Database Develop

How do I fit a new mini-usb port?

Hi - I seem to have knackered my mini-usb port a bit (probably by accidentally sticking my stylus in it).
I can get a replacement one on eBay, but it doesn't come with any instructions. Does anyone know where I could find instructions to fit it? Or is it something that would need a soldering iron (which I don't have) or something too tricky for a clumsy oaf like me?
Thanks
Dan

I'm pretty sure you're stuck with the soldering problem. Hopefully I'm wrong, I have a friend that needs to replace his.
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I always do that by accident at night and learned my lesson after i bent them a bit. Anyhow, can you post a picture of how "severe" it is?

kareem9nba said:
Anyhow, can you post a picture of how "sever" it is?
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I could, but there's no visible difference. My suspicion is that it just a little bit looser than it should be.
ChumleyEX said:
I'm pretty sure you're stuck with the soldering problem. Hopefully I'm wrong, I have a friend that needs to replace his.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no! I'm not getting into that, but so far it's looking like it'll cost £50 to get it fixed if I send it off to somewhere. At that price I'd prefer to live with a bit of a dodgy connection...

Thankfully you can use bluetooth for most everything.

And a battery charging cradle if reqd
ChumleyEX said:
Thankfully you can use bluetooth for most everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As well as an el-cheapo cradle with battery recharge bay IF the battery no longer recharges in the phone. If dancj was not proficient at soldering, he could get that part done by someone who is but given the 'clumsy oaf' statement perhaps it's best for any work on the phone to be done professionally. Bluetooth dongles are cheap if the PC usually sync'd with doesn't natively have bluetooth but it'd be worth dancj having a good read of the manual to determine how to set up the connection first if this is new ground - this particular clumsy oaf found it quite tricky figuring out which side the connection is initially configured and initiated from until reading the manual

ChumleyEX said:
Thankfully you can use bluetooth for most everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except charging unfortunately - which seems to be my biggest problem.

Check out a cradle with battery bay
dancj said:
Except charging unfortunately - which seems to be my biggest problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As mentioned in my post above, a cradle with battery charging bay gets around that. They're very cheap too (Here are the details of what I have). If you add to that a Bluetooth dongle for about £15, you're still well on the right side of the £50 repair cost.

Sorry - I misunderstood.
I have a kind of workaround at the moment which is one of these 3 way adaptors.
The plug for this one is a bit different and grips the bit inside the USB socket and still gives a good connection. I could keep that in the car and then have one of those cradles at home and at work...

dancj said:
Sorry - I misunderstood.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought you might have, that's why I included a link to a picture
I have a kind of workaround at the moment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got something that looks like that as well. I guess if its plug connects well with your phone, there's no reason why you couldn't use it for mains charging as well, although I don't know if I'd trust a slightly damaged USB port to not deteriorate. Irrespective of what happens with the port, that cradle and spare battery could still be utilised.

Yes sir,

dancj said:
Except charging unfortunately - which seems to be my biggest problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i don't know if this is what Flying Kiwi is talking about, but you can also have one spare battery and a battery charger, and whenever one of the two batteries is depleted, replace it with the one that you charged with the battery charger, and so on. just keep that spare full one in your pocket.

Yeah that is an option. I really don't want to have to resort to physically changing my battery every day though.

Priorities
dancj said:
Yeah that is an option. I really don't want to have to resort to physically changing my battery every day though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you could get one of those big thick high capacity batteries with a matching 'swollen' battery cover and you'll only have to change it every second or third day. The downside is it doesn't look as good and it weighs more but it would still be cheaper than a £50 repair. Which is more important, saving a few quid or fixing it properly and having full functionality back?

If it comes down to that I think I'll swallow the £50 repair fee. At the moment I'm still torn between trying to get it repaired cheaper or living with a dodgy connection

dock/nightstand for my dinc

I made this dock/nightstand for my droid incredible. I would show you how good it looks with the phone in it, but I used my phone to take the picture.
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LOL it kinda looks like monument on Droid cemetery. RIP DInc
Great job regardless, a lot of attention to details. But picture is epic fail - get another phone/camera and take a picture with phone in.

Really?
I shared what I had built as it was at the moment. Isn't that what this developer's forum is all about? Perhaps you can help us all out and run over to every thread where someone has posted a beta, alpha, or nightly and let them know that they have an epic fail for not making sure it was not needing any more development before they posted it.

dltccf said:
I shared what I had built as it was at the moment. Isn't that what this developer's forum is all about? Perhaps you can help us all out and run over to every thread where someone has posted a beta, alpha, or nightly and let them know that they have an epic fail for not making sure it was not needing any more development before they posted it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they do not represent xda in any way.
i like how it looks but what about heat? does it get hot in there? looks sick. reminds me of my wood shop days.

dltccf said:
I shared what I had built as it was at the moment. Isn't that what this developer's forum is all about? Perhaps you can help us all out and run over to every thread where someone has posted a beta, alpha, or nightly and let them know that they have an epic fail for not making sure it was not needing any more development before they posted it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ouch...... lol

synisterwolf said:
they do not represent xda in any way.
i like how it looks but what about heat? does it get hot in there? looks sick. reminds me of my wood shop days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far heat is OK. although I haven't tried watching a movie on it in the dock yet.

dltccf said:
So far heat is OK. although I haven't tried watching a movie on it in the dock yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would be interesting to hear how hot it gets. even in my old otter box case the thing use to cook. i can imagine wood. but never the less it looks awesome. great work.

Nice job man! Love the black carved out Androids!

That's pretty awesome. I'd be too afraid of the heat though. Still great build nonetheless.

Good job on the dock. It's pretty cool...you even got a little notch for the camera on the droid inc.

I wish I was half as creative and handy as you. Very nice job!

That's pretty cool! I actually cruised over here to see if anyone made their own dock recently.

finally
Finally got around to taking a picture of the dock with the phone in it. The display is the "night display" from Gentle Alarm. In the background, you can even see part of the landline and the alarm clock made not necessary by the phone in the dock.

wow over 1600 views
I just looked at this thread and realized over 1,600 people have looked at my dock. Wow. I have been using it for several months as an alarm clock in the dock every night and so far no heat issues. It has been working out very well. After seeing how many people were interested in a dock I think I should have offered to make and sell them. I still could, but I imagine the market for a new dock for this old phone is dwindling.

I would buy one. Red androids please.

Comicazy said:
I would buy one. Red androids please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, if you want one I can make one. I wouldn't expect to be making very many of these so each one could be customized. That one was made in pine which I stained with a pecan stain. I have since come across some walnut boards. I could make one in walnut which would look much better than pine. If you want some other type of wood I can see about getting some. I used a micro to standard USB cable which allows me to either plug it into the computer or into the standard dinc AC adapter. I can also change the design with more or less androids, your name or some completely different design, even a square or sculpted top rather than a round one.
If something in the neighborhood of 50 bucks is in your price range let me know along with any specifics of the design you want.
And, of course, for everyone elses' enjoyment I can post a picture here when it is done.

How do you have your usb plug secured in there? I've been trying to come up with a design for one of my own since I always use my phone as my alarm clock, but I've not come up with a good way to get the plug to stay in place so that the phone can be plugged in easily.

"Haus" said:
How do you have your usb plug secured in there? I've been trying to come up with a design for one of my own since I always use my phone as my alarm clock, but I've not come up with a good way to get the plug to stay in place so that the phone can be plugged in easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I placed the phone in the holder then I plugged the usb connector into it through the other hole I had cut for it. Then I put some gorilla glue around the plastic part of the plug being careful to keep it away from the end. Gorilla glue expands and fills the space around the plug. I lightly clamped the phone in place overnight, but a couple hours should be enough, and then when I removed the clamp, the plug is secured in place exactly where it needs to be.

Cool idea, looks great!

JoeSchmoe007 said:
LOL it kinda looks like monument on Droid cemetery. RIP DInc
Great job regardless, a lot of attention to details. But picture is epic fail - get another phone/camera and take a picture with phone in.
Click to expand...
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Aha, I had that same thought as well!

Storage Solution: My Personal Take

I've been working on a little project of my own for the past few days, trying to fit the largest amount of storage into the smallest space. Here's the current version:
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And here's what's under the heatshrink:
It's an 8GB drive, but I could easily do it again with up to 32GB of storage. I shorted the 5th pin to ground, so it is properly recognized as though it were plugged into an OTG cable. The Micro USB connector is attached to the memory with JB Weld epoxy. I used a SanDisk Cruzer FIT USB drive to make this.
Thoughts?

yumcax said:
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Respect! :good:
I can't say that I would do that myself, but I really respect your work.

Pretty awesome.

this looks like a fire hazard

Epic

Definitely intuitive man, great job.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

You can make quite some $$$ if you starting making more and selling them:good:

Nice work man, I wouldn't have any idea how to do it myself though! :thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

yumcax said:
I shorted the 5th pin to ground, so it is properly recognized as though it were plugged into an OTG cable.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great Project! Just to confirm, does USB OTG work with the Nexus 4?
On this thread no one seems to be able to make it work?

Just take my money please!

If it works, you should mass produce these.
Btw is that your nexus 4 already cracked?

azik said:
If it works, you should mass produce these.
Btw is that your nexus 4 already cracked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a Galaxy Nexus.

have you thought about spraying it with plastidip to give it a shell?

That could work well. I'm currently waiting for the JB Weld to fully cure. This one was more of a proof-of-concept, if I make another it should look better and have more storage.

yumcax said:
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this drain the battery any quicker?
Let's say if you were using it to read data off constantly?

It looks dumb, they should have built it with an SD slot or have a 32gb model, will not buy until it does.

Good job to the Op - I don't see this sort of affair as a problem because I'd only need the extra storage while it's not connected to a charger or PC anyway.
But... Would it be possible for someone to make a very small USB connector that folds around the back (like a ribbon-cable sort of affair) to avoid the risk of snapping in the pocket - that way you could stick the SD Card on the back of the phone when you're using it.

Venekor said:
It looks dumb, they should have built it with an SD slot or have a 32gb model, will not buy until it does.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go buy a different phone with a sd slot and stop complaining, the OP's work is innovative to say the least, we'll done! A thought tho, a bumper case with built in storage device on the back, a small ribbon cable to a micro-usb connector in the bottom of it and voilà...
Edit: Previous post got in between, hehe... This is what you get for taking a break to smoke and chit-chat before typing out the last and posting... No offense, two people, same kinda idea! Awesome.
Tapatalked from my h4x0r3d up Maguro.

The way I see it:
Use a thick(ish) case, to protect the glass.
Make a mod like this, but with longer, flat cable.
Carve a hole in the case to accommodate and protect this all.
Use wireless charging since the microUSB port will be occupied at all times.
PROFIT.

OmgitzFire said:
You can make quite some $$$ if you starting making more and selling them:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you do sell them, pls do not put us in the backorder situation again
Seriously, great job!

Picked this up today...

So I was out shopping with my wife and came across this. Thought it was pretty cool so I decided ti get it. Problem is that the base part won't fit the phone because it's too small. I'm trying to find a way to have it fit but not sure where to begin. .. any ideas? I(t's a Hype retro handset, but also included the base (or dock), which is where the issue is...
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I really like the handset part. Just had a 3 hour long conversation with my dad and it was onky toward the end that my ear started to hurt a little lol.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

what is it?

It is a retro styled device that turns your phone into a 80's style desk phone. You can either rest your phone in the base part (or dock) and connect it through the supplied 3.5mm jack or you can use the handset piece separate and also plug just that part into the 3.5mm jack.

Here I thought I was bad taking pictures :laugh:
Guess its cute but how practical is it

IamPro said:
Here I thought I was bad taking pictures :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's probably just the lighting in my man cave lol.
IamPro said:
Guess its cute but how practical is it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's something I could definitely see using at home. I had the phone in my front pocket and the handset hooked into the jack and was able to use it with no issues. The handset also has its own volume adjustment which is nice. That said, it's probably not for everyone...
It might look a bit strange carrying around the handset piece and using it in public hehe. For a relatively older guy like me (I'm 36), I grew up with these kinds of phones so it definitely appeals to me.
My sister in law just got herself the handset piece (you can buy it separate) and she likes it too.
The base (dock) will accomodate most other phones. But the Note 2 is too wide to fit the opening... so I'm trying to think of ways to either make it fit or some other solution..

Maybe this pic will help clarify...
That's my wife's Galaxy S3 in there..
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

damn funny!
Any eBay link?

diehardbattery said:
So I was out shopping with my wife and came across this. Thought it was pretty cool so I decided ti get it. Problem is that the base part won't fit the phone because it's too small. I'm trying to find a way to have it fit but not sure where to begin. .. any ideas? I(t's a Hype retro handset, but also included the base (or dock), which is where the issue is...
I really like the handset part. Just had a 3 hour long conversation with my dad and it was onky toward the end that my ear started to hurt a little lol.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where'd you get it?
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium

I quick searched ebay but couldn't find the exact device.
The closest one I could find (and really nice imo) is this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Ret...256356?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item4abf12bda4
I think it'll work on our phones, my only question is about that port on the back side that looks like a typical phone line port. I'm not sure what is it for, plus I cannot figure out whether the device actually charges the phone too..

jdyowa said:
Where'd you get it?
Sent from my SPH-L900 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got it at Bed Bath and Beyond. Funny because they don't list it on their website either. The closest thing they have listed is the handset piece itself.. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=40088341&RN=2017&KSKU=203210&
Here's a couple box shots...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk 2

stormrain said:
I think it'll work on our phones, my only question is about that port on the back side that looks like a typical phone line port. I'm not sure what is it for, plus I cannot figure out whether the device actually charges the phone too..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is one 3.5mm female jack on the left side of the device that the handset connects to. The handset can either be connected to that, or you can connect it directly to the phone's 3.5mm jack. If you connect the handset to the device, there is a male 3.5mm jack that is used as a passthrough for the handset to connect to the phone. At the bottom of the device the hole you see is to pass a cord for a wall charger, so no, the device itself won't charge your phone. Hope that clears things up a bit.

Magnetic Charge/Sync cable

So it has already started, people are loosing and damaging their cradles already. This is going to create a need for a new cradle or another way to charge and sync the unit.
Ever since I first opened the box to my gear I wondered WTF Samsung was thinking with this cradle. There has to be a better way, and hopefully I have found one.
On the back of the watch are 2 small screws. My goal is to use 2 tiny magnets to hold a cable to the back side of the watch via these screws. This will make the cable MUCH smaller and no longer require a massive case to be carried around.
Current status:
Contacted a few companies and have a few different connectors coming in to see what will connect best.
PCB design will all depend on the connector we go with
V1 case design is already started for the housing. I will be printing a few samples out with a makerbot in a week or so and will post up
I hope to have an entire v1 test unit done within the next week or 2. I would have this done earlier but I have a massive fluid mechanics midterm tomorrow then will be heading out of town for the rest of the week for work. I should be back in town on Saturday and will be sitting in front of the makerbot and a soldering iron all day. Please stay tuned for updates.
Also all criticism is welcome, tell me what you think, the only thing I ask is to make it constructive. If you think this is a stupid idea because it will not work for some reason, let me know and why. I am a mechanical engineer with a concentration in structural analysis. I know only what I have taught myself about electronics so I admit I dont know as much as many others.

***UPDATES***​
10/31/2013
Currently working on getting sync capabilities working. I have a feeling Samsug did 1 of 2 things
1. Chip requirement like apples cables to allow sync
2. Power on data line
Either way this weekend I should be able to get the sync feature working or at least have parts on order to do so. First run on the spring loaded contact pins were pretty good, but I am going to need something longer. Once the case goes over the PCB board they will no longer be able to connect with the back of the watch. Here is what I am working with at the moment.
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How'd ya like that for a ghetto macguyver job. LOLZ
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk

Genshard said:
How'd ya like that for a ghetto macguyver job. LOLZ
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Points for effort !

Got the 1st set of spring pins connectors in. They work but will not be long enough once a case is designed for the unit. Back to ordering more $0.08 1/16" pins!

Try to check the thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2493181&page=5
Pins which You found seems to be very nice and will work well, but regarding the magnetic mounting - check if the screws are magnetic - if they are stainless steel (which they almost for sure are) they will not be magnetic... so this will not hold... the other issue is if the watch has sensors inside they may not like the strong magnetic field...

Can't wait to be able to buy one lol
Sent from my SM-N900T

ktetreault14 said:
Can't wait to be able to buy one lol
Sent from my SM-N900T
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think my charger just also died... Darn!!..
Better go to samsung tomorrow...
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

lukasz said:
if they are stainless steel (which they almost for sure are) they will not be magnetic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends, not all stainless steel is the same. Depends on the blend. Some are quite magnetic.