Touchstone-mod for the Blade

[Guest FelixL]

http://www.android-hilfe.de/root-hacking-modding-fuer-zte-blade-osf-lutea/141740-touchstone-mod-fuers-blade.html#post1933716

It's in german, but I think the images are quite easy to understand. If somebody wants a translation of the stuff I wrote in the first post I will do one, just wanted to share this now. (Translation now added in this post!)

Credits go to the guy who did it for the HTC Evo:

http://www.goodandevo.net/2010/06/how-to-mod-htc-evo-4g-to-work-with-palm-touchstone-wireless-charger.html

With the Blade it's even easier, since you don't need to open it. Two of the six golden contacts beneath the SIM-card provide GND and USB-5V. Maybe someone can even build some kind of plug so this is easily reversible.

Newest pictures are in my Dropbox, and (opposed to the first version) the batterycover does not need the help of tape to stay closed anymore ;)

https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/13648783/1/Touchstone?h=f3414f

Please share your feedback, questions and pics if you did it yourself :)

Edit: lol, no, I did not wait for this to make it my post number 100 here ;)

Edit2:

Here is my translation of the first post:

-----------------------------------------------------------

[Disclaimer]

Neither MoDaCo nor me is responsible for any damage to your phone or anything else if you choose to apply this mod. If your device explodes, your important data on your SD-card is erased because 5V touched it or the device starts to empty your fridge every night, it's your fault.

If your not sure about anything here, let it be. For the rest of you: Good luck!

[/Disclaimer]

Original tutorial for the HTC Evo:

http://www.goodandevo.net/2010/06/how-to-mod-htc-evo-4g-to-work-with-palm-touchstone-wireless-charger.html

Teardown of a Touchstone and the backcover of the Palm Pre:

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Palm-Touchstone-Charger-Teardown/810/1

Essentially I just want to fill the holes you find if you would want to do the mod with the Blade:

Pictures: (take a look at the original post)

1.: Electronic parts from the backcover of a Palm Pre.

2.: Contacts inside the Blade, black is GND, red is USB-5V

3.: Electronics inside the Blade.

New and better pictures:

https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/13648783/1/Touchstone?h=f3414f

Additional information you might need:

1.: Beware if you choose a backcover from another device like the Palm Pixi. There are reports the contacts are switched. Put the backcover on the Touchstone, and measure yourself!

2: The voltage without load was 5.58V with my backcover. Thats more than the 5V you'd expect and need. However, if you take a fat 10Ohm resistor and connect it to the backplate you will see that the voltage drops. If I charge my Blade slowly (like on a USB-port, what it will naturally do since the data+ and data- is nor shorted) the voltage drops to 5.1V, which I hope is in the specification. The Blade than pulls a current of 350mA, which is more than I expected.

In AC-mode the voltage drops to 4.83V! And that although the Touchstone was made for even more current than the 700mA the Blade should pull then!

I will charge my Blade slowly, because it is some work to build an adapter just to short the data, and I would want that adapter to be small enough it can stay in the USB-port all the time. Additionally it's less stress for the battery.

3.: This is not made for the use in a car. The Pre seams to be lighter, or the backcover is thiner so the magnets get a stronger hold or whatever. The Blade stays on the Touchstone, but not with a really strong hold.

It's a great stand for playing or typing SMS, btw.

4.: Even if you think the induced current should be AC, and so you should be able to flip the electronics inside, this is not the case! you can rotate it, but you can not change the face that has to be on the side of the Touchstone. It will just not charge! I had it that way first, and it looked really good because everything was sealed properly, but I had to turn it around.

5.: At the first try the batterycover did not hold anymore after fitting everything in there. I was able to close it, but it sprang open the moment I did would not touch it anymore. Now I have rearranged everything, you can see it on the newer pictures, and it's no problem anymore :)

6. As mentioned above the Blade will only charge slowly if you do not build something like a plug that can stay in the usb-port and shorten the data+ and data-. This is no problem for me, since now I have my Blade on the Touchstone all the time, so it is no matter how fast it charges.

7.: The silver foil is probably not important. However I did not remove or cut into it, since it may isolate the rest of the phone against the magnetic field.

8.: I did not notice any drop in reception.

How hard this is to apply?

No problem at all, if you can or have someone who does the soldering. It's only two cables, but the contacts are quite small and there is a lot of plastic to burn around them -.-

You do not have to open the device!

Costs:

-If you do it wrong:

Your device + one Touchstone + one backcover + whatever else goes on fire.

-If you do it right:

less than 30€ for a Touchstone and inductive backcover, you can get them together on ebay, for example.

What can be done better:

- I have some ideas for a plug, so you would not have to solder, and everything would easily be revertible. However it is more complicated to build such a plug and make it safe than just soldering :P

But really, the place there just begs for some kind of plug.

If you own some other device than the Blade and want to do the same, here is a short howto:

Get a multimeter, if you can one that beeps if there is a connection and a diode-tester included. Get a USB-cable you can cut in two.

Remove the battery, the SD- and the SIM-card from the device. By removing the battery you do not need to worry to short anything while testing with the multimeter.

Cut the USB-cable, remove the isolation from the tip of the red and the black cable inside.

Put the USB-cable inside the USB-port of the Blade, you can use your charging cable as an adapter, so you do not need to cut your charging cable apart.

Measure from the red cable to any contact you can see inside the phone. If you find a connection somewhere check if there is a diode in between, and don't forget to check in the other direction, too ;)

If there is no notable resistance and no diode in between you have found your 5V-pin! On some devices you may need to open them :/

Now you do the same with the black cable, you should find some GND-pins, they are more common than the 5V ;)

If you want to doublecheck you can connect the charger to the Blade and carefully measure the voltage between the to pins, it should be 5V. Beware not to touch anything else with the multimeter, so you wont get a short and kill the device!

If you want to triple-check before buying the Touchstone you can take the other half of the USB-cable, attach it to the charger and carefully try to charge your device through the pins you found. Good luck again ;)

I'd be glad to here if you got it to work with any device, see some pics and even to answer your questions, if you have any!

Edited September 7, 2011 by FelixL

[Guest haxxbaxx]

what is it lol? dont get it, can you explain what excatly it is?

[Guest WAWA72]

You can load the battery wireless

[Guest plegdroid]

what is it lol? dont get it, can you explain what excatly it is?

it's a wireless battery charger.:)

[Guest FelixL]

Just place the Blade on the Touchstone, and it stays there through magnets and gets charged wireless. Much easier and no fiddling with the small usb port.

By the way, does anybody know if there is an easy option to hinder the screen from turning on when charging starts? It lights up if you put the charger in, and stays on (not like when you hit the power button, and it goes off after some seconds). This is silly if you just want to place it on the Touchstone and leave it there, not use it.

Edited September 6, 2011 by FelixL

[Guest FelixL]

Edited the first post: picture and translated howto and information

[Guest Stuart_f]

The dropbox link doesn't work. It points to www.dropbox.com/gallery/1364...stone?h=f3414f note the ... in the middle, I guess it got shortened too much.

Edited September 6, 2011 by Stuart_f

[Guest WAWA72]

Xxxxxxwww.dropbox.com/gallery/13648783/1/Touchstone?h=f3414f

[Guest FelixL]

Thanks, fixed it now.