Hi everyone, hoping for some advice. I wanted to make an all-black housing. Painting it would mean that any scratches reveal the original color, so I was looking for something more permanent. I had success in dyeing my extended battery cover and a few other plastic things in this run (ie analog sticks for my PS3), however, after soaking for over 15 hours my housing is not retaining much of the color.
I boiled the water, added the dye and salt (after vinegar failed), and removed the other parts after a few hours - looked great. The housing however, seems to still be pretty darn close to the original. I imagine it is due to the gloss-like coating on it. Any advice on how to get it to take the black? Should I sand the surface? I am worried the texture won't be as nice.
I used the powder-based dye, not the liquid, but from what I was reading it shouldn't matter. I tried locating black housings on ebay, but it seems everything is the silver color only.
Thanks!
The housing is painted. The threads with people that have repainted theirs show pictures of them sanding off the paint.
So you'd need to sand it down to get the dye to penetrate. And since it'll be impossible to sand inside the dimples in the back, they'll still be silver.
Long story short, dropped mine pretty far, it bent the frame slightly, just enough to effect the waterproofing. I found an all black frame and one have one of these? I think the Z1 would look pretty slick with an all black frame.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/161129119057?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT
oooooooo, i always hated the silver frame look around a black phone, please do post result pictures if you change it
Hi, I have replaced the entire outside housing and screen. It started off as a simple housing swap, cracked back battery cover, heavily scuffed and dented frame, and scratched beyond belief plastic bezels. I used a hairdryer to separate all of the housing. If you are doing this yourself, I'd advise you to be VERY patient and careful, because the lcd ribbon cables rips VERY easily, which is what happened to me lol. I bought a digitizer and LCD and loca'd them myself. The ribbon cable broke again. I ended up buying a complete screen costing over $100.
The frame in the eBay link looks like it is missing the magnetic charging port and possibly the speaker grill, so you'll need to extract it from your old frame. There is a tiny retaining pin that needs to be removed before you can force out the port. You'll need to superglue or glue it with a waterproof sealant/adhesive. The headphone jack is also a nightmare to remove from the old frame, It is very hard to remove without damaging it. The plastic cover became separated on mine so its safe to say I have lost waterproofing capabilities on my z1. All the tiny connectors flew out and I had to reassemble it. (very time consuming & difficult)
If you're only replacing the frame you'll need a T4 Screwdriver, the original back cover adhesive. You just need to be super careful because this is a difficult repair. Its hard to guarantee waterproofing afterwards! Anyways I wish you luck if you do because I messed up. There is also a detailed disassembly guide on YouTube which you can follow. The black z1 is before the repair, the white is the repaired z1, with black magnetic port and speaker grill, which I think looks nice and unique.
Mine's got a black frame(from the original), white bezel on the front and purple bezel at the back with a white battery cover. puple and white is good combo for me.
Thats the standard frame, not all black(very poor pics make it look all black) and the price is very steep even if it is an OEM part its around $20(+$13 shipping lol) more than from a legit OEM distributor. I would be cautious but OP did you receive the item yet?
haha this is exactly my story
bought housing, later screwed up screen, magnet port and audio jack so bought all that as well. also the water seal for speakers and mic.
it looks exactly like yours before it was black and now its white.
Hello, as you can read in the threadname, my question is, if the z1 compact has a anti shatter film on its backside. And does anybody know wich material it is. Plastic or glass? I own the european model.
Thanks a lot
European version has plastic... And there is no any anti shutter sadly you need to remove back plastic panel of you want change
Unfortunately I have tried to peel the film. So the bravo of my phone looks very ugly. Now I have to order a new backcover for assembly. Any tips or tricks about it. I know there are many videos,but..... I am a little bit angry about the water resistant of the phone,if I assemble the backcover.
Film is included an preinstalled on the inner surface of the backcover. That's good to know.
Once again any tips or tricks?
Thanks allot
Only advice from me is that you should go to company which is official service and check how much it will costs to change backpanel (you should by glass one) it will do on warranty and should keep water resistant(I think) but you can give it a try if you have something that in your city
Maybe putting on something like that is an alternative: http://m.ebay.de/itm/121335821880 I find it quite beautiful on mine, optically as well as haptically.
AlexandreVegetaroux said:
Unfortunately I have tried to peel the film. So the bravo of my phone looks very ugly. Now I have to order a new backcover for assembly. Any tips or tricks about it. I know there are many videos,but..... I am a little bit angry about the water resistant of the phone,if I assemble the backcover.
Film is included an preinstalled on the inner surface of the backcover. That's good to know.
Once again any tips or tricks?
Thanks allot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Make sure the plastic frame surround does not lift at all along with the back, or you'll end up ****ing the frame glue and it's goodbye waterproofing and hello phone that creaks when you hold it
- There's a reason why professionals use an evenly heated flat surface - hairdryers/heatguns/similar will increase your chances of ****ing the frame glue
- Use isopropyl or similar to get the internal surface absolutely clean
- Heat it again slightly after applying the new back
- Apply loads of pressure (eg put it under some books)
- After it's all dried, make sure you can't lift the back AT ALL if you put your fingernail in the groove above the LED flash. If it lifts you will end up with a foggy camera lens from normal use and a ****ed phone if you expose it to water
Considering the new xperia x has one and that the back cover on the z3 is easily replaced, wouldn't it be a great idea to give your old phone an updated look by just putting a custom back on it!
Can be done. The camera plastic cover is glued to the back cover from the inside?
isn't it like a Faraday cage? does it kill the wifi + mobile signals?
bookworth said:
isn't it like a Faraday cage? does it kill the wifi + mobile signals?
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Click to collapse
Shouldn't kill them (maybe it will be tricky with NFC). The thing is that the frame around the phone is plastic, so that should be enough for the WiFi.
Guids said:
Considering the new xperia x has one and that the back cover on the z3 is easily replaced, wouldn't it be a great idea to give your old phone an updated look by just putting a custom back on it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THat's a good idea. I thought about it and was wondering about the Faraday effect. But then again I would settle with anything that is not glass to be honest.
I'm sure that anybody with a CNC could make a custom backplate in POM or any other resistant plastic...
Now to find somebody on the forum with a CNC and spare time!
I made my own in acryllic plastic.
1. Cut out in 1mm acryllic sheet using the old back as a template and then cut with Exactoknife(Needs to cut/draw a line several times with exactoknife, acryllic is tough to cut, also needs to be sanded down to same size as old cover. Sanded evenly and not to fast to prevent friction heat that messes up the acryllic)
2. Take out camera lens from the old frame (Adhesive tape, easy to remove with exacto)
3. Drill a hole for camera lens using old back as template.
4. Sanded both sides from 80 to 120(Wood) then 400>600>800>1200 Silicone carbide paper(Wet)
5. Heated it up evenly with a flame on both sides to give it a darker smoked color then stuck it between two flat objects to prevent it bubbling or deforming until it cooled down.
(Heated back and forth so it didnt get too hot and had time to cool)
6. Once cool, washed with water.
7. A few smooth strokes against 1200 Silicone Carbide (Wet) to even out any irragularities
8. Dried, then a few smooth strokes with 1200 Silicone Carbide dry, sideways to have an even pattern and smooth surface.
9. Took the camera lens, glued into hole. Let dry then 1200dry sanded around camera hole to remove glue residue. (Dont sand the camera lens or you have to polish it. Major PITA..)
10. Took the top part of the black sticker from the inside of the old glass cover, cut out the top camera part as a square and stuck it around camera and flash to prevent flash bleeds.
11. Reapply new adhesive tape to the cover and reapply it and voila, waterproof again
This is my 3rd, made it last night, rushed job as I was tired wanting to sleep, so did not care about looks.
Also couldn't find one of my previous glass covers so I had to reuse the camera lens and sticker from the old plastic cover.
Resulting in the camera lens outer ring breaking off and the sticker being semi sticky and filled with bubbles. But it functions, which was the main idea.
Didnt bother about sanding it decently so there's still scratches, but it gives you an picture what it looks like.
If done properly and more patiently you can get a smoother texture, no air bubbles and a non broken lens, but once superglued that lens is stuck rocksolid.
Hey guys, is there a drawing of the back cover available?
I would like to try a 3D-print, after the second back cover is broken.
But I don't have a radius gauge and need the radius of the corners.
Thanks for your help.
@mike the pike
what a coincidence!
I have made a modell in FreeCad because I had the same idea like you. But I don't have a 3D printer, so my plan was to order it from a german company which offers to cut parts out of plastic plates.
I'am not a drawing or CAD profi, in fact this was my first experience with stuff like this, but I am pretty shure my modell is quite accurate. My only opportunity to test it, was to print a 1:1 sketch and compare it with the (broken) original backcover.
Feel free to use and modify my work, but please tell me if it works. :highfive:
Doing this, part one
I spent some time in the machine shop on campus yesterday, and, with the help of the assistants, made a metal back out of sheet aluminum.
The toughness is far superior to glass, and the strength is, too (the glass used on the Z3 Compact by default is somewhat pathetic).
From here, I was planning to first apply a brushed finish with an abrasive pad and WD-40 (thanks, YouTube) then either anodize (time to steal a HVPS from a hardware store?) black, or pay someone to apply a thermoset powder coat. Anodizing would probably yield better results, and be cheaper, but the scratch resistance on the aluminum is a bit low, so thermoset would help a bit. Oh, and the bottom left corner is a little bit off. Might get some silicone caulk and apply at the corner for waterproofing. Otherwise, it turned out extremely well. Filed down the corners myself to get the perfect fit.
One problem that I have is the flash. The normal back glass is a plane of glass stretching across the LED in the back. Will either 3D print it, or, more realistically, just stick a spare Z3 Compact camera lens cover on it and call it a day. Any other suggestions are welcome.
Also, I'm not allowed to post images, since I made this account for this . If you're interested in the result, PM me.
Eric
P.S.: NFC doesn't work but reception is perfect.
Barrel_Trollz said:
I spent some time in the machine shop on campus yesterday, and, with the help of the assistants, made a metal back out of sheet aluminum.
The toughness is far superior to glass, and the strength is, too (the glass used on the Z3 Compact by default is somewhat pathetic).
From here, I was planning to first apply a brushed finish with an abrasive pad and WD-40 (thanks, YouTube) then either anodize (time to steal a HVPS from a hardware store?) black, or pay someone to apply a thermoset powder coat. Anodizing would probably yield better results, and be cheaper, but the scratch resistance on the aluminum is a bit low, so thermoset would help a bit. Oh, and the bottom left corner is a little bit off. Might get some silicone caulk and apply at the corner for waterproofing. Otherwise, it turned out extremely well. Filed down the corners myself to get the perfect fit.
One problem that I have is the flash. The normal back glass is a plane of glass stretching across the LED in the back. Will either 3D print it, or, more realistically, just stick a spare Z3 Compact camera lens cover on it and call it a day. Any other suggestions are welcome.
Also, I'm not allowed to post images, since I made this account for this . If you're interested in the result, PM me.
Eric
P.S.: NFC doesn't work but reception is perfect.
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Click to collapse
I assume that the glass they use for the camera lens is of a convex design such to scatter the light intensity for maximum coverage of the subject. It won't be so easy as just using any untreated material unless you want a dull-flash. Assuming you've already made your cuts to good tolerances, then why not just source your adhesives from the OEM itself? Save yourself some work. The proper way to apply those adhesives(as such to retain the water-resistant nature) is to use a hot plate up to 100 C and place it on the plate for a few seconds before pulling it off.
I'm mainly worried about the cut at the bottom left. It's not at all made to a good tolerance. I did buy the adhesive sticker, and I plan to use it, but some silicone wouldn't hurt on that one place.
Also, there is a bit of distortion when I look through it, so you're right. Not much I can do about it, though, but pray to the gods of diffraction.
allerd said:
@mike the pike
what a coincidence!
I have made a modell in FreeCad because I had the same idea like you. But I don't have a 3D printer, so my plan was to order it from a german company which offers to cut parts out of plastic plates.
I'am not a drawing or CAD profi, in fact this was my first experience with stuff like this, but I am pretty shure my modell is quite accurate. My only opportunity to test it, was to print a 1:1 sketch and compare it with the (broken) original backcover.
Feel free to use and modify my work, but please tell me if it works. :highfive:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I didn't visit this site quiet a wile.
I lent me a radius-gauge and I think I found some good values.
Unfortunately I don't have them in mind, because I gave them to a colleague, how will 3D-print the cover for me.
As I only made hand-drawing, he will transcript it into any 3D-data-file, which I will provide you here, as soon as I received the results.
So stay tuned.
The cover for the camera is still usable and I plan to insert it into the new back-cover, but I'm quite at a loss about the flashlight.
p.s. Yesterday I mounted my 4th back-cover
Accurate 3D model and curves for creating z3c back cover:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1998130
Mission complete
Hi all!
I finished my metal back cover. Still a new user, so can't post images, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I completed it and the phone is 100% functional (aside from NFC, RIP).
In the end, I anodized the aluminum and used a thin plastic sheet sealed with superglue around the flash (flash works fine BTW), and gave it a little brushed finish afterwards that cut into the anodized piece ever so slightly.
I'm very happy with it, the finish on this phone is unlike any I've ever felt. Smooth, yet solid, soft, yet sturdy. The phone is cool to the touch when in standby. The camera was a bit wonky at first, but as I pressed down into the metal back it stabilized, and now seems very resilient. The anodization itself didn't go all that smoothly (took four tries), with the metal part itself ending up with an uneven finish. It being black and brushed helps, as the texture undulates, making up for the inconsistencies.
I made a post to /r/Android with images and more details. Same username as on here. Go check it out if you're interested.
Eric
Mission also complete
I finished now my 3D-printed backcover and it is quite satisfying.
I made it by using the file railpl posted.
Unfortunately it is about half a mm to short so there is a small gap on the short side, but for me it is okay.
I used the lenscover from my old glassback and drilled a tiny hole for the flashlite.
So I think it is not waterproof anymore.