Brando 10th era Dual SIM holder

[zerimar]

I ordered it 2 days ago and it arrived today. Works quite well with its built-in program. What I like is that it doesn't switch to the other SIM when switching off/on the radio. Switching using Wivit doesn't work. Does anyone know of a small, preferrably freeware Today plugin that would display provider name or telephone number?

I had to make my battery thinner to make the thing fit without damaging the battery cover or any other plastic parts.

[evlado]

Hi, I take it you have this working on the magician. Do you have a web link?

[zerimar]

Here's the link; http://mobile.brando.com.hk/. You'll see it on the top right side of the page.

[wencyv]

Is it compatible with XDA II?
Let me know please, thanks....

[rmg]

Does anyone know of a small, preferrably freeware Today plugin that would display provider name or telephone number?


DKToday

[evlado]

So this one ships with proprietary software?

Can you tell us a lttle about how you got it to work - I have a similar looking dual sim that I cannot get to work

Thanks

Vlado

[zerimar]

@rmg: thanks. i'll check out your suggestion.

@wencyv: it should work but i cannot give any personal guarantees. Brando's website states that it is compatible with all phones but does not indicate PDA phones specifically. i just took the risk in orderring. i decided to order this adapter for three reasons;
1. i thought it was thin enough. :(
2. no need to cut the SIM cards.
3. i still have with me a monstrous dual SIM card adapter that i used in my Nokia 6310 and it works in my S100 but there's no way to put the battery cover.

@evlado

Mechanical:

the adapter looks like a letter "C". on one end, a SIM card can be slipped in (this is the primary SIM). on the other end, the ribbon cable has a bit of glue in order to stick the SIM so it does not move while inserting it into the unit's SIM holder. my unit's SIM holder is quite tight even for just the SIM card alone.

at first I thought that this adapter was just the right thickness but eventually i couldn't make the battery cover fit, therefore just decided to make the battery thinner by removing the thinner side of the battery's case using a very thin sharp knife. the battery's plastic case seems soft but its actually quite brittle.

How it works:

the adapter is pre-programmed with its own STK menu. the features are as follows;

1. SIM telephone numbers can be typed in for easier menu identification.
2. there is no need to switch the radio offon to switch SIMs.
3. supported languages are english and chinese.
4. two display modes (i see no difference)
5. pre-defined SIM switch interval time (2,3,4,6,8,10,15,20,25, and 30 min.).

i discovered that if the radio is switched off then on again, it activates the last used SIM. i like this feature because if i'm going on a business trip then i switch to my company's SIM from the time i leave the house or office. when i get into the plane i have to activate flight mode, and when arriving at my destination switching off flight mode still activates my company's SIM. with other adapters it requires the process of switching off/on twice to activate my company's SIM. of course there are software like Wivit for these type of adapters, but then again its an additional cost.

bugs:

the radio must first be on before switching SIMs, otherwise the radio is switched on showing the right provider name in the phone app but calls are diverted directly to the active SIMs's voicemail.

[Koksie]

So you had to scratch the battery case to make room for the holder? Was this an easy thing to do, or did you run the risk of damaging the battery?

I am looking for a dual holder for my Wizard, but don't want to cut my sims. Anyone know which one will fit?

[rags_999]

hi there,
sorry for sounding a bit dull. could you please explain the thinning the battery a bit more in detail. was it the the battery or the cover you thinned. i am looking to dothe same with my wizard. and does it viod the warranty.
many thanks for your help
rags

[ccsnet]

hi there,
sorry for sounding a bit dull. could you please explain the thinning the battery a bit more in detail. was it the the battery or the cover you thinned. i am looking to dothe same with my wizard. and does it viod the warranty.
many thanks for your help
ragsAny screen shots of what it looks like on the PPC - I was trying to work out where the menu would be shown.

Terran

[zerimar]

the S100 battery cover isn't thick enough to compensate for the dual sim adapter's thickness of a bit over 1 mm. If ever, one would need special tools (ie. milling machine or similar) to make a professional job.

another reason why i decided to modify the battery is that it is available in many online/retail shops. if i do decide to sell my unit, putting a new battery is a selling point.

the S100 battery is composed of two plastic parts, the box which holds the batteries and is 5 mm thick. this is where the connectors can be seen. then there is the cover which is 2 mm thick and is glued in some places with some sort of super glue. the middle part is glued to the battery itself with a strong double side tape. i used a thin sharp knife to separate the box with the cover. this was an easy job but at some point the knife went too deep and i saw a little spark. i must have hit some electrical point in the the pcb. luckily the battery still works. i broke the cover into pieces while trying to remove it from the middle part. the whole process took me 5 minutes. attached is a zip file containing some photos hoping that you guys would have a better idea of what i did.

unfortunately i don't have a screen capture utility installed on my unit. once the dual sim adapter is in place and the radio is on, an icon symbolizing a sim card is automatically created within the program menu. when the radio is off this icon disappears. starting this app will display a window with the title AUT. below is the menu tree and functions.
1. note: 1 and 2 are position for sim card identificating
2. which can be labled by a function in the set menu.
Set
...Back ----------------- save settings and return to previous menu
Edit 1 ------------------ to lable sim card 1
Edit 2 ------------------ to lable sim card 2
Sw On ----------------- activate Set switch time
Sw Off ----------------- deactivate Set switch time
Set switch time ------ time setting for sim card switching
English ---------------- menu in english
Chinese --------------- menu in chinese
Display mode 1 ------ i don't see a difference between these two modes. according to the very vague and poorly written description (in english) in the packaging, it is somehow phone dependent
Display mode 2
...Abort ---------------- exit without saving settings

the dual sim adapter works very well even when tt5.2 is running. now i have one device less to carry in my travels. i always carry with me a swiss power travel adapter with a usb attachment then i use a very small 4-port usb hub so i can charge my S100, Jabra BT800, Supertooth II car bt handsfree, and my tt gps receiver all at the same time.

sorry for the late reply guys/gals. i was out of town.

[Dirty Francis]

the dual sim adapter works very well even when tt5.2 is running. now i have one device less to carry in my travels. i always carry with me a swiss power travel adapter with a usb attachment then i use a very small 4-port usb hub so i can charge my S100, Jabra BT800, Supertooth II car bt handsfree, and my tt gps receiver all at the same time.

sorry for the late reply guys/gals. i was out of town.

Hi Zerimar,
Does it work with wivit sim status switcher?
http://www.wivit.com

Francis.

[zerimar]

I already mentioned this on my first post. No it doesn't. Also you don't need Wivit 'coz it has its own STK menu. I just use DKToday, a freeware to know which SIM is active.

[Dirty Francis]

:oops: Sorry for the stupid question
I didn't see the post.
Francis

[zerimar]

No problem. The dual sim card adapter has been working like a charm.

[sirgawain123]

:o if it arrived in two days, thats a short trip coming from HK to switzerland :o

Shall I assume you orderd it from switzerland or EU?

I dont dare to order from HK

Many thanks

[zerimar]

Hola,

Hal comienco tenia duda pero Brando se comprovo que es una empreza muy responsable. Dentro de tres años, he comprado muchos productos para mi SE P900 y Samsung D500, y nunca habido problemas con los productos. Y si tengo preguntas tecnicas, respuestan rapidamente.


At first I also had my doubts but Brando proved that it's a very responsible company. In a span of three years, I have bought several items for my SE P900 and Samsung D500m and never had problems with the products. If ever I have a technical question, they reply immediately.

[sirgawain123]

Many thanks for quick response, and for spanish language use.

no doubt about them, but i fear money transfer and trasportation fares, custom delays......
Are you aware of any EU distributor or reseller??
best regards

[zerimar]

I've always paid using my credit card. It's usually the easiest way. I don't know about Spain but I think here in Switzerland anything upto CHF 100.00 doesn't get taxed.

I've once seen an internet seller from Germany. I can't remember right now but I'll look for it and let you know.


PS. I'm basically Spanish born and raised in the Philippines and have been living in Switzerland for the past 14 years. I hope my Spanish writing was correct. I could speak better than write since nowadays I hardly communicate in Spanish.

[wencyv]

just to share with others: I did buy my leather casing with my previous PDA phone at brando before, I think that was last March.... my item just came right away after 4 days without any problem/hassle... I am planning to buy this dual sim maybe next year

[general failure]

After reading this topic I ordered the Brando dual sim. Received it after 5 days, I took me longer to open the package from HK then making the Dual sim fit in the battery case (lift the plastic with a fin screwdriver en break it bit by bit away). Advice: isolite the battery from the dual sim with thin kitchen plastic!!
Only problem I had is that I tried the Display mode2 and one of sims isn't loner functioning in relation to the Dual sim :oops: (already ordered new one :D ).

[zerimar]

Sorry to hear that one of your SIMs got damaged. I tried Display mode 2 but didnt see any difference and both of my SIMs still work.

I used the original sticker/label to cover the battery and isolate the SIMs from the battery.

[general failure]

The new Sim arrived. Guess what: Still the same problem. Brando offered to send a new DUAL CARD. I'll asked them to do that cause I'm sure, the tiny software on the DUAL CARD is rejecting my T-Mobile SIM. Let's hope it will work again.

General Failure

[sirgawain123]

i did order my DualSIM...
will report my impressions on it when it arrives...
Best regards.
PS: I like the ability to change SIM at given interval, but still there is room to improve:Change from main SIM to secondary SIM at a customizable interval, but remain in secondary for just one minute(enough to recover SMS), then back to main. At least would be usefull for my needs.

[marsal]

i did order my DualSIM...
will report my impressions on it when it arrives...
Best regards.
PS: I like the ability to change SIM at given interval, but still there is room to improve:Change from main SIM to secondary SIM at a customizable interval, but remain in secondary for just one minute(enough to recover SMS), then back to main. At least would be usefull for my needs.

Well, I have to confirm the problem. For me, one SIM was also Tmobile, so maybe their SIMs are not compatible with the Brando. I am going to try to communicate with Brando to find a possible solution, if available. At least, was worth to try...

[nonentity]

i'm using a 6 in 1 SIM card... normal sized SIM holds up to 6 numbers... it switches number via STK software so i don'r have to restart my mini all the time...

[zerimar]

@nonentity: what brand and where did you buy your 6-in-1 SIM card and reader/programmer/copier? I guess the SIM cards in Indonesia are not using V2 encryption.

I once bought one and was able to copy only my pre-paid SIM from but not the regular SIMs.

[Cods]

I'd also be interested in knowing what brand of 6-in-1 SIM card / reader-writer you bought, and from who you bought it. I'm hoping to to get something like this working in my Universal.

Cheers,

[nonentity]

i'm not sure if it works for all SIM Cards, it sure works well for me in SG...
anyway, here's the link...

http://yeka.en.alibaba.com/offerdetail/50770839/Sell_Super_Magic_SIM_Card_Reader_and_Copier.html

it comes with GSM SIM Utility 6 Software but after a few attempts it fails until i found GSM SIM Utility 5.15...

[zerimar]

@nonentity: sorry man, but my eyes are starting to fail me. I didn't notice the moon and stars, thus assumed you're from Indonesia.

The picture of the card reader/writer is exactly what I have, and I can't copy my regular SIMs. I guess due to non V1 encryption.

[monti]

Hi,

I brought a Dual SIM card from ebay follwoing a link from another post.
I was trying to use my T-Mobile Sim with my work O2 SIM. I could only get the O2 sim to work, it would not switch to the Tmobile SIM. I tried a Non TMOBILE SIM and that works fine. I think it may have something to do with the TMOBILE SIM.

Monti

[zerimar]

That's for sure.

[nonentity]

which version of software r u using? anyway, i'm from singapore...

[zerimar]

I've tried several versions to no success. I don't want to try any further as it can damage the SIM card.

[nonentity]

that's what i did too until i use GSM SIM Utility 5.15

[zerimar]

In which mode were you successful, New Scan Engine or nomal, Strong Ki or not?

[nonentity]

at 1st i was using GSM SIM Utility 6, thinking it should be better cos it is the latest version. but i was wrong...

i use new search engine and strong ki...

i have to tell u this 1st, i'm no expert in sim cards... it just works for mine....

[zerimar]

I'll give it a try then, thanks. Btw, in the card reader itself, did you use the fast or slow mode?

[nonentity]

i have no idea which is slow or fast... anyway...

[zerimar]

It's not clearly labled on the card reader but in fast mode the baud rate is 19200, its around 9600 in slow mode. How long did it take to clone your SIM?

[nonentity]

haha... it takes ages to scan... probably an hour or so... but only a few minutes to write...

[zerimar]

Yeah, that's what I thought but it cloned my pre-paid sim card in around 15 minutes.

Btw, great work on the File System tweak! :lol:

[nonentity]

Thanks...

it took me quite a while to figure that out... didn't expect it turns out to be quite simple and surprisingly effective... :shock:

[zerimar]

Its been 30 minutes since I started to clone my personal SIM which is not a pre-paid one. If successful, I'll also try to clone my business SIM.

[nonentity]

haha... patience is a virtue...

i used to waited for hours and it tells me at the end scanning not sucessful... :shock: that was when i was trying out all the softwares...