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Home made pogo pin charging dock

Hey everyone, I've grown tired of waiting for Asus/Google to release a dock for my nexus 7 so I built one myself. I'd like to share my work with you all.
I cut my dock out of 6.0mm thick acrylic with a 30W CO2 laser. Cutting all the pieces for one dock takes around 9 min on my machine (more watts=faster cuts). If you have access to a laser this is a very easy job. Maybe you could go use one at your local tech shop or something. The dock consists of 5 pieces that snap together and stay that way by virtue of friction. You could probably cut this design out of wood instead of plastic like I did here. That might look kinda cool.
I bought the acrylic sheet I cut the pieces out of as scrap from a local plastic store (TAP Plastics) for US$1.
The pogo pins I used are manufacturer part# 0933-0-15-20-75-14-11-0 made by Mill Max, purchased from newark.com for $1.20 each. I use bluetooth for audio so I didn't wire up the two middle stereo out pins, so my BOM comes to a grand total of US$3.40. I'm happy with the result for that price.
The dock works great. The device recognizes the dock and begins to charge first time, every time I seat the device. I've tried to avoid blocking any of the speaker grills, plugs, microphones light sensors and cameras. Unfortunately my dock does kinda block the ambient noise microphone that's right next to the pogo pin pads (stupid spot to put that).
For now I've just soldered pogo pins 1 and 4 to a 5v charger I had laying around. So charging works great.
EDIT: I'm working on making a PCB that supports:
-- stereo audio out via 1/4 in headphone jack
-- Micro USB B connector for charging
Stay tuned here for an updated parts list and schematic and PCB layout files.
As reported elsewhere on the forum, I can confirm that the device stops drawing current via the pogo pins when a USB OTG cable is plugged in (although the device still indicates that it is charging in the menu bar, seems to be a bug). So pogo pin charging while using USB OTG seems to be a no-go (pun intended!). Update: this may be fixable with a modified kernel.
I expect a 1st party dock will come out very soon since the OS software is now ready for it. Several of the features added by recent updates seem to be aimed directly at dock mode (Daydream, portrait home screen) and they work great (the daydream screensaver auto-starts properly when docked).
I'll attach some pictures of the docks I made. I made 3, two out of white and one out of black plastic. I like the black one better although the glossy acrylic in black is a fingerprint magnet.
I created the design files using the free Autocad clone software called Draftsight. I'll attach it here so anyone who wants to can get out and cut themselves a charging dock for their favorite tablet. The units for the drawing are mm. The drawing format is autocad 2010 ascii dxf.
If you do try to use my design to cut your own dock, be aware that the tolerances on the two curved side pieces are very tight to ensure that the other three pieces fit in snugly enough to hold everything together. If the cut width for your laser differs greatly from mine, you might end up with a dock that doesn't snap together or one that is loose and falls apart. Don't say I didn't warn you! In the case your dock doesn't fit together properly, you can make some very simple tweaks to the inside cuts on the side pieces to get things to go together for your laser.
The design will need some major adjustments if you use anything other than 6mm thick stock. The holes in the side pieces will need to change as will the width and possibly position of the slot in the cradle piece.
Be aware that it's actually pretty easy to put the dock together incorrectly (design flaw). There are 4 assembly possibilities that change the locations of the pogo pin holes, three of them are wrong. You'll figure that one out easily enough. The one that is tricky is the cradle piece (H-shaped piece) which is basically two rails that create a slot between them that the device rests in. If you look closely, you'll notice that the slot is not exactly centered in the piece making one rail ever so slightly thicker than the other. The thinner rail should be towards the front of the dock (there are only two ways you can assemble this part so you have a %50-%50 chance of getting this wrong if you're not careful here). If you get this wrong the device won't lean up against the back rests so it will be very unstable and will sit very awkwardly in the dock.
Cheers!
p.s. I'm happy to help anyone out who wants to try making their own dock. Ask away and I'll do my best to answer any questions.

Excellent work there. It's always great to see XDA member's ingenuity at work

Nice work I'm also in the process of finishing up my dock also..
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium

do you have the design file you used to create this?
are you willing to share it? i have access to a laser cutter where i work and would quite like to make myself one of these
what program did u do your design in?

do you have the design file you used to create this?
are you willing to share it? i have access to a laser cutter where i work and would quite like to make myself one of these .
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Everything is written in the first post ...
I created the design files using the free Autocad clone software called Draftsight. I'll attach them here so anyone who wants to can get out and cut themselves a charging dock for their favorite tablet. Unfortunately, these attachments are going to have to wait for ~12 hours because I seem to have forgotten the design files on another computer.
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I wait for the design-files too - that is a pretty project you put up there !
Michael

Thanks for the designs - will try to get it lasered the next weeks. When done, i will post some pictures !
Michael

sammy98 said:
Thanks for the designs - will try to get it lasered the next weeks. When done, i will post some pictures !
Michael
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Awesome! Looking forward to it!

Cheers mate.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=34708256#post34708256
That is my first draft of a dock i was just going to just print out on a 3d printer, but its proving difficult to get access to it as i though i was going to lol. I think i'm just going to go convert my design to somethin similar to yours where i can use the waterjet and cut out a bunch o acrylic. Thanks for the inspiration.
Quick design intent question:
Why did you leave so much room (.5" ish) on the sides of the tablet, doesn't this force you to sit there and find the right positioning so it will interface correctly with the pogos.
Also in my post is a nexus 7 file i created if anyone wants to model it against that, its so much easier to just model an offset.
---------- Post added at 07:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:13 PM ----------
PS, what tolerances did you incorporate into your mating parts?

bossman137 said:
Cheers mate.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=34708256#post34708256
That is my first draft of a dock i was just going to just print out on a 3d printer, but its proving difficult to get access to it as i though i was going to lol. I think i'm just going to go convert my design to somethin similar to yours where i can use the waterjet and cut out a bunch o acrylic. Thanks for the inspiration.
Quick design intent question:
Why did you leave so much room (.5" ish) on the sides of the tablet, doesn't this force you to sit there and find the right positioning so it will interface correctly with the pogos.
Also in my post is a nexus 7 file i created if anyone wants to model it against that, its so much easier to just model an offset.
---------- Post added at 07:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:13 PM ----------
PS, what tolerances did you incorporate into your mating parts?
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I do think it would be possible to bring the feet/side pieces in closer so that they define where the tablet would rest in the up-down (relative to tablet) degree of freedom. That could be be better than what I have done, but I'm not sure. Try it and let us know!
By moving the side pieces right next to the top and bottom of the tablet you would have to eliminate the connections between the two rails on the cradle (H-shaped) piece to make room. I like those connections because they:
1) precisely define the width of the groove that the tablet sits in
2) limit the up-down (relative to tablet) degree of freedom so there's no guess work as to where the proper docking position is (but you'd be taking care of this with the side pieces)
3) provide some additional stiffness/strength to the cradle piece

Beautiful done!
I tried making a small PCB with the pogo pins just to test if it indeed would charge and give me sound out, before i'd even bother drawing up a dock, but on mine, it just charges, there is no sound output, and it does not ask me to use the pogo pins for sound output. Running 4.1.2
I guess you're running 4,2 since you get that menu popup ?
// Per.

zapro said:
Beautiful done!
I tried making a small PCB with the pogo pins just to test if it indeed would charge and give me sound out, before i'd even bother drawing up a dock, but on mine, it just charges, there is no sound output, and it does not ask me to use the pogo pins for sound output. Running 4.1.2
I guess you're running 4,2 since you get that menu popup ?
// Per.
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Audio out via the pogo pins was introduced in 4.2.

OK. Won't be upgrading anytime soon with all the bugs.
//Per.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

Here is it, just gotta have it all cut out, thanks for the idea mate.

zapro said:
Beautiful done!
I tried making a small PCB with the pogo pins just to test if it indeed would charge and give me sound out, before i'd even bother drawing up a dock, but on mine, it just charges, there is no sound output, and it does not ask me to use the pogo pins for sound output. Running 4.1.2
I guess you're running 4,2 since you get that menu popup ?
// Per.
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Yep. I was running 4.2 the popup was annoying. The 4.2.1 update eliminates it!
Although I still get a volume spike while docking/undocking while playing music over bluetooth.

bossman137 said:
Here is it, just gotta have it all cut out, thanks for the idea mate.
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Hey, that looks pretty cool!
I might raise the height of the front piece there so the lip comes up in front of the tablet a little higher. You don't want the tablet popping out while you're tapping on the top of the screen. Also note that your back piece will partially cover your speaker grill, but that's probably NBD.

Ta Da, works great, I'll plug in the audio and power soon. I purposely designed the front to barely reach over its very closely calculated tolerances and that puppy aint coming out accidently

bossman137 said:
Ta Da, works great, I'll plug in the audio and power soon. I purposely designed the front to barely reach over its very closely calculated tolerances and that puppy aint coming out accidently
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Very nice!! Any chance you can share your model with us?

bossman137 said:
Ta Da, works great, I'll plug in the audio and power soon. I purposely designed the front to barely reach over its very closely calculated tolerances and that puppy aint coming out accidently
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That is one sweet looking stand you got yourself there. If I had the means to cut one out myself I would certainly do it.

jonnyg1097 said:
That is one sweet looking stand you got yourself there. If I had the means to cut one out myself I would certainly do it.
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snyluc13 said:
Very nice!! Any chance you can share your model with us?
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Yes, please share...

www.newark.com/mill-max/0933-0-15-2...pin-2a/dp/83R7486?Ntt=0933-0-15-20-75-14-11-0
Here is the link to the pogo pins. Just thought that I would save some people some time.

[Q] TF701 infinty insecure dock

Hi, I read with interest the posts about wobbly (back and forth) docks on the tf101.
My TF700T developed this also after just 1 month.
Aditionally and more seriously perhaps, I noticed it stopped docking securely. I examined both the dock and the tablet and eventually noticed the retaining pin (inside the hole) on the right side of the tablet seems to have broken off due to frequently docking and undocking the two.
Has anyone else seen this?
ive sent it back to Asus who are claiming customer induced damage. This make me very angry bcoz i looked after it like a baby. all i did was use it a lot both docked and undocked.it never left my house. I reckon its a design flaw and eventually all many more of you will notice this.

I have not had this issue after 18+ months of use on my TF101
You may want to ask in the TF700 forum for feedback on that model.

I just started to notice the same thing after 6 months but it's barely noticeable. Also the tf101 was their "affordable / low-end" model so it's to be expected. I would contact them for a replacement.

Lethe6 said:
I just started to notice the same thing after 6 months but it's barely noticeable. Also the tf101 was their "affordable / low-end" model so it's to be expected. I would contact them for a replacement.
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Mine is the top end 64GB Transformer Infinity. As you say its barely noticeable. However it is insecure and if you combine the fault with the hinge that allows it to rotate too easily under the weigth of a tilted tablet, with the more serious issue of snapped docking pins then I would say there is potential for the two to separate and the tablet to fall and smash!

There IS a problem with the quality control of the docks. Some people have no problems. Some are wobbly. Some, like mine, will not move at all. My TF700/201 dock was so stiff when it arrived that i could see the tablet beginning to flex when trying to close it but the dock was not rotating at all. After un-docking the tablet I couldn't even rotate the docking clamp with my bare hand. Not being one to waste time or money sending things off or trying to return them, I opened up the tablet myself and fixed the problem.
This Transformer Prime video shows you how to take it apart. It's not very difficult.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwAypkC26Cc
I doubt that anything major with the design has changed for the TF701 dock since the TF700 dock was a re-branded TF201 dock.
Skip to 10:54 in the video and note the two large silver mounting brackets for the dock with 3 screws each holding them down and the silver nuts at the end of the shaft which the docking clamp rotates on.
To adjust the tension on the dock you need to turn the nuts on the ends of the shaft. They provide tension on the docking clamp.
Depending on the tools you have available it will most likely be easier to loosen the three mounting screws on both sides so that you can create a little more room by lifting the docking mechanism up away from the back of the casing to get a good grip on the nuts. I would recommend not taking the screws all the way out of the clamps. That being said, don't try to turn the nuts forcefully without a firm grip on the docking clamp. Just pay attention to whats going on so as not to create another problem whilst fixing this one.
Remember to set both sides as evenly as possible so you're not torquing the face of the tablet with the docking clamp when you close the tablet. I loosened both of mine up and then slowly tightened them until the resistance felt the same. Without the tablet in there it will be very apparent when one side is tighter than the other.
After adjusting the tension, re-tighten the mounting bracket screws on both sides. You can dock the tablet and check to see if you've removed the wobble or lack thereof without putting the keyboard back on.
Once the dock tension is set to your liking you may also want to tape down some coins or washers inside the front of the dock if you have problems with the docked tablet tipping over backwards when set on an incline or with the screen tilted back just to avoid taking the dock apart again later.

Looking for decent car dock

Sony's car dock is a joke - it's a generic dock for all their phones, may as well just buy some equally crappy thing off ebay for a pittance.
I'm looking for a proper dock with charging and audio-out built in. Having to plug and unplug USB and headphone jacks every time you dock and undock your phone is ridiculous. In fact, I don't know if I can commit to buying the Xperia Z without one.

Yes I am with you need a car dock with charger.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

Wonder if you could take the desktop cradle, glue it onto your dash, then re solder some wires to get the car plug 12v... Seriously, it might be a way if Sony doesn't release one

I've considered modding the desk dock, would also require adding some sort of clip to hold it through bumps/whatever. Far from ideal though, and a fair bit of effort I'd prefer not to go to... :-/

spoidar said:
Sony's car dock is a joke - it's a generic dock for all their phones, may as well just buy some equally crappy thing off ebay for a pittance.
I'm looking for a proper dock with charging and audio-out built in. Having to plug and unplug USB and headphone jacks every time you dock and undock your phone is ridiculous. In fact, I don't know if I can commit to buying the Xperia Z without one.
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me to

Not cheap but very good car docks, only Xperia Z not yet available:
http://www.brodit.com

Maikel205 said:
Not cheap but very good car docks, only Xperia Z not yet available:
http://www.brodit.com
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Yeah, they're better than nothing I guess, but they always seem to use power cords that are moulded into the unit, and none of their stuff supports audio out.
Take a look at Samsung's car docks for their flagship phones as an example of how to do it right - microUSB input for charging (means you can take your power from whatever source you like, useful for eliminating ground loops), and a 3.5mm phono socket in case you want to connect to an AUX port on your head unit (because BT sucks).
EDIT: Oh, and particularly for the Xperia Z, a car mount that uses the dock connector - rather than USB - is extremely useful, because otherwise you've got to fiddle around opening the USB socket cover to connect a charger.

spoidar said:
Sony's car dock is a joke - it's a generic dock for all their phones, may as well just buy some equally crappy thing off ebay for a pittance.
I'm looking for a proper dock with charging and audio-out built in. Having to plug and unplug USB and headphone jacks every time you dock and undock your phone is ridiculous. In fact, I don't know if I can commit to buying the Xperia Z without one.
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good

Guys, car mounts are a real pita to find. Just sayin

spoidar said:
Take a look at Samsung's car docks for their flagship phones as an example of how to do it right - microUSB input for charging (means you can take your power from whatever source you like, useful for eliminating ground loops), and a 3.5mm phono socket in case you want to connect to an AUX port on your head unit (because BT sucks)..
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They seem to be stopping their good work though, all they seem to have for the s3/note 2 is a universal passive dock. The way they did it for the galaxy s 2 (i9100 version at least) was how all manufacturers should, best car dock I've owned by far.

I have a Motorola Atrix and the official car dock. It work like a charm and you can even remove a bracket to fit a cased phone in it. Now my Atrix is dead so yeah ...
Wondering why manufacturers don't all just release official docks.

any news here? Still no official dock, afaik, so has anyone heard of a third party dock for the z?

Bump
Sent from my LG-E610 using Tapatalk 2

The idea of modding a normal dock could be a good idea if a oem one doesn't surface.

From the pictures I've seen the desk dock takes a Micro USB input so wouldn't be that difficult to mod.
Brodit bracket to fix it to the car interior, NFC tag on the dock to toggle BT, screen brightness, volume up etc. Not sure quite how you'd get the phone to stay in the dock though, particularly portrait.
Hi-tech elastic band?

I suppose Brodit will release a holder for the Xperia Z similar to the one for the Xperia V. It will use the dock power connectors on the side.
I just wished they allow any micro-USB cable to the holder, not having their own soldered cable.

"Hi
I can gladly inform you that we are going to make holders for this Sony (XPERIA Z).
We are waiting for the unit to arrive, then we probably need a couple of*weeks before launching.
Best Regard
Lars
Brodit AB"
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium

orenxda said:
"Hi
I can gladly inform you that we are going to make holders for this Sony (XPERIA Z).
We are waiting for the unit to arrive, then we probably need a couple of*weeks before launching.
Best Regard
Lars
Brodit AB"
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium
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Sounds great. Would it be only for landscape.. or portrait as well?

MasK said:
Sounds great. Would it be only for landscape.. or portrait as well?
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They swivel, you can put them in landscape, although they're most comfortable in landscape usually.

As others have said though, it's a shame they use soldered/molded cables, rather than allowing microusb.

[Q]POLL: what is the thickness of your 701T along the bottom edge?

I am curious because of the keyboard dock issues (loose fit in the hinge clamp, random lost connections [USB, SDcard, keyboard] if there are significant variations in thickness
of these tablets along the bottom edge where the power/usb/docking connector is.
In the thread "Build quality issues" in the Q and A forum: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2509983 we are concerned with the fitting of the keyboard dock causing disconnects, and possibly fatique on the tablet side connector as well, also causing it to fail when just the USB cord is plugged in (not docked). Maybe the issue is with variations in thickness of the tablet?
I'm away until tomorrow, I'll post mine then. For best results if you have one a caliper would be most accurate!
It might be helpful ti state which SKU your tablet is: US, WW, JP, CN.... and where you bought it.
Thanks for your participation!

[Q] Modding the TF700 Dock to work with the TF701

Just wondering if anyone has considered the possibility of modding the previous TF700 dock connection to work with the TF701 input? Would the locking brackets on the 700 dock even line up with the holes on 701? Is it just the connector that differs. I would test, but I already sold my TF700 and its dock to get my TF701.

wotlos said:
Just wondering if anyone has considered the possibility of modding the previous TF700 dock connection to work with the TF701 input? Would the locking brackets on the 700 dock even line up with the holes on 701? Is it just the connector that differs. I would test, but I already sold my TF700 and its dock to get my TF701.
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Holes don't line up either.