Related
So as we are all aware, the captivate does not have a front facing camera. This doesn't bother me considering I never video chat. However, that may not be the same case for others. I was thinking today, computers and laptops have plugin webcams for USB ports. Why not smartphones? It could plug right into the top of the phone via the micro USB port and be the size of something like a wireless mouse receiver for a laptop. Could something like this physically be done? I know people who could do the physical part of the work like make the actual prototype, but would any coding/scripting need to be done inside the phone? I think it something alot of people want/need and could be profitable if successful. Share your opinions. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum or is a prepost...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
sandrich said:
So as we are all aware, the captivate does not have a front facing camera. This doesn't bother me considering I never video chat. However, that may not be the same case for others. I was thinking today, computers and laptops have plugin webcams for USB ports. Why not smartphones? It could plug right into the top of the phone via the micro USB port and be the size of something like a wireless mouse receiver for a laptop. Could something like this physically be done? I know people who could do the physical part of the work like make the actual prototype, but would any coding/scripting need to be done inside the phone? I think it something alot of people want/need and could be profitable if successful. Share your opinions. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum or is a prepost...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think if people are going to have to carry around a separate piece of equipment for video chat, they may as well not worry about software and just use one of those mirror attachments I have seen out there. Then you'd have a 5 MP FFC instead of a 1.3 MP one like most FFCs.
I for one would like that feature. It will be a while before I can upgrade again to a newer phone that has video chat and such. I don't know coding and such but I couldn't see why someone couldn't create an app that can be installed with said hardware if one was made. I too think something like that would be awesome. I can't see why if one can be added onto a laptop ( that doesn't already have one) with the added program files why something like that wouldn't work here.
I wouldn't mind carrying a extra bit of hardware with me. I mean I already bring with me an extra battery charger and my bluetooth and wired headsets. It wouldn't be something that would be used all the time. Another feature that our cpativates are lacking that could be added is a led light for when using the webcam. I have thought about making a case or something that has a led light that can (at least) run off a seperate battery and have a switch to turn on the light. But if something could. E done with a webcam that has a light also ( possibly a swivel webcam that rotates so you can either use it for video chat or as a seperate video camera) then you could have the led light turn on when needed for the camera or video functions. Good luck and make millions$. I am sure something like that could be a big seller for even cross platforms for phones that do not have video webcam/ chat or at least for all the android phones that don't.
Sent from MY Perception 10.1 on XDA App
It is possible. Just need someone to work on it. See the link in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872377
GAMacky said:
It is possible. Just need someone to work on it. See the link in this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872377
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like we should start a bounty. I'd love to be able to attach a MIDI controller.
The camera really would not need to be that big. If you look at the size of the camera night now its basically as big as a shirt button. I was thinking if you used something like a JIG but with a small camera on top it really should be no bigger then a quarter. Personally I be willing to pay maybe $100 for a little plug in video camera like that.
I would really like to see something like what the Motorola Atrix has going on with the ability to connect to a computer a basically have the Android OS running as separate OS. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWIe8wQBqS0&hd=1
That would be a great idea.... But its probably done, just some product marketing guy needs to say ok sell it....
Cause doesn't the new google laptop have a webcam? That webcam piece is the size of strip of gum usually. Just need the connector and done.
I would much rather have some sort of small mirror/prism attachment that would piggy-back on the top of the phone, feeding my image into the already existing image into the camera.
Heck,
would sitting in front of a mirror and using skype/qik work?
Hello XDA community, I've been feeling very frustrated because of the GPS performance, well so I decided to make my own hack... if you can call it like that it is not perfect but I can tell you guys it works!!!!!! I'm going to show you with proof of my screenshots and pictures, I just follow the instruction of the first hardware fix that appears before the last year, and it doesn't works for me so I decided to add a couple of cooper strings into the soldering and make my own antennae, and now I'm very happy now even indoors I can get signal from the GPS sensor and locks at least 7 birds if you are insane enough to try this here are some pictures of my work.
Press in the Screenshot to go and see more pictures on my album.
There is a little problem since i did this, people that calls me says that i sound like Darth Vader so do it at your Own Risk.
afxiso said:
Hello XDA community, I've been feeling very frustrated because of the GPS performance, well so I decided to make my own hack... if you can call it like that it is not perfect but I can tell you guys it works!!!!!! I'm going to show you with proof of my screenshots and pictures, I just follow the instruction of the first hardware fix that appears before the last year, and it doesn't works for me so I decided to add a couple of cooper strings into the soldering and make my own antennae, and now I'm very happy now even indoors I can get signal from the GPS sensor and locks at least 7 birds if you are insane enough to try this here are some pictures of my work.
Press in the Screenshot to go and see more pictures on my album.
There is a little problem since i did this, people that calls me says that i sound like Darth Vader so do it at your Own Risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, nice input. I'll have to experiment. You basically just used an old copper wires from an old charger (looks like an old samsung charger) and just soldered it in? Hmm, interesting....
I'll have to try.
If you're that desperate for a strong GPS signal why not just buy a $30-40 Bluetooth GPS receiver?
Don't have to mangle your phone, you get accuracy to 1 foot, and it only takes three seconds to lock. Not to mention you save power on your phone by using a separate device.
I'm happy with mine and would never use an integrated receiver again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
cwoodworth said:
If you're that desperate for a strong GPS signal why not just buy a $30-40 Bluetooth GPS receiver?
Don't have to mangle your phone, you get accuracy to 1 foot, and it only takes three seconds to lock. Not to mention you save power on your phone by using a separate device.
I'm happy with mine and would never use an integrated receiver again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well doesn't Bluetooth takes power? Please appreciate someone's finding.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
cwoodworth said:
If you're that desperate for a strong GPS signal why not just buy a $30-40 Bluetooth GPS receiver?
Don't have to mangle your phone, you get accuracy to 1 foot, and it only takes three seconds to lock. Not to mention you save power on your phone by using a separate device.
I'm happy with mine and would never use an integrated receiver again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which bluetooth gps device are you using? Can you give me a link to purchase?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
wavestar92 said:
Which bluetooth gps device are you using? Can you give me a link to purchase?
Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search for "MKII Bluetooth" on eBay. $12-16 or more (depending on accessories that it comes with).
I have one that works great. It can take a minute to lock and can get to within 10 feet, but one it locks, it does not drift.
cwoodworth said:
If you're that desperate for a strong GPS signal why not just buy a $30-40 Bluetooth GPS receiver?
Don't have to mangle your phone, you get accuracy to 1 foot, and it only takes three seconds to lock. Not to mention you save power on your phone by using a separate device.
I'm happy with mine and would never use an integrated receiver again.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I dont like to carry stuff on my pocket, anyways sooner or later I will change my phone, buy an extra GPS receiver that later will be unusable that means another gadget in the desk cabinet.
afxiso said:
Hello XDA community, I've been feeling very frustrated because of the GPS performance, well so I decided to make my own hack... if you can call it like that it is not perfect but I can tell you guys it works!!!!!! I'm going to show you with proof of my screenshots and pictures, I just follow the instruction of the first hardware fix that appears before the last year, and it doesn't works for me so I decided to add a couple of cooper strings into the soldering and make my own antennae, and now I'm very happy now even indoors I can get signal from the GPS sensor and locks at least 7 birds if you are insane enough to try this here are some pictures of my work.
Press in the Screenshot to go and see more pictures on my album.
There is a little problem since i did this, people that calls me says that i sound like Darth Vader so do it at your Own Risk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx for your work!! I'll try is as well!
Sent from my Vibrantmtd using xda premium
A few things...
Since you mentioned it in one of your pictures, if you were to accidentally connect the antenna to the ground contacts around the screw holes, it will kill the signal because the GPS radio references the antenna level to the ground. It wouldn't blow up your phone or anything.
You're making a monopole antenna, and the simplest and most effective way to do that is with a quarter wave "whip" style antenna. This is what is built in to the back casing of the Vibrant, where the GPS antenna contact pushes in to. GPS L1 signal is 1575MHz, so its wavelength is 19cm, which would make a quarter wave antenna 4.75cm long. All you need is a single, straight run of 4.75cm of wire (even insulated in PVC is OK) connected to the GPS contact. No need for this bunny-ear stuff - GPS signal is circularly polarized.
Also... goddamn, that is a huge glob of solder. Pick up some solder flux next time and thank me later. LOL
Nice work .. creates curiosity to try it out.. when we have stepped out why not use a proper gps antenna..
so are there any gps sticker antenna of other phones that can be connected. I tried searching and found out apple iphone 3g/3gs gps antenna stickers are widely available. can it be used here. because I am worried about contacts link
And also how about using enameled copper wire to reduce shorts and make it a dipole.
crush said:
Well doesn't Bluetooth takes power? Please appreciate someone's finding.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the bluetooth radio on the Vibrant is very power efficient. With bluetooth enabled I see no difference than airplane mode. Bluetooth only eats battery when it's used with a wireless headset and actively being used for communication or listening to music. My GPS receiver gives me all day long battery and under 5 feet accuracy and I only paid $11 for mine at ebay. I'd rather pay a small $ and get better GPS accuracy, better battery and not sound like Darth Vader. Although sounding like Darth Vader would be cool lol...
P.S. I'm an Electronics tech so I like your findings and bravery with modifying your device, but the truth is buying a cheap GPS receiver is a much better alternative unless of course your supper poor. In which case you shouldn't have an expensive cell phone in the first place.
But awesome work none the less.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
According to androidtablets.net not only does the the nook color have a bluetooth chip but also a fm radio chip but with stock os you cant use it of course. Does this mean that with cm7 you can also access the fm radio ability like it allows you with bluetooth? If anyone knows please post below.
No, the FM chipset is not connected to any sort of antenna therefore it does not work, regardless of if your running stock or CM.
Midnitte said:
No, the FM chipset is not connected to any sort of antenna therefore it does not work, regardless of if your running stock or CM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok but could it be possible to add an wire antenna? Or could you add one like that of an android phone as someone did with an htcs speaker and added it to the nook or is it impossible?
Some phones use headphones as the antenna. I wondered this about the nook, but never cared to find out.
Good Question
colorfulnookie said:
Ok but could it be possible to add an wire antenna? Or could you add one like that of an android phone as someone did with an htcs speaker and added it to the nook or is it impossible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have wondered about this myself. I bought and learned how to root my Droid 4 for the sole purpose of having the FM radio. I am working on getting my Nook Color to run CM7, and found your post when I searched. I know on my D4 I needed to have it rooted and installed Spirit FM, it works well with the headphones attached. I also found a way to make an antenna using a Radio Shack plug and the antenna off an old cordless phone handset, It works surprisingly well! I don't see why it wouldn't work for the NC, IF it has the fm chip, and IF we can access it. I don't know if Spirit FM has been tested with it or not, but it's worth looking into.
KrellaKrentoshi said:
I have wondered about this myself. I bought and learned how to root my Droid 4 for the sole purpose of having the FM radio. I am working on getting my Nook Color to run CM7, and found your post when I searched. I know on my D4 I needed to have it rooted and installed Spirit FM, it works well with the headphones attached. I also found a way to make an antenna using a Radio Shack plug and the antenna off an old cordless phone handset, It works surprisingly well! I don't see why it wouldn't work for the NC, IF it has the fm chip, and IF we can access it. I don't know if Spirit FM has been tested with it or not, but it's worth looking into.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been addressed many times, in this forum and others. To my knowledge no one has gotten anything other than static from any app (Spirit included) with any headphones at any time. I'd guess that there is no connection between the radio chip and the headphone socket, for antenna functionality.
I haven't pursued this in a while though, so there could be newer info out there.
Hmmm
tonestertm said:
This has been addressed many times, in this forum and others. To my knowledge no one has gotten anything other than static from any app (Spirit included) with any headphones at any time. I'd guess that there is no connection between the radio chip and the headphone socket, for antenna functionality.
I haven't pursued this in a while though, so there could be newer info out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. I will do a little searching in the morning and post any info I may find. Do you know if any guts tinkering has occured to make that connection? I am hoping for a simple, easy solution, like modifying an atrix lapdock to work for a Droid phone
KrellaKrentoshi said:
Good to know. I will do a little searching in the morning and post any info I may find. Do you know if any guts tinkering has occured to make that connection? I am hoping for a simple, easy solution, like modifying an atrix lapdock to work for a Droid phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Been doing some digging since I last posted, and the news, I'm afraid, is not promising.
I learned that the FM receive and transmit (!) antenna functions of the WL1271 chip are on different pins than the WLAN/Bluetooth antenna pins.
In addition, there are dedicated FM Audio Out L/R pins which I would suspect are not provided for on the Nook board/module. It's not clear to me if these are the only outlet for any FM decoded by the chip, though.
These, along with the fact that TI pretty much abandoned the FM feature of this chip in the OMAP implementation, (by their own admission) make the FM radio function for us... challenging.
tonestertm said:
Been doing some digging since I last posted, and the news, I'm afraid, is not promising.
I learned that the FM receive and transmit (!) antenna functions of the WL1271 chip are on different pins than the WLAN/Bluetooth antenna pins.
In addition, there are dedicated FM Audio Out L/R pins which I would suspect are not provided for on the Nook board/module. It's not clear to me if these are the only outlet for any FM decoded by the chip, though.
These, along with the fact that TI pretty much abandoned the FM feature of this chip in the OMAP implementation, (by their own admission) make the FM radio function for us... challenging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Challenging isn't the same as impossible, and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC. I'm beyond stuck on that one, been trying off an on for a year. It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that. BTW, did I see correctly, there may be FM TRANSMIT capabilities?! That would rock!! I would be blissfully happy just getting FM recieve to work. If the pins aren't provided for on the NC board, what would be a possible way to correct that?
KrellaKrentoshi said:
Challenging isn't the same as impossible,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True.
and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that. BTW, did I see correctly, there may be FM TRANSMIT capabilities?! ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Oh. Ok
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess the best thing I can do for the moment is to get CM7 to boot and try Spirit on it. I can do that, and I have a transmitter that might work too. I will post the results.
KrellaKrentoshi said:
Challenging isn't the same as impossible, and it must surely be easier than trying to get CM7 installed to SD card for my NC. I'm beyond stuck on that one, been trying off an on for a year. It seems to me that if the problem lies in the hardware, we should be able to correct that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?
have you tried this post?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1000957
because that's been around for quite some time...and it is rather easy...
and it's been around for well over a year....
just sayin...
yep
I have tried it, and 2 others, and im stuck.
KrellaKrentoshi said:
I have tried it, and 2 others, and im stuck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
okay...it's pretty simple...but i'll bite....where are you stuck? what exactly about the process is messing you up...
you get the CM7 image, burn it to your SD card using the program provided...insert it into the nook and press the power button...
plasticarmyman said:
okay...it's pretty simple...but i'll bite....where are you stuck? what exactly about the process is messing you up...
you get the CM7 image, burn it to your SD card using the program provided...insert it into the nook and press the power button...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
..........and watch the little blue android on the skateboard for the next 20 mins until i shut it off. It wont get past the blue dude's splashscreen. I'm working on it on another thread and PM. In the meantime, do ya think you could run the little experiment mentioned a few posts back please?
I made some progress today!!
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my NC running CM 7.2.0. Turns out I needed to rename the ROM and also something was bad on my SD card. I have been happily exploring CM7 and getting my google apps on my NC for 2 hours now. Among the apps I downloaded is Spirit FM, the free version for testing. It loads well, I plugged in headphones and an antenna and can't get a signal, not even static. I will look for my transmitter tonight/tomorow and see what happens then. Thanks for all the encouragement and support on the CM7 thing yall!
Yay!
KrellaKrentoshi said:
I got my NC running CM 7.2.0. Turns out I needed to rename the ROM and also something was bad on my SD card. I have been happily exploring CM7 and getting my google apps on my NC for 2 hours now. Among the apps I downloaded is Spirit FM, the free version for testing. It loads well, I plugged in headphones and an antenna and can't get a signal, not even static. I will look for my transmitter tonight/tomorow and see what happens then. Thanks for all the encouragement and support on the CM7 thing yall!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking forward to your results. And, Enjoy!
I did the test.....
tonestertm said:
True.
I had difficulty with that the first time, too. I can probably help, but either in PM or another thread; been running SD cards for about as long as you've been trying.
Unfortunately, even though there are some great resources around (see the Novaports sticky above, for one) there's just not enough solid info yet to discover whether there's access to the necessary pin. The whole chip is about 1/4 inch square, containing about 115 contact sites in what's called a ball grid array, or BGA, all on the bottom surface of that tiny, "wahfer-thin" speck. This is married to a daughtercard which brings the necessary contacts out to the real world and has some more circuitry (most notably the chip which handles the wireless/bluetooth antenna switching). There's no way to tell from the pictures I've found whether they designed any access to the FM receive pin for the outside world. And I'd bet good solid money that there's no access to the FM transmit pins (separate Antenna and Audio L/R).
So, not impossible, but the real question is, how much would you be willing to spend to re-engineer a new daughtercard to gain access to these things (if, in fact, they're not accessible)? It would undoubtedly be more than the price of a brand new tablet which already contains all these things and more.
If they did bring the RX pin out on the daughtercard, then it should be possible to do some microsoldering and a lot of what I've just said is moot. But without disassembling one I have no way of knowing. If this were the case, then Spirit would likely be the way to go, as I ran across indications that Mike was doing some serious digging into this issue last year. There's also an infinitesimal ray of hope for drivers from a ROM that somebody put together for one of the Droids, which uses the same chip, that apparently has FM working.
I suppose one moderately simple test would be to load up Spirit, and bring a moderately powerful FM transmitter right up to the base end of the Nook, hoping for some leakage through all the shielding, and see if a signal can be picked up. Unfortunately, unless the result were positive, we'd be no further than we already are.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Houston, we have a problem. I have a stock nook running cm7 on sd card. Spirit FM Free with superuser permissions granted couldn't pick up the transmitter. :crying: I even put the transmitter right up against the nook and didn't hear anything, so it's not looking very good. I know on my droid 4 I had to have it rooted in order for the FM to work, I wonder if that is the case here? Anyone got a rooted nook to try this experiment out on? Once my warrenty is up I will try "nooting" and see if FM works then. If it is the daughter card, I am at a loss. Anyone got an idea about what we can do next? tonestertm, I can't find your Novoports sticky. Can you repost the link please?:good:
KrellaKrentoshi said:
tonestertm, I can't find your Novoports sticky. Can you repost the link please?:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need for a link, the Novaports thread is the third one down from the top of this forum.
Are you among the many people to buy a fancy new Nexus 7, only to realize that the wifi reception on the tablet is comparable to a potato's? Or maybe you tablet took a tumble and now your bars have left you for dead? Well if either of these are are your case look no further.
This is a guide on how to fix the crappy wifi reception and transmission on your nexus 7.
What you'll need:
-Electronics opening tool (The kind meant for disengaging clips)
-Some small wire (I used 30 awg single-strand)
-Solder (And also preferably flux)
-Intermediate soldering skills
This guide will show you what I did to fix my Nexus 7's terrible wifi reception. One the tabs on my nexus was broken, causing a bad but still present wifi connection. Doing this will help you go from 1-2 bars to 3 or 4. For those more technically informed around 30-40db to 60-70db. When I look at my connection in dd-wrt the connection has gone from peaking at 20% to stable at 45% (the same as my laptop's connection mind you)
The magic thing to this fix? Soldering the points on the motherboard to the points on the case where the antenna is located. Normally this connection is with 2 gold tabs the touch the points on the back.
Start with the guide on ifixit.com. I tried to add a link but was not allowed too because I am a new member.
This is extremely easy to open and you would almost have to try to mess it up.
Once you have the tablet open you will see a few spots where there are the golden tabs that stick up. Also on the back there are contact points where these tabs meet. You will be joining the tabs to the pads with wire instead of just surface contact. Here you can see the side of the tablet where the wifi transmitter is. It is right of the battery and below the sticker with some barcodes. All you need to do is cut a couple wires an inch to two inches or so, and solder them to the tabs and then their corresponding pads on the backing.
I broke off my second tab as my first tab was already broken and no where to be found. I also added a little bit of hot glue to secure the wires and also to stop them from bridging the points.
This took me about 15 to open, do, and close up. When you are closing up the case just gently push the wires indside the case so they are not in the way of the clips.
I am not responsible if you mess up your device doing this. If you have any doubts please just send your tablet in for repair. That being said this is very easy and was of great benefit to me.
I tried to add pictures in the guide but since this is my first post I am not able too. I have them attached
Very helpful! Thanks a bunch for this!
No problem. I was so frustrated with my tablets WiFi before I looked inside, and wanted to help others avoid the same difficulties. I think the tab was actually just wedged in place between the contacts,but still was broken. PS if you WiFi already works well this isn't going to help a ton. My friends nexus 7 has always had 4 bars in my house and mine use to only get 4 within a foot of the router. But if your tablet has bad WiFi this will most likely help.
Will keep that in mind. This should be stickied.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
No, please do not stickie this. What the cats meow has done is to de-tune the output of the wifi amplifier.
To put it simply, he should have just bent out the clips slightly to make better contact with the wifi antenna on the inside of the back cover.
By adding this wire, not only has the wifi RF amplifier been de-tuned due to some randome wavelength of wire added, but the reception will also suffer. It's also no longer FCC type approved and could be radiating spurious RFI around not to mention picking up RFI generated from the CPU and power supply circuits (around the area to the left in the image).
In layman's terms, the wifi radio is designed to transmit maximum power and receive maximum signal using the antenna connected via those two clips. It's a very specific match for this to happen. Modifying the connection by adding a length of unshielded wire screws up this match and can cause the output stage of the wifi transmitter to actually cut back its power due to this mis-match.
Any device that transmits radio energy in the US has to be FCC type approved and the testing is quite strict to ensure equipment doesn't radiate signals in a way that will affect other radio systems.
Owners of Nexus 7 devices should NOT make this mod. Just bend out the clips slightly and clean the contact on the antenna strip to ensure good contact. The contacts are made of phosphor-bronze and they can break easily if bent too much.
I almost agree with that de-tuned FCC mumbo jumbo
But I kinda did the same thing... But added an SMA connector and have hooked it up to huge 19dBi panel antennas and pulled WiFi signals from over a mile away....even posted a thread about it here.... And it works beautiful... With all sorts of antennas...
I agree that his method of adding unshielded lengths of wire isn't the "best" way to go about your business but with the broken pin he had in there he did the best he new how and made it work
Yes, you used shielded coax and assumed the impedance of the external antenna is matched. Big difference with what thecatsmeow did.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
I understand the reasoning with the unshielded wire picking up interference and also the timing being off. Your are right, one should just bend the pins to get better contact with the pads on the back of the casing. That's actually what I set out to do. Even though technically my WiFi is now miscalibrated, the fact is that it is a drastic improvement over what it was. I am just trying to show people what I did to fix my problem. I will edit your information into my post and recommend that people try to bend the tabs if at all possible. However, being that my nexus 7 is 1 week old and I haven't even dropped it I am probably not alone with a having a broken tab.
See for me I stopped reading the op when he stated the signal went from -30-40 to -60-70. That statement shows a loss in rf signal.
If you had -30-40 to begin with you wouldn't have any WiFi problems.
Not a good idea to do this mod. Just the soldering and dissimilar metals alone make for impedance mismatches.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
I have that listed the wrong way. I had -60-70 but now I have -30-40. No one said you had to do this mod. But for some like me who have a broken connector this could be helpful. The impedance of air is a lot more than the impedance of lead and copper.
An antenna is a closed loop. Impedance matters !
You would be better off finding the exact part needed for repair.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
And where you can find these parts?Mr smart pant!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Seeing as its so new, what stopped you returning it for a repair under warranty
I has broke 1 of 2 golden tabs, but i still keep it. How can i reconnect this tab to the Nexus 7? Using glue? Is it a good idea? My wifi is very bad now...
I wonder if the people having issues with wifi, might be due to having to many neighbors broadcasting on the same frequency and many on the same channel.
I recently bought a new wifi router just for this reason (shame the n7 doesn't have duel band, but my n4 does)
This has solved my issue completely, except for YouTube but I am suspecting g that might be out of my hands.
Anyone looking around for a new router I got this one from newwegg
Never heard of the brand but it's been great
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315100
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
BrianDigital said:
I wonder if the people having issues with wifi, might be due to having to many neighbors broadcasting on the same frequency and many on the same channel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Possibly - but it's way off-topic for this thread. The OP (and others) did repairs of broken devices where the external antenna was effectively disconnected. Nobody should regard the methods of this thread to be a way of *improving* their signal strength unless they are sure they have a broken device (or are planning on modding their device to add an external directional antenna)
For reference purposes, my (correctly functioning) N7 WiFi + WiFi router exhibit the following line-of-sight signal strength (observed using farproc's "WiFi Analyzer" app on the N7) :
-22 dBm @ 10ft
-33 dBm @ 20ft
The above values are the best-case that I observed; at the same locations I can observe up to 10 dBm attenuation simply due to orientation changes of the tablet. (That is expected as neither the router nor the tablet have isotropic antenna gain patterns - both amplitude and polarization)
The point of this is that even if interference is present, it won't effect the observed signal strength - and nobody should be using the hardware mods in this thread unless their signal strength is terrible - even when very close to the router.
The points made by bigbop earlier in the thread are well worth reading. The mod proposed by the OP should only be used in dire circumstances.
nhutquang972012 said:
I has broke 1 of 2 golden tabs, but i still keep it. How can i reconnect this tab to the Nexus 7? Using glue? Is it a good idea? My wifi is very bad now...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... "glue" which is made from 100% solder.
What you should try to do is to create a fix that re-creates the missing "golden tab". It needs to be very conductive (that's why most glues are completely out of the question), and it should be ideally no bigger than the original. A very short piece of small wire could be used - emphasis on "short", as in mm, not cm. The further you depart from the original geometry, the worse your fix will be. (But even a bad fix will be better than what you have now - which is no antenna at all).
good luck
[Edit]
Here's an idea that might work - using a Fuzz Button. They have built-in compliancy and are manufactured in a variety of lengths and diameters. I suppose you could even solder the periphery of one to the remaining pad. No clue where to go to buy two or three or a dozen, though. Mouser Electronics maybe?
bftb0 said:
Yes... "glue" which is made from 100% solder.
What you should try to do is to create a fix that re-creates the missing "golden tab". It needs to be very conductive (that's why most glues are completely out of the question), and it should be ideally no bigger than the original. A very short piece of small wire could be used - emphasis on "short", as in mm, not cm. The further you depart from the original geometry, the worse your fix will be. (But even a bad fix will be better than what you have now - which is no antenna at all).
good luck
[Edit]
Here's an idea that might work - using a Fuzz Button. They have built-in compliancy and are manufactured in a variety of lengths and diameters. I suppose you could even solder the periphery of one to the remaining pad. No clue where to go to buy two or three or a dozen, though. Mouser Electronics maybe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I went to welding shop and everything was solved, even wifi is better than before. Thanks for your help.
Sent from my Nexus 7 running Cyanogenmod 10.1 - Android 4.2.2 - Franco kernel r47 using Tapatalk HD
bftb0 said:
Possibly - but it's way off-topic for this thread. The OP (and others) did repairs of broken devices where the external antenna was effectively disconnected. Nobody should regard the methods of this thread to be a way of *improving* their signal strength unless they are sure they have a broken device (or are planning on modding their device to add an external directional antenna)
For reference purposes, my (correctly functioning) N7 WiFi + WiFi router exhibit the following line-of-sight signal strength (observed using farproc's "WiFi Analyzer" app on the N7) :
-22 dBm @ 10ft
-33 dBm @ 20ft
The above values are the best-case that I observed; at the same locations I can observe up to 10 dBm attenuation simply due to orientation changes of the tablet. (That is expected as neither the router nor the tablet have isotropic antenna gain patterns - both amplitude and polarization)
The point of this is that even if interference is present, it won't effect the observed signal strength - and nobody should be using the hardware mods in this thread unless their signal strength is terrible - even when very close to the router.
The points made by bigbop earlier in the thread are well worth reading. The mod proposed by the OP should only be used in dire circumstances.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so i should read those points even though i no plans to hot glue some wires to my tablet. it might be off-topic for this thread, but since someone might read the general "fix bad wifi" topic thought id like to give me experience
can i ask you then why do routers have different frequencies they broadcast on, since everyone can be on one and not cause an issue then
i attached a screen shot, the one at the most left is my original wifi network the one at the most right is the new one, the middle one is my next door neighbor, and it will lower in DB while mine drops spuratically. now my new router is in teh exact same spot as the the old router.
Just saying sometimes some one doesn't need to reinvent the wheel when its not going to help
BrianDigital said:
so i should read those points even though i no plans to hot glue some wires to my tablet. it might be off-topic for this thread, but since someone might read the general "fix bad wifi" topic thought id like to give me experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what you mean by the first sentence, but I will agree that the thread title is quite misleading, and possibly the reason why the thread got down voted.
@OP if you are reading, consider changing the title to "Broken WiFi Antenna Contacts Fix"
BrianDigital said:
can i ask you then why do routers have different frequencies they broadcast on, since everyone can be on one and not cause an issue then
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But in fact devices talking to the same router do interfere! A single radio channel is a shared medium analogous to an old-fashioned coax Ethernet or Ethernet hub - a collision segment. There is only a total bandwidth available for sharing amongst all devices on the segment/channel. The only reason that two clients talking to two different APs on the same radio channel is worse than two clients talking to a single AP is that in the single AP case, the clients are better synchronized in time by virtue of sequential ACK packet pacing by the AP (in addition to other AP coordination mechanisms). That coordination does not exit between unrelated APs on the same radio channel. So that's why there are multiple frequencies: to get away from your neighboring APs!
The other thing which is quantitatively different about shared radio channels in comparison to old-fashioned collision segments (hubs/thin-net coax, etc) is that the signal amplitude range in WiFi is huge: -25 dBm to -85 dBm is a factor of one million in signal strength. So, where even a tiny overlap/collision on an old-fashioned Ethernet collision segment would be fatal (all devices are nearly the same amplitude), that's not quite as true with WiFi: if both ends of an AP<->client station see each other at 30dB higher than all other stations on the same channel, so long as the packet has already started, the nearby signals literally smash the far away signals.
BrianDigital said:
i attached a screen shot, the one at the most left is my original wifi network the one at the most right is the new one, the middle one is my next door neighbor, and it will lower in DB while mine drops spuratically. now my new router is in teh exact same spot as the the old router.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't doubt that some WiFi routers do a better job of their antenna design / matching than others. The thing to be aware of when making measurements is that RF propagation is a squirrelly thing - it is easy to get a 10 dB change in signal strength without even altering the distance from the AP - rotate your tablet slowly though different axes with that WiFi Analyzer app running and have a look. And of course, huge variations from place to place within your residence. ( If you were seeing BIG drops with your old router - say more than 20 dBm - then either it has hardware troubles, or possibly you are seeing a measurement artifact from non-WiFi radio interference (ISM band devices such as microwave ovens, portable phones etc) )
good luck
hey looking at putting an android based car stereo in my new yaris
it can fit a 2 din radio and has steering wheel controls and a remote usb port / aux
i've been looking at the parrot asteroid as that can be rooted and tinkered with and doesnt require the always on usb connection (not to mention the rear-view camera connections are nice)
would like recommendations on brands, models, etc.
my preferred criteria are usb and aux connections and bluetooth hand free for phone calls.
some kind of removable storage would be a plus but not essential.
built in phone independent nav is highly prefered (borderline must-have)
Pioneer 8100NEX..... accept nothing less!
Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk
sgt. slaughter said:
Pioneer 8100NEX..... accept nothing less!
Sent from my 0PJA2 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well the fact that that one is not actually android just has android auto functionality (so it has to be plugged in via usb to work) and can NOT be updated by the end user is a major turn off
i have been looking at Parrot's Asteroid Smart which is full android just reskinned and can be rooted for sideloading various apps like google maps; though i dont know where development is currently at for it's stock OS (but if i can root it that's less of an issue as i can just redo it for the most part myself)
i just installed an XTRONS TD702A in my truck and have been very happy with it. its compatible with malaysk rom and flashing was as easy as running a system update on a sd card. the price was cheap and it shipped in a couple of days.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231772341298
You can check this one which is the latest version from Pumpkin: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Double-Android-Navigation-Subwoofer/dp/B01B2JNF2C/
alvinjones377 said:
You can check this one which is the latest version from Pumpkin: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pumpkin-Double-Android-Navigation-Subwoofer/dp/B01B2JNF2C/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way Pumpkin has implemented Parrot BT it's as bad as the older units. The main screen is hard coded, you can't change any icons or
the way it look. No improvement the way I see it.
iateshaggy said:
i just installed an XTRONS TD702A in my truck and have been very happy with it. its compatible with malaysk rom and flashing was as easy as running a system update on a sd card. the price was cheap and it shipped in a couple of days.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231772341298
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya im a little warry on that one, as from the pics it looks like they cannibalized the entire frame from another companies DOA smart radio and just tried to fit their guts into it ( second picture bottom right; holes dont line up and the mounting screw hole for the radio connector is not even in because of the mis-alignment)
cost is less of an issue than making sure it works and i can do what i need to with it; for reference the parrot asteroid retails (depending on form where) from $429 to $729 depending on if its a refurb or used model
if thats the only option for my needs i can more than deal with that price in exchange for less headaches and/or more customization
also side-note: isn't it grand how xda DOESN'T auto subscribe you to threads that you create? didn't even know anyone else replied after the 8100nex recommendation till i remembered i made it and came to look....
to be honest i was a little curious about their mounting brackets but it didn't matter in my truck. i had to do such a custom fit job there was no need for mounting.
iateshaggy said:
to be honest i was a little curious about their mounting brackets but it didn't matter in my truck. i had to do such a custom fit job there was no need for mounting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ya i'm not talking about the mounting bracket; i mean the mounting hole that secures the actual jack for the radio antenna itself if you look on the picture of the back you can see the jack's mounting hole that's meant to be secured to the inside of the radios shell....
anyway
anyone else have any suggestions?
i see what you mean. the hole on top is unused and the one for the radio worked fine.
ok so just had the time to go and actually measure the radio bay size and it is in fact not a 2 din but a 1.5 din bay
i'm guessing this severely limits my options?
edit: ok scratch that the moulding was just covering up the outer edge of the bay it is a 2 din looks like
so nvm