[WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Here's some more details about wireless charging TOH prototype that I did yesterday. And yes its a bit ugly hack but it works :-)

I'm working on improving it and testing different receivers and chargers to see whats the best combination.

What you need:
- Double sided glue tape or superglue
- QI receiver pad. I used following in this 1st experiement: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/290994467448 (But any 5V flat QI receiver will do).
- QI transmitter pad. In demo I used that Nokia one, but it really sucks as it is quite picky about the orientation. (I never got it working pad beeing inside the bag, but works when its outside). Most likely any generic QI charger would work.
- Some conductive wire, I just cutted legs off from generic resistors like this http://goo.gl/wvYRI3
- Soldering iron to connect 5V pins to right places. (receiver above has 5V and GND in different order that the pins on device, so I needed to hack a bit). I'll try to find receiver which orientation is better in the future.
- Small dremel & sharp knife (optional, if you want to shave half millimeter plastic off from back cover. Makes receiver fit better under the cover. Although it does fit even without shaving).

Howto:
- Shave off some plastics, and put receiver about over the place where battery is. Test that back cover closes and it looks ok.
- Either use double sided tape (I used that) or glue, and put receiver module in place.
- Put some double sided tape over the small hole where charger pins would connect.
- Solder wires to 5V and GND, and bend them in shape and press them down so they connect to double sided tape, you can also use glue to secure them in place. But good double sided glue tape is enough.

Overview pic:
http://s24.postimg.org/va2seucj9/IMG_3960.jpg

A bit of zooming:
http://s24.postimg.org/pxdy0pomt/IMG_3961.jpg

Macro pics (sloppy iron work, yes I know, its a proto):
http://s12.postimg.org/55lsqaq31/P_1...3_13_40_48.jpg
http://s12.postimg.org/nmg7h4619/P_1...3_13_33_58.jpg

Charging in action:
http://s14.postimg.org/j1tfqe0m9/charge.jpg

Update 20.12.2013:
I received another QI transmitter and receiver. This while generic QI transmitter is great, you can put device almost in any angle and it would still charge.

http://s7.postimg.org/6ybuif1ob/20131220_001.jpg

Red charging light shows up:
http://s18.postimg.org/tcf0clyex/20131220_003.jpg

Dimensions from below S4 receiver are a bit off, but lets see if I can do something with it.
http://s7.postimg.org/p2ev31zcr/20131220_002.jpg

Future improvements:
- find a better QI transmitter (that generic white one seems to be pretty nice).
- QI receiver is only for 650mA according to spec (Jolla phone seems to draw about 730mA from that so its pretty ok), and charger pins support upto 1000mA, so hunting for receiver that supports 1000mA begins.
When I measured voltage with Fluke, it seems to give 4.99V on idle (which is ok), but 4.7-4.8V when charging (which makes it charge it a little slower than it would be at 5.0V), but lets see if 1000mA versions appear on my doorsteps someday.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Reserved for future updates.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Thanks, was really hoping for this information!

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

NIce! Doesn't look like rocket science to me nonetheless! :p

My two cents:
1: perhaps invest in some flat cables to reduce thickness.
2: make standard connector to the GND&5V pins. Will make a 3D cad of them when mine arrives, but aren't these standard pins -which means standard sockets exist?

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Limited Edition other half shipped with wireless charging would have been perfect!

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

What do you think about using Palm Touchstone kit for a wireless charger?

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Havent checked what voltage they give out, but most likely any kit would work if they are near to 5V.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Well yes current wires were still thinner than coil thickness so it didnt bother. But yes in next version I might just use copper tape just to get rid of soldering all together.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I already invested in copper tape along with the kit :)

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I googled different kind of wireless charging modules and I think Galaxy S3 has pretty close correct size module. Also pinout seems to be "correct way". Module dimension is around 62 x 46 mm (depends of model of course).

Here is sample picture of S3 module where you will see it's shape and pinout.

http://img.focalprice.com/860x666/MC.../MC0143B-3.jpg

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Can someone spesify which pin is ground and which is voltage, can't find that information anywhere.

I'm planning to order this kit (i9300 version) from Ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Qi-Wireless-...item2eca536173

I assume that that isn't plug'n'play solution even when pins are in "correct" order? I think my first try will be made without soldering with copper- & electric-tape and wires.


E: ofc it can't be plug'n'play, orientation of pins are different in S3.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

As I see pins are correct way in S3. Pin which is nearest outer edge of receiver is GND. But could be that measures are not even close to correct. We will see.. I also ordered S3 receiver.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I'm thinking of ordering the same i9300 kit.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Same here, the kit looks nice. Can one be sure it is actually 1000mA and not like 650?

Edit: ordered for S4

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Just ordered S3 and S4 receivers, lets see then which is easier to adapt in TOH.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Just remember that it doesn't use the most popular Qi standard. It's also very awkward to place any other device than the Palm as it needs a magnet to hold the phone.

I made the mistake to buy Touchstone for my Lumia because of the price I got it. It's a cool 4 euro paperweight though. :)

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I realise that what is printed on Chinese made "clones" can not always be fully trusted, but this QI reciever for the S3 does state 1000mA

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Qi-Wireles...item35cf1eabc9

I have taken a gamble and ordered one to try out.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I wonder if we could like cannibalize one of the Nokia wireless charging covers to ensure better compatibility with the Nokia charger. I've seen a mod for the Lumia 925 that does that, but the pad has 3 pins. Maybe from an 1020? That one has 2 pins.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

925 cover is atleast bad idea, since pins in that cover output 7.25V which will fry the charger circuit on Jolla.

PS. I updated the original post a bit as I have received more toys :)

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

What about the 820 cover?

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I think, the 820 cover will do fine. As far as I remember, it outputs 5V. The coil is removable easily (under heat) and very thin. It also comes with something like a shield, I guess*. I tried this before for another phone.
I was always going to try this when I get my Jolla. 'In picking' currently, I can report the result when it arrives.

*<1mm thick, flexible but quite heavy for its volume. Larger than the coil. Can someone tell what this is for? Is it to block the rays going beyond the coil?
btw: Could the electromagnetic field harm any of the other components? I think the field must be pretty strong to charge the battery. What happened, if AC was generated in other parts?

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

It's quite possible, actually. I've never seen it so can't say for sure but my wild guess would be it's there to increase efficiency rather than protect something. Magnetic circuits such as transformers (transformers not transformers ;) - wireless chargers are nothing more than the former in disguise) work best if the magnetic flux leak is kept to the minimum. This is usually achieved by directing the flux through some kind of magnetically conductive material.

It is possible in theory if the field is powerful and there are circuits in its path with coils inside them, oriented the wrong way. Even a badly designed PCB track can act as a coil. It is unlikely in practice though. Besides, any metal bits (such as the battery compartment in the N900) would divert the magnetic field and act as a shield.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

OK, thank you for that assessment. I uploaded two pictures of the 'disassembled' 820 shell.
The parts are easily removable. Back then I used a hairdryer to heat the glue.


EDIT: OK, sorry guys, I was wrong! The 820 shell outputs 6.95V, just measured it again... :(

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

No worries. You just saved me €9 :D

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

First of all, thanks a lot rainisto for your work and for posting it here. :)

I gave the touchstone wireless charging kit a try.
While idle the output voltage is about 5.64 V.
While charging this drops down to about 4.53 V.
I think this is due to the kit not being capable to deliver the needed current.
From past experiments with the N9, it seems that the touchstone kit is not that powerful.

Nevertheless, I gave it a try and charged for about 10% of the reported capacity.
It generally seems to work (despite of the relatively high drop of voltage from idle to charging).
However, the touchstone kit doesn't seem to be optimal for this.

I attached some photos of the internals and of the phone on the touchstone charger.
Personally, I quite like the "floating look" of the device when it is attached to the charger.

PS: During these experiments no Other Half was harmed. ;)
The receiver is held in place by its own glue (After having it pulled out from a Palm cover.).
The connection "pads" are held in place with hot-glue that can be removed completely without causing any damage.
By the way, I created the "connection pads" by forming a bit of the wire to a flat circular shape and then used tin-solder to fix it.

PPS: Is there a way to monitor the charging voltage and current on the device (e.g., via sysfs, proc, or something)?

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I made some more experiments.
Generally, charging via the touchstone kit seems to work quite stable.
With my old N9+touchstone hack the setup was very sensible with respect to how the phone is put on the charger.
So far, this seems to be no issue with the Jolla phone.

I also measured some charging times.
These values are pretty rough but should serve as an indication of what to expect.
In about 30 minutes the device charged approximately 14% of its capacity (from 43% to 57% absolute charging state).
In about 2 hours and 14 minutes it charged approximately 52% (from 43% to 95%).

By the way, I "modded" the charging unit a little with one of the stickers I got with the phone.
So, now I have my (semi-) official Jolla wireless charging kit. ;)
I attached some photos of this.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

That is badass, wish i had that wireless charger! I also wish i had a Jolla!
Anywho, nice work guys :)

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Today I've ordered receiver (S4) and charger from www.dx.com and in 6 days I'll let You know how I managed to fit everything.


http://dx.com/p/metrans-mwt03-super-...-black-226778#

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I just measured the charging current with the "csd tool":
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=92189

With the touchstone it reports a charging current of around 430mA.
When directly attached to the USB charger it reports around 960mA.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Thank you all for the information on making a wireless charing Otherhalf.

I have just typed up my experiences making one and up loaded it to http://www.jollatides.com/forums/dis...harging#Item_3

Any advice on where I have gotten stuck would be great.

Thanks all

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

@Grimtech: The links don't work in the blog post.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

Thank you for the heads up.

I have just fixed the eBay links, Ta! :)

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

The link back to this thread is also wrong (circular link back to the blog article). I think that's the only remaining link that isn't working. Nice blog post, hope you resolve the issue of the blinking lights.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I did some more experiments.
This time, I used a Qi charging set with a receiver that's said to output 1000mA.

The voltage while idle is pretty much exactly 5V.
I couldn't measure the voltage while loading due to the way I attached the receiver to the phone (see below).

The csd-tool reports charging currents up to ~780mA.
However, the current seems to fluctuate pretty much sometimes.

I am currently charging the phone via this setup.
So far, it charged for about 20% (from 50% to 70%) in about 30 minutes and about 40% (from 50% to 90%) in ~63 minutes.
This is about 1.43 times faster than with the touchstone kit.
The maximum charging current, however, is approximately 1.81 times bigger than with the touchstone kit.
The "slower than expected" charging could be due to the fluctuations in charging current.

This time, I didn't use additional cables to connect the receiver to the phone.
Instead, I used the flat cables that are already attached to the receiver.
However, the contact pins don't have the right polarity.
To correct this I cut the plastic between the flat wires and crossed the wires by bending one wire over the other.
Then I used a rasp/file to blanken the flat wires (remove the plastic cover) at the desired positions and used tin-solder to form new connection pads.
Finally, I could paste the receiver into the phone using the already pre-attached double-sided adhesive tape.
I added some more adhesive tape in order to push the connection pads down to improve the contact.

While charging the device gets pretty warm.
The location of the warm spot seems to be roughly underneath the camera.
I will try to keep an eye on that.

I attached some photos of all this.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I purchased QI set for Galaxy S3. Polarity is correctly, but unfortunately receiver did not fit "plug and play" as it's too wide and also pins are more wider on S3.

Anyhow, small modifications. Rotated receiver 90 degrees and recycling old led stripe to make flat cable and now it's working.

Receiver has 1000mA input and 600mA output. Charging current fluctuates but 620mA is maxium which I have noticed for this receiver. Voltage is stable 5.00 volts when unplugged.

Phone seems to need placed pretty accurately to pad while charging. As this is my first wireless charging device I don't know if that is normal or not :)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181276764838

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

For those considering the Palm Touchstone charging module there is this thread which might have useful info. http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=56950
Anyone who can add to that thread there is still interest just not much new information for the N900.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

I just noticed annoying problem.

When battery gets full phone will start stop loading. But as loading has been stopped it will drop below 100% and right after that it starts charging again.

This causes continuously *BEEP* Charing, *Beep* Charging, *BEEP* Charging -loop. :eek:

Anyone else has this problem?

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

^This, and why we need official wireless charging accessories with official OS support. It's likely the OS needs to be "tuned" for wireless charging to prevent such annoyances.

Re: [WIP] Wireless charging TOH
 

This doesn't concern only wireless charging - it will also most likely affect external batteries too, so it is a bug on the charging input of the TOH (should be handled the same as USB charging)...

Reported: https://together.jolla.com/question/...ttery-is-full/