I know I'm not the first, so credit where credit is due to all those that came before me with the Nexus and those that came before those with other phones. Major props to Palm for being innovative, having owned a Palm Pre before, it's really ashame that phone never really caught on.
Having said that, I present to you the Inductive Charging Otterbox Commuter Case. Really very much like all the other mods out there. Do some measuring, drill some holes, solder some wire, bam, you're done. This is obviously just another variant on a lot of other mods out there, so this really isn't anything new. I won't go into the nitty gritty details, just tips and tricks I found worked along the way.
To start, obviously you'll need an Otterbox Commuter series case. I thought this one would work best because it has the hard outer shell with a silicone inner lining.
Next you'll need at least 2 of these spring-loaded contacts made by Mill-max. They are 0.137" in height uncompressed and 0.098" in height fully compressed. That's 3.48mm and 2.49mm for you metric folks. These things are tiny, so a nice pair of tweezers will aide you in this process.
http://search.digikey.com/us/en/products/811-22-001-30-000101/ED8110-01-ND/682269
The next thing I bought was 24 awg pre-tinned copper wire. Doesn't have to be this exactly, but I found it worked nicely.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102500
I also used some PermaPoxy 5-minute plastic weld to epoxy the pogos into the side of the case. Found it at my local hardware.
http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-8411...ZC6U/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1330051726&sr=8-3
The most crucial part of this is accurately measuring (and maybe a little lucky guessing) on where to drill the holes in the side of the case. The method I used was not precise and involved more guess-work than I care to admit. In the end, I had to do a little fine-tuning by scraping some material away in the direction I needed one of the pogos to be. I started off with a 1/32 drill bit and stepped my way up until I could fit the pogo in with a minute amount of play.
For each of the two pogo contacts, I made a small curve in the wire that would wrap around the radius on the back of each pogo. You'll notice there is a solid copper surface contact area on the back of these. I placed the wire around its circumference and soldered it in place nice and smooth. A small set of locking pliers or some sort of small vice will help you free up a hand and hold the pogo while you position the wire and solder it.
Once all of this was done, I took a thick paperclip (toothpick works fine), and mixed up the epoxy and used the toothpick to apply a layer to the inner part of the holes in the commuter case and on the outer part of the plastic-like portion of the pogos. Then slide them in place and use the wire that they are soldered to to position them and hold them in place for a few minutes until the epoxy starts to set. Do this one pogo at a time to make sure you get them in correctly and make sure they are flush on the back with the outer part of the case.
After that, you position the inductive charging circuit from the Palm Pre battery door and then trim and solder the wires to it. The top contact (contact nearest the coil) is ground and the bottom is +5V. Same goes for the pogo contacts on the phone. You will then need to trim some silicone material away from the side where the pogos will need to make contact with the phone.
What you have to do after this is all in how well you positioned things at the start. I had to take my extended battery and back off and go back to the normal battery and back. I also had to trim some silicone material away that was over the regulator circuit of the inductive charging cell, that's the thickest part of the entire piece and it was pushing my phone up too high in the case.
A side benefit of this method is the outer contacts are still maintained and you could potentially design a desk dock, car dock, whatever that would make use of the pogo charging in case the touchstone isn't the most ideal for that situation. Things you could do to improve on this would be:
-Add stronger magnets so the phone would hold to the touchstone better
-Texture the back of the Commuter case somehow to make it not so slick. This also would help the phone stay on the touchstone better
-Sand a little of the material away where the charging circuit will be on the case, would make for a better fit in the case (still bulges at the bottom a bit like it does with the extended battery in)
Feel free to point out other things I could have done better and post up your own versions if you attempt this mod
This looks awesome -- might have to give it a try during a lazy weekend or something!
Thanks for the description and pictures MSU!
Please see here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1502812
Different case, but same concept.
Related
I bought this when I got my Xoom in March.
http://www.amazon.com/rooCASE-Execu...PCFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313413965&sr=8-1
I've enjoyed this case for quite some time, but now it has turned into a pain. The inside case that actually holds the Xoom has worn out already. The leather is all in good shape, but the flap that actually keeps the Xoom from sliding out is no longer of use. The flap has a piece of Velcro on it. This piece (I'm assuming from being in such a tight spot) has gotten so beat down that it no longer holds onto the soft fabric. Replacing the piece will consist of removing the stitching that holds it in place, then sewing on a new piece.
I thought I'd share this in case you're still looking for a case. If you don't mind replacing this piece after a few month then it's an amazing case. All positioning is perfect for me, as you can set it at almost any angle.
Running into some of the same issues you are. I love the case from the outside. We need flaps on the camera side, so it doesnt cover the camera. I am going to check with the creator, to see if they will swap.
zehkaiser said:
I bought this when I got my Xoom in March.
http://www.amazon.com/rooCASE-Execu...PCFK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313413965&sr=8-1
I've enjoyed this case for quite some time, but now it has turned into a pain. The inside case that actually holds the Xoom has worn out already. The leather is all in good shape, but the flap that actually keeps the Xoom from sliding out is no longer of use. The flap has a piece of Velcro on it. This piece (I'm assuming from being in such a tight spot) has gotten so beat down that it no longer holds onto the soft fabric. Replacing the piece will consist of removing the stitching that holds it in place, then sewing on a new piece.
I thought I'd share this in case you're still looking for a case. If you don't mind replacing this piece after a few month then it's an amazing case. All positioning is perfect for me, as you can set it at almost any angle.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seriously bud... dont sweat.. CUT the old piece out if need be.. and then go to your local hardware store and by velcro with a sticky piece on the back for either side, the loop or the hook.. i can do that and have used it to hold many things with both pieces and it only cost me about $3-5... not alot of money and will take about 5 minutes... try it out if you like the case.. or set it on fire, dance around it, laugh then suck it up and buy something else lol
Good news for all you Proclip fans,
I just recieved mine today and it works with the Samsung Extended battery just as well as the standard battery. There is a 1/2 in space behind the phone that should allow for even the most extreme extended batteries to fit as long as the battery cover does not extend beyond where the original battery cover fits (like if it wraps around the side of the phone it will not fit).
I ordered Proclip part number 513331 (Hard wired install).
Proclip doesn't disappoint either, this mount is just as awesome as the one for my old DINC. Nice and sturdy.
I'll post some pics later when I get it installed.
As is typical with proclip mounts, the mount is designed based on the physical dimensions of the phone (specifically the sides of the phone) so cases that change those dimensions will cause the phone to not fit in the grooves correctly.
Pix of the proclip in action
Grabbed a couple of pics for anyone interested.
Looks good, I had the incredible one too, but imo it was a little to hard to get in and out. Unfortunately since I already chipped my phone, I'm too scared to go naked with this phone. Plus their price is just too high for me.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
T-Keith said:
Looks good, I had the incredible one too, but imo it was a little to hard to get in and out. Unfortunately since I already chipped my phone, I'm too scared to go naked with this phone. Plus their price is just too high for me.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wont argue that they are spendy - I already had the base part but it's like $100 for both pieces for newbies.
But I do get something that no other mount has been able to offer me - this one is wired into the car, I can use only one hand to put my phone in it, and it doesn't fall or move when I press too hard. Considering the Verizon one is $40 and a POS it seemed worth the extra.
But yea if you have a case it's not so good.
does you phone fall if you turn the screen for navigation ?
I just ordered Proclip's adjustable mount 875214. Hopefully it will work well with my diztronic case. It grips near the bottom of the phone so it shouldn't interfere with any of the buttons or ports. I'll update after it arrives with the results!
roachdabug said:
I just ordered Proclip's adjustable mount 875214. Hopefully it will work well with my diztronic case. It grips near the bottom of the phone so it shouldn't interfere with any of the buttons or ports. I'll update after it arrives with the results!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should be good, as it is adjustable. I wish they made the sides of the powered mount adjustable...
juju2lose said:
does you phone fall if you turn the screen for navigation ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, it stays in there really well.
roachdabug said:
I just ordered Proclip's adjustable mount 875214. Hopefully it will work well with my diztronic case. It grips near the bottom of the phone so it shouldn't interfere with any of the buttons or ports. I'll update after it arrives with the results!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well for those who aren't aware, these Proclip holders come in 2 pieces: The first is a custom-fit bracket for your particular vehicle, and the other is the actual phone holder.
So let me start with the holder. The one I got is adjustable and holds my Galaxy Nexus with Diztronic case extremely well. It's snug but not difficult to remove, and leaves plenty of room behind the phone for the craziest of extended batteries. A+
Then there's the mounting bracket... I selected 853616 for my '07 Impreza. It hooked in behind the panel just fine and it is made of the same plastic as the holder which was nicer than I expected.
Unfortunately, it goes downhill from here: This particular bracket is a bad fit. All the angles are off, and as a result the adhesive backed sections do not contact the vehicle properly. Even if they did, the adhesive is so weak that I'm not sure it would stick. I'm going to have to pull it all apart and go to work with some thick double-sided adhesive tape of my own in order to deal with the gaps and get it installed properly. Not cool, especially considering the whole kit ended up costing me about $60. Now, there's lots of different brackets for lots of different cars out there, so your mileage may vary.
At any rate, it does a much better job holding the phone than my cupholder did.
Got mine a couple of days ago.
As has been noted, they come in two pieces. The piece that holds the phone is very, very nice and will definitely work with any reasonable extended battery. It's very snug, but not too snug, and the fit is perfect. I got one of the powered versions and it's fantastic.
The car mount piece, for me, is of similar quality. The fit is near stock and the thing is damn near impossible to remove.
As a unit, the two pieces are rock solid.
Highly recommended. I wouldn't hold out for the Samsung three pin holder. I had that same holder (minus the three pins, obviously) for my Nexus S - and this one is far, far, far better.
roachdabug said:
Well for those who aren't aware, these Proclip holders come in 2 pieces: The first is a custom-fit bracket for your particular vehicle, and the other is the actual phone holder.
So let me start with the holder. The one I got is adjustable and holds my Galaxy Nexus with Diztronic case extremely well. It's snug but not difficult to remove, and leaves plenty of room behind the phone for the craziest of extended batteries. A+
Then there's the mounting bracket... I selected 853616 for my '07 Impreza. It hooked in behind the panel just fine and it is made of the same plastic as the holder which was nicer than I expected.
Unfortunately, it goes downhill from here: This particular bracket is a bad fit. All the angles are off, and as a result the adhesive backed sections do not contact the vehicle properly. Even if they did, the adhesive is so weak that I'm not sure it would stick. I'm going to have to pull it all apart and go to work with some thick double-sided adhesive tape of my own in order to deal with the gaps and get it installed properly. Not cool, especially considering the whole kit ended up costing me about $60. Now, there's lots of different brackets for lots of different cars out there, so your mileage may vary.
At any rate, it does a much better job holding the phone than my cupholder did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How snug of a fit is it? I have Verizon galaxy nexus with extended battery and Diztronic case. Does it take quite a bit of pressure to put it in the holder? Also, is the headphone jack open at the bottom?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
roachdabug said:
the adhesive backed sections do not contact the vehicle properly. Even if they did, the adhesive is so weak that I'm not sure it would stick. I'm going to have to pull it all apart and go to work with some thick double-sided adhesive tape of my own in order to deal with the gaps and get it installed properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I had to do for my wife's Civic. She got the car mount that affixes to the center console and that one piece of double sided tape just wasn't cutting it. I used a heat gun to remove the factory tape and then liberally applied tape to all parts contacting the console. It's been holding steady for over a year.
Proclip should probably give people more sticky tape - but I think the reason they only use a single piece is because they tout that the proclip doesn't damage the car and it could be argued that uber liberal amounts of double-sided sticky tape could potentially damage some surfaces. In the civic it’s all plastic so it’s NBD to use a heat gun and remove any residue, but if was a BMW with an oak dash then I could see people complaining.
dgwood12 said:
How snug of a fit is it? I have Verizon galaxy nexus with extended battery and Diztronic case. Does it take quite a bit of pressure to put it in the holder? Also, is the headphone jack open at the bottom?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think any case would work with the proclip because it is a very snug fit and yes it takes a fair amount of pressure to put it in. Not so much that it will move the dock but certainly enough to keep the phone from coming out accidentally.
The only reason the extended battery works is because there is nearly a 1 inch opening behind the phone and the battery cover does not extend to the edge.
Yes the headphone jack is open but you would need a connector that is straight. A 90 degree connector would not work.
I searched and didn't see this asked, so if it has been I am terribly sorry, I know how annoying it is. On with the question.
Does anyone have the specs (measurements) on the Otterbox Commuter case??
I'm looking for thickness of the silicone layer on the sides (specifically the portion directly over the pogo pin contacts) as well as the thickness of the plastic outer layer at the same spot?
If no one knows these measurements, could someone that has this case get access to a pair of digital calipers and take those measurements for me and get back to me??
Reason for asking is I am thinking of modding a case to have pogo pins built into it and have wires/conductive tape running to the inside back of the case where I can hopefully place the inductive charging circuit from a Palm phone and viola! have an inductive charging case that utilizes the pogo pins on the phone. Found a set of pogo pins that measure 3.48mm tall with a stroke of .99mm so fully compressed they would measure 2.49mm.
Deleted.......
Guess no one has the answer or cares. Ordered one anyway, if I have any success with the mod I'll post pictures.
I'd like my new CaseMate Pop! case to have pogo pin functionality. After looking at the case, I don't think it'd be wise to cut a big chunk out to accommodate the pins. Does anyone know of any pass-through pins that I could "poke" through the rubbery part of the case?
Feel free to look around the DIY workshop. By my records, the material used for pogo contact so for include:
Actual pogo pins
Guitar strings
Thumbtacks
Battery terminal prongs
Copper tape
Card reader prongs
Bare wires
Nails
Paperclips
So, If it conducts it should work. Just gotta be careful about scratching the phone. Some guys have actually made indents on each pin contact from using sharp stuff.
In your case, I think you should think about the heads of tiny screws from glasses hinges, poked through from the inside of the case....
subvertz said:
Feel free to look around the DIY workshop. By my records, the material used for pogo contact so for include:
Actual pogo pins
Guitar strings
Thumbtacks
Battery terminal prongs
Copper tape
Card reader prongs
Bare wires
Nails
Paperclips
So, If it conducts it should work. Just gotta be careful about scratching the phone. Some guys have actually made indents on each pin contact from using sharp stuff.
In your case, I think you should think about the heads of tiny screws from glasses hinges, poked through from the inside of the case....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like me
The battery terminal pogo pins i took from my old phone have kinda strong springs.
Can't focus properly since i'm using a point and shoot camera....
But i'm sure the indent is visible.
subvertz said:
Feel free to look around the DIY workshop. By my records, the material used for pogo contact so for include:
Actual pogo pins
Guitar strings
Thumbtacks
Battery terminal prongs
Copper tape
Card reader prongs
Bare wires
Nails
Paperclips
So, If it conducts it should work. Just gotta be careful about scratching the phone. Some guys have actually made indents on each pin contact from using sharp stuff.
In your case, I think you should think about the heads of tiny screws from glasses hinges, poked through from the inside of the case....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tiny screws are a fantastic idea! However, I just realized that I got the 1st version of the Pop! Case from Case Mate. I will have to return it to Amazon. Don't buy from Case123USA. It's bad news bears!
CNLiberal said:
Tiny screws are a fantastic idea! However, I just realized that I got the 1st version of the Pop! Case from Case Mate. I will have to return it to Amazon. Don't buy from Case123USA. It's bad news bears!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with your be careful remark. I am considering using some heads of ballheadpens and see where it leads me.
Well, I know it's been a while, but it's DONE!
First, some back story. I carried an iPhone 4 for two years. For those 24 months I had it in a case from a company called Pad and Quill called "Little Black Book". This was indeed a case for the iPhone 4 that looked and felt like a "little black book" notebook. I loved this case… in fact I loved this case more than I did the iPhone 4, which I felt was powerful yet frustratingly limited. When I liberated myself to the pure Google experience of Android and Nexus, I was saddened at the bleak landscape of the third party case market.
So I set myself on a mission to re-create the handmade notebook love of my beloved Pad and Quill case. After months of putting this project off, I decided to bite the bullet and complete it this weekend. What you see here is "Galaxy Nexus Bookcase ver 0.9 Beta". This is of course not the "first" version, there were 2 pervious alpha releases, but they didn't quite meet my expectations.
The problem was, and still is, fashioning the wooden surround for the phone. My very first attempt used wooden popsicle sticks, cut and glued to shape. While this held the phone well, it looked too much like 1st-grade-art-class. My second attempt used a 1/2 inch wooden (Birch) backing, with thin wooden rails glued to it. This looked better and held very well, but was very, VERY, thick.
With version 0.9 Beta I took a different approach. I wanted to have the solid wood look while still getting the thiner overall design. The solution is of course a wood planer, but the overall length and width of the wooden holder would be too small to go through the Dewalt planer I had access too. My plan then was to glue two layers of 1/2 Oak together. The bottom layer would be a single piece amply wide and long enough to be effectively planed. The top layer would be comprised of 4 smaller pieces arranged to leave a rectangle just big enough to set the phone into. Once the glue setup overnight, I ran the two conjoined layers through the planer, planing down the top layer until it was just tall enough to cover the phone, and planing down the bottom layer until it was nothing but a thin backing. I then trimmed away the excess length and width with a table saw until only the thinest side walls remained. I then used a rotary tool to cut away the button, usb, headphone, and camera holes in the side rails. I purposely did NOT make a hole for the pogo pins. While I do have a pogo charging cradle, the ideal of somehow modifying it or the case to make the connection is just silly.
If anything, I "might" look into modifying the wooden rails to install an inductive charging disk between the wooden rail backing and the back cloth/leather cover. I could then run the wires from this inductive charging disk into leads that make contact with the pogo pins, thus creating an inductive charging case. But this most likly is just a pipe dream.
For the speaker, I decided to barrel sand down a small channel from the Galaxy Nexus's speaker to the lower portion of the case. This has actually increased the perceived volume from the device as it keeps the speaker from being impeded when laid on a flat and soft surfaces.
Overall I am happier with this rail design than it's two predecessors, but there is much room for improvement. I still want it to be thiner, and I'm not happy with how I botched the button holes. While the "wood" look is classy, I can always use another material and apply a wood veneer. I'm thinking my next version might be 3D printed with a polymer. This technique would also allow for a more "form fitting" back, and more exact holes.
The "book" was to me the easiest part, because I had it made by someone else
My wife is a professional librarian / bookbinder / book-restorer. She used book leather, backing, and cloth to create the 3 parts of the cover. I then attached the elastic closing loop, which is both held together by glue, and by thread stitching between the wooden rail backing and the back cloth/leather cover.
While I made a hole for the camera and flash in the wooden rail backing, I've not decided if I'm going to cut a corresponding hole the the cloth/leather back cover.
The last issue may be one that cannot be "fixed". The overall case is just a little too big to fit into the breast pocket of my shirt. The cases easily adds an inch to the older all length of the phone, a little over a half inch to the width, and only a 1/4 inch it's thickness. The Galaxy Nexus is already a large device, so I might just be stuck having a phone case that sticks out of the top of my pocket. At least it looks like a book.
In any event, I wanted to share this with the community and get some feed-back. Thanks!
mckinleytabor said:
Well, I know it's been a while, but it's DONE!
First, some back story. I carried an iPhone 4 for two years. For those 24 months I had it in a case from a company called Pad and Quill called "Little Black Book". This was indeed a case for the iPhone 4 that looked and felt like a "little black book" notebook. I loved this case… in fact I loved this case more than I did the iPhone 4, which I felt was powerful yet frustratingly limited. When I liberated myself to the pure Google experience of Android and Nexus, I was saddened at the bleak landscape of the third party case market.
So I set myself on a mission to re-create the handmade notebook love of my beloved Pad and Quill case. After months of putting this project off, I decided to bite the bullet and complete it this weekend. What you see here is "Galaxy Nexus Bookcase ver 0.9 Beta". This is of course not the "first" version, there were 2 pervious alpha releases, but they didn't quite meet my expectations.
The problem was, and still is, fashioning the wooden surround for the phone. My very first attempt used wooden popsicle sticks, cut and glued to shape. While this held the phone well, it looked too much like 1st-grade-art-class. My second attempt used a 1/2 inch wooden (Birch) backing, with thin wooden rails glued to it. This looked better and held very well, but was very, VERY, thick.
With version 0.9 Beta I took a different approach. I wanted to have the solid wood look while still getting the thiner overall design. The solution is of course a wood planer, but the overall length and width of the wooden holder would be too small to go through the Dewalt planer I had access too. My plan then was to glue two layers of 1/2 Oak together. The bottom layer would be a single piece amply wide and long enough to be effectively planed. The top layer would be comprised of 4 smaller pieces arranged to leave a rectangle just big enough to set the phone into. Once the glue setup overnight, I ran the two conjoined layers through the planer, planing down the top layer until it was just tall enough to cover the phone, and planing down the bottom layer until it was nothing but a thin backing. I then trimmed away the excess length and width with a table saw until only the thinest side walls remained. I then used a rotary tool to cut away the button, usb, headphone, and camera holes in the side rails. I purposely did NOT make a hole for the pogo pins. While I do have a pogo charging cradle, the ideal of somehow modifying it or the case to make the connection is just silly.
If anything, I "might" look into modifying the wooden rails to install an inductive charging disk between the wooden rail backing and the back cloth/leather cover. I could then run the wires from this inductive charging disk into leads that make contact with the pogo pins, thus creating an inductive charging case. But this most likly is just a pipe dream.
For the speaker, I decided to barrel sand down a small channel from the Galaxy Nexus's speaker to the lower portion of the case. This has actually increased the perceived volume from the device as it keeps the speaker from being impeded when laid on a flat and soft surfaces.
Overall I am happier with this rail design than it's two predecessors, but there is much room for improvement. I still want it to be thiner, and I'm not happy with how I botched the button holes. While the "wood" look is classy, I can always use another material and apply a wood veneer. I'm thinking my next version might be 3D printed with a polymer. This technique would also allow for a more "form fitting" back, and more exact holes.
The "book" was to me the easiest part, because I had it made by someone else
My wife is a professional librarian / bookbinder / book-restorer. She used book leather, backing, and cloth to create the 3 parts of the cover. I then attached the elastic closing loop, which is both held together by glue, and by thread stitching between the wooden rail backing and the back cloth/leather cover.
While I made a hole for the camera and flash in the wooden rail backing, I've not decided if I'm going to cut a corresponding hole the the cloth/leather back cover.
The last issue may be one that cannot be "fixed". The overall case is just a little too big to fit into the breast pocket of my shirt. The cases easily adds an inch to the older all length of the phone, a little over a half inch to the width, and only a 1/4 inch it's thickness. The Galaxy Nexus is already a large device, so I might just be stuck having a phone case that sticks out of the top of my pocket. At least it looks like a book.
In any event, I wanted to share this with the community and get some feed-back. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not my cup of tea but looks like a fun item
i'd be tempted to paint/varnish/stain the wood .... or cover the visible bit in printed paper
Its always good to see what people do. keep up the good work
Wow Nice! A bit hard to fit into my pocket I think though...
It is that...
kayaker said:
Wow Nice! A bit hard to fit into my pocket I think though...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is rather large in the pocket. Even if the next iteration cuts down on the length, it will still be pretty big. I think the "size" issue is something a lot of current generation Android users have to deal with. My aforementioned wife tried to carrying a Galaxy Nexus for a few weeks, but it would never fit into the pockets of her "skinny jeans". I'm on the hunt for a Galaxy s3 Mini for her, but haven't pulled the trigger yet because Cyanogenmod hasn't realsed a 10.1 (Android 4.2) nightly version for that platform... and I think it's a form of spousal abuse to make one's wife use the TouchWiz UI.
Thats pretty slick. Its cool to have that sort of skill set to create something quality like that
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Cool project. I definitely agree with the 3d printer idea, that is what I was going to suggest.