Car Mount Setup (Pic included) - Nexus 7 Accessories

My car mount arrived from Amazon today and I must say that I'm impressed. Very solid and doesn't feel flimsy at all. Going to rig up a mount for my Verizon 4G Mifi so that I have Wifi on the go! LOL
Drove around for a big and it wasn't in my field of view at all....probably because I'm tall and sit above the mount. This is in a Toyota Matrix, which isn't a big car to begin with, and it looks great.
Going to be easier now to get my Waze on LOL
This is the one that I bought:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004M8ST36/
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How deep are the arms on the part that holds the tablet. I'm looking at that one for using both my N7 and Nook Color. I'd like to keep the cases on if at all possible.

It comes with different length arms to accommodate various depths. I tried it with the case that I use and it worked fine.

I want one!
Sent from my Asus Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 2

Does anyone know if mounting them on windshield is illegal in California? I keep reading different reports..

Very nice!

Not a good idea to keep any cellphone or tablet in the sun, your battery will suffer! Just get a Garmin or something for navigation.
Long live the One X

You can only mount your GPS to the windshield on the driver’s side in the lower 5″ corner of the windshield, or the lower 7″ corner on the passenger side in California, You can however block a 5″x5″ section of your windshield for a toll transponder. When it comes to collecting money California says screw safety.

veliksam said:
Not a good idea to keep any cellphone or tablet in the sun, your battery will suffer! Just get a Garmin or something for navigation.
Long live the One X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a nice Garmin Nuvi with lifetime maps and traffic but it just doesn't beat Waze for navigation. Not really too worried about the sun killing my battery life........I dropped the CPU down the 860mhz on my way down to the inlaws and it was fine and cool to the touch after the hour long trip with my both the gps and WIFI on the entire time.

Prey521 said:
I have a nice Garmin Nuvi with lifetime maps and traffic but it just doesn't beat Waze for navigation. Not really too worried about the sun killing my battery life........I dropped the CPU down the 860mhz on my way down to the inlaws and it was fine and cool to the touch after the hour long trip with my both the gps and WIFI on the entire time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it works for you then go for it :thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 7

The big question for me is: what do you use to charge the tablet in navigation mode and does the charger output enough juice to actually charge the tablet?
I have a Galaxy Note, but even with only 5" screen, running it in navigation mode drain so much power that I am yet to see any charger that charges the phone. Most of the charger, even Samsung own dock, just slows down the discharge.

lanwarrior said:
The big question for me is: what do you use to charge the tablet in navigation mode and does the charger output enough juice to actually charge the tablet?
I have a Galaxy Note, but even with only 5" screen, running it in navigation mode drain so much power that I am yet to see any charger that charges the phone. Most of the charger, even Samsung own dock, just slows down the discharge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah for my trip yesterday to the city I used the car charger from my phone. While it didn't charge it, the battery only depleted about 10% in the hour drive that it took us to get there. That's pretty impressive given that without the charger it probably would've lost over 50% know that same amount of time with the gps and WIFI chugging at the same time.
Today, since the Matrix has an actual power outlet on the dash, I took the little wall wart that I use to charge my blackberry Playbook at home and it charged the Nexus 7 just fine with gps and WIFI running.
I believe that I've seen 2amp micro usb car chargers which would charge the N7 with no problems.

Prey521 said:
I have a nice Garmin Nuvi with lifetime maps and traffic but it just doesn't beat Waze for navigation. Not really too worried about the sun killing my battery life........I dropped the CPU down the 860mhz on my way down to the inlaws and it was fine and cool to the touch after the hour long trip with my both the gps and WIFI on the entire time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he means is that batteries don't last as long (e.g. they stop holding their charge) when they are exposed to heat over long periods of time. Batteries contain electrolytes which are acidic molecules that break down over time. Heat causes them to break down faster, cold causes them to break down slower. This is why people with smarts store their batteries inside of their refrigerators until they need them.
But that's not to worry so long as your car is air conditioned and you take the tablet with you when you leave (a good idea anyways since seeing a tablet up in the dash will probably make your car more likely to get broken into by a meth head after he is done stealing copper tubing.) Bonus points if your tablet has a case on the back, which will absorb the heat from the sun before your tablet itself does.

I have used Binder clips before to make docks that clip onto the AC vent, so it cools the device while i'm driving
mind you, they work for a phone, but i dont think it will work with a tablet.

After seeing your thread on this car dock, I ordered two for myself and one for my wife.
I received them today and though I would post a few pics. Great docks by the way. No shake at all. Very sturdy.
Short Neck:
Extended Neck:

This is the the same dock that I have been using for about 5 weeks.
It has been on one 2400 mile trip and a 700 mile one.
CAUTION - if you hit a very hard bump, the tablet can fly loose. It has happened to me 3 times.
The spring tension, though fairly tight, isn't tight enough in extreme cases.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

rcatron said:
This is the the same dock that I have been using for about 5 weeks.
It has been on one 2400 mile trip and a 700 mile one.
CAUTION - if you hit a very hard bump, the tablet can fly loose. It has happened to me 3 times.
The spring tension, though fairly tight, isn't tight enough in extreme cases.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what tablet were you using and what was the weight of said tablet?

Is there a car dock that uses the 4 charging pins yet?

Anyone have pics (short or long neck) compared to the original Galaxy Tab car dock? Trying to figure out which one to stick in my Jeep..

Rakeesh_j said:
What he means is that batteries don't last as long (e.g. they stop holding their charge) when they are exposed to heat over long periods of time. Batteries contain electrolytes which are acidic molecules that break down over time. Heat causes them to break down faster, cold causes them to break down slower. This is why people with smarts store their batteries inside of their refrigerators until they need them.
But that's not to worry so long as your car is air conditioned and you take the tablet with you when you leave (a good idea anyways since seeing a tablet up in the dash will probably make your car more likely to get broken into by a meth head after he is done stealing copper tubing.) Bonus points if your tablet has a case on the back, which will absorb the heat from the sun before your tablet itself does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ya, I see what you mean now. And yes, I take it with me.....especially after some crack head down in NYC broke into my wife's minivan to grab her POS Garmin GPS that was worth maybe $50! Ugh, still mad about that LOL
Also, I do leave it in the case since I'm too lazy to remove the N7 from it to put it in the dock! HAHA

Related

My Amateur Tablet In Dash Car Installation

I thought I'd share this here, in case anyone is interested, and to not go off topic in this thread in the Q&A section that was interested in some detail of my build.
I couldn't find an aftermarket stereo that was as customizable, or had as many features as I'd like. My car is a 02 Mitsubishi Lancer which also is designed for a single DIN stereo, which limited my selection as well. I decided a while back that I wanted to attempt a tablet dash install, and when the Nexus 7 came out, I decided it was time to start on this project.This was my first attempt working with fiberglass, bondo, vinyl wrap, and I'm sure a few other aspects of the project I'm missing.
I failed to take pictures at all steps, as it was trial and error for awhile anyways. Here are some photos of some of the process and a parts list.
Also my Home Screens I created for this very purpose.
Parts List:
Nexus 7
4 Channel Amplifier
Four Gauge Power & Ground Wires
Speaker Wire Cable
2 RCA Plug Cable
3.5mm Stereo Male to 2RCA Male Cable
1/Female to 2/Male Y Connector Cable x 2
RCA Volume Level Control
AC Power Inverter
Car-Cigarette-Lighter-Extension Socket
Radio Wiring Harness Adapter
RadioTrim Piece
Fiberglass Resin
Fiberglass Cloth
Bondo
3M Brushed Black Metal Vinyl Wrap
Ground Loop Isolator (Optional)
Semi Finished Final Product
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RadioTrim Piece found in a junkyard that I cut the innards out of and filled with fiberglass and bondo. My car dash originally looks something like this.
So I had to create something that would house a 7" tablet, and also relocate my temperature controls.
Radio Trim Piece covered with Adhesive Promoter and paint.
Nexus 7 without Radio Trim. Backing is a piece of pegboard cut to fit in dash.
Radio Trim without tablet
Volume Control Knob
Cadence 4-Channel 1000 Watt Amp
Power Inverter
Amazing.. so I'm assuming you tether off a hot spot of some sort?
crachel said:
Amazing.. so I'm assuming you tether off a hot spot of some sort?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you, yep, I still have the original Evo 4G for my phone. I just have a tasker shortcut to toggle a Portable Hotpsot. It's only 3G but its worked pretty well so far
looks nice! the work with the fibre glass is very good!
the only issue I have is the use of an inverter, couldnt you have got a in car usb adapter? as this would mean 1 less power conversion.
Assuming you're leaving the Nexus 7 in the dash, aren't you worried about the heat?
markp1989 said:
looks nice! the work with the fibre glass is very good!
the only issue I have is the use of an inverter, couldnt you have got a in car usb adapter? as this would mean 1 less power conversion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I was just going to use a USB adapter, but I tried the 3 I already owned, and none of them would register it was charging. I bought a 4th that I thought would do the job, and had the same problem. I'm sure its possible with the right charger, and I may end up switching it out later. I just ended up being impatient and went with the inverter lol.
jabsys said:
Assuming you're leaving the Nexus 7 in the dash, aren't you worried about the heat?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a concern. It's been in the car for maybe 24 hours now and no problems yet, but I plan on running out to my car to check it on my breaks and lunch tomorrow and probably throughout the work week to see how it holds up. If it becomes an issue I may need to take it out, if the car will be sitting for long stretches of time, or find another solution.
I saw a thread awhile back where someone else bought some sun shades to try and keep the temperature down inside the car. I guess we'll see how it holds up over the next few days.
Somebody put a nook color in a ...Wrangler I want to say? He didn't seem to have any trouble leaving it in there.
Yeah, here it is.
mateorod said:
Somebody put a nook color in a ...Wrangler I want to say? He didn't seem to have any trouble leaving it in there.
Yeah, here it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think his was on a dock. I know one guy had his in a smart car as well. Here.
Looks good though. I've thought about doing it in my car with my NC.
Nice job. Looks good.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Looks cool man
mateorod said:
Somebody put a nook color in a ...Wrangler I want to say? He didn't seem to have any trouble leaving it in there.
Yeah, here it is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
biohazrd51 said:
I think his was on a dock. I know one guy had his in a smart car as well. Here.
Looks good though. I've thought about doing it in my car with my NC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, good to hear others havent had overheating issues with similar installations.
I've been looking into this stuff for the last couple months now and I don't think I've seen either of those two builds, thanks.
I know this instructables build and too many random YouTube videos to list on different in-dash installs is what got me finally started in on this project.
You might want to consider some kind of retractable or removable cover. Couple of reasons. One...it can keep direct sunlight off the unit. That would probably be the biggest issue with this setup. Second, it would deter theft. Generally, a thief might not risk breaking into a car to guess what's behind curtain #1...if you know what I mean. However, seeing a full blown tablet in a home made setup (e.g. not built into the vehicle/easy to steal) might be too tempting for some crack head.
Mostly blocking indirect sunlight though...
had an acer a100 perm installed in my dash for several months even here in sunny florida i only got heat warnings when the sun was directly hitting the tablet, using a windshield shade when parked was sufficient to keep the heat warnings from coming on
i'm waiting for the pogo pin dock to be released before the nexus 7 gets a spot in the dashboard, i dont want a perm install again as i like using this tablet outside of the car too
ExploreMN said:
You might want to consider some kind of retractable or removable cover. Couple of reasons. One...it can keep direct sunlight off the unit. That would probably be the biggest issue with this setup. Second, it would deter theft. Generally, a thief might not risk breaking into a car to guess what's behind curtain #1...if you know what I mean. However, seeing a full blown tablet in a home made setup (e.g. not built into the vehicle/easy to steal) might be too tempting for some crack head.
Mostly blocking indirect sunlight though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
b22ri22an said:
had an acer a100 perm installed in my dash for several months even here in sunny florida i only got heat warnings when the sun was directly hitting the tablet, using a windshield shade when parked was sufficient to keep the heat warnings from coming on
i'm waiting for the pogo pin dock to be released before the nexus 7 gets a spot in the dashboard, i dont want a perm install again as i like using this tablet outside of the car too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the tips, and again its good to hear these reports of other tablet installs with minimal overheating issues. I checked on it today at lunch and it was hot to the touch, but functioning fine, i believe the temperature on the tablet read 134 F..... It was maybe 80 here outside in WI today. I think I'll definitely be investing in a windshield shade to be on the safe side at the very minimum.
I have a Transformer Prime for my other tablet and at this point I was going for a perma install look, although it isn't all too difficult to remove from the dash if needed.
ahavens17 said:
Thanks for the tips, and again its good to hear these reports of other tablet installs with minimal overheating issues. I checked on it today at lunch and it was hot to the touch, but functioning fine, i believe the temperature on the tablet read 134 F..... It was maybe 80 here outside in WI today. I think I'll definitely be investing in a windshield shade to be on the safe side at the very minimum.
I have a Transformer Prime for my other tablet and at this point I was going for a perma install look, although it isn't all too difficult to remove from the dash if needed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh AHeavens, you're a neighbor then. So you know we top the hundreds a few weeks every summer. So if a 80 degree day warms the tab to 135, imagine what one of our 105 days would do to it!
Not to mention our winters where it gets to -35 to -40!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Nice install! i've never had the courage to break out the bondo!
I've installed the Nexus 7 in my WRX too. The trick to getting USB charging to work via a cig adapter is to put a USB hub inline. I pulled apart a tomtop GPS charger and wired it into the factory stereo wiring then plugged a USB hub into it and then the N7 (and my Galaxy S3) into the hub and they both charge nicely.
Having trouble with the audio output though, it is horrible... it buzzes every time i touch the screen and it buzzes when wifi is active and it is just generally crap.
I would like to plug in a USB soundcard (DAC), something like the Fiio E10 but then i wouldn't be able to charge the tab while USB OTG is active.
I was hoping that the pogo pins on the side would allow charging whilst the USB dock connector could be used for OTG but it doesn't look like it will work since both the pogo pins and USB connector go to the same usb switch internally.
I might put up a thread on my WRX N7 install.
edit: here it is: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1819175
another edit: there seems to be a thread on the charging issues... i have also just found that my tab drains it's battery faster than it can charge it...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1791717
The ultimate car install: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0o1zkqEuec&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
I put my nexus 7 in my dash for 3 hours one day it turned off on me... I assume because it was too hot.
For now I remove it when I get to work and leave it in the car when I am home. I have no issues in the garage. Only problem is the place I mounted mine is a perfect fit and no room for the usb charging cable till I modify the hood but I am hoping for the pogo dock soon.
Sent from my Nexus 7
kangxi said:
The ultimate car install: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0o1zkqEuec&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice!
How are they getting connected? Bluetooth, wifi tether, hotspot, ...?
when I get a car I would definitely spend the $250 bucks to have a really sexy media player in the dash

4200mAh Nexus 4 - second internal battery!

Just thought I'd share a mod I've done to my nexus 4..
After smashing the back glass on my nexus 4 and getting tired of glass shards in
my pocket/hand every day I decided to make a new back for it (£50 for a replacement is a bit excessive..)
I thought I may as well try and add in another battery too, as I don't mind a thicker
phone and would always opt for a fatter phone with more battery if I had the choice..!
Now I have a 4200mAh nexus 4!!!
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How To:
-Remove the battery cover, and remove all the glass from it (its a pain...so much glue...but easy with blade to slide under)
-Solder a wire to the positive of the battery connector (disconnect the battery) and a wire to the negative side. Leave them fairly long for now...then reattach the battery connector to the phone
-Peel off the NFC/wireless charging coils from the battery cover and put to one side
-Solder a wire to each of the 4 gold spring contacts that connect to the coils...leave these fairly long too
-Put the battery cover back on the phone making sure all 6 wires are sticking out the back
-Now put the second battery (I used a Samsung galaxy S3 battery, 2100mah 3.8v same as nexus 4 (and cheap)) in place on the back of the phone and fix it in place (double sided tape, hot glue..)
-Measure the voltage of the second battery and then measure the nexus 4 battery voltage and either charge or discharge the nexus 4 until the voltages of the two batteries are within about 0.05v of each other
-Solder the positive wire coming from the nexus 4 battery to the second battery positive contact, and negative to negative
-Put the coils on top of the second battery and fix in place. Then solder the 4 wires coming from the gold spring contacts to the correct contacts on the coils
-Now mark out a thick piece of plastic (I used 12mm Acetyl) so it fits in the step where the glass sat. Then use a router or similar to cut out a pocket for the second battery to fit. I shaped the back using a router, and finished it off with a belt sander.
-Fix the new back part to the phone using something sticky (I'm going to re stick mine with sikaflex, but hot glue or double sided tape work!)
-Now enjoy over 7 hours of screen on time!!
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Original post:
Hi there, I'm hoping to add a second battery or single larger battery to my nexus 4.
Can anyone see any problems adding another battery in parallel with the current one? The charging circuits are built into the battery so I guess it should work.....
Also I'm thinking of putting in a higher capacity single battery...from a note 2 maybe or one of these case batteries
I'm not bothered about the battery cover part of the phone..I can get that sorted after its working
I doubted you and I should be ashamed. Lol
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
scream4cheese said:
I doubt it's going to work. Different batteries for different devices. Have you looked under the hood to see how the N4 battery is connected to the phone? Zerolemon is making a external battery that will allow us to snap and connect as it rides on it's back. It'll be up for sale in May.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I have the back off (it was smashed so I'm making a new one!) And its easy to add in small wires to the connector to get a battery in parallel. I've ordered a 3.8v 2100mah battery which is here tomorrow and I'm going to try it as long as I have both battery voltages identical before connecting them in paralell, there shouldn't really be a problem as the voltages should stay identical & both have separate charging circuits!
Yeah I was reading the thread about the ZeroLemon cases yesterday, they should be good!
I'm not sure but if you wire them in parallel, would that effectively double the voltage and fry your phone? Using a single larger battery with identical voltage to the original outta work though
It's the other way around. If you wire them in parallel, you double the current. If you wire them in series, you double the voltage.
Okay I'm running with a sgs3 battery (3.8v & 2100mah) in parallel, so now have a 4200mah nexus 4 I'm just finishing off wiring the wireless charging/NFC coils then I'll try and get some pics....
tommmtom said:
Okay I'm running with a sgs3 battery (3.8v & 2100mah) in parallel, so now have a 4200mah nexus 4 I'm just finishing off wiring the wireless charging/NFC coils then I'll try and get some pics....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pics would be awesome, im curious about this alternative back you are using since you said the stock back shattered. also pics of the inside showing how you mounted it all would be cool. i would never do this but it sounds really interesting so if its too much of a pain, no biggie
username8611 said:
pics would be awesome, im curious about this alternative back you are using since you said the stock back shattered. also pics of the inside showing how you mounted it all would be cool. i would never do this but it sounds really interesting so if its too much of a pain, no biggie
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I'm doing with the back: I've taken all the glass off the plastic bit(the rubberised surround is part of this..) And where the glass was there is a step where it sat. I'm putting a thick back (Plastic) with the inside milled out for the sgs3 battery to fit. It will Be rounded and look a bit like the HTC one back then I'll wrap it in carbon fibre effect vinyl so it looks nice and professional!
Battery life is epic......4 hours screen time with full screen brightness after 24 hours off charger!!!! Only problem is that the battery meter goes down as usual (same speed) but stops around 20% (~3.8v) and stays there for aaaaaages before starting to drop again....
There is a file in sys/class/power_supply giving the full capacity of the battery (2100mah). Is this used to calculate percent? I might try changing it to 4200 and see if I get better readings....
Pics??
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Look at the battery graph..... Stays flat for hours even when being used! Battery is very good... 2 days of proper usage!
Awesome!
How long does it take to charge lol
Nbsss said:
Awesome!
How long does it take to charge lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Twice as long as before!
You think you could make a video of the process? Lol.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Battery just died... 7hr 15min screen time after nearly 35.5 hours off the charger ))
Its actually really easy...only hard bit is getting a back cover to fit over the extra battery...3D printer would be nice
Cost me £5 for the battery & £3 for the plastic (acetal) block the back is made from!
I will get some pics of the back when its finished properly
Could you use any other phone battery? As I have some old smartphones laying around. Might try get into this mod as I never say no to more battery life.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Domenl said:
Could you use any other phone battery? As I have some old smartphones laying around. Might try get into this mod as I never say no to more battery life.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep i guess you could...each battery has its own protection circuit in so the batteries can't over charge etc
I will whack some pictures up of my neuxs tonight...its all done now
Nice one! Another option is to buy a 5000mAh battery pack, a good one like NewTrent often costs $25 - price varies quite a lot for some reason. It's a black rectangle about as big as the phone, and you just connect from the USB port to the phone with a normal charging cable. And you charge it up from a PC/wall charger.
Obviously a bit messy when you actually have to connect, but when you are not charging the phone is still the original size.
Hope I didn't spoil the fun
That would break this in the root. We are trying to add a battery not charge the existing one. I own a 12000mAh battery but this is very interesting as it would improve the battery capacity directly.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Are you still working on this?
I'm sure everyone would love to see what you've come up with.

Modified my laptop to hold my Nexus 5.

I use my phone for internet when I am on the go and I just got this laptop specifically for its 6 hour battery life. It otherwise kinda sucks but then again it was $230 bucks and runs windows. But while it doesn't have an optical drive it actually has the bay for one so I modified it to hold the phone. This way I can secure the phone in the laptop rather than my pocket and reduce disconnects from walking too far.
Picture:
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So the original idea was to cut the blanking plate that laptop comes with but I couldn't find a replacement for warranty purposes. Not only does removing one width divider make it the perfect width, that width happens to be the same as a 2.5 inch hard drive. So the next idea came. They make 2.5" HDD adapters to fit into laptop optical bays:
Now I just need to put a screen protector on the phone. I used a piece of paper to cover the metal inside but dirt dragged across paper is still very bad for the screen. I still need to get a faceplate that matches this chassis to cut (which I believe I have found) to fill the excess left and right. It would be really cool if I was skilled and could throw a USB charger in there to run off the SATA's 5V line.
Here is the real purpose for this dock with one of my other laptops ODD drives as an example:
Once again I don't have a face plate on hand that matches this laptop, Yet.
Edit: Never mind I'm an idiot LOL
It's done really well, nice idea
Sent from my Nexus 5
Letharqy said:
what do you mean by "reduce disconnects from walking too far"?
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Far might not be the problem as much as whats between me and it. I use it at work alot and while it defaults to sitting on top of my bag with the phone in it. I like to walk around with it. I don't like leaving the phone loose and walking behind a bunch of steel kinda doesn't seem to work. So instead of in the bag or in my pocket I was thinking securely attached to the computer might work.
Ive had the laptop in the lobby and walked probably 40 feet behind some equipment and came back and everything had been disconnected. It was already reconnected by the time I got to it but for things that are continous transmission/recieve its not a good scenario.
RainMotorsports said:
Far might not be the problem as much as whats between me and it. I use it at work alot and while it defaults to sitting on top of my bag with the phone in it. I like to walk around with it. I don't like leaving the phone loose and walking behind a bunch of steel kinda doesn't seem to work.
Ive had the laptop in the lobby and walked probably 40 feet behind some equipment and came back and everything had been disconnected. It was already reconnected by the time I got to it but for things that are continous transmission/recieve its not a good scenario.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I realized, I somehow missed the first few words of your post so it confused me. Good job on it though!
Sent from my Nexus 5
Nice work OP. I'm a sucker for diy projects like this. I believe if you could get the phone to charge while "docked" in the laptop that would be pretty cool. You could maybe rig up a wireless charging pad in there or something. Keep us posted of any improvements you make.
Sent from my Nexus 5
This is pretty dang awesome. That hard drive holder is a perfect fit for your Nexus!
.Gibson. said:
Nice work OP. I'm a sucker for diy projects like this. I believe if you could get the phone to charge while "docked" in the laptop that would be pretty cool. You could maybe rig up a wireless charging pad in there or something. Keep us posted of any improvements you make.
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. If it were my old laptop wireless charging would probably be possible, except for the fact that the laptop alone sucked too much power to begin with. Its a gaming laptop so its huge and while this one is a 9mm thick bay that one was an extra 3.5mm to play with.
Really I have the OBHD Sata connector from the kit and I could probably find a cheap usb dock to rip apart. But I am not confident in my skills for such a delicate situation of lining it up and making it stay there. Would be charge only though if there is a spare usb header on the board (doubt it) like my other laptop had could do data too.
Looks sweet! Good work!!
This is sick! Mad props
That's so sick! Do you have it connected to USB on the inside?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
why torture the phone like this. THough the idea is original I feel its kind of a torture for the phone. Think of all the heat that it will have to face, heat from using it as modem for your 3G and the computer itself. Man this will reduce the life of your phone in the long run
Look at this as a stepping stone. . . the beginning of a new chapter for next gen devices that allows for even faster data transfers. . . maybe even faster charging due to direct connections from manufacturers. His idea could make it big one day. For example, the Android Reboot feature that took so long to get LoL that I only got using CM back in Tue day
Nice idea, nice work!
That's pretty awesome!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
kailashnj said:
why torture the phone like this. THough the idea is original I feel its kind of a torture for the phone. Think of all the heat that it will have to face, heat from using it as modem for your 3G and the computer itself. Man this will reduce the life of your phone in the long run
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well perhaps the real torture would be laying on top of the laptop and letting it drop on the floor all the time. Couple reasons it doesn't concern me is with the laptop off were looking at roughly the same impact to heat dissipation as an otterbox style case. With the laptop doing what its doing the phone runs cooler than it would if it were gaming whilst in a case.
Now laptops have a reputation for being hot I should know I was a laptop gamer for years. However this is powered by what is basically a Tablet cpu. The only real difference between BayTrail-M and BayTrail-T is the Graphics clocks. It underclocks with dynamic voltage scaling aggressively just like a phone reducing heat and power consumption. It runs cooler than anything I have ever layed my hands on and the phone is complete opposite of anything heat generating. It however shares the ambient heat dissipation plate thats in the top of the case that is meant to dissipate heat through the palm rest and keyboard. Now while this could be a good thing I look at it more as theres a way for heat to move from one side towards the phone. But on a hard surface the phones in the coolest portion of the unit.
Also whats 3G j/k.
This is from today with it in the laptop. Tests regular vary for me from 40/20 to 20/20:
Best thing in years! Ultra cool job mate! Just WOW!
Love the idea of it, creative and would be even better if u were able to charge it too
Woow , where from did you the idea, I mean this is so cool, I hope it doesn't damage the phone at all right? If it doesn't then this could do big things one day....
so its just a case now?? whats the purpose/use ?
meethere said:
so its just a case now?? whats the purpose/use ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you read the first post? It's literally the first few sentences.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Air dock 2.0

Does anyone have one of these and if so has anyone used with their S6 edge? I just ordered one with the CD mount and think it would be an awesome car dock for the S6 edge. If you haven't heard of it, it is a car dock with qi wireless charging and built in micro magnetic technology of some sort that holds the phone in place. Very slick and minimal for the most part.
I'm not brave enough to use it for my device, but if there was ever a surface that it should be ideal for holding it's the S6's. Let us know how well it works with yours.
Sounds nice but the way I drive there's no way it could work.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I am interested in how you get on - I am thinking of ordering one myself but reviews of the 2.0 version are few and far between.
It's not micro magnets btw - the magnet part is a normal magnet in the mount and they include a magnetic sticker you put on the back of your phone. Without the sticker the magnets do nothing, but I think this is only needed for phones with a rough rear texture (or phones with covers on - I presume it would work with the sticker on the inside of the cover instead).
For phones with a flat smooth back, it works with the "micro suction foam" which looks similar to the clingo sticky surface. I am hoping with the Edge this will be sufficient.
Though I haven't decided if I will be using the phone with a case or not yet, and the case I have ordered to use for now is transparent - so there is no chance I am putting the sticker on in that case. It seems like a shame to use a case where I can't see the glass back (or indeed, it seems a shame to use a case at all!). First world problems...
je2345 said:
Does anyone have one of these and if so has anyone used with their S6 edge? ........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I ordered this during their Indiegogo campaign earlier this winter and received mine last month. When I tried using it with the S5 I was greatly disappointed. It would not stick with the spigen case I had, so I had to carry that phone without a case and it still wouldn't stay on the dock. It just kept on falling off with the slightest bump in the road. I guess I could have tried the magnetic sticker they send you but I knew that I wasn't going to have the S5 for much longer.....
Well the S6 edge has a perfectly flat back, so it sits on the airdock 2.0 perfectly. I haven't taken it on an off road trip but with normal city road bumps it hasn't fallen off once. The wireless charging function is now much faster, so in my opinion, this dock is a must have if you are looking for an elegant solution for charging/ and holding your S6 in your car, especially if you like to look at your phone (or have others look at your phone screen GPS, etc...)
Just make sure you order the correct suction cup and base for it. I had a bamboo flat internal surface and the long flexible mount for smooth surfaces didn't work. Good thing I ordered the standard mount for textured surfaces as well.
The NFC function in the airdock 2.0 is interesting and using tagwriter you can easily program it. I programmed it to launch tunein to stream internet radio on car... However, the nfc chip just keeps beeping, and it keeps trying to launch the app. So I turned it off and don't use it. Haven't tried another app to see if I have better luck. Will have to troubleshoot this sometime..
Strongly recommend this despite the NFC trouble.
Thanks for the great review. I finally got hands on with the s6 edge today at my best buy and the back does seem like it should work great with the air dock. I also ordered a bunch of sleek cases and hope (I always buy cases but never keep them on) the cases will work with the dock. I got the CD mount as with my car it's the only great spot available seeing how i hate windshield and dash mount. My dock just shipped and I'm like a kid in the candy store checking shipment status every hour.
je2345 said:
I also ordered a bunch of sleek cases and hope (I always buy cases but never keep them on) the cases will work with the dock. I got the CD mount as with my car it's the only great spot available seeing how i hate windshield and dash mount. My dock just shipped and I'm like a kid in the candy store checking shipment status every hour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So... what I just read was "I also ordered a bunch of steak cases and hope the cases will work with the dock."
Time for a nap already
Poetique said:
So... what I just read was "I also ordered a bunch of steak cases and hope the cases will work with the dock."
Time for a nap already
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. I get so excited when a new phone launches so I just buy accessories to fill the void but then leave them behind because I like my phone like my wife...naked!
$85? I have made my own Qi charging car solutions for 2 years now using ProClip and a TechMount Qi charger. Total price for both is well under $85, and works for all phones, even those without magnets strong enough. e.g., my Nexus 5 (strong magnet), NExus 6, Note 4 and now the S6E.
I'd try the airdock, but $85 is a little silly.
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xxaarraa said:
$85? I have made my own Qi charging car solutions for 2 years now using ProClip and a TechMount Qi charger. Total price for both is well under $85, and works for all phones, even those without magnets strong enough. e.g., my Nexus 5 (strong magnet), NExus 6, Note 4 and now the S6E.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's nice and all, but how well does your phone stay charged when you use GPS and stream music using data? I reviewed a Qi car dock once that wouldn't charge up my S4 with just the screen staying on, let along actually using the device for battery intensive activities. What are your experiences with the S6E charging on this dock with anything more than keeping the screen off?
KryptosXLayer2 said:
That's nice and all, but how well does your phone stay charged when you use GPS and stream music using data? I reviewed a Qi car dock once that wouldn't charge up my S4 with just the screen staying on, let along actually using the device for battery intensive activities. What are your experiences with the S6E charging on this dock with anything more than keeping the screen off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the phone. Depends on the screen really. I always have google maps going for traffic, and an mp3 player. The Nexus 5 would always hold a steady charge. The Nexus 6 would drain. Note 4 would drain, but slower than the Nexus 6. The S6E is stable.
I have automateit automatically dim my screen and turn off wifi when it senses a BT connection to my cars. I can't speak to your S4 or other "battery intensive activities" but I've had this setup in multiple cars with multiple phones for 50k+ miles. I stopped using the built in navigation in any of my cars since I now exclusively use google maps, it's always qi docked.
xxaarraa said:
Depends on the phone. Depends on the screen really. I always have google maps going for traffic, and an mp3 player. The Nexus 5 would always hold a steady charge. The Nexus 6 would drain. Note 4 would drain, but slower than the Nexus 6. The S6E is stable.
I have automateit automatically dim my screen and turn off wifi when it senses a BT connection to my cars. I can't speak to your S4 or other "battery intensive activities" but I've had this setup in multiple cars with multiple phones for 50k+ miles. I stopped using the built in navigation in any of my cars since I now exclusively use google maps, it's always qi docked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I couldn't live with "stable," with as much as I drive and use the phone in the car, I can't have a phone with 15% battery stay where it's at. I currently use a wired setup with a powerful 4.2A dual USB charger and watch the numbers climb with the phone doing navigation, talking on it / streaming music, and other activities that would normally chew through a battery being wirelessly charged - but that you had good luck with it, is good and maybe I'm the only one who can't get it to work! :good:
KryptosXLayer2 said:
Yeah I couldn't live with "stable," with as much as I drive and use the phone in the car, I can't have a phone with 15% battery stay where it's at. I currently use a wired setup with a powerful 4.2A dual USB charger and watch the numbers climb with the phone doing navigation, talking on it / streaming music, and other activities that would normally chew through a battery being wirelessly charged - but that you had good luck with it, is good and maybe I'm the only one who can't get it to work! :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nah, it's not just you man. It's these big phablets and how much juice their screens take up. The Nexus 6 was outrageous. Yet another reason the phablets were not for me. I liked the Note 4 way better than the Nexus 6, but neither of them did anything for me.
I have the original Air Dock, not the 2.0. (Actually, I have the Galaxy S4 version. Just magnets in different places, I think.) I have a Spigen Slim Armor case with kickstand. It all works great! Amazingly, the Air Dock holds the phone in the case very well. Charges through it just fine. I think the Spigen case might actually have a coil inside it to transfer the charge from a Qi charger through to the phone.
Playing music, screen on, navigating... still net positive charging.
The only thing that doesn't really work well is the magnet sticker from Air Dock. I put it in between the two parts of the case, but it still doesn't really attract it into position when I put it need the Air Dock. Not that big a deal.
Well got my air dock 2.0 and love it!!! Works great with my sleek Rinkge fusion case on it and sticks perfectly. Best car dock I've ever used and seen
je2345 said:
Well got my air dock 2.0 and love it!!! Works great with my sleek Rinkge fusion case on it and sticks perfectly. Best car dock I've ever used and seen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's great news, thanks for letting us know. Did you need to use the magnet sticker?
Nope, work's great on its own
je2345 said:
Nope, work's great on its own
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mind posting pics? Would love to see in action.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk
It the airdock really worth double the price of this?
http://www.amazon.com/Qi-infinity-3...p/B00N4H1R1M/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
jdubsss said:
It the airdock really worth double the price of this?
http://www.amazon.com/Qi-infinity-3...p/B00N4H1R1M/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think so. It's personal preference, but I used to have a car dock/holder that had adjustable sides and I hated it. I love the way the Air Dock holds the device in place.

Samsung Wireless Fast Charger Teardown + Platinum Qualcomm 2.0 Fast Car Charger

The back story ->
I have an old Nokia Wireless Charging Car Dock and love it. SO much so that I made it work with my sammy devices using a heat gun to bend some of the plastic. Coming into the new devices and wireless standards, I wanted to keep with the same trend and update/ upgrade. Got ahold of the Samsung Wireless charger and had no reason to upgrade the nokia since the charging was the same. In comes the Samsung Wireless Fast Charger and wanting it in the truck. So, I went to work on a teardown of all my gear (again) and here is the insides for you folks. I included the Platinum 12v Car Qualcomm Fast Charger 2.0 since it is what I am using in there with it.
I have a Note5 and an S6 Edge+ so I can verify it IS faster.
I can't see, I'm blind, lol.
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HOW TO TEARDOWN -
Using a regular + screwdriver, you can move the rubber on both sides of the rubber on the bottom of the charger. There are just 2 screws there.
Once they are unscrewed, flip over the charger and turn the top part of the charger counter clockwise. It should then lift right off.
Now that the top is removed, there are 5 screws holding the middle section to the base. Remove them.
Base should now easily lift away from the middle section.
Flip over the middle section and you have an additional 5 screws to remove.
Now to fully remove the electronics from the unit. You would need a Heat Gun and a Soldering iron if you planned on keeping it in a warrantable state. Otherwise, just use a heat gun and a pair of wire cutters.
I used the heat gun to remove the coil from the frame as well as the ribbon cable LED daughter board. Then using the cutters, cut the section where the LED was out as to not have desolder the coil.
DONE.
As for the car charger, I used a knife and some pressure on the seams. "POP' in 4 places and I was done. Desoldered the 2 grounds and 1 positive. Soldered up some red and black 14gauge lead wires and I am off to install in the truck.
I didn't put the Nokia modification up since I doubt there is any interest. Basically I gutted it, Used a heat gun and bent the arms in a manner that would hold my devices and allow for the thicker electronics. Then used some moldable plastic (polymorph) to make a BASE for the electronics to screw into / secure it. I had already added a Ram Ball mount to it so reassembly and plugging it back in were all that was needed. - Overly simplified explanation -
Ready2Mosh said:
I can't see, I'm blind, lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the 3rd post. I just 'dumped' the pictures here and will reorganize later.
The 12v charger and the 120v charger have the same output specs with the exception of the 12v output on the car charger. Have had this setup working for over a week now without fail or issue/. The second one is for a 'STEALTH' install on a piece of vehicle trim. When I am navigating, or using Torque app, I keep the device in the Car dock under the rearview. Just driving around, I set it behind my shifter where I put another charging pad under it. Just waiting for my Micro Suction tape to use as a pad so it doesn't move around.

			
				

			
				
Great pics, sounds like something id do but my Grand Cherokee has nowhere "extra" i could place my ohone onto a hidden qi charger.
You know they make much smaller dash cams right? (Sorry, had to).
farfromovin said:
Great pics, sounds like something id do but my Grand Cherokee has nowhere "extra" i could place my ohone onto a hidden qi charger.
You know they make much smaller dash cams right? (Sorry, had to).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know with the dash cam. It is multi purpose. I like for people to know they are being video'd, especially LEO. then I remove it and use it for other activities.
Thank you for posting this! It inspired me to try taking my wireless charger apart and intergrating it into my car.
Unfortunately I only had the "regular" (non-fast) Samsung wireless charger for my Note 5 and didn't get very far. When I removed the silicone and stickers on the back and front, I couldn't find any screws!
I think I saw the regular Samsung wireless charger in one of your pictures, have you tried taking it apart and do you have any tips?
Thanks again for posting this, the pictures and instructions made a very nice tutorial
(attached below are pictures of my wireless charger without silicone/stickers)
Not joking here. I just sold that unit yesterday. Have you tried looking in that single cylindrical hole on the bottom? Or try holding the unit in between both hands and turning opposite directions?
skygear said:
Not joking here. I just sold that unit yesterday. Have you tried looking in that single cylindrical hole on the bottom? Or try holding the unit in between both hands and turning opposite directions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, talk about bad timing. Thanks for the suggestions.
I checked the small hole in the bottom, and there is no screw there either, just a nice view of the board beneath.
I also tried twisting the unit in opposite directions and nothing seems to move. I could try putting it in a vise but it was already difficult to grasp the bottom to twist, I'm not sure if I'd be able to get any more leverage.
If you don't mind me asking, how much did you get for the regular wireless charger? I've been thinking how nice it would be to have the fast charging version anyway, now there might be an additional benefit of being able to open it easily.
Sold it to a buddy for 20, he wanted a fast charger too so I sold that to him for 25 and a cable. ~$45 and a handshake.
I got a deal from a retailer that was hesitant on getting them in stock. I put in on 4 of them and paid less than $100USD for them all combined.
If your device supports the fast charging wirelessly, I would recommend in the investment. Check amazon, bestbuy, and all the normal big box places for "black friday/cyber monday" weekend deals.
Worst case with your current one, pry it open or use a dremmel.
THOUGHT on the vise. Put it horizontal instead of vertical. That way the cylindrical disk will split as you tighten it. All the internals should be fine. Or do it in that manner to gain access to a spot where a flat head will have purchase for prying.
You can buy raw charging boards without a case on amazon for like 12 bucks.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
david_b01 said:
You can buy raw charging boards without a case on amazon for like 12 bucks.
Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The samsung fast wireless boards? Got a link for that?
Couldn't figure out search parameters that yielded me that.
0micron said:
Wow, talk about bad timing. Thanks for the suggestions.
I checked the small hole in the bottom, and there is no screw there either, just a nice view of the board beneath.
I also tried twisting the unit in opposite directions and nothing seems to move. I could try putting it in a vise but it was already difficult to grasp the bottom to twist, I'm not sure if I'd be able to get any more leverage.
If you don't mind me asking, how much did you get for the regular wireless charger? I've been thinking how nice it would be to have the fast charging version anyway, now there might be an additional benefit of being able to open it easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! Sorry for revive this... Any luck opening it? I´m in the same boat here
The LEDs are driving me crazy at night. Just fixed the Fast charger thanks to this thread, but the regular one is resisting haha
EP-PG920I teardown
If it's the newer pad, you do twist to open. I took apart for the same reason. I have a S7 Edge and no point in using a fast charger on my night stand.
The top twist counter clockwise. Attached is a photo with the notch.
Once open, there are 4 screws on the inside and then the bottom comes off.
There are 2 bulbs and access is not great but you can get to them and eliminate or black out.
If you have any other questions, let me know. I have the newer pad, the newer fast charge pad and the new fast charging stand.
Ungie said:
If it's the newer pad, you do twist to open. I took apart for the same reason. I have a S7 Edge and no point in using a fast charger on my night stand.
The top twist counter clockwise. Attached is a photo with the notch.
Once open, there are 4 screws on the inside and then the bottom comes off.
There are 2 bulbs and access is not great but you can get to them and eliminate or black out.
If you have any other questions, let me know. I have the newer pad, the newer fast charge pad and the new fast charging stand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its really hard isnt it? can´t easily turn it counter clockwise.. its slippery and hard.
Any tip?
Thanks again!

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