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First, let me say I'm a bit more of a hack than a hacker. My soldering skills are based on a heathkit I built 20 years ago, and my dremel is old an out-of-balance. Still, I'm getting a new car (well, truck, actually) and wanted a good mount to go with my 8525.
Cutting right to the chase, I took an 8125 mount ($35), a martin fields stereo adapter ($10), the dual adapter that came with the kit, an FME male antenna adapter ($10), a radio shack panel mount stereo 1/8" socket ($4), and $1 worth of epoxy, and cut, ground, spliced, soldered, epoxied, and reassembled to get the net result below. Total time was about 2 hours, but most of that was spent running between my office in the house and the workshop to get various tools / drill holes (I have a cheap drill press, which made drilling for certain parts marginally easier).
If I can find another hour, I'll try to write up a step-by-step if anyone is interested, along with a linked list of parts.
I'm very much interested!
Not to burst your bubble but.......
http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=15879&cat=2380&page=1
or
http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=12660&cat=1801&page=1
And they are only 28.00 bucks
fresh801 said:
Not to burst your bubble but.......
http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=15879&cat=2380&page=1
or
http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=12660&cat=1801&page=1
And they are only 28.00 bucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
those dont have audio out.. and the 2nd one is for the 8125/wizard, not the 8525/hermes... i am very interested in this project since i have one of those cradles laying around from my 8125... never thought about using the Y adapter.. good call since i dont use it for anything else..
fresh801 said:
Not to burst your bubble but.......
http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=15879&cat=2380&page=1
or
http://www.daydeal.com/product.php?productid=12660&cat=1801&page=1
And they are only 28.00 bucks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, aside from the audio out and antenna connector, the more unusual hack in this is the landscape format with the ability to open the keyboard (or, more exactly to leave it open) while it is docked.
Since I'm running short of time this weekend, the key to getting this to work is to open the back of the 8125 cradle and pop off the connector (gently) and remove the glue that holds it in place. You'll need to dremel out the "top" of the cradle to allow the 8525 to fit.
To get the new connector, I just - carefully - stripped the plastic away from the 2-in-1 connector that came with the unit. Of course the connector is in a different place than the 8125, so you have to cut a new one. I used a marble-sized wad of play-doh rolled and flattened into a 1cm x 3cm patty and pushed it gently into the bottom (connector side) of the cradle. Then I gently slid my 8525 into the cradle so that the connector would make an impression in the playdoh. I them removed the 8525 (keeping the playdoh in the cradle) and "marked" the corners of the connector location with a pin (just push thourhg to make a dot). I heated a utility knife (xacto-like) in my gas stove and gently scored from point to point. A dremel with a fine tip then hogged out the area so that the coneector would fit. I also drilled the location for the antenna at this point (same playdoh trick, but just a single pin prick in the center of the hole area).
Now, to secure the conenctors in the right place, I put the 8525 in the cradle, flipped the whole think upside-down, pushed in the connectors into place, and then put epoxy on both connector areas.
***warning*** the epoxy is likely to "leak through" the old connector location, and around the connectors if your holes aren't pretty tight. BEFORE you put the unit in the cradle for the epoxy step, cover the bottom and antenna area with scotch tape, and just cut out the exact connector area with a knife. This will keep any errant epoxy from making the cradle a permanent fixture on you unit!
I did need to use scotch tape to make a "dam" around the usb connector because it was so thin it wouldn't mound up (set too slowly).
Everything else was just connecting up wires (the M-F conenctor was tough to strip cleanle and I broke the ground wire, but just soldered another one on).
Does anyone know how to take a G-Tab apart and repair a broken power connector? My son pulled it off of the table where it was charging and it landed squarely on the adapter where it was plugged into the GTab. Everything else works, but charging, of course, does not.
stalnakerz said:
Does anyone know how to take a G-Tab apart and repair a broken power connector? My son pulled it off of the table where it was charging and it landed squarely on the adapter where it was plugged into the GTab. Everything else works, but charging, of course, does not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buy a dock, that's what I did
stalnakerz said:
Does anyone know how to take a G-Tab apart and repair a broken power connector? My son pulled it off of the table where it was charging and it landed squarely on the adapter where it was plugged into the GTab. Everything else works, but charging, of course, does not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Choice 1: Buy a dock.
Choice 2: Open it up and solder it back in.
Choice 3: Sell your son to a slave labor camp and use the money to buy a new tablet.
Stolen from another forum about performing a hardware reset:
Disassemble the tablet. Remove the four rubber stoppers on the bottom of the tablet (put them aside). Next, unscrew the screws under them (keep those too). Next we need to get the back half of the tablet off. Put the tablet face down on a piece of paper or another protective material. Gently work one corner of the tablet until the two halves are slightly separated, then use something thin like a business card to keep them slightly parted. You can then use something thin and strong, like a plastic gift card to zip around the edges and break the seal. Prying will only damage your plastics.
snowzach said:
Stolen from another forum about performing a hardware reset:
Disassemble the tablet. Remove the four rubber stoppers on the bottom of the tablet (put them aside). Next, unscrew the screws under them (keep those too). Next we need to get the back half of the tablet off. Put the tablet face down on a piece of paper or another protective material. Gently work one corner of the tablet until the two halves are slightly separated, then use something thin like a business card to keep them slightly parted. You can then use something thin and strong, like a plastic gift card to zip around the edges and break the seal. Prying will only damage your plastics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pulling it apart is one thing, resoldering the connection is another. I've read that it's really tricky (and small) Mine started acting up, had to have the plug on a weird angle for the tablet ot start charging. I thought it was the chord, but it must be the hardware inside the tablet that caused it. I bought a dock, and a second charger...the dock works BEAUTIFULLY for charging, and for watching movies on the big screen via the HDMI port on the dock...
Viewsonic G connector input jack power jack
If you need to replace the jack, you can get it at Ebay.....just type in Viewsonic G jack or power jack and they have them there.
** UPDATED WITH PICS **
I just got a LapDock from an AT&T store thinking I can mess with it to make it work with my Photon. After disassembling the docking connector, I found that there are 2 separate connectors for the ports, which is awesome. This allowed me to manipulate them into position to fit my MoPho. Plugged it up, and it fired right up like the HD dock for the TV. I'm writing this post from it now, it's pretty cool! I plan on putting up some pics in a bit showing the connections. I'll delve into the device more fully later, but this accessory will work with the Photon fully! No limitations (at least, not in my limited testing)
Good stuff! Looking forward to seeing some photos (taken from your Photon of course, right?) of the dock to see what modifications you made!
Awesome!
I just ordered my Photon today and was hoping that by the time it arrived, someone would have pulled a MacGyver and figured out how to rig the Atrix dock.
You sir, are this month's official winner MacGyver award.
Looking forward to seeing the pics too.
Can't wait to see the pics.
...............................................................
Close up of the Photon HD Dock vs the LapDock. You can see the difference in orientation
The Dock connector needs to be flipped out, then can be opened by removing a screw on each side under a small flat cover.
pop open the connector, its just clicked together at this point. unscrew the metal clip holding the individual connectors to the chassis. the individual connectors can now be manipulated into position for the Photon.
the connectors can be routed under and behind the LapDock so that the Photon lays on the table. I want to figure out a way to rearrange the connectors to hold the Photon like it should, in the dock normally. Webtop fires up and operates as it does on the HD Station.
Nicely done...and glad to give you your FIRST Thanks! I might hafta find me a LapDock on the cheap!
Further disassembly. Flip the LapDock over, remove the screw in the middle near the back of the unit. remove the 2 rubber feet at the back of the unit and remove the 2 screws revealed.flip back over. pry (carefully) the back top cover off the unit, working along the very back of the unit. This should pop the cover off. There is a thin wire running to the charge indicator along the front of the top cover, so work carefully. once off, the circuitry can be examined. the connector that leads to the dock is along the left edge of the board. one PCB connector feeds both dock connectors. This connector is like laptop LCD connectors, and easily pops up and off the board
Bandage said:
Nicely done...and glad to give you your FIRST Thanks! I might hafta find me a LapDock on the cheap!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL thanks! kinda funny, been lurking here for years, ran into a problem posting this writeup since i was a 'new' member with only 2 previous posts. had to wait 5 minutes between updates.
I saw LapDocks on AT&T's site for only $175 for refurbished units, not too bad considering I paid 300 to get a unit to hack apart....
After removing the dock portion from the rest of the unit, I removed the connectors and took an Xacto knife to the openings for the individual connectors. I removed the shaped openings for the micro hdmi and micro usb, leaving plain rectangular openings. I then fitted the connectors back in, rotating them to match the orientation on the Photon. Luckily, the Atrix has the same spacing between the ports, just a mirror layout and shifted down the edge of the phone. with longer wires, this could be made to be a perfect fit for the Photon, but Moto apparenly knows best
anyway, after getting the connectors set properly, I then pieced it all back together. the new layout strains the wires just a bit, so that everything else is not quite as smooth as it was starting out. It's fine, and works properly, but theres that little bit thats just noticeable. the MoPho hangs off the edge of the dock, and has to be pressed tightly to ensure a good connection, but works great. There is a small piece that pops off of the dock portion, i think its removed if you're using a case with the Atrix, Make sure this piece stays off, I dont think the connection will be very good otherwise.
cdthomas9 said:
After removing the dock portion from the rest of the unit, I removed the connectors and took an Xacto knife to the openings for the individual connectors. I removed the shaped openings for the micro hdmi and micro usb, leaving plain rectangular openings. I then fitted the connectors back in, rotating them to match the orientation on the Photon. Luckily, the Atrix has the same spacing between the ports, just a mirror layout and shifted down the edge of the phone. with longer wires, this could be made to be a perfect fit for the Photon, but Moto apparenly knows best
anyway, after getting the connectors set properly, I then pieced it all back together. the new layout strains the wires just a bit, so that everything else is not quite as smooth as it was starting out. It's fine, and works properly, but theres that little bit thats just noticeable. the MoPho hangs off the edge of the dock, and has to be pressed tightly to ensure a good connection, but works great. There is a small piece that pops off of the dock portion, i think its removed if you're using a case with the Atrix, Make sure this piece stays off, I dont think the connection will be very good otherwise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey CD...what about flipping the connectors around in their sockets so the Photon would sit flush, but facing away from the LapDock?
Webtop runs great, i like the environment as a whole, but there isnt much to do natively. Email apps and maneuvering around the phone UI is a little irritating. You can just make the Mobile View full screen, but some of the interface doesnt scale well. I'd like to see native webtop apps, like firefox is, but I'm not sure how that works.
cdthomas9 said:
the connectors can be routed under and behind the LapDock so that the Photon lays on the table. I want to figure out a way to rearrange the connectors to hold the Photon like it should, in the dock normally. Webtop fires up and operates as it does on the HD Station.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread excited me!!! Have you found a way to make it sit inside yet?
Bandage said:
Hey CD...what about flipping the connectors around in their sockets so the Photon would sit flush, but facing away from the LapDock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought of that, but the micro hdmi connector doesn't have enough give or length to do it. I also thought of breaking out the soldering iron, kynar wire and HST but I think that theres a lot of wire in those bundles...
ScandaLeX said:
This thread excited me!!! Have you found a way to make it sit inside yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Post 13 shows the closest i can get, without lengthening wires i think. or getting Moto to make me a longer connection set
newalker91 said:
I would just dremel a nice little hole through the plastic immediately above the base connector and run the wires up the back of the screen, then build a cradle onto the back of the monitor for the phone. I need to save up and buy one and get to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, I was thinking of doing the same thing. Just mount the phone to the back of the screen somehow, but the wires are literally no more than 2" long. I think Bandage was looking into micro usb and hdmi extension cables though....
cdthomas9 said:
LOL, I was thinking of doing the same thing. Just mount the phone to the back of the screen somehow, but the wires are literally no more than 2" long. I think Bandage was looking into micro usb and hdmi extension cables though....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah...no luck finding an effin Micro HDMI extension cable tho. Anyone else find someone who makes / distributes them?
I'm trying to disassemble the dock because one corner of it doesn't seem to be fitting properly, causing it to be raised and making the dock unbalanced.
I found instructions on how to disassemble by first removing the screws under the two rubber feet near the hinge, then popping off the plastic case. My problem is that I can't seem to get the back plastic piece to come off.
I'm lifting it up right near the hinge, but the two corners of the dock remain stubbornly stuck. I'm afraid of applying too much leverage, as I don't want to break it.
Am I doing something wrong?
I just did this yesterday, and yes it is a pain. I managed to get the back off by using an old subway club card. Just start where you are at the hinge and try to slide the card along the crack. Theres about 20 tabs in there holding it all together so you need to wiggle the card a bit to loosen them. Once you go all the way around you need to make sure the hinge is in the open position. Im not sure what causes it but with the hinge closed the back plastic wont come off.
Just be patient and careful and stay away from the screwdriver like me. That metal is extremely fragile and I chipped it a whole lot being too aggressive.
First and foremost, doing this and telling asus about it will void your warranty.
Warning: Failure to follow my instructions right down to the letter will result in your in-laws camping out at your place for a month.
(1) Take out anything that's in your full size sdcard slot. Flip your keyboard upside down so that the keys are facing down.
(2) Gently but surely remove the 2 rubber pads that are the closest to the connection between your TF and the dock.
(3) Under there, you will find 2 small screws. Unscrew them. Please don't lose the screws.
(4) Flip the dock over so that the keys face up towards the sky.
(5) Write me a check for $3000 USD.
(6) Use your right hand and hold down the part where the TF makes the connection. Curl your left fingers into a hook, put it under the dock, and pull up. After the left side of the dock is severed, reverse and do the right side.
(7) Now that both left and right sides are off, continue to lift up the top of the dock until the side towards you loses the connection as well. Be careful not to remove too fast. There are wires connected between the 2 parts.
goodintentions said:
(5) Write me a check for $3000 USD.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I really do have this problem...
Not sure if it is because of Colorado extreme (either too freakin' hot or cold) weather, but my car dock suction doesn't stay on very long. With proper cleaning of the windshield and suction cup, it would stay for a week or so. If it's too hot (90s), the suction stays on less than 12 hrs.
Any good ideas to keep that sucker (literally) on more permanently? Almost tempted to drill the SOB into a pillar or something. LOL!
nookie87 said:
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I really do have this problem...
Not sure if it is because of Colorado extreme (either too freakin' hot or cold) weather, but my car dock suction doesn't stay on very long. With proper cleaning of the windshield and suction cup, it would stay for a week or so. If it's too hot (90s), the suction stays on less than 12 hrs.
Any good ideas to keep that sucker (literally) on more permanently? Almost tempted to drill the SOB into a pillar or something. LOL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Possibly try denture grip (doubt I spelled it right) that is normally used for holding false teeth in, its not expensive and just put a little around the cup and it should stay firm in hot/cold dry/wet conditions, iv seen it work like a dream before
I replace the suction cup with the bag mount from my garmin gps. I use in on my dashboard and can easily stash it to keep it out of view. The ball socket fit both my og droid and my x2 mobile mount.
well mine has been up for a month straight, but I imagine it will be falling off come winter and some more drastic temperature changes.
I also suggest one of these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16858998200
I got a rosewill one for the wife's car and it works great
nookie87 said:
Sorry if this is a stupid question, but I really do have this problem...
Not sure if it is because of Colorado extreme (either too freakin' hot or cold) weather, but my car dock suction doesn't stay on very long. With proper cleaning of the windshield and suction cup, it would stay for a week or so. If it's too hot (90s), the suction stays on less than 12 hrs.
Any good ideas to keep that sucker (literally) on more permanently? Almost tempted to drill the SOB into a pillar or something. LOL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you buy the Verizon one? If you did, it should have come with a sticky pad thing that you can stick to your dash like above the clock in a flat area then suction cup onto that. That's how I have mine set up and it is rock solid, never falls off. I have a Jeep though so there is a nice flat surface to put it on
Thanks everyone. I personally don't like it on my dash, and would like it on my windshield. I'll try the Super Poligrip to see if that works.
I already tried Liquid Nails (clear), and it does a good job for about a month, but definitely Colorado's extreme temp changes wins...
In the extreme florida temps mine was dropping twice a day and once @ night when it cooled down. I found that a generous rub down with ISO alcohol drying the windshield and leaving the cup a bit damp has gotten me more then a month so far.. learned this trick from a garmin user.
twist the thing around until it sits on the dashboard while suction cupped to the window. It's the ONLY way I can get mine to stay on anything, granted I travel for a living, so mine sees many different rental cars and many different climates.
smear a dab of hand sanitizer on cup, you can find that crap everywhere, and it's basically isopropyl alcohol gel.
if ya don't like that method, buy a bracketron bracket for your specific vehicle and just mount it to that.
3m "duallock" velcro also works VERY well, but it's pretty permanent.
Look at ProClipUSA.com. They have custom mounts for your vehicle.
Having been a Pro car audio/video installer for a few years, Proclip's product line is very well engineered looking stuff.