much bulge to my UAG case.
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The most important thing – it actually WORKED with a transmitter/charging pad through my UAG case. Keep in mind, there is no physical contact between transmitter coil and receiver coil, that’s why it’s called inductive charging. The distance between coils will affect your charging speed, but I actually found this particular charging pad to work really well with my charging stand and car mount.
Speaking of charging stand, there are tons you can find on the net in round puck shape or a more traditional flat rectangular shape. The problem is that you need to align your phone with a charging coil inside of that charging pad and make sure you don’t move or shift it for duration of charging. That is a big challenge which has been resolved by infamous Tylt brand angled charging stand. But just like anything in this world, when you have an expensive brand name product, sooner or later you will find a similar looking (read: identical) alternative at half the price from China! This is a wireless charging stand I got: http://www.dx.com/p/itian-a6-3-coil...let-pc-mobile-phone-black-325355#.VM1O_rB0z3g ($33.73, 1A output, 3-coil design) or as a better alternative you can get it bundled with Note 4 wireless receiver for only $4 more: http://www.dx.com/p/itian-a6-3-coil...msung-galaxy-note-4-black-364016#.VM1YSrB0z3g
It works like a charm!!! No need to slide around for the correct position or to worry that someone will walk by and knock it off the stand. That stand is upright so it’s easy to position the phone, and 3-coil design covers a larger area so you don’t have to micro-adjust the position to find a sweet spot. Plus, phone is in upright position so it’s easy to view the screen if you have to. Also, there is led indicator when power is connected to the stand (red light) and when you make a charging contact (blue light). This way you know for sure phone is aligned and charging wirelessly. The most important, it works well with a charging pad on the back of my phone, it doesn’t get too hot, and you get close to 1A charging speed. Don’t forget, it also comes with a quality usb cable and 2A wall charger. I think for $37 plus change it’s the best solution you can get to have everything you need to setup your Note 4 with wireless charging. Plus, the same stand can be used for any of your other devices supporting Qi charging.
But why limit yourself to only in-home wireless charging? In my case, I was also interested for in-car charging as well. That is also challenging because you are not only looking for a wireless charging solution, but also for a sturdy grip for your phone so it won’t slip out while you are driving. I have reviewed a lot of regular car mounts, probably everything under the sun, and always find myself coming back to Arkon mounts. But when it comes to wireless charging, I found this one to work the best with my Note 4: http://www.dx.com/p/qi-vehicle-moun...xy-s3-s4-s5-note-2-note-3-335226#.VM1OTrB0z3g ($37.19, 1A output, with a bonus of usb cable, car charger, and a vent mount). The base has a typical suction cup with a rotation lock, taking very little room.
The actual mounting part is attached to the base through a common universal 17mm ball joint which means you can use it with any of your current mounts supporting the same connection. Those familiar with iOttie car mounts will see this one uses the same push button lock mechanism where you separate the holding “jaws” by pushing on the sides, and once the phone is placed into the cradle it pushes the back button to lock it in. Just keep in mind, if you have a bulky case like a Defender – it will not fit. It worked with UAG case but had a small margin, just enough. Also, since now you are a dealing with a single coil transmit charger – you will have to find a sweet spot to position your phone. The bottom of the mount has an adjustable shelf which is very convenient to set for that sweet spot to align it perfectly. Also, there is led indicator when power is connected to the mount (red light) and when you make a charging contact (blue light). This way you know for sure phone is aligned and charging wirelessly.
Overall, this solution works 100% with my Note 4 and UAG case (not the slimmest case to begin with), and provides a reliable charging, not too much overheating though it gets a bit warm (but not “hot” like I’ve seen with some other charging pads), and it’s very reasonably priced. Keep in mind, your charging speed will be at half speed due to 1A charging limitation. Still, gets my high recommendation!!!
So is the wireless charging fast enough to keep up with the battery drain of using GPS in the car?
Great review!
i'm wondering, when we will get faster charges, based on this solution:
Freescale's WCT1012/WCT1111 transmitter chips -- offered in standard and premium versions -- and its WPR1516 receiver chip are geared for mobile devices with bigger batteries. They enable a recharge that's up to three times faster than 5W predecessors, said Freescale's Randy Ryder.
"In a typical 5W system that's producing 1 amp current, you can charge in one hour. With 15 Watts, in theory, you could cut that charge time by a third by improving power," Ryder, wireless charging lead for Freescale's microcontroller division and a representative on the Power Matters Alliance, told EE Times.
Very Nice, Thank You.
vw671 said:
So is the wireless charging fast enough to keep up with the battery drain of using GPS in the car?
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Yes sir!
vectron said:
Yes sir!
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Will the Note 4 fit into the Otterbox Defender or Commuter cases with this receiver installed?
felloffthetruck said:
Will the Note 4 fit into the Otterbox Defender or Commuter cases with this receiver installed?
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It should fit, not a problem, but I'm afraid the distance between coils will be too far apart thus you will be charging probably at 0.5A rate
Is this the same thing? http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/EP-HN910IBUSTA
arjun90 said:
Is this the same thing? http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/EP-HN910IBUSTA
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The same wireless car charging idea except it cost $100 and designed for a naked Galaxy, or maybe with a very thin TPU case.
Thanks for pointing that out! Much appreciated.
vectron said:
The same wireless car charging idea except it cost $100 and designed for a naked Galaxy, or maybe with a very thin TPU case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NVM, found the answer.... thanks
Hi. Did you notice if the phone gets hot while using the dx receivers? Also, now that you've used it for a bit do your still recommend this setup? Thx!
This is a review of Anker Car Jump Start Battery and a Portable Charger. http://www.ianker.com/product/A1501011 , available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00T2GT9L4/
After reviewing so many different Anker batteries, I'm more used to writing about their products that can save your phone. Here is the first one for me - a product from Anker that can actually save your car and perhaps turn into a real Life Saver if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere! After so many snow storms, last few months have been rough here on East Coast. As I mentioned in my previous Astro E7 review, I usually prepare for the winter with extra bags of salt, a few canisters of gasoline for our portable generator, and making sure all my external Anker batteries are fully charged! But one thing I didn't account for was my 8 year old original car battery that gave me trouble early one morning when temperature dropped below zero. Thank God it was in our driveway next to my wife's car, so I had access to jump start it, but a thought crossed my mind if I would have been away at work, stuck in the empty parking lot. I ended up replacing my car battery about a month ago, and when found out that Anker is releasing a jump-start battery for the car - I requested a review sample to learn more about this fantastic product. I do have to admit that I didn't get a chance to use this battery to actually jump start the car because you do need a car with a dead battery for that test. But I wanted to review this battery based on what it's capable of. Just think of it as insurance, something you have to invest into once to protect you in the future.
Let me first start with a packaging, something everybody will appreciate since it's a sturdy hard plastic case with a molded handle and two locking latches – a case intended to be stored away in a trunk of your car for emergency use. Even before you open it up, you know right away this is a tool box, not a toy. Once opened, you will see a top cover with a foam lining and a plastic form-fitted tray at the bottom partitioned with sections for the battery, jump start cable, and charging cables. Such partitioning is very important because you don't want anything to rattle or slide inside of the case when you are driving. In addition to the battery itself, you have a variety of cable accessories including 15V/1A wall charger, 15V/0.8A car charger, usb to micro-usb charging cable, jumper cable attachment, and a very comprehensive Manual/Guide.
Unit itself is a 10,000 mAh battery. If you need to quickly charge it up, using slow 5V input charger will not be enough. Utilizing 15V input reassures that your Anker battery will be fully charged and ready in no time! Also while keeping it in the car, the battery will stay "fresh" for about 3 months in standby, but you have to be sure to periodically check and charge it up if necessary. As a matter of fact, convenience of both wall and car chargers will give you a flexibility to be able to charge this battery even when you are driving. Once fully charged, you can always check the capacity by pressing Power button and checking 4-led indicator on the side. Right next to this led indicator you have 2 usb charging ports, rated at 1A and 2.1A, to be used for emergency charging of your smartphone or tablet. Next to that you have 15V/1A input port, and 12V/200A jumper cable port covered by a rubber flap to keep contacts clean and dust-free.
The battery housing is made out of sturdy plastic with rubbery side grips all around it. The size of the housing is not exactly pocket friendly measuring about 7.3" x 3.3" x 1.7" and with a weight of about 385g, but as I mentioned before this battery is intended to be stored inside of the case in your car trunk. It's clear this battery was designed with durability being its higher priority. Another very useful element of the design is a front facing powerful LED light. It gets activated with a long press of a power button to start with a solid light, and switched to slow and fast blinking with a follow up short press of the power button; another long press turns it off. The light is very bright and can come handy in different emergency or even everyday use situations.
Even so this is very capable high capacity rugged battery with a wide angle super bright LED, a real star of this product is Jump Start cable! Operation is VERY simple. First you need to be sure you have at least one solid LED indicating 25% of charge still available. Attach Jumper Cable, easy to do since one of the tips is keyed so connector goes in only one way, connect clamps to the corresponding car battery terminal (also easy since cables are colored red and black), wait for booster cable green light indicator (sensor located in series with a ground cable), and start your engine! Upon start up, battery should be able to provide 200A of the current with an in-rush peak current of up to 400A for a short duration of 3 seconds. Make sure to disconnect jumper cable clamps after about 30seconds of operation so you don't drain the battery. This is a very easy and convenient way to jump-start your car without depending on another car with a jumper cable next to you!
Overall, I can't think of a single reason why you wouldn't want to get this jump start battery for every car in your family. It's true that car batteries don't fail as often, but for a piece of mind keeping this battery in your car is priceless! Besides jump starting your car, this is a fully capable 10,000 mAh external battery with dual 2.1A/1A outputs to charge your phone and/or your tablet, and also to provide an emergency light. And if you are or someone next to you in trouble with their car battery, using Anker Car Jump Start battery will be the easiest and the cleanest way to mitigate this problem! This one definitely gets my high recommendation!
Here are the pictures.
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When you tested this was the battery completely drained on the vehicle? I'm impressed with the compact size that it is capable of jumpstarting a vehicle. Nice review