I find myself somewhat regularly having my cable not staying in while charging and having to take a toothpick to the port to scrape out the lint, etc. I don't know what the advantage is to not having a cover... Anyway, I had an idea, so I tried it out...
First, I bought 2 cheap items from eBay: silicone usb-type-c port plugs, (https://www.ebay.com/itm/5pcs-Silic...050618471&txnId=2385809555015&redirect=mobile), and a replacement port cover for an Xperia, (https://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Dust-C...269274716&txnId=2018684085011&redirect=mobile).
Then, I sanded down the inward-facing side of the port cover, glued the silicone plug to it, and drilled a 1/16 hole in the proper place on my phone, and - voila! A new cover.
Notes:
- you can try various options, the pieces I got were just examples.
- obviously, if you're drilling holes in your phone, 1) be extremely careful, or you'll destroy it, and 2) if you still have a warranty, you'll probably void it.
- the silicone plugs work fine as they are, but I found that every time I took it out to use the port, I ended up forgetting about it and leaving it there.
- the more time and care you put into it, the more professional it will look. Mike's kind of hack-y, but it's fine for me...
Nice and clean work but you have to remember always to close it after charge/connecting (like my old Z3 Compact)
Related
never being happy with what is already made..i decided to modify my accesories so they fit my needs.
keyboard: took a chance on this one..wasn't sure if it worked with hd2 bluetooth stack but it worked right out of the box (press a button and connect it to the phone..that easy). and it's actually great..the keys are very clicky with good depth despite the really tiny size (as big as the hd2). it comes with an optional stand and a case. and btw..it's cheaper than other keyboards...around 50$ and it's designed in canada..actually made in china..but still..
the headphones..this project has already been done before..but i used the great headphones from my old omnia phone..really good fit..deep base..buttons and mic still work after i soldered the wires inside it
and for the case ..this was the biggest pain in the a..; this case made by melko protects really well the hd2 by covering all the edges without covering any part of the screen. however it has design flaw..i had to chop of the top of the back part..(see photos) so the "hook" that grips over the phone (there is no magnet etc) can go all the way back. if not..the front part of the case would stay a bit open..dumb.
the second modification is that i "transplanted" the the clip from an old cellet case to the back of the case (glued it under the leather and sewed it through the plastic of the case with a nylon double wire..extra safety..you know. and ofcourse i had to buy the new metal clip that works with any cellet case. only downside is that i removed the zagg shield from the back and side. total cost for the case and new clip..about 30$..plus a few good hours of work.
oh..and the case doubles as a reasonably solid stand
so what do you guys think?
one last pic
mikgangal said:
one last pic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is still big keyboard have a look here ..
http://www.chinavasion.com/product_info.php/pName/mini-bluetooth-keyboard-for-smartphones/
yup..u're right..it's smaller..but i don't see myself actually typing a text on that.
on the one i got..i can type with full speed
Wow. That keyboard is huge. I think I'd rather pull out my netbook...
wow all looks good to me!
how did u solder the headphones? i would like to try it too!
wow all looks good to me!
how did u solder the headphones? i would like to try it too!
actually this project has been done b4
in short..you pop open the buttons (with your nail). gently you pull out the circuit board from the case and you give yourself some loose. you clean up the white stuff around the connections..unsolder the old headphones and then clean up the extra solder so that you can see the holes.
IMPORTANT the wires of the headphones you wanna add have to be cleaned either with heat from the soldering iron or with aspirin works best i believe (put the wire over the aspirin..heat it up..and as it melts you 'wash' the wires in the aspirin really well..carefull not to inhale !)
this will help uncoat the wire from the protective plastic film. then just solder them to the circuit board...use some epoxy over the connections for extra strength..put everything back togather...and voila
Modify Leo HTC Headset to In-Ear Headphones
Hi all,
I have a desktop cradle which i use in the office and the otterbox commuter case which i use daily.
i have gotten my desktop dock from here.
http://cgi.ebay.com.sg/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380267286428&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT
i am satisfied with the dock but i am finding it annoying to have to remove my otterbox case everytime i want to charge/sync.
is there a dock/cradle out there which can do the same without the need to remove the case?
I am aware of Desk Genie non slip charging desk stand but i read somewhere that it does not sync. (can anyone confirm this?)
any other recommendations are greatly welcomed.
has any one tried this
http://www.netimes.com/shop/angne-d...tc-hd2-t8585-htc-leo-p-2533.html?cPath=80_731
or this
http://www.netimes.com/shop/non-sli...p-2384.html?cPath=445_720&number_of_uploads=0
any feedback or help would be appreciated
The desk genie for me was a bit of wasted purchase:
The phone just slips off it. I think the reason is that the shiny battery-cover just won't grip, as heavier items, such as a digital camera/old WM phone stick to it like a charm. I put sticky brown tape all over the back of my phnoe and it was slightly better, but on the whole I'd say it's a don't-buy.
re: Syncing, it's a bit stupid. You plug a mini-usb into the back of the unit, and then a small power-lead with a micro attachment also comes out of the back as a charge = no syncing. As the device does have a USB hub, you can run another cable from a USB port to the phone, but overall it's a bit messy. One of those tiny mini-USB cables would do it (the 6cm long ones), but overall you still end up with a cable sticking out the side.
Thanks for replying...
i was almost gonna one of these...
which is a cheaper alternative to the desk genie...
have you tried it with case on??
as that is my concern as i do not wanna remove my cases all the time i wanna use a dock
smeddy said:
The desk genie for me was a bit of wasted purchase:
The phone just slips off it. I think the reason is that the shiny battery-cover just won't grip, as heavier items, such as a digital camera/old WM phone stick to it like a charm. I put sticky brown tape all over the back of my phnoe and it was slightly better, but on the whole I'd say it's a don't-buy.
re: Syncing, it's a bit stupid. You plug a mini-usb into the back of the unit, and then a small power-lead with a micro attachment also comes out of the back as a charge = no syncing. As the device does have a USB hub, you can run another cable from a USB port to the phone, but overall it's a bit messy. One of those tiny mini-USB cables would do it (the 6cm long ones), but overall you still end up with a cable sticking out the side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't blame the Genie, I blame it on the HD2's too-friction-less back. Heavier, bulkier items (such as your typical Panasonic digicam) stuck to it like a charm (I note I already said that, but hey, worth repeating). I do not have other covers to hand to test it, but I do keep my phone in a fake-leather walleet (off eBay, love it), and the phone - despite being a lot heaver due to the wallet - does stick to the Genie, so I do reckon other covers will stick quite well.
If I can test others i will report back.
smeddy said:
The desk genie for me was a bit of wasted purchase:
The phone just slips off it. I think the reason is that the shiny battery-cover just won't grip, as heavier items, such as a digital camera/old WM phone stick to it like a charm. I put sticky brown tape all over the back of my phnoe and it was slightly better, but on the whole I'd say it's a don't-buy.
re: Syncing, it's a bit stupid. You plug a mini-usb into the back of the unit, and then a small power-lead with a micro attachment also comes out of the back as a charge = no syncing. As the device does have a USB hub, you can run another cable from a USB port to the phone, but overall it's a bit messy. One of those tiny mini-USB cables would do it (the 6cm long ones), but overall you still end up with a cable sticking out the side.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't agree. Its a fact that it wont grip especially when one uses a silicon case. But I've placed 2 pins just beneath the rubber so it will always hold the phone. I am using it now for some time.
ymtan said:
......
http://www.netimes.com/shop/non-sli...p-2384.html?cPath=445_720&number_of_uploads=0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have it and works nice
- without case
- with leather (flip) case
- with solicon case (soft)
- with hard plastic case
ciubeca said:
I have it and works nice
- without case
- with leather (flip) case
- with solicon case (soft)
- with hard plastic case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your info.
will probably get this to try seeing it is not as expensive as desk genie
sorry to bump an old thread, does anyone have any suggestions for the original post?
thanks
After a bit of searching I made a dock for my Nexus S and thought I'd show the results here.
I found out about polymer clay in this post (the thanks button is disabled for some reason...).
And I used the resistor values listed here, as some other threads showed they also worked with the Nexus S: Fun with resistors (home/car dock mode + more)
I ordered a Sparkfun microUSB breakout board, bought some resistors at a local electronics shop and four blocks of black Fimo clay at a nearby arts shop. I had the other supplies on hand:
-Soldering iron, solder, etc.
-Shrink wrap in various sizes.
-Hot glue.
-Aluminium plate.
-USB cable.
-Narrow and slightly rounded file.
-Box cutter or exacto knife.
I made the cable first (and did not take pictures at that time) and ensured that part worked before tackling the clay portion of the project.
I soldered one end of the resistor on the breakout board and the other directly on a stripped portion of the ground cable. The data wires remain functional as I am using a wall charger that properly shorts the D+ and D- wires to enable AC mode. I secured everything to the board with hot glue and finished off with shrink wrap.
This was my first time working with Fimo and it went well. I wrapped my phone in cellophane for a test fit along with the modified cable. The cable however isn't rated for the baking temperature so this was only temporary.
After baking, it turned out that I had misplaced the portion meant to hold the cable, so I snapped it off and made another with some left-over clay. The cured material can handle rebaking with no issues.
A bit of rework on the attachment point with a knife, test fit again, glue the board and file a notch for the buttons.
The phone slides in and out smoothly. I'm quite satisfied with the results.
Update: dock still works great. I've made one mod though: I took an old mouse pad, tore off the cloth on the top, cut a shape matching the dock's bottom, and hot glued the two together. This anti-skid pad means I can turn off the alarm or answer a call (which the phone answers in speakerphone mode right away) without inadvertently moving my phone on the nightstand.
Goodbye,
Darkshado
Wow really cool, and might have to try it.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G
nice work! I still have mine intact and it suffered some serious banging. Love your design too! Cheers.
a video of the process would be awesome for us noobs
Thanks for the feedback!
daudster: sorry, but its too late for a video. The good news is that there are plenty of good soldering tutorials out there.
This post by Fallon also has nice pictures that are very close to what I've done myself.
I started with the cable.
My "donor" USB cable was a standard compliant color coded affair. (Red Vcc, Black Ground, Green D+, White D-)
Checking with a multimeter to be safe is a very good idea.
Given the gauge of your typical USB cable wires and the breakout board's holes I suggest you presolder your wires.
Holding the stripped end of your wires with a sufficiently massive pair of pliers will make a nice heat sink to prevent melting the insulation when soldering.
Instead of doing like Fallon and placing the resistor above the breakout board, I soldered one pin on the board, the other on a stripped section of the ground cable "downhill" from the board. If you want to do it like this, make sure that you don't short your resistor with the ground cable. Then cover with shrink wrap.
Lousy ASCII art diagram below:
(Breakout board on the left)
ID--------R------\
GND--======---====
Depending on your exact design, this may not be necessary, but I opted to secure the small gauge wires to the board with hot glue, prior to covering with a larger diameter length of shrink wrap. While this cable's solidity might not be commercial grade, tugging on the cable by mistake would not risk as much damage.
Also a departure from Fallon's post is that I am using a Samsung OEM wall charger that shorts the Data wires in the charger itself, enabling AC mode, so no need to do it on the breakout board. My cable is confirmed working on the computer with both ADB and USB Mass Storage file transfer.
Test as you go to make sure none of your solders introduced unwanted short-circuits. (Fail to do this is and you could very well KILL your precious Nexus S or computer.)
Now, the Fimo part.
This was my first time ever working with Fimo and it turned out to be easy. As you work the material you heat it a little (friction) and it becomes a bit tacky to the touch so I worked on a small sheet of aluminium foil, wax paper might be better yet.
The aluminium plate is used for curing, as its much easier to handle with oven mitts and solid enough for this purpose.
Roll three blocks of Fimo in a sheet about 6-8 mm (¼") thick. With a blade, cut the excess on each side to end up with a properly sized rectangle for the back and bottom of the dock. These leftover bits will serve to support the back as well as the breakout board.
I kept my back flat, you may want to have it curved like the Samsung OEM one. Your choice, I chose flat because its easier to make and to simplify reuse with minimal modification when I'll change phones down the road.
The notch in the bottom for the buttons may be done before or after curing. Before, your fingers, a pen, coffee stirrer sticks or popsicle sticks all work. After, a rounded file or sandpaper.
My first breakout board support was misaligned so I had to break it off. For this reason I suggest you consider doing it in a second curing. This way your test fits are going to be much more accurate.
Most cables aren't rated for high enough temperatures to follow the Fimo in the oven for its curing. That's what lead me to making a support with a notch and using hot glue to finish the job. It's also flexible enough in case your alignment isn't perfect.
Goodbye,
Darkshado
Realy nice work
a quick sanding and molding would of gone miles to make it look normal!
i think that i'm going to try this!
thanks:good:
What kind of function does the Droid 3's internal coax cable have? Does it work as a wi-fi-antenna, GPS-antenna or both?
I'm going to replace a few parts in my phone, but it looks like I can't do it without breaking the coax cable...just wondering if I can manage a few days without it till I get a new one..
Not sure which cable you are referring, but you should be able to take the whole thing apart without breaking any cables. If it is the one that attaches to the backplate of the phone, you have to lift up on the connector on the phone.
Pictures and more details of what you are trying to do may be helpfull to answering your question
It's the one attached to the backplate. And the backplate is one of parts I'm going to change, but the new backplate replacement does note come with a coax cable. The cable on the old backplate is impossible to remove without breaking it as it's glued to the backplate. Disconnecting the connector is not a problem.
I understand now, I looked at a spare backplate I have and the cable is soldered to the phone in several spots, that would indeed be very hard to remove, but possible with a good iron. I hate how a lot of the replacement parts out there come without important pieces, this is usually a good headache.
If you have the part in hand, it is a simple swap, try it out and see what antennas don't work by trying to connect to gps, wifi etc. If you don't have the part in hand, I would look elsewhere to obtain one.
Just a few quick pics to show you an idea for a way of easily maxing a cheap OTG adapter more discreet. I'm not claiming its pretty but it works
Started with one of there for £1.90;
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150758616053?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_1480wt_1037
Slit the side of the soft black plastic cover. I found all the wires to be embedded on one side so made 1mm deep cuts on the other side allowing it to bend. Cover with material of your choice (I've not got that far). Add a simple velcro pad to your case and usb device of choice and attach in place.
Sorry the pic is an attachment. Haven't had chance to look for the upload rules/sites
Why not just get the ones that are a cable? They bend easier, and you can still velcro if you want it attached to the back.
http://www.amazon.com/T-Flash-Adapter-Samsung-GT-i9100-GT-N7000/dp/B005FUNYSA/ref=wl_mb_recs_1_dp
I have one but wanted something more compact.