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).
Warning . This DIY is not for the inexperienced. If you have never disassembled a laptop( and get it back together working) or worked with custom DC power applications you'll want to follow the "do not try this at home" rule. It will require some fabrication skills as well, drilling and making brackets. Once I have this perfected I'll be offering a send in MOD service.
First I need to get a Dock, I have to keep mine intact as I use it daily with my demos and android integration services. If you want yours modded for free let me know. I will guarantee you will get yours back either in the condition it was sent or working with the MOD.
For the modders following along, assumed steps.
1. Remove feet from bottom of dock. Guessing assembly screws are there.
2. Disassemble dock and look for space somewhere along the edge to add a small barrel adapter.
3. Find power leads to the battery and solder extension wires.
4. Test that extension takes charge and that factory connector still works to charge
5. Fabricate bracket for connector
6. Drill edge of case to expose connector.
Let's hope it is this simple. =]
DevCake said:
Warning . This DIY is not for the inexperienced. If you have never disassembled a laptop( and get it back together working) or worked with custom DC power applications you'll want to follow the "do not try this at home" rule. It will require some fabrication skills as well, drilling and making brackets. Once I have this perfected I'll be offering a send in MOD service.
First I need to get a Dock, I have to keep mine intact as I use it daily with my demos and android integration services. If you want yours modded for free let me know. I will guarantee you will get yours back either in the condition it was sent or working with the MOD.
For the modders following along, assumed steps.
1. Remove feet from bottom of dock. Guessing assembly screws are there.
2. Disassemble dock and look for space somewhere along the edge to add a small barrel adapter.
3. Find power leads to the battery and solder extension wires.
4. Test that extension takes charge and that factory connector still works to charge
5. Fabricate bracket for connector
6. Drill edge of case to expose connector.
Let's hope it is this simple. =]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a dang good idea...I should have thought of this earlier! Looking at the dock, it looks like the bezel is clipped in as well. Also, the "clamp" part of the dock has some screws in it. Mechanism might be a little bit more complicated but hopefully not. You're going to need an awfully thing barrel connector to make this work. The Bezel is about the same thickness as the TF's bezel.
verkion
It is an excellent idea!
But I'm thinking. If you can do this on the dock, couldn't you also do it on the TF itself?
glg
glgehman said:
It is an excellent idea!
But I'm thinking. If you can do this on the dock, couldn't you also do it on the TF itself?
glg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sure there will be no room in the tab to do it, would be great if you could though!
Think I am going to try this mod. Ordered 2nd dock. If I go over-my-head I will contact DevCake for help.
The issue with barrel plug on TF tablet is what to do when dock is attached?
The advantage of barrel plug on dock is charging both dock and tablet, eliminating the need for any proprietary 40 pin cable (because doc has its own), and if you want to screw around the dock costs less (still $150USD is a lot, but less compared to a spare $40USD charger). Still need to consider what to do if barrel plug charging and something plugs into 40pin connector.
I also plan to put in a slide switch to disconnect the dock battery from the tablet entirely to save juice when shut down. E.g. reports of doc losing power when attached. This could extend the stand-by life of the dock for a week or more.
Once the thing is opened up, it might be a good time to discuss placements. Everyone has different and great ideas. I have a digital caliper to measure stuff.
Bob Smith42 said:
Think I am going to try this mod. Ordered 2nd dock. If I go over-my-head I will contact DevCake for help.
The issue with barrel plug on TF tablet is what to do when dock is attached?
The advantage of barrel plug on dock is charging both dock and tablet, eliminating the need for any proprietary 40 pin cable (because doc has its own), and if you want to screw around the dock costs less (still $150USD is a lot, but less compared to a spare $40USD charger). Still need to consider what to do if barrel plug charging and something plugs into 40pin connector.
I also plan to put in a slide switch to disconnect the dock battery from the tablet entirely to save juice when shut down. E.g. reports of doc losing power when attached. This could extend the stand-by life of the dock for a week or more.
Once the thing is opened up, it might be a good time to discuss placements. Everyone has different and great ideas. I have a digital caliper to measure stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go for it Bob,
I don't think installing the barrel connector on the Tablet is a good idea either.
I wouldn't place the connector on the front so the sides IMO are the best location but that will become clear when we see the innards.
The addition of the 40 pin connector while the barrel connector is charging is a big part of the mod. Bridging the power over to the barrel puts both power sources in parallel and this can be bad. When you attach 2 power sources in parallel that are of different voltage the voltage actually will travel to the lower voltage supply source and overload it. Remember any PC USB is 5V, not the 12 or 15 you will supply to the barrel so if the barrel is connected to the charger and the 40 pin is connected to the charger you will send more voltage back to the PC and BOOM! The universe will implode upon itself =/.
So how do we address the possibility of multiple power sources? either with a switch or an additional circuit that shuts one off when it see voltage from the other. The 3rd option is to disconnect power from the 40 pin which IMO is not an option, you want to keep that intact.
Bob if you frequent any DIY forums that deal with these kind of power MODS ask around about a circuit that will do this for you. You might want to start with RC forums, those guys know DC like no other. I'll start looking around but whatever we find needs to be small for sure.
Have you sourced some barrel connectors?
I would vote switch, just in case the circuit failed somehow. With a switch, you simply cant use both at the same time no matter what.
Good news.
I received my 2nd dock, and opened it. There are only two screws, under the rubber feet in the back by the hinge. These screws help support and hold the hinge in place. Run a plastic separator tool around the edge to open. I started in one back corner. It is tight in a few places. Do not bend the metal by the socket positions, where the metal is very thin and flexible. The front edge separates last (most difficult) using leverage of flapping open and closed the top/bottom pieces, and starting separation on one side.
I will post pictures soon. I took some and in the process of uploading. I have my digital caliper at the other office so measurements later.
There is a great position for a female socket for a barrel plug charger, behind the current charger and pointing to the back. It is between the hinge and a circuit board, so there is no leeway in width. The width is narrow, just under 5mm, so a socket needs to be thin. If we find a 4mm wide barrel socket, maybe 7mm or less high it should fit. Of course that makes a slim barrel.
UPDATE: On further consideration, we might trim up to 3-4mm of the hinge plate, giving up to 7-8mm square barrel socket.
The area between the battery (centered under the keyboard) and the back hinge is wide open. Literally room to drop in x4 sd cards end to end, and stack another row of x4 on top, with space left over. The entire space is about 5-10mm height. A switch can go anywhere in this area, mounted on the bottom face, which is protected by the protruding hinge.
I was thinking with all the USB ports, it might be worth considering loading up some internal USB devices later.
Bob Smith42 said:
Good news.
I received my 2nd dock, and opened it. There are only two screws, under the rubber feet in the back by the hinge. These screws help support and hold the hinge in place. Run a plastic separator tool around the edge to open. I started in one back corner. It is tight in a few places. Do not bend the metal by the socket positions, where the metal is very thin and flexible. The front edge separates last (most difficult) using leverage of flapping open and closed the top/bottom pieces, and starting separation on one side.
I will post pictures soon. I took some and in the process of uploading. I have my digital caliper at the other office so measurements later.
There is a great position for a female socket for a barrel plug charger, behind the current charger and pointing to the back. It is between the hinge and a circuit board, so there is no leeway in width. The width is narrow, just under 5mm, so a socket needs to be thin. If we find a 4mm wide barrel socket, maybe 7mm or less high it should fit. Of course that makes a slim barrel.
UPDATE: On further consideration, we might trim up to 3-4mm of the hinge plate, giving up to 7-8mm square barrel socket.
The area between the battery (centered under the keyboard) and the back hinge is wide open. Literally room to drop in x4 sd cards end to end, and stack another row of x4 on top, with space left over. The entire space is about 5-10mm height. A switch can go anywhere in this area, mounted on the bottom face, which is protected by the protruding hinge.
I was thinking with all the USB ports, it might be worth considering loading up some internal USB devices later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice!
Get some pics up !
One thing I would do is install another USB port and connect it directly to the battery so you can use the battery to charge other 5V devices without having to connect the TF.
I removed the circuit board, now, and pulled back some of the covering tape.
I will post pics tomorrow. Sorry. I want good sunlight of circuit board stuff, because I think that is where we will need to attach the barrel plug charger wires.
The charging socket on the dock has 20 solder points and it looks like up to 3? power lines (visual inspection). With my sub-mm solder iron I can attach wires to charge via a plug. At some point we will need to know at least the power positions on the cable/plug, especially the grounds.
I think we can simply cut into the x2 red and 2x black battery lines for a switch, or aux power. There are total 8 lines on battery, exactly like the tablet, and about 4 inches of exposed wires.
Full list of photos:
Plug showing depth behind battery & rubber spacer (7mm depth; 5.0mm battery, 2.0mm rubber spacer):
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Circuit board removed showing full hinge (back left):
Full keyboard under side:
Full bottom of dock with keyboard removed (large space between battery and back hinge):
Closeup of back left hinge and charging port (4.75mm between circuit board and hinge metal, 8mm between circuit board and hex nut on hinge):
Opposite to left hinge on keyboard side:
Back left hinge and charging port:
Keyboard under side (right half keyboard):
Keyboard under side (middle keyboard):
Keyboard under side (left half keyboard, side with power plug):
Bottom of dock (middle):
Bottom of dock (left):
Bottom of dock (right):
Bottom of dock (middle):
Bottom of dock (left):
Full keyboard underside with touch pad:
Full bottom of dock with keyboard removed:
Bottom of dock (left side, with power plug):
Bottom of dock (right back side, with USB port, large space between battery and hinge):
Bottom of dock (left back side, with power plug):
Under side of keyboard:
Bottom of dock, with keyboard removed:
Can u try to see if u can follow the usb ports to the 40 pin connector to see what points are for usb connection? That way we can follow up to the tablet and install a usb port in the tablet. There is plenty of room for one inside it
since the keyboard dock is opened, whats the battery rating in mah inside?
mlbl said:
since the keyboard dock is opened, whats the battery rating in mah inside?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The battery says:
ASUS LI-polymer Battery Pack C21-EP101
Rating: +7.4V =~ 3300mAh, 24Wh
It is 5.0mm thick, 137mm long, 104mm wide. It is wrapped in a black plastic bag-like cover, and the length at top seems empty when pressed - so about 20mm at the top is just a cover and not *battery*. The battery inside is closer to 5mm x 117mm x 104mm. There are two 2.0mm thick rubber spacers on top of the battery, running the full length and 29mm wide each.
Good to hear that. Thanks for the info
cowballz69 said:
Can u try to see if u can follow the usb ports to the 40 pin connector to see what points are for usb connection? That way we can follow up to the tablet and install a usb port in the tablet. There is plenty of room for one inside it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was able to use my fingers to easily slide out the battery plug on the circuit board. I will try to get some detailed photos of the circuit board today.
There are two groups of wires from the circuit board to the tablet plug. The silver colored is a shield and the black is unshielded. I was assuming the unshielded was USB, because USB lines do not *require* shielding - but, USB lines do require about 1 twist every 20mm or so. Also, I was assuming the shielded bits were keyboard & trackpad. But, I could be entirely wrong with these guesses.
One partial approach is to unplug both silver and black groups of wires and test continuity of each line from the tablet plug.
Tracing lines on the circuit board might be a good approach.
I was also going to test my cable, the USB end continuity against the 20 pin connector, and then plug in my cable to the port and test the matching solder points under the connector on the circuit board. Slightly safer now with battery removed.
Suggestions welcome as we go.
I am going to try something like this for the power jack: (See UPDATE below for correct component)
http://parts.digikey.com/1/parts/1052051-conn-pwr-jack-0-65x2-6mm-smt-pj-038-smt.html
IMAGE REMOVED (I suggest you do NOT use the component seen in link above)
I ordered a variety of jacks to test. The "DX-UA Universal" has a 0.7mm ID, 2.35mm OD - Plug tip. I noticed the Motorola 10.1 tablet has a similar power plug, but unsure of their voltage.
==
UPDATE: I do *not* like the socket listed above, because it has an open bottom (hard to glue in place) and it is *not* tall enough. It is too short so if the charging plug is pushed up and down the socket can be pried loose, no matter how good it is glued in place.
Rather I prefer this other component:
http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=CP-031HPJCT-ND
I reviewed about 10 various component models. The new choice, CP-031HPJCT-ND is:
(1) cheaper, shielded costs more and no benefit.
(2) taller, it fills the space between top and bottom of dock. Therefore, the screws holding the dock top/bottom together also hold it in place in addition to glue, e.g. it cannot be pried loose by impact on the charging plug.
(3) the hole is centered in the component, giving max strength to each side (other similar have a hole off center, which some might prefer but I do not, e.g. this CP1-022PJCT-ND is not as good in my opinion).
I will attempt to mount the preferred CP-031HPJCT-ND in the next few days, and advise of results. There are some mounting details that are required to successfully use these components, e.g. hole placement, electrical connection, positioning, etc..
guys... if we're already this in depth then why not just wire the power leads from the existing usb port in the dock over to the power/charging leads on the proprietary connector?
it would be far eaiser than adding a new connector/modding the case of the dock and would be even more "universal" since you could still charge with any usb adapter out there...
dmc971989 said:
guys... if we're already this in depth then why not just wire the power leads from the existing usb port in the dock over to the power/charging leads on the proprietary connector?
it would be far eaiser than adding a new connector/modding the case of the dock and would be even more "universal" since you could still charge with any usb adapter out there...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good point but with some cons.
1. You still need to make or buy a cable to use an off the shelf universal charger.
2. That port will no longer supply power to any USB device you connect to it.
The main purpose of this mod is to be able to use almost any universal charger that is available so the extra work adding the new connector is worth it IMO.
Bob Smith42 said:
Full list of photos:
Plug showing depth behind battery & rubber spacer (7mm depth; 5.0mm battery, 2.0mm rubber spacer):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, looks like plenty of room in there.
So were you between flossing or is that flosser thing for something else =]
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.
Wondering if anyone has seen or knows of a right angle 40 pin charging connector? Either that or im hacking up a keyboard if i can find one cheap enough. Im dead set on getting this tab in my dash =D
Sent from my Transformer
What do you mean right angle? Do you mean so the cable is lines to to right rather than at the bottom on the sync/charge cable?
In that case - no, never seen. But its not super-hard to do it yourself. It will still stick stick out around 1cm though, because theres a PCB inside.
Although the PCB can be removed as well, but that requires some very fine soldering (we're talking pins that are like 0.7mm, if not less, with like 0.5mm spacing)
I had a hell of a time to just resolder the data cables on the cable, and the points are located on the PCB so theres only 2 'pins' near there. Soldering those cables on the connector itself would be.. ugh... *nightmares*
Lol no, no micro soldering for me. Just wondering if there has been or is or what miss match parts could possible go together to go from the existing 40 pin port down and back. Like a right angle but coming down and away from you. The ipads have em. But we arent comparing that crap here. I want to make a dock of sorts, to have fiberglassed in. Tab slides down and plugs in to charge. Thats why i mentioned hacking up a keyboard if need be.
Sent from my Transformer
Yeah ok. No I dont think theres any such cable.
But if you just want to angle the cable its quite easy, and if youre careful wont require any soldering.
All you need to do is open the cable up, cut a new hole for the cable in the casing, align it and reassemble it (it will probably have to be glued together again, or plastic welded, simple stuff really).
And even if you would manage to rip off the cables, the + and - cables are (relatively) big. ground is just soldered directly onto the shielding, and + is soldered to 3 pins next to each other, and theres only 1 other pin nearby you have to look out for, but that pin is sortof protected by some plastic thing (which will probably melt from the heat of the soldering iron though lol).
The hardest part of all this is actually opening the damn casing without damaging it too much
I know this is barely the correct thread, but anyway;
I purchased a new head unit that has the same connector on the unit itself as my old unit, but the wires for each pin are different. Is there an easy way to remove the pins on the old harness so I can reuse it, or should I just cut the "car side" of the old one off so I can solder wires from the new harness to the "car side"?
Thanks,
if the pins are the same shape you should be able to remove them from the harness and re-insert them in the location you want. I do that all the time with many connectors.
Find something long and thin, i use picks, long tweezers, needles, etc. there is usually a small plastic tab holding the pins or sockets down and preventing them from pulling out. It should be easy to see once you start messing with them.
That's the problem; I cannot see them and was unable to do anything with the needle I was using. As far as I can tell, there is no good spot to stick a pin and no way for me to even know which side the pins are on.
I guess that's question one; with the power/ground wires on the top of the adapter, which side are the pins on?
This type of harness
http://www.carjoying.com/joying-har...re-wiring-harness-adapter-connector-plug.html
I researched and found that standard size staples can be pushed into the sides of the pins from the non-wire-side on both sides (not top or bottom) of the pins to release the two latches. It takes some effort, wiggling, and luck, but the pins eventually come out.
I'm sure it will be easier when my pin extractor finally arrives, but I don't want to wait.
I've moved pins around before. Trouble seems in not damaging the retention tabs. Not sure you'd save much time vs cutting and resoldering.
What would be the point in moving the wire if there is already a wire present? You can't just repurpose the wire? Move the label?