DK30 (dock) alternative - Sony Xperia Z Ultra

Most of you may have noticed that the DK30 Docking Station is extremely overpriced and according to most reviews also far from perfect.
A few days ago I found a cheap dock on eBay and today it arrived, so i decided to tell you about it.
http://www.ebay.de/itm/200994826270 (german eBay, but since it has worldwide shipping it should be for sale on other countries eBay, too)
What I can say about it:
- It does what it should, it charges the phone without problem (A phone with a case should fit too, however it didn't charge when I used my case, but the original dock seems to have the same problem according to amazon reviews)).
- The angle is perfect for a nightstand or a table.
- It charges when connected to a PC (well at least when it's connected to my PC, some Amazon reviewers said the original Version won't charge when connected to a PC)
- The cable is detachable which means you can use a cable of any length, unlike the original dock where the cable is fixed to the dock (you need your own cable, the one that comes with the dock is for what I will explain next (it's too short for charging use))
- You can use the dock while connecting the phone to the PC. The dock has an additional USB-Slot where you can plug in a cable to connect to your phones USB-slot. (I guess the cable that comes with the dock is intended for this, although it's too short to have it connected to the phone while it stands in the dock)
- It's light, you will lift the dock if you take out the phone without pushing the dock down (the same problem exists with the original dock), but at least the rubber of the "feet" will keep the dock from moving around when working with the phone
Conclusion:
It has no disatvantages to the original dock (except for the delivery time maybe), rather it actually has some advantages and it only costs 1/4 of the original dock.

Related

Desk Stand

I had a desk stand for my wizard a while ago, but I sent it back because it wasn't charging properly. I used to have a great looking stand for my Magician, but there seems to be a lack of quality stands for the wizard. Does anyone have one they'd recommend?
Where are the answers I'm waiting too
http://cgi.ebay.com/For-HTC-Cingula...2QQihZ015QQcategoryZ15037QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I bought this one from Ebay for under $20 shipped. Not sure what you're looking for, but I've been very happy with it. It has a power adapter cable for charging through the mini-USB port, PLUS a separate USB cable to sync with the computer.
I like the angled cradle stand. I can more easily use the keyboard and use the apps while in the cradle charging/syncing. Since I have this desktop cradle, a car charger, and the OEM charger on my desk at work, I didn't opt for a charger w/extra battery that could charge both at once.
newbie2 said:
http://cgi.ebay.com/For-HTC-Cingula...2QQihZ015QQcategoryZ15037QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
I bought this one from Ebay for under $20 shipped. Not sure what you're looking for, but I've been very happy with it. It has a power adapter cable for charging through the mini-USB port, PLUS a separate USB cable to sync with the computer.
I like the angled cradle stand. I can more easily use the keyboard and use the apps while in the cradle charging/syncing. Since I have this desktop cradle, a car charger, and the OEM charger on my desk at work, I didn't opt for a charger w/extra battery that could charge both at once.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks a bit plasticy. I got one from eBay, but I had to return it because it was faulty. The one you posted looks like what I want as long as it's fairly solid.
While it IS "plasticky", it's proven to be very solid. I've had it for almost a year now without having any issues with it. I've purchased several accessories from this particular vendor for my phones over the years, and haven't had any issues with any of them -- so, I can personally vouch for the quality of the products they list.

TF201 dock doesn't charge

So I have this issue where my dock is unable to charge. When I plug in my tablet on its own, it charges just fine (though the little light to indicate as such does not seem to work). When I plug the dock in on its own, it doesn't charge, and the little indicator light does not shine, either. When the tablet is connected to the dock and I plug it in, the tablet charges, but the dock does not. I am fairly certain it is not the dock because I have bought two different docks and the problem was present both times (first dock was refurbished, second one is brand new). Seeing this problem twice is extremely frustrating and I don't know what's wrong. Any help is much appreciated!
gotryce22 said:
So I have this issue where my dock is unable to charge. When I plug in my tablet on its own, it charges just fine (though the little light to indicate as such does not seem to work). When I plug the dock in on its own, it doesn't charge, and the little indicator light does not shine, either. When the tablet is connected to the dock and I plug it in, the tablet charges, but the dock does not. I am fairly certain it is not the dock because I have bought two different docks and the problem was present both times (first dock was refurbished, second one is brand new). Seeing this problem twice is extremely frustrating and I don't know what's wrong. Any help is much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never heard of that one but applying some logic:
1. The dock should charge if the power cable is plugged in to it even without the tablet connected (i.e. the dock can charge by itself). Hooking it up this way eliminates the tablet as the source of the problem since it isn't hooked up. So the tablet is not the problem
2. Therefore the problem has to be either the dock, the cable, or the charger.
3. You already tried using a different dock (the second one being brand new) with the same result, probably eliminating the dock as the problem (as you already indicated).
4. That leaves the charger or the cable. Do you have another cable you can swap in?
I have Exactly the same problem.. My cable charges the tablet perfect but not the dock.
I plug the cable charging the dock overnight and nothing, cero charge. But if I leave charging the tablet it charges perfectly.
Now. I also notice that when I connect the tablet to the dock it says " change to Asus keyboard for better consistency " How do i chage this?
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using xda premium

Magnetic USB Charging Cable

Magnetic USB Charging Cable, some one will try it?
http://dx-box.com/high-performance-...e-magnetic-connection-and-charging-speed.html
I will not touch a third party charger. I want to buy the DK30/Dk31 dock and take it apart for the EC21 cable but I'm not sure if its compatible? Does Somebody know maybe?
The page doesn't load for me, but I'd trust the microUSB -> Magnetic convertors over the entire charger. That way you can use the OEM charger or another high quality charger.
A lot of brandless chargers are made lower quality and that can lead to issues where phones "explode". Odds are, whenever you read about a person's phone exploding they were probably using a knockoff charger.
The adapters shouldn't be a problem. It's just a simple wire-to-wire exchange. No circuits.
Something like this
http://www.amazon.com/Magnector-Per...1144360&sr=8-1&keywords=magnetic+charger+sony
EDIT: I got a kick out of "Reverse Attachment Charging Protection", because the charging holes are just different sizes.
My Z1 magnetic charging cable works although it is a tad more easy to dislodge compared to when I was using it on my z1
I have THIS http://www.clove.co.uk/microusb-to-magnetic-connector-adapter and I must say it doesn't work perfectly. The adaptater doesn't 'grip', it stays in place only if you put you Z3 down.
jonshipman said:
A lot of brandless chargers are made lower quality and that can lead to issues where phones "explode".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OF COURSE. There are phones exploding just everywhere; you just cannot leave the house without ear protectors because there's exploding phones all around you.
Honestly; I am so sick of reading that "exploding phone" stories over and over. Same with stolen kidneys and similar paramountly believable urban legends.
Is this the charger wich comes with z3 in box ?
Quick Charger EP881
I cant find spec for this,is this the 2A or 1.5A ?
fain2daniel said:
Is this the charger wich comes with z3 in box ?
Quick Charger EP881
I cant find spec for this,is this the 2A or 1.5A ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
believe its 1.5A based on the same code found on other sony country sites.
http://www.sony.com.sg/product/ep881
however, lazy to check if its the same model that comes with the Z3 although i believe it should be!
This is the one my Z3 came with. T-mobile Netherlands model.
^
This is 2.5A fast charger wich is great.How much time it needs to 100% charge the battery?Im geting mine tomorrow,hope that comes with same charger.
I'm pretty sure it is 1,5A. Charged my device only once with it and I was surprised with the speed. Will do a timed run next time round.
fain2daniel said:
^
This is 2.5A fast charger wich is great.How much time it needs to 100% charge the battery?Im geting mine tomorrow,hope that comes with same charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the picture clearly reads 1500mA and that's what it is. This charger was included with my z3 as well.
2.30h to fully charge the batery with original 1.5A charger.Its not so bad.
EP880 is 1.5A, and is what came with my Z3. I'm intrigued to know what the 881 is.
In fact, given its support of Quick Charge 2.0, I am hopeful of Sony releasing a new PSU that can detect a QC2 compatible device and up the power further. So far I can only find one from Motorola and it's not on sale outside the US (that I can see).
Hi All,
Thought I'd give my review of two different magnetic cables I've purchased from my Xperia Z3.
Firstly, I purchased a £3 magnetic cable from Ebay which was utterly a waste of money! Soon as you picked the phone up or touched it the connection port would move up or down. I contacted the seller who is sending me a replacement so will see if this is any better.
Now on to the more expensive magnetic cable but with a twist.
This magnetic cable I purchased from Amazon had great reviews from previous Z2 users. Now I wasn't sure if it was Z3 compatible but turned out the ports are the same for Z2 and Z3. So I purchased the item from Flubit as you get a little discount if they can get a deal for you and it arrived within 2-3 working days.
Item name: [ Magnector X ] High Performance Universal Sony Xperia Z1 & Z2 & Z3 Charging Adapter for Micro USB Cable - Enhanced Magnetic Connection and Charging Speed [ Black ]
This product felt more durable and solid when taking it out of the mildly fancy packaging. The product itself isn't connected to a cable but has a micro usb port which you attach your original Sony cable to. (unfortunately I need 10 posts before i can show pics but just check it out on Amazon. I tried it for the first time last night as my phone stays next to my pillow and it seems to do the trick as it didn't fall off even with my cheapy case attached to it in the morning.
As the saying is, buy cheap...buy twice! Hope this review helps anyone on making a decision between the cheap ones and expensive ones.:good:
figo_rulz11 said:
Hi All,
Thought I'd give my review of two different magnetic cables I've purchased from my Xperia Z3.
Firstly, I purchased a £3 magnetic cable from Ebay which was utterly a waste of money! Soon as you picked the phone up or touched it the connection port would move up or down. I contacted the seller who is sending me a replacement so will see if this is any better.
Now on to the more expensive magnetic cable but with a twist.
This magnetic cable I purchased from Amazon had great reviews from previous Z2 users. Now I wasn't sure if it was Z3 compatible but turned out the ports are the same for Z2 and Z3. So I purchased the item from Flubit as you get a little discount if they can get a deal for you and it arrived within 2-3 working days.
Item name: [ Magnector X ] High Performance Universal Sony Xperia Z1 & Z2 & Z3 Charging Adapter for Micro USB Cable - Enhanced Magnetic Connection and Charging Speed [ Black ]
This product felt more durable and solid when taking it out of the mildly fancy packaging. The product itself isn't connected to a cable but has a micro usb port which you attach your original Sony cable to. (unfortunately I need 10 posts before i can show pics but just check it out on Amazon. I tried it for the first time last night as my phone stays next to my pillow and it seems to do the trick as it didn't fall off even with my cheapy case attached to it in the morning.
As the saying is, buy cheap...buy twice! Hope this review helps anyone on making a decision between the cheap ones and expensive ones.:good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also just got this cable through today and its fantastic.
Avoid the cheap ones.
Got one first thing Monday morning via Amazon and super impressed because I ordered it at 6.55pm on Sunday night!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00H2EEB4S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I got mine from Amazon (Prime) but there was only one in stock and I got it, so now it's showing from another supplier.
It's great! I had two unknown Chinese-made ones before, and both struggled to stick to my Z2 or Z3, causing all sorts of weird issues (mostly that of what it would be like to attach and detach the lead repeatedly). They're now history.
So far this is clamping on so solid that there's no chance of that happening, and I always 'rotate' the magnetic chargers off so no chance of pulling out the connector.
I also got the official dock, but at £20-odd at a time (and I now have a mountain of docks because all I need are the inserts, not a new dock for each phone) I will probably get one or two more of these. The dock by the bedside and these around the house and at work.
Hi what's do you mean by rotate to keep it secured?
When taking off I simply fold/twist it back rather than pull it off and risk damage, given how strong the magnetic force is.
I have bought this one on ebay , "Magnetic Charging Dock Cradle Desktop Charger for Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact" for about 10 euro's (incl sending)
it works nice , you don't need to open the covers each time.

Venue 8 3840 Qi charging options

Other than the Dell version what have you guys found to be the most convenient wireless charger (something relatively inexpensive as well) ?
I have a Nokia one (I've had for a couple years) I use for my G2 that's great, but this is a gift and I have noticed that the charging "area" is towards the bottom of the tablet and when using the Nokia I have to rest the front of the tablet on something so that it balances on the charger correctly.
I was thinking maybe one of those thin round Anker chargers, in that the tablet could rest on it and it wouldn't need to be propped up. Anybody have any experience with those?
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give.
I don't have a wireless, but I picked up a jackery giant on BF it was on sale and well worth it to me.
http://www.amazon.com/Jackery®-Portable-Aluminum-12000mAh-External/dp/B00AANQLRI
sent from my kingSing T1 via taptalk
Just a heads up. This one:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/311142445315?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
did not work on the Venue 8, however, for the price and the insanely fast shipping time it's still a great charger in that it worked fine on my LG G2 with my thick Ballistic case on.
I'm curious if anyone actually uses wireless charging with these things. I can find zero info on any of it. Like what chargers work best? (The Nokia sure doesn't), and if the Dell dock works well.
Dell 3840 Wireless Charging
ChristianJay said:
I'm curious if anyone actually uses wireless charging with these things. I can find zero info on any of it. Like what chargers work best? (The Nokia sure doesn't), and if the Dell dock works well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have two 3840s for the kids and switched to wireless charging because one of the USB ports became finicky to plug and charge.
Tried two generic Qi chargers with mixed results. They could charge but the tablet but it was very tricky to place it correctly. As others have noted, the charging coil is at the bottom of the tablet, I would guess a little offset to the left. One of the generic Qi chargers appeared to be lowered powered (less efficient?) than the other and the Venue would not charge with it unless it was within a 0.25 inch of correct placement (had to draw lines on the charger for reference).
The other generic Qi charger was better powered but still required correct placement (within a 0.5 inch). It was designed for a phone though and the tablet had to be awkwardly balanced to provide proper contact.
In the end, I broke down and bought the Dell Venue charger. It works flawlessly. Just center the tablet on the charger and it automatically connects for charging (even with the cover on). The regular price in Canada is ridiculous ($80) and even on sale (which it is right now) it is pricey ($60).
I bought it while on sale and had a $20 discount coupon. For $40, it is still a bit much but it does work well.
Hope that helps.
Thanks. Does the dell model work no matter which way the tablet sits?
ChristianJay said:
I'm curious if anyone actually uses wireless charging with these things. I can find zero info on any of it. Like what chargers work best? (The Nokia sure doesn't), and if the Dell dock works well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Nokia charger actually works quite well. The only problem is that you have to put the bottom of the device on the charger. This means that you have to place something (like a thin book) right next to the charger so that the tablet can stay flat while charging. It sounds more complicated than it actually is. Once you figure it out it works every time.
Tried that but maybe because of the case that I use, the Dell one, it doesn't work well. It takes forever to find the right spot. Maybe the tablet is defective I don't know.
ChristianJay said:
Tried that but maybe because of the case that I use, the Dell one, it doesn't work well. It takes forever to find the right spot. Maybe the tablet is defective I don't know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This seems very strange. I'm also using a case (a generic flip cover case I found on eBay) and I still don't have any problems using the Nokia DT-900 charger. Works very well every time I try it. One thing I should mention is that I've always placed the tablet so that the long side of the charger is aligned with the bottom of the tablet. As stated above, this requires a small book, or other such item, be placed next to the charger so that the tablet can sit flat. It works very well for me in this configuration. If you are using the charger in the other direction, you might want to give this a try.
cr45h said:
This seems very strange. I'm also using a case (a generic flip cover case I found on eBay) and I still don't have any problems using the Nokia DT-900 charger. Works very well every time I try it. One thing I should mention is that I've always placed the tablet so that the long side of the charger is aligned with the bottom of the tablet. As stated above, this requires a small book, or other such item, be placed next to the charger so that the tablet can sit flat. It works very well for me in this configuration. If you are using the charger in the other direction, you might want to give this a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a heads up anyone interested in the Dell cradle I just got one on Ebay, super fast free shipping, looks new, I offered $20 and he sold it, looks like he has 8 more. Great seller. Didn't include cable but works with the Venue's adapter and any cable.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Venue-Wireless-Charging-Cradle-G64D7-DOCK-ONLY-NO-ADAPTER/201290330995?_trksid=p3693.c100102.m2452&_trkparms=ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140212121249%26meid%3Da49fb91ec3124b2f969a69a988438b3b%26pid%3D100102%26
wmfong said:
I have two 3840s for the kids and switched to wireless charging because one of the USB ports became finicky to plug and charge.
Tried two generic Qi chargers with mixed results. They could charge but the tablet but it was very tricky to place it correctly. As others have noted, the charging coil is at the bottom of the tablet, I would guess a little offset to the left. One of the generic Qi chargers appeared to be lowered powered (less efficient?) than the other and the Venue would not charge with it unless it was within a 0.25 inch of correct placement (had to draw lines on the charger for reference).
The other generic Qi charger was better powered but still required correct placement (within a 0.5 inch). It was designed for a phone though and the tablet had to be awkwardly balanced to provide proper contact.
In the end, I broke down and bought the Dell Venue charger. It works flawlessly. Just center the tablet on the charger and it automatically connects for charging (even with the cover on). The regular price in Canada is ridiculous ($80) and even on sale (which it is right now) it is pricey ($60).
I bought it while on sale and had a $20 discount coupon. For $40, it is still a bit much but it does work well.
I just received this charging cradle for our dell venue 8 and I can't get it to connect for charging....any hints or additional tips?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Fast Charge Wireless Desktop Stand and Car Charger

I'm looking for an aftermarket charging dock similar to the Samsung but without the ridiculous price tag. Does anyone have any advice? I also was thinking of an idea for a charging adapter that I think should either exist already or be easy to make from existing designs.
I want to wirelessly charge my phone when in my car by simply dropping it into my cupholder in the center console. I was thinking, if there was a way to take an existing wireless Fast Charge adapter, and turning it into a ring or band (similar in size and shape to a Slap Bracelet). It would only need to be inserted into the cupholder, expand to the shape of the round opening, and when you drop your phone into the cupholder, it would begin to charge. If this product doesn't exist, is there a way to make it with current products already on the market?
I'm interested in something similar to this. My car has a little cubby that my phone fits in perfectly and I'd like to install a wireless charger directly under the panel that my phone sits on. My concern is the difference between AC and DC current which could be avoided by using an actual car wireless charger but I'm also skeptical about most of the wireless chargers out there.
The high power ones have fans. Under the cubby might not be enough air circulation to keep it cool, and could cause it to overheat or even catch fire. I'd avoid that.
I just bought a 3A charger from Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Charge-Anker-...&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 Look for Quick Charge 3.0 and make sure and get a compatable cable.

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