[MOD] Pogo Pin Charging for Verizon Car Dock - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

I posted this earlier in the long thread about the official car dock with pogo pins that has still not been released but I don't want to derail the main topic of that thread so here is a new one, with a bit more detail added.
I have the steps that I actually took to do this listed below. I think there is probably room for improvement and many ways to accomplish the same end result depending on whatever strong skills you may have or what tools you happen to have. Not every step has a picture associated with it because either I couldn't hold a camera and do it at the same time or it just wasn't worth it to photograph a mundane task like tracing a line.
Also, keep in mind I was doing this for a GSM nexus. I can test whether an LTE nexus (both standard & extended battery) will charge in the dock sometime on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Tools & materials used are described throughout. After the steps/pictures I have some concluding thoughts including some lessons learned, things I would do differently, and some alternate ideas others might wish to consider.
DISCLAIMER: Bad photography ahead.
Step 1: Grab a good beer, somehow these things always take longer than you expect.
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Step 2: Tape the phone & dock where you will be measuring with a caliper or holding it in a vise. I used masking tape which turned out to have the extra benefit of being able to see the contact points through it. Take a lot of measurements. You end up drilling the dock blindly so your results all start in how carefully you measure things. Don't use the numbers on my caliper for your own use... Somewhere around the time of these pictures I accidently zeroed the caliper so I don't know which ones are showing correct values or not. I only realized this because I measured everything again and realized something wasn't right with the numbers.
Step 3: Double check your measurements, make sure everything is square... I want to say the following picture is over board on my part... but it really is a fine line between making contact b/w the pins and the phone 100% of the time, 50% of the time, or hardly ever.
Step 4: I used a pencil to trace a line from the contacts up the side of the phone, and onto the front glass. I then place the phone in the dock and put a new piece of tape from the edge of the phone around the edge of the dock and traced the line back over the dock so that I had a good reference for where to drill in the side-to-side dimension. The vertical dimension was purely based off my measurement from the face of the phone down to the contact points. Because the glass is curved, take separate measurements for each pin.
Step 5: At this point I used a 1/16" drill bit to make two holes and then pushed the pogo pins through. Before proceeding I hooked up 5V power using aligator clips to the pins and put the phone in the dock just to make sure everything was in the right place before I really made anything permanent. In this picture the pins are only held in place by friction. The dock is very rubbery at this location which is nice for holding the pins in place. You can see how well you lined up the holes by placing the phone in the dock and looking through the holes. You absolutely want to see the entire gold contact nicely centered in there. If not, fix things now before proceeding.
Step 6: I then took a car charger and cut the micro USB end off. There really isn't much to picture here. I happened to use a car charger with a permanently attached cord so there were no data wires. If you use a USB cord that contains 4 wires, usually red, green, white, and black, just tape off the green and white (date + & data -), and use the red (+ 5V DC) and black (ground). The pogo pin closest to the power button is the ground and the pin closest to the bottom is for 5V (I confirmed this for both the LTE & GSM models). Middle pin, assuming the same paradigm used for the nexus one, is for signaling the type of dock and the bluetooth id of the dock.
Step 7: I soldered the 5V and GND wires to the pins as described, sealed some exposed conductor with heat shrink, and used an epoxy to permanently seal them in place. You want to make sure you use an epoxy that bonds plastic and I would also recommend one that advertises some level of flex/gel. If it's too rigid or poorly bonded to plastic you could end up cracking off on the very first insertion. Make absolutely sure that the pogo pin plunger is the only part of the pogo pin that is on the inside of the dock. Even a small portion of the rigid part will cause you problems when you push the phone in and it pops the pins back out or damages the epoxy.
So, did it work...
After waiting enough time for the epoxy to set I got what I had hoped for.
I also added an NFC tag to the inside that I'm using to turn on bluetooth, set car mode, etc, etc...
Here's a few extra pics:
It successfully charges my GSM nexus with both the standard and extended battery. It would appear to me that the dock holds the phone with the position of the front glass relative to the lip of the dock in a constant position. So I'm assuming my wife's LTE nexus will be able to charge on the dock as well (will test on Tuesday/Wednesday). That would be really good news for VZW people who aren't up to the modification but would like to buy the GSM dock if it ever comes to market. At this point at least, it can concluded that it's possible to make a dock that charges the GSM model with both the standard and extended battery with the pogo pins in a fixed position.
Now that it's been done once the thing that would make this an extremely fast and easy mod in my mind would be a drill guide jig. An L-shaped jig with drill guide holes that you simple place against a reference point on the dock and drill in the holes and never have to worry about all that measuring and how well you measure.
I also wish I hadn't soldered the pins to a fixed car charger. Now I'm tied to that thing unless I want to cut the cord and splice a new USB plug on the end. In hindsight I actually wish I had used a 2 conductor "boot" close to the pogo pins that would allow me change the cord easy and provide some level of emergency strain relief or break-free ability if the cord were to get yanked. On the topic of strain relief, this is why I recommend right angle leads off the pogo pins. It also might be a good idea to adhere the cord to a spot on the back of the part that holds the phone so that a snap tug on the cord pulls on that and not your pogo pin connection. It feels very durable and I don't expect any problems it's just something I would recommend.
As for the NFC tag, I would use the thin adhesive tags, you don't want anything thick enough to change the contact position. I used a 1K tag so that there was plenty of storage for long instructions/information that may be handy to write to it. Right now it just launches car home, maxes the media volume, starts bluetooth, turns off wifi, and sets a high brightness level.
Finally, I wish I had gone ahead and installed a middle pogo pin with a free hanging wire lead off of it. Just in case I felt up to going down that rabbit hole in the future. I wish I still had a nexus one dock around to see if the signal pin on those docks would communicate on the galaxy nexus middle pin. I know, different OEMs (HTC) but the code is Google's so I figure there's a 50/50 chance it actually would work.
Your move, Samsung.

Definitely going to try this. Where'd you get the pogo pins?
Also, the third pin ::should:: be shorted to ground to trigger car dock, if that's the purpose of it.
Keep in mind that the OEM GSM dock plays music through those 3 pins somehow, though it makes no sense to me whatsoever. Not enough pins.

Jewremy said:
Definitely going to try this. Where'd you get the pogo pins?
Also, the third pin ::should:: be shorted to ground to trigger car dock, if that's the purpose of it.
Keep in mind that the OEM GSM dock plays music through those 3 pins somehow, though it makes no sense to me whatsoever. Not enough pins.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock docks play the audio over bluetooth since it'll help alleviate any grounding issues/hiss that may occur. One of the reasons they cost so much.

Jewremy said:
Definitely going to try this. Where'd you get the pogo pins?
Also, the third pin ::should:: be shorted to ground to trigger car dock, if that's the purpose of it.
Keep in mind that the OEM GSM dock plays music through those 3 pins somehow, though it makes no sense to me whatsoever. Not enough pins.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shorting to the ground is definitely not how the dock pin worked for the nexus one. Audio is also definitely not over the pin, its by Bluetooth. I've seen the code somewhere that insinuates the dock identifies whether it is a car or desk dock and its Bluetooth MAC. Shorting to ground isn't going to do anything.

Jewremy said:
Definitely going to try this. Where'd you get the pogo pins?
Also, the third pin ::should:: be shorted to ground to trigger car dock, if that's the purpose of it.
Keep in mind that the OEM GSM dock plays music through those 3 pins somehow, though it makes no sense to me whatsoever. Not enough pins.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pogo pins were left over from some other project. Take a look at digikey or someplace like it. Might have to search for "spring contacts" or "pogo pins/contacts".. different vendors seem to use different terminology.

Hmm i don't understand the north to south measurement couldn't you extend the marks around the tape to get the height and the all you need is the distance from the top... not sure if that makes sense

The NFC tag can be hidden behind the glossy cover for the mount attachment. It's only held on by two all adhesive strips that run along the long edges of it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

mcso619 said:
The NFC tag can be hidden behind the glossy cover for the mount attachment. It's only held on by two all adhesive strips that run along the long edges of it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea, I sort of like it exposed right now but I think I'll eventually do that.

veli69 said:
Hmm i don't understand the north to south measurement couldn't you extend the marks around the tape to get the height and the all you need is the distance from the top... not sure if that makes sense
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I'm not sure I understand what you're describing. I'd like to know because I'm certain there are some clever and better ways then my own.

If you extend the holes with a pencil to top side of the phone on the tape when you put it in the doc you know their location, then all you need is your measurement from the top and you are all set.. I dont have a laser like yours though

Great work! Which dock did you use for this?

veli69 said:
View attachment 899531
If you extend the holes with a pencil to top side of the phone on the tape when you put it in the doc you know their location, then all you need is your measurement from the top and you are all set.. I dont have a laser like yours though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I did that. Guess I didn't explain it better.

nmprodan said:
Great work! Which dock did you use for this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Verizon galaxy nexus dock.

http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/0930-0-15-20-75-14-11-0/ED90344-ND/1873757
Would a pin like that work?

mca312 said:
http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/0930-0-15-20-75-14-11-0/ED90344-ND/1873757
Would a pin like that work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yea, that looks good. Actually looks shorter than the ones I used so I think it might be even better than the ones I used. Just did some searching on that site and found some that look similar to the ones I used http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/829-22-003-20-001101/ED90504-ND/2416224. Looks like they come in a connector already but they're easy to remove from those kinds of connectors by just pushing the pins out. I like the style you found though. Ideally you don't want the lead part sticking out too far from the dock for a clean look so a pin that's just a hair bigger than the thickness of the side-wall of the dock is best. I say go with one of the style you posted over the ones that look similar to what I used.

Mil-Max (the mfg in the digikey ad) will send out a few samples. I got 20 to try and make my version of this.

What device is making the laser lines?

Would these work so you could have connectivity to all 3 pogo pins? I'd like to be able to play audio as well as charge the phone.
http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/811-22-003-30-000101/ED8110-03-ND/682271

chuckdz3 said:
Would these work so you could have connectivity to all 3 pogo pins? I'd like to be able to play audio as well as charge the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I *think* that might work. I grabbed a set of (older analog) calipers to measure the pogopins on my LTE GNex and found some estimates. It looks to me that the pogopins are spaced ~.112" apart (from center to center) and are ~.042" in diameter. The pins you found on digikey list the spacing between each pin to be ~.100" apart (from center to center) and ~.042" in diameter.
With those measurements in mind, there would be some slight overlap of the outer two pins onto the plastic casing but the pins would likely still strike the connector on the phone.
Keep in mind though that a number of users have noted that the center pin is not used for audio. I have no personal knowledge of this but I am passing the info along. Apparently audio is passed via bluetooth to a receiver in the mount which converts it to a line level output that is seen on the mount itself.
(Also, I guess I cannot include the hyperlink you had because I am too new to xda)
Update: I stand corrected, as noted later in this thread the spacing is .118" for the GNex pogopins. Apologies for the misinformation.

The GN pogo pin spacing is 3mm (.118"). The All the Digi-Key pins mounted in strips seem to be .1" spacing which I think will be marginal, or at least make the position of the pins really critical.

Related

Seen this? Dock for Universal.

http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/7862.htm
Wonder how securely it will hold the phone? If it's solid it would make a good car holder by sticking it to the dash and just clipping the phone in when needed.
Here too: http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=126238&asource=119353
Expansys USA just shipped a couple of these to me. I should have it tomorrow (Tue)
Ditto.
this looks nice, but wish it showed more pictures. It is only 18.95 on expansys-usa. Please let us know how you like it!
A pretty simple cradle. It has a single USB port jack that accepts either a USB connection (which also charges the Universal) or the AC/DC jack. But doesn't replicate any of the other ports (for example, the headphone jack is covered up when in the cradle). It also has a notch to allow you to access the stylus if it is still in the unit while cradled. But it is still difficult to pull out. There is also a hole to balance your stylus in when not in use.
It has a single blue light on the front whose sole purpose appears to be to tell you if the cradle is plugged in. This light is on all the time and doesn't change (so far). The lights on the Universal itself still determine charge status.
The Universal lays flat in the cradle. However, you have to be careful when pushing it in. The height of the USB port on the Universal and the recepticle in the cradle are off by about half a millimeter. You kind of have to look at it and maneuver it while guiding the USB pieces together. You can't really just lay the cradle in and push.
It costs $19 US and, well, is worth about that. Useful to keep your Universal from flopping around your desk while connected (which, to be fair, is pretty useful considering how much the Universal costs), but not much more than that. Nothing fancy.
Mine arrived today. Deeper than I thought. fixed with 2 double sided tabs.
Any ideas how to hide the cable? It's a company car and I don't want to hack it about.
Is it really ok to drive about with the flip cover open? I suspect long term bumps from the road may damage it prematurely. Any thoughts?
k_kirk said:
Is it really ok to drive about with the flip cover open? I suspect long term bumps from the road may damage it prematurely. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like it but it does need some sort of "spring" to absorb the bumbs. Looking at it, a piece of (stainless) steel bent like a "U" would help give it some spring - depending on the gauge, that is.

"Inside" the Standard Xoom Dock

Ive been plagued by the thought that the damn dock should...by all accounts have a USB out. Now I suppose that it may have came down to a decision point of "Which is the more likely scenario... audio out or USB to a computer out", but I find myself squarely in the "dont care about audio" side of that debate.
The idea would be to crack this little sucker open, see whats inside and (hopefully) take the micro-usb connection that it has out the back of the dock with a new tip.
Now that Ive opened it up, I believe I can get there. I'll tinker around with it in the next few days to verify things like theres no "control" (or similar) signal running through the USB connections from a power perspective and whatnot. If I can do it, it will be my intent to make it look as stock as I can and I'll be sure to post any walkthroughs, pics, etc that somebody else might want.
To open it up, you have to remove the rubber pad from the bottom. Its got a lot of adhesive on it and (at least in my case) looks like something that I can successfully stick back on.
Under that, you'll find what appears to be depressions in the plastic bottom. Take a utility knife (or similar) and cut around the edges of the depressions. They are part of a plastic film that I saw absolutely no reason to be afraid of removing.
Once the holes are exposed, you'll need a T4 bit to remove the screws. Then you can just open it up.
Thats the extent of my exploration so far...
Heres a pic:
While you are at it...
Would you mind checking which of the connectors for charging is (+) and which is (-)? If I am really trying to build that alternative charger connector then I'll need to know. Thanks man!
funnycreature said:
Would you mind checking which of the connectors for charging is (+) and which is (-)? If I am really trying to build that alternative charger connector then I'll need to know. Thanks man!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The power is run to the right pin, if you were just starring at the device from the front.
gigglebox said:
The power is run to the right pin, if you were just starring at the device from the front.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This will come in handy when the time is right! :thumb up:
as far as i can tell all you would need to do is make sure there is enuff room and put a male to female cable inside. No need to mess with the board inside.
I think you've got a great idea. Any Progress yet.
Thanks for posting this picture. I'm going to do a straightforward mod by simply drilling a hole out the backside of the dock, running the wire through the hole and soldering the leads together. This method keeps me from having to dremel an exact fit USB-A connection and providing an internal support for the port.
Oooooh yeah, mine will be ghetto rigged tonight. I'll order a female mini USB socket from digikey or somewhere to make it a little better in the future - but for tonight its getting hacked together.
Thanks for the pic, it was just enough encouragement to take it apart.
I'm tempted to buy the cradle, is there any way you can take a picture of the front and back of the PCB, I'm curious if there are existing pads for the USB cable.
I'm also curious about the possibility of adding a micro HDMI connection to the standard dock to make a "Swiss Army" dock, those pictures would help be get a better idea if I should buy this dock or the HDMI dock.
I don't understand why Moto didn't make a dock with power, HDMI, USB, and headphone. Then you can keep everything hooked to the dock and add/remove the device as desired. This is how most PC docks work. Is there a technical issue that would preclude all ports being brought out from the bottom connections (understanding the devices headphone jack is on the top)??
A design issue I see as far as wear and tear is the lack of docking "keys" built into the bottom of the device to aid in port alignment. It seems like getting the right alignment will be hit and miss and could put undo stress on the ports.
You were using a nail clipper to open it?
If I spend the cash for a moto brand dock, I am going to add a fullsize USB/HDMI and power to it. There is no excuse for not including these.
Do it and post the instructions, I want
Sent from my MZ604 using Tapatalk
ive modded my dock to have a usb in so i can use the dock and have my hard drive connected at the same time you can check it out @
forum.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?p=835069&posted=1#post835069
Hi, I'm bumping this thread to ask if there's any chip or so in the dock to control the audio? I would lika to make a microUSB to 3.5mm cable to avoid the distrubances from the wifi in the badly insulated headphone-port.
I imagine there must be since usb is a digital signal and headphones use analog signals. Maybe I should go all the way and make a pocket amp instead
Thanks

Samsung Fascinate to Galaxy Nexus Dock mod

Here's a mod I did because I was fed up with the GN not having a proper desk dock. This uses a stock Fascinate dock but has the location of the plug modified in order to fit the GN. It took a bit of cutting and fitting but the process is pretty straight forward. This also sets dock mode which means you get landscape lockscreen without any fiddling (finally!), and youtube will always stay in landscape (YES!!!).
Picture of the results:
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Instructions:
http://goo.gl/CBm3R
Does it use the 3-pin connection on the right hand side? How does it know it has to be in landscape?
TapThat said:
Does it use the 3-pin connection on the right hand side? How does it know it has to be in landscape?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the instructions for more info. To answer your questions 1) no it does not use the pogo pins, it just uses the micro USB and 2) Dock mode allows for landscape lockscreen if the phone is in that orientation. You can turn the phone and it'll go into portrait just fine.
knyghtryda said:
Here's a mod I did because I was fed up with the GN not having a proper desk dock. This uses a stock Fascinate dock but has the location of the plug modified in order to fit the GN. It took a bit of cutting and fitting but the process is pretty straight forward. This also sets dock mode which means you get landscape lockscreen without any fiddling (finally!), and youtube will always stay in landscape (YES!!!).
Picture of the results:
Instructions:
http://goo.gl/CBm3R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's only $5.66 on amazon for it, so it's a nice alternative while we wait for something official...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0043GUKT8/
EDIT: it went up ten cents after I posted this, how odd...
knyghtryda said:
Here's a mod I did because I was fed up with the GN not having a proper desk dock. This uses a stock Fascinate dock but has the location of the plug modified in order to fit the GN. It took a bit of cutting and fitting but the process is pretty straight forward. This also sets dock mode which means you get landscape lockscreen without any fiddling (finally!), and youtube will always stay in landscape (YES!!!).
Picture of the results:
Instructions:
http://goo.gl/CBm3R
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the link it says you couldnt get the usb line working but it seems like in the pic (in your post) that you were able to get it working, so what was the problem?
jonnyg1097 said:
In the link it says you couldnt get the usb line working but it seems like in the pic (in your post) that you were able to get it working, so what was the problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The USB charging works fine, but the GN (like some other Samsung phones) has the ability to use the USB data pins for audio line out. This should be triggered by being in dock mode, then you activate it in the dock settings. Unfortunately I can't seem to activate it. I'm suspecting its a software issue, but I'll have to test more resistors (gonna try 1K and 619K) across the ID pin in order to make sure of that.
Oh good, I was looking for a USB charging with a dock like this and now I may consider getting it and making the mod since it worked out so well.
modded my captivate dock tonight... didnt cut off a chunk of the front face like that one though... turned out pretty nice, removed the LED at the bottom because that always annoyed me on my night stand.
i was hoping to modify it so that it would fit with my case, no such luck.... fits fine with my extended battery though.
not sure if i'll want to take my case off every night so I might just sell this if someone wants it.
xformulax said:
modded my captivate dock tonight... didnt cut off a chunk of the front face like that one though... turned out pretty nice, removed the LED at the bottom because that always annoyed me on my night stand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason I cut that chunk off was to fit the micro USB plug a little farther forward so that I could use it with a case. when I was test fitting I found that without a case the plug would fit fine behind the plastic, which makes sense since the plastic I cut was just slightly thinker than the TPU of my case.
knyghtryda said:
The reason I cut that chunk off was to fit the micro USB plug a little farther forward so that I could use it with a case. when I was test fitting I found that without a case the plug would fit fine behind the plastic, which makes sense since the plastic I cut was just slightly thinker than the TPU of my case.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was thinking about doing that, cutting it cleanly and then gluing the piece back on to kind of cover it up, but i dont have any cutting discs for my dremel (couldnt even find my damn dremel)
i actually made the hole for the plug relocation with a soldering iron.
I also looked at your pics, but did NOT read, so of course I tried prying the whole face up and marred it a bit before pulling the back panel and using the screws.
xformulax said:
modded my captivate dock tonight... didnt cut off a chunk of the front face like that one though... turned out pretty nice, removed the LED at the bottom because that always annoyed me on my night stand.
i was hoping to modify it so that it would fit with my case, no such luck.... fits fine with my extended battery though.
not sure if i'll want to take my case off every night so I might just sell this if someone wants it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My captivate was pretty much the same size as my GN, thicknes wise, how much modification did u do? can i fit it in the cappy dock withot significant effort? I am not very good at cutting & filing and soldering lol...
And does your audio out thru usb work?
psycho2097 said:
My captivate was pretty much the same size as my GN, thicknes wise, how much modification did u do? can i fit it in the cappy dock withot significant effort? I am not very good at cutting & filing and soldering lol...
And does your audio out thru usb work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please read the tutorial, it explains all of it
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
xformulax said:
i was thinking about doing that, cutting it cleanly and then gluing the piece back on to kind of cover it up, but i dont have any cutting discs for my dremel (couldnt even find my damn dremel)
i actually made the hole for the plug relocation with a soldering iron.
I also looked at your pics, but did NOT read, so of course I tried prying the whole face up and marred it a bit before pulling the back panel and using the screws.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol I did some good damage to my dock as well doing the same thing you did, hence me writing it up so people can avoid my stupidity .
When I did the cuts I just used some wire cutters instead of a dremel. It would have taken longer to set up the dremel than it took to snip a couple times and cut that piece off.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
knyghtryda said:
Please read the tutorial, it explains all of it
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hell no...I am so not doing all that crap.that too for no audio out.
Well I was just wondering if there is an easy way out.you used the fascinate dock, would the captivate dock be easier to mod?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
psycho2097 said:
Hell no...I am so not doing all that crap.that too for no audio out.
Well I was just wondering if there is an easy way out.you used the fascinate dock, would the captivate dock be easier to mod?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
every single samsung SGS generation dock is pretty much constructed the same way. They also use pretty much the same internals. Maybe SGS2 docks are different, but I haven't torn one apart to find out (anyone know where I can get an SGS2 dock for cheap?). The exceptions to this are the "multimedia" docks which have HDMI built in. Those simply roll in a MHL adapter, or take micro HDMI from the phone (like in the case of the Droid Charge).
Oh I bought mine already in was hoping for audio out... Too bad I suppose. If anyone figure out anyway to get it working post lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
psycho2097 said:
My captivate was pretty much the same size as my GN, thicknes wise, how much modification did u do? can i fit it in the cappy dock withot significant effort? I am not very good at cutting & filing and soldering lol...
And does your audio out thru usb work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
audio out does not work, you don't need to solder, you basicallly take it apart, then cut a hole where the USB jack should go above the captivate location, move the plug and glue it in.
all of the galaxy S docks are the same functionally, just slightly different shapes where the phone sits because the captivate and fascinate are shaped differently... vibrant should be pretty similar to fascinate.
lol, epic 4g is thicker, and the charge port is in the center like ours... might be the best to experiment with. (i used the captivate dock because I already had one)
can i just take the plastic case from the dock and swap in a mhl adapter so it will be a dock that i can plug into my tv or will i not have room
jaymax97 said:
can i just take the plastic case from the dock and swap in a mhl adapter so it will be a dock that i can plug into my tv or will i not have room
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's plenty of room, but you'll have to resolder some stuff as you'll need to right angle micro USB plug that comes with the dock. The standard straight plug from the MHL adapter USB plug will not fit correctly.
can sum1 with an epic 4g pls confirm that it fits with the nexus? bcz it seems that thickness wise, and usb port location wise, it should fit.

Anykind of docking station available?

Hey guys, has someone a fitting dock for the Captivate Glide?
AFAIK there is no official one, but maybe the dock of another, more famous, Samsung phone does fit the Glide also.
Greetings Alex22
Unfortunately, I think we are in lack of luck with the µUSB port on the top. This would constrain to put the phone horizontally on a dock with the docking on one edge.
This must explain the lack of docking station on eBay unlike the batteries' charging stations.
One alternative may be to reproduce this SGS mod : http://www.qianqin.de/2011/09/18/samsung-galaxy-s-wireless-inductive-charging-mod
But I don't know if it is possible with our Captivate Glide.
Here is 1 from Philips http://www.techradar.com/reviews/au...-systems/philips-fidelio-as851-1042940/review unfortunately our phone would be connected upside down. I wonder if there is an app that lets it work upside down?
dudejb said:
Here is 1 from Philips http://www.techradar.com/reviews/au...-systems/philips-fidelio-as851-1042940/review unfortunately our phone would be connected upside down. I wonder if there is an app that lets it work upside down?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Back when I used CM for the HTC Dream, I always had the option to enable the screen to rotate 360°.
So I guess it's a ROM thing, but definitely makeable.
But anyways, that's a pretty hefty docking station, and with nearly 200 pounds it's nowhere near my budget.
Lets just hope there'll be more Android Dockingstations to come.
@EMegamanu: Thanks for the link, pretty interesting that you can mod a phone like that. But I'm too afraid and too inexperienced with solderings to mod my phone like that
EMegamanu said:
Unfortunately, I think we are in lack of luck with the µUSB port on the top. This would constrain to put the phone horizontally on a dock with the docking on one edge.
This must explain the lack of docking station on eBay unlike the batteries' charging stations.
One alternative may be to reproduce this SGS mod : http://www.qianqin.de/2011/09/18/samsung-galaxy-s-wireless-inductive-charging-mod
But I don't know if it is possible with our Captivate Glide.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that is impressive. I wish I didn't care about my warranty. Lol
This looks cool the Dock Boss allows you to plug your android phone into any Ipod dock:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20110799-251/dockboss-plug-android-phones-into-iphone-docks/
OK I doubt it allows you to control the Next track and play/pause but it should charge and route the Music to the device. It plugs to your phones audio connector and the Micro USB to charge.
Here is another dock that looks interesting uses a cable to plug to an android phone so it does not matter where the connectors are located. It also has a nice little Remote:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/home-entertainment/ec56/
JB
dudejb said:
This looks cool the Dock Boss allows you to plug your android phone into any Ipod dock:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20110799-251/dockboss-plug-android-phones-into-iphone-docks/
OK I doubt it allows you to control the Next track and play/pause but it should charge and route the Music to the device. It plugs to your phones audio connector and the Micro USB to charge.
Here is another dock that looks interesting uses a cable to plug to an android phone so it does not matter where the connectors are located. It also has a nice little Remote:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/home-entertainment/ec56/
JB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the docking station from thinkgeek. The Price is okay, the design as well, the only thing that I would nitpick about is that you can't just put the phone into the dock, but have to connect both headphone and charging cable to hte phone.
Otherwise than that it's worth the weight for me.
You know, it's a shame that our phones seem to have a cult following almost. Many people don't seem to know about it either. Samsung did great, especially since keyboard phones are going the way of the dodo, and I use a keyboard for gaming and texting anyway.
My only complaint is that there's no hardware camera button, but that's not a deal breaker in the least.
Really missing my Milestone dock.....its the only downside to this phone I can find.
I hate fishing for charging leads
MnemonicSyntax said:
You know, it's a shame that our phones seem to have a cult following almost. Many people don't seem to know about it either. Samsung did great, especially since keyboard phones are going the way of the dodo, and I use a keyboard for gaming and texting anyway.
My only complaint is that there's no hardware camera button, but that's not a deal breaker in the least.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The keyboard and the availability on my carrier made the decision for me. I do a lot of emailing from my phone, and the keyboard is just faster and more precise than even Swype style input options for me.
I did at first miss the hardware camera button from my old WinMo LG eXpo, it was very nifty, but it's not even an issue for me anymore. Is that a common thing among Android phones?
the galaxy s vibrant comes with a charging dock that uses the same corner usb connection. Unsure on the thickness of the phone in comparison to the vibrant though.
Sent from my XT862 using xda app-developers app
Well, I bought one to try out. Wasn't much, only $10 from eBay with the packaging or $13 new. Oh, I'm using a stock AT&T Captivate Glide on the latest update.
Physically, it's fine. Smaller than it looks, actually, covering about 9/10 of the length & 4/5 of the height. The depth is a bit more fudged, covering only the lower half of the slider, leaving the screen half hanging. The main issue is that although the plug is 95% on target, the 5% means you'd have to add a spacer to raise the rest of the phone up a bit. But it definitely attaches without trouble. Nice & compact.
EDIT: Driver: the charging works, though considering it didn't a few hours ago, I'm not sure what changed. Ah, the connector is a tad longer than what fits, so perhaps one must jiggle the phone a bit to get it to work? Though I tried that earlier, too....
Software/driver side is a flop. The Samsung Desk Home application from the marketplace (the generic one) doesn't work. So yeah, no automatic launching or sound out of the dock's line out. It's odd, since the settings has a dock setting in the settings, so something should work. I just wasn't able to find out what. I suppose the dock might have an identifier & the phone isn't coded in?
Yo_L2 said:
Well, I bought one to try out. Wasn't much, only $10 from eBay with the packaging or $13 new. Oh, I'm using a stock AT&T Captivate Glide on the latest update.
Physically, it's fine. Smaller than it looks, actually, covering about 9/10 of the length & 4/5 of the height. The depth is a bit more fudged, covering only the lower half of the slider, leaving the screen half hanging. The main issue is that although the plug is 95% on target, the 5% means you'd have to add a spacer to raise the rest of the phone up a bit. But it definitely attaches without trouble. Nice & compact.
EDIT: Driver: the charging works, though considering it didn't a few hours ago, I'm not sure what changed. Ah, the connector is a tad longer than what fits, so perhaps one must jiggle the phone a bit to get it to work? Though I tried that earlier, too....
Software/driver side is a flop. The Samsung Desk Home application from the marketplace (the generic one) doesn't work. So yeah, no automatic launching or sound out of the dock's line out. It's odd, since the settings has a dock setting in the settings, so something should work. I just wasn't able to find out what. I suppose the dock might have an identifier & the phone isn't coded in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which docking station did you get? that is 1 thing I don't understand with samsung, why do they make the micro usb connector on the top of the phone? It should be on the bottom, this would be simpler for docking stations to connect and less cumbersome having a wire to conect all the way to the top of the phone.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I927R using xda app-developers app
My mistake, I forgot it's difficult to locate. Here's the Galaxy S used version <ebay.com/itm/OEM-Samsung-Galaxy-S-i9000-Multimedia-Dock-Home-Charger-/150629639833> & new version <ebay.com/itm/N-OEM-Samsung-Galaxy-S-4G-Multimedia-Dock-Home-Charger-/160616869990>. If you go through the store, there's the Vibrant & Galaxy S versions, but I'm not sure there are any differences.
Being a horizontal dock, your issue is not applicable, though it's certainly understandable.
Oh right, the clock application already has a dock function, but it doesn't activate upon docking & I couldn't get it to reroute the audio. It does prevent the screen from turning off, so I guess it's not too bad.
Hi would this work with the glue as a basic dock? not sure if the plug is in the right place for this mobile,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Gal...UTF8&colid=2AOM2U1G0O9ZJ&coliid=I9O547D7LLW3P
if not aren't there any Samsung accessories that can be adapted for a dock to charge or hdmi out here's wishing lol.
Atb
That is the amazon location of the dock I reviewed. Everything I've mentioned should apply.
I guess glue would work? As long as it's completely dry, naturally. I used three thin nails in three rows, taped down. Not the prettiest, but at least it matches the blue led.
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Hi Thanks for that, where's the link to your review and why were the nails used just to stop it dropping forward of the front of the dock, were there any other mods needed to make it work.
Thanks
Paul
The review is spread over two posts, two & four posts above my prior post with pictures.
I used nails as a spacer as the micro-USB port is a tad bit high. Everything else worked well, though the phone electrical connection to the dock may be finicky at times.
I currently use an ihome desk lamp. The glide sits rather well in the ipod dock, but I have to supply my own power. I was eyeing this the other day too http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/ec56/
found it! SGH-i927 HTPC solution
here's what i think we've all been looking for:
this should be all you need to use your Captivate Glide as HTPC (or just use the dock on your night-table/desk, whatever)
iBolt™ MHL Streamer Dock - Black
http://www.fommy.com/view-full-page.php?divid=Samsung&model=Samsung+Captivate+Glide+SGH-I927&cat=Cradles&skuno=94753
the only actual dock i've found that's listed as compatible with i927, and it comes with cables! i am SO getting that one of these days...
(actually, the compatibility list is quite large, i'm guessing just about any device with MHL will work with this dock)
i happened to find this site about an hour into googling for a glide dock... they have the widest range of sgh-i927 stuff i've found:
http://www.fommy.com/samsung-captivate-glide-sgh-i927.htm
and that's the only place i've found that sells the iBolt dock...
couple that dock with a Bluetooth kbd/mouse combo; something like this:
CE Compass Bluetooth HID Wireless Keyboard Mouse
*edit*
THIS little thing is AWESOME:
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/wireless-touch-keyboard-k400
I picked one up on sale at Office Depot. Works GREAT and even has a home button.
After using this on windows pc's, android tablets and android phone (USB OTG), I HIGHLY reccommend it to anyone looking for a keyboard with integrated touchpad.
two finger scrolling in windows and android works great.
in case you don't have an hdmi monitor, just an HD hdmi to dvi adapter for ~$5
(if you have to go DVI, chances are you'll need an audio cable to connect to your audio device. for example, my tv is older and doesnt do audio over DVI, but the DVI input has RCA audio inputs right beside it; so i would use a 3.5mm to RCA cable.
Or you may want to run from phone headphone jack to audio line in on your home theatre audio receiver.
Chances are if you need seperate audio cable, either 3.5mm to RCA or 3.5mm double-ended cable would be what you need.)
so that's about $100 to use your phone as a desktop computer or HTPC as well.
I can't wait to try this on my 60" DLP tv....

What are you using for your pogo pin contacts?

Happened to come across this business card holder in the store and it holds the Galaxy Nexus perfectly. The mesh spacing is also almost the same width as the pogo connections, so I'm looking into modding this into a pogo dock.
http://www.officemax.com/office-furniture/desk-accessories-organizers/product-prod2980161
Just wondering what everyone has been using for their pogo pin contacts? I've seen mentions of guitar string, push pins, and screws from other threads here. I plan to solder the ends of the USB wires to the contact, then hot glue them in place on the holder (which also will insulate them from the mesh so I don't get any shorts).
I'm also thinking of making a slightly raised section on the right side that lines up with the power button so that I can push the phone down slightly to hit power, since I don't want the screen on constantly while in the dock.
you might want to check here for info on enabling the middle pin to get AC charge and Desk/Car mode.
As for docks, I'm using a case, so i'm going to start work this week on moding my case to make pins accessible from the outside.
Pogo pins from yokowo, lined up with the official stand/extra battery charger.
Is there anyway to get these in the US? I'm not near their 2 stores here and I don't see anything about ordering online. I'd prefer to use something like this that's actually made for it rather than have to ghetto rig something
ldp_frog said:
Is there anyway to get these in the US? I'm not near their 2 stores here and I don't see anything about ordering online. I'd prefer to use something like this that's actually made for it rather than have to ghetto rig something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think ghetto rigging something is the only way to go with the pogo contacts. There arent many accessories that make use of the contacts and dont think Samsung or anyone else is going to be coming out with anything new as newer phones come out. I hope as it seems like it is an awesome way to charge the device but think you have to check out the DIY sticky thread at the top of this forum to get better ideas. GL

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