Database Develop

Carkit: external antenna??

Hi all,
I am planning to modify an existing handsfree set for use with my XDA and during planning I found:
http://www.cheap.de/shop/pd1044621724.htm?categoryId=8
On this page you will see the following line:
Anschlussmöglichkeit für externe Antenne
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For those that can't understand German: Can support external antenna
How do they do this? I have not found any reference of a connector for an external antenna.
Regards Robert
6 foot tall ape descendant

external antenna
:x :x bummer, this was posted by me but I wasn't logged in :x :x
Climber, Robert
6 foot tall ape descendant

It probably uses a passive coupler. If you place a properly-designed coil very close to the phone antenna it will couple RF effectively.

Your right!
Got the car kit yesterday. Opened the cradle and found a large piece of PCB that is positioned close to the antenna of the XDA. This PCB is connected to the lead that comes from the external antenna.
Francois

Yeah, a passive coupler. Makes sense. It should give you a 3-5dB boost, good enough to clean up conversations in fringe areas.

external Antenna
Sorry,
whats PCB???
Can U make a Photo?
Stevie

PCB = Printed Circuit Board.
A foto would be overkill, just imagine a piece of epoxy 5*5 centimeters, covered with copper.
Francois

Hello FVH,
would be nice to hear your experiences with the car-kit.
Does radio mute work ?
Does the sound work through the radio speakers ?
What is in the box of the car-kit ?
Is it worth the money ?
Thanks :lol:

FVH,
Re the PCB description, is it just as you say "a flat piece of copper" without a pcb design on it, if it does what does it look like... are there any other components on it?
e.g. can we make one up easily!
using sticky back plastic or veroboard - e.g. Blue Peter with a bit of Maplin thrown in to achieve a better xda signal...
So if this thing really is just a flat plate, and has no intrinsic components, pcb tracks or special properties...does it that mean we could just rig up a sheet of tinfoil or other conductive item nearby...
I guess we need a Radio Ham with an xda to tell us we're onto a lost cause - Hopefully owning an xda is not like the early days of broadband, where you have to base your homebuying/renting on where you can get a service!
Or someone who's tried out the inductive antenna as mentioned on the other thread http://www.xda-developers.com/forum...=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=antenna
http://www.expansys.us/product.asp?code=AXF-15S

You can make a perfectly tuned antenna/pickup out of just copper etching on a piece of PCB. Unfortunately, it is infinitely easier to create a distuned antenna from the same components.

After a lot of research it seems the "as seen on TV" signal booster widgets (small PCBs) as suspected dont work.
http://www.bettercalls.com/
http://cellphones-accessories.com/cell-accessories/celphonpow24.html
This is a brilliant site where I found all the info:
http://www.criterioncellular.com/html/reception.html
Whats needed is either:
1) someone making a replacement antenna - as from the internal images shown on this website, it seems fairly easy to remove when dismantling the xda. Why not have a replacement one with an external FME antenna connector. This could then be attached to a small car type antenna.
http://www.tdc.co.uk/antennas/antenna_gsm.htm
apologies if my theories are a little optimistic on this... its just an idea.
2) Purchase of an external signal booster, which can be attached to a small antenna. Then directly plugged into a modified antenna (as 1 above)
3) A seperate re-radiator to boost the outdoor GSM signal inside the home, although this seems expensive! ($279)http://www.criterioncellular.com/html/cellular-amplifier-bda.html
4) as carlos suggested an inductive repeater, you can buy these for GPS systems, why not for GSM signals?http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=GPSW-RRAD-45
FVH - Have you noticed any difference with signal using the inductive coupler?
:wink: [/b]

DIY Fixing dodgy headphone socket

Hey guys,
I think some of us have a problem with our headphone sockets where over time, slight bumps to the connection causes the audio to slightly cut out which can be annoying if you're listening to music with your phone in your pocket through headphones/earphones.
Now I've found a guide to disassemble the phone which i'll leave at the bottom as not to ruin the continuity, but I'm struggling to find a suitable replacement part for the output socket on the phone. You have to remember that the socket also needs metal contacts inside it for the microphone input. I plan to shoot motorola's technical team an email about it but I'm wondering if there are any other people keen on fixing the problem or if they themselves have tried addressing it.
Cheers,
Ed
Disassemble your droid/milestone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE81IaQHEHc
Something which is close but not quite what i'm looking for:
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PS0133

seems interesting.
I've had to send my phone in twice because of this.
Might have this problem fixed now though as i've gotten angled headphones that are really close to the socket. This way there won't be as much pressure on the socket when i've got the phone in my pocket whilst cycling.

hmm... been a long time since I´ve tinkered with any jack-sockets (last time on one of my bass guitars), but shouldn´t you just be able to -probably more of a temporary fix- bend the contact-latches inside the socket a bit so they press "harder" against the headphone jack when it is plugged in?
that way, they should allow for more movement of the jack (which is the problem you are describing) without losing contact.
the only problem is, repeated usage of the socket will eventually wear the contact latches out again over time...

Through the course of my research I've actually found a really simple and easy quick fix which works really well.
Spray a bit of WD40 into the socket and abrakadabra! it works!

kreat1ve said:
Through the course of my research I've actually found a really simple and easy quick fix which works really well.
Spray a bit of WD40 into the socket and abrakadabra! it works!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? Why does this work? Does the WD40 conduct the signal? How often do you need to do this?

kreat1ve said:
Through the course of my research I've actually found a really simple and easy quick fix which works really well.
Spray a bit of WD40 into the socket and abrakadabra! it works!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bad idea. Don't use WD40. It will eat away at the plastic and circuit board. It also will attract dust and dirt. Electrical contact cleaner is a better idea. It's safe for circuit boards and plastics.

mightybrick said:
Bad idea. Don't use WD40. It will eat away at the plastic and circuit board. It also will attract dust and dirt. Electrical contact cleaner is a better idea. It's safe for circuit boards and plastics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know...
Where do we get this stuff? My current milestone is fine...but for how long? My first unit's headphone jack was very bad after a few months.
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk

Caz666 said:
Good to know...
Where do we get this stuff? My current milestone is fine...but for how long? My first unit's headphone jack was very bad after a few months.
Sent from my Milestone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any hardware or electronics store should have it; Radio Shack, Walmart, etc.

kreat1ve said:
Hey guys,
I think some of us have a problem with our headphone sockets where over time, slight bumps to the connection causes the audio to slightly cut out which can be annoying if you're listening to music with your phone in your pocket through headphones/earphones.
Now I've found a guide to disassemble the phone which i'll leave at the bottom as not to ruin the continuity, but I'm struggling to find a suitable replacement part for the output socket on the phone. You have to remember that the socket also needs metal contacts inside it for the microphone input. I plan to shoot motorola's technical team an email about it but I'm wondering if there are any other people keen on fixing the problem or if they themselves have tried addressing it.
Cheers,
Ed
In China, that part (original) is about 2RMB - say $0.30 US - but shipping it will cost far more than that...
The Motorola P/N is 0976622A01, and googling it seems to produce a few hits:
You will need to find the links yourself, since the board prohibited me from postiing them...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

the board is prohibiting links??? or only certain links?
however, i would appreciate some more hints on that disassembly-guide you were pointing at, since i cannot find that, either.

xenosapien213 said:
the board is prohibiting links??? or only certain links?
however, i would appreciate some more hints on that disassembly-guide you were pointing at, since i cannot find that, either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried the electrical contact cleaner post yet? Someone says WD-40 works (Which is a terrible idea, hence trying electrical contact cleaner). They aren't cheap and it's worth a shot before taking your phone apart!

Thanks! This is great!

xenosapien213 said:
hmm... been a long time since I´ve tinkered with any jack-sockets (last time on one of my bass guitars), but shouldn´t you just be able to -probably more of a temporary fix- bend the contact-latches inside the socket a bit so they press "harder" against the headphone jack when it is plugged in?
that way, they should allow for more movement of the jack (which is the problem you are describing) without losing contact.
the only problem is, repeated usage of the socket will eventually wear the contact latches out again over time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this may work, but I have found on the portable devices it is normally more the circuit board it is connected to. The solder joint fails and really needs to be re-soldered. The connection is only supported by the solder, not a good thing, but all the electronics manufacturers only care if they last past the initial warranty. Often all it needs is a hit with a low power solder gun to re-flow the joint, other times you need to clean off the old solder, and put on some new. the joint will often look fine to the naked eye, but if you look with magnification you will see the joint has cracks. A friend of mine is an electronics repair geek, and he can see it just by glancing. I need some magnification, funny thing is he wears glasses that are almost an inch thick, so it is more experience at looking at them.

Thanks for the links. My audio jack has been bad for some time and it is only a matter of time until the frustration will drive me to take the phone apart. It is better now I have some instructions for when that time comes
I tried contact cleaner which unfortunatly didn't have any effect. It 'feels' like a bad solder joint but obviously I can't tell for sure until it is apart.

[Q] Long coax cable

Hey guys,
Does anyone have broken G1. My antenna cable is broken. I cant find this cable anywhere. This is the longer one. I will cover postage cost. I am from Poland. Please PM me. Thanks.

I really wish I could send you one.
But my parents would kill me.
You can wait 3 years when ill be 18 and able to make my own desicions

i have lots, but first may i ask how you broke it? were you trying to take it apart? or is it the board that is broken not the antenna?
or are you just talking about the wire? shorter wire for antenna board and longer wire going to the gps board

He's looking for the longer wire going to the board apparantly
The gps and antenna is easy to mix up....but I'm sure he got the "longer" part right

My longer wire is broken. I managed to put a screw through this wire.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Htc-g1-/110809841104?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19ccc7fdd0
here is a link for some parts on ebay, id recommend looking for something local. if you really cant find anything i guess i could send you the cable in an envelope.
shouldnt cost too much but i'd still require you paid for it

USB Port Fix

Any one know of a company that can fix the USB port on a HTC Raider in Canada. Rogers wants to charge me $250 to fix it.

KillerbawX said:
Any one know of a company that can fix the USB port on a HTC Raider in Canada. Rogers wants to charge me $250 to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could probably buy two new Raiders for $250! Replacement might be the best bet, as you can likely find one on Kijiji for $100 or so. If you have a local cell repair joint, give them a call, and see if they offer the replacement. It might be tricky since the USB on the Raider (as other HTC phones) is actually a special type of HDMI jack that also has USB (known as MHL).
If you're adventurous, you might track down a broken Raider and attempt a part swap yourself. I've not seen the inside of the unit, so I can't say how easy or hard that would be at any skill level...
Hope you get it fixed up!

The part is on eBay you can always try to do it yourself should be a few small solder points
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium

KillerbawX said:
Any one know of a company that can fix the USB port on a HTC Raider in Canada. Rogers wants to charge me $250 to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A friend needed this. We ordered one off ebay ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-USB-Pow...328529?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item27c422a1d1 ) and although it required opening the phone up and voiding the warranty, it required no soldering. He doesn't open electronics up very often, and said it wasn't very hard to do.

i was babbling abt this in a thread in the dev forum, thot i'd best do it also here in the proper forum for it:
i changed the USB port in my Raider, was very simple. Six little screws, two different lengths so keep track of them. One screw also holds down the teeny cover under which is where the tiny connector resides that connects the port to the fone circuit board. Once the fone is back together that's where you make the final connection between port and fone.
Slip off the battery cover, undo the six screws, take off that tiny little cover. Carefully work off the entire back housing. There's no front housing, just the screen glass and the fone circuitry bundled together.
Micro-USB port and ribbon connector is fastened to the housing with two more of those little screws. Change out the port with the new one. New part may not be an exact duplicate of the old part: that's ok. Reassemble the fone. Under that hole left by the tiny cover, press home the miniscule plug that connects up the port to the fone.
Put back the tiny cover, fasten back all the screws, and you're done. Port cost me $9 USD plus shipping on ebay.

lowfatmilk said:
i was babbling abt this in a thread in the dev forum, thot i'd best do it also here in the proper forum for it:
i changed the USB port in my Raider, was very simple. Six little screws, two different lengths so keep track of them. One screw also holds down the teeny cover under which is where the tiny connector resides that connects the port to the fone circuit board. Once the fone is back together that's where you make the final connection between port and fone.
Slip off the battery cover, undo the six screws, take off that tiny little cover. Carefully work off the entire back housing. There's no front housing, just the screen glass and the fone circuitry bundled together.
Micro-USB port and ribbon connector is fastened to the housing with two more of those little screws. Change out the port with the new one. New part may not be an exact duplicate of the old part: that's ok. Reassemble the fone. Under that hole left by the tiny cover, press home the miniscule plug that connects up the port to the fone.
Put back the tiny cover, fasten back all the screws, and you're done. Port cost me $9 USD plus shipping on ebay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, dude, I know this thread is a little old, but can you PM me the link to where you bought your USB port? I think I need to replace my port (issues connecting to PC and charging requires wire wiggling), but I've read about certain ports not working with data transfer and only charging, and I don't want to make that kind of mistake.

projectisaac said:
Hey, dude, I know this thread is a little old, but can you PM me the link to where you bought your USB port? I think I need to replace my port (issues connecting to PC and charging requires wire wiggling), but I've read about certain ports not working with data transfer and only charging, and I don't want to make that kind of mistake.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try this? Says OEM so I imagine you wont lose functionality.
http://www.globaldirectparts.com/product-p/htc747235-qs.htm

Thank you! And only $8 too
Sent from my Vivid 4G using xda app-developers app

[Q] Docking station broken, is it repairable?

Hi,
My made-in-china docking station has just arrived, unfortunately its already been broken (quality material of a matchbox :\),
I have plugged in my micro usb into the socket (female micro usb on the dock) and somehow after few tests the female receiver of the dock fell out.. (I guess it wasn't glued strong enough because I haven't use any extra power to push it in)
Any way.. I have opened it up to see whats going on and found this:
http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/9554/a84p.jpg
The small piece on the left is the female micro usb plugger that was attached to the green board but fell off..
This is a sort of explanation:
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/2971/4wbl.jpg
And thats the part it self:
http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/8735/ew44.jpg
Unfortunately I can't glue it back and definately not weld it on since its too tiny and I don't have proper equipment for that..
But I do want to try to fix it because god damn its 1 day old ! totally brand new!
So I was thinking maybe I should simply tear a cable and plug the + - to the red and black wires at the end of that board..
And so, here comes the question for you expert fellers.
First this is the board:
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/8915/xo1u.jpg
I have a basic knowledge in electricity but its from engineering study and not from real world, so I don't really know how to read this thing..
Perhaps a better intuition than mines will help too..
Is this board necessary? What does it do? and can't it live with out it?
Why they didn't simply plug the + and - straight to the + - pins of the docking points?
Because thats what I am willing to do but I guess that "Ask the experts before you ruin it" is a helpful tip my mom taught me..
Thanks!
Jordan.

its actually soldered, not welded. its not very hard to solder, even tiny parts.
theres still solder on it. you can reflow it with a heat gun... assuming from your post that you have a welder so im guessing you have a heat gun.
just put the part on where its supposed to go, align it, then heat it.
dont get too close and slowly let the heat build, it'll flow at once. try to avoid applying heat to other parts to prevent them from shifting around.
if you are worried theres not enough solder, buy some solder paste and put a little bit on it.
you can check youtube/google for tutorials on reflowing with a heatgun.
if you dont have a heat gun theres other ways but be mindful of the temperatures of the rest of the components, you dont want anything else falling off.
btw, only pins 2 and 3 are necessary, thats power and ground.

Thanks for your reply but I've actually already fixed it,
I didn't soldered (I used Google Translate for that word ) it all,
I simply plugged out the whole board and attatched the two wires to the +- of a usb cable...
It works great.
Sent from my C6603 using xda premium

i think this is not a good idea
you can destroy the phone with this "FIX", if the phone is fully loaded the dock would load further.
In a extremsituation it can flame up
Search for the heatgun and fix it correctly, please

0p3r4t0r said:
i think this is not a good idea
you can destroy the phone with this "FIX", if the phone is fully loaded the dock would load further.
In a extremsituation it can flame up
Search for the heatgun and fix it correctly, please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'm sorry but thats a full of crap..
first you absolutely cant flame up your phone by over charging it.. (where the hell have you ever heard about it?!)
secondly, the system for disconnect when the battery is full is inside the phone and not on the charger..
There are few circuit things for defending on the charger but not that..
And last, I already done it months ago and it wasn't bad at all.. sometimes it didn't charge to 100% or dropped down immediately.. but overall was fine..
I use now a new charger (also chinese crap), this one has the circuit board, I don't really feel anything different..
It charges good now but nothing extra noticeable...

Hey man, sorry i won't flame.
I mean the dock can lightup if you don't connect it correctly (short circuit)
But it's not my so you can do what you want
Sorry for missunderstanding

0p3r4t0r said:
Hey man, sorry i won't flame.
I mean the dock can lightup if you don't connect it correctly (short circuit)
But it's not my so you can do what you want
Sorry for missunderstanding
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest man there isn't enough current running through the USB to do anything nasty to the dock even if it did short circuit. It certainly wouldn't burn and you couldn't shock yourself, worst case scenario, the dock would just stop working.