Nexus 5 Custom Dock Help

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JXRT190

Member
Jul 30, 2013
24
8
Hi guys, a friend and I recently decided to try our luck at creating a custom dock for the nexus 5. What we're shooting for seems pretty ambitious, so I'd like to hear what you guys think.

For Dock Materials, we're thinking either wood or aluminum. I have access to a CNC Mill, plenty of aluminum and there are a few places I could get to make it in my area if need be. The same goes for wood. I'm not exactly well versed on how well aluminum would work because of the next big part of the dock. We plan to implement a wireless charger into it. Would heat from the charger be able to heat up the aluminum enough to damage the phone? I also need some help choosing a charger that could work in the dock. I'm thinking about the Ruix Wireless Charger (http://amzn.com/B00EBQ8RSG) because it seems reliable and fairly cheap. If anybody has experience with this charger, it would be greatly appreciated as well.

The second part of the design is an LCD display on the front. We've been thinking E-Ink displays because they're thinner and less battery-hungry than LCD displays. We have contacted a possible retailer and are waiting to hear back, but do you guys think this is a good way to go, or should we go with LCD? Another thing is actually programming the screen to work. I was thinking we could use Pebble Source Code and just trick the screen into thinking it's a pebble so we could use pebble apps and such. The screen will be a different size though, so i was thinking that could be our issue. I'm not quite fluent in C, but I'm learning at a fast rate and could probably change it up a bit if need be.

We were also considering adding speakers, but that's not a very high priority, so I won't bother you guys with that. Also, I forgot to mention, our 3D model also has a hole for routing a regular cable up to the phone in case it doesn't work with QI wireless charging.

Any help would be much appreciated! (Even if it's just an explanation to why it isn't feasible)
 

gasparzim

Senior Member
Feb 10, 2011
472
93
45
Somwhere over the Rainbow
I like the idea of using wood. I am not sure, but I think aluminium is not a good material to use in your project... Unless you use it as a base material and some kind of plastic (forgot which one exactly) that could blend well in the design and color, or maybe a white to give a different accent?
There's a lot of cheap chargers for sell on dealxtreme (dx.com), and some nice projects to get you started on Instructables.
The LCD part, I think it doesn't matter much if it's a LCD or e-ink, since the charger will be connected all the time, but IMHO, I think e-ink would work better with an aluminium design. You should try to do it with arduino, like this one http://www.instructables.com/id/LOG-Wireless-Temperature-Monitoring/

Hope it helps, and good luck :)


Hi guys, a friend and I recently decided to try our luck at creating a custom dock for the nexus 5. What we're shooting for seems pretty ambitious, so I'd like to hear what you guys think.

For Dock Materials, we're thinking either wood or aluminum. I have access to a CNC Mill, plenty of aluminum and there are a few places I could get to make it in my area if need be. The same goes for wood. I'm not exactly well versed on how well aluminum would work because of the next big part of the dock. We plan to implement a wireless charger into it. Would heat from the charger be able to heat up the aluminum enough to damage the phone? I also need some help choosing a charger that could work in the dock. I'm thinking about the Ruix Wireless Charger (http://amzn.com/B00EBQ8RSG) because it seems reliable and fairly cheap. If anybody has experience with this charger, it would be greatly appreciated as well.

The second part of the design is an LCD display on the front. We've been thinking E-Ink displays because they're thinner and less battery-hungry than LCD displays. We have contacted a possible retailer and are waiting to hear back, but do you guys think this is a good way to go, or should we go with LCD? Another thing is actually programming the screen to work. I was thinking we could use Pebble Source Code and just trick the screen into thinking it's a pebble so we could use pebble apps and such. The screen will be a different size though, so i was thinking that could be our issue. I'm not quite fluent in C, but I'm learning at a fast rate and could probably change it up a bit if need be.

We were also considering adding speakers, but that's not a very high priority, so I won't bother you guys with that. Also, I forgot to mention, our 3D model also has a hole for routing a regular cable up to the phone in case it doesn't work with QI wireless charging.

Any help would be much appreciated! (Even if it's just an explanation to why it isn't feasible)
 
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JXRT190

Member
Jul 30, 2013
24
8
I like the idea of using wood. I am not sure, but I think aluminium is not a good material to use in your project... Unless you use it as a base material and some kind of plastic (forgot which one exactly) that could blend well in the design and color, or maybe a white to give a different accent?
There's a lot of cheap chargers for sell on dealxtreme (dx.com), and some nice projects to get you started on Instructables.
The LCD part, I think it doesn't matter much if it's a LCD or e-ink, since the charger will be connected all the time, but IMHO, I think e-ink would work better with an aluminium design. You should try to do it with arduino, like this one http://www.instructables.com/id/LOG-Wireless-Temperature-Monitoring/

Hope it helps, and good luck :)


Thanks for the input! I think you're right about the wood, so I'll probably end up using that. I think I'll have aluminum accents along the side though. As for the arduino board, I have no experience with them. How finicky are they when it comes to space and/or heat? I would need to do a redesign if I wanted to put it in. I'm gonna finalize the design ASAP then start cutting. I can post updates as I build it if anybody cares enough.
 

gasparzim

Senior Member
Feb 10, 2011
472
93
45
Somwhere over the Rainbow
Thanks for the input! I think you're right about the wood, so I'll probably end up using that. I think I'll have aluminum accents along the side though. As for the arduino board, I have no experience with them. How finicky are they when it comes to space and/or heat? I would need to do a redesign if I wanted to put it in. I'm gonna finalize the design ASAP then start cutting. I can post updates as I build it if anybody cares enough.

I don't know much about Arduino, but I see a lot of people using them, so I think it could work well for you too...
I care enough :D
 

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    I like the idea of using wood. I am not sure, but I think aluminium is not a good material to use in your project... Unless you use it as a base material and some kind of plastic (forgot which one exactly) that could blend well in the design and color, or maybe a white to give a different accent?
    There's a lot of cheap chargers for sell on dealxtreme (dx.com), and some nice projects to get you started on Instructables.
    The LCD part, I think it doesn't matter much if it's a LCD or e-ink, since the charger will be connected all the time, but IMHO, I think e-ink would work better with an aluminium design. You should try to do it with arduino, like this one http://www.instructables.com/id/LOG-Wireless-Temperature-Monitoring/

    Hope it helps, and good luck :)


    Hi guys, a friend and I recently decided to try our luck at creating a custom dock for the nexus 5. What we're shooting for seems pretty ambitious, so I'd like to hear what you guys think.

    For Dock Materials, we're thinking either wood or aluminum. I have access to a CNC Mill, plenty of aluminum and there are a few places I could get to make it in my area if need be. The same goes for wood. I'm not exactly well versed on how well aluminum would work because of the next big part of the dock. We plan to implement a wireless charger into it. Would heat from the charger be able to heat up the aluminum enough to damage the phone? I also need some help choosing a charger that could work in the dock. I'm thinking about the Ruix Wireless Charger (http://amzn.com/B00EBQ8RSG) because it seems reliable and fairly cheap. If anybody has experience with this charger, it would be greatly appreciated as well.

    The second part of the design is an LCD display on the front. We've been thinking E-Ink displays because they're thinner and less battery-hungry than LCD displays. We have contacted a possible retailer and are waiting to hear back, but do you guys think this is a good way to go, or should we go with LCD? Another thing is actually programming the screen to work. I was thinking we could use Pebble Source Code and just trick the screen into thinking it's a pebble so we could use pebble apps and such. The screen will be a different size though, so i was thinking that could be our issue. I'm not quite fluent in C, but I'm learning at a fast rate and could probably change it up a bit if need be.

    We were also considering adding speakers, but that's not a very high priority, so I won't bother you guys with that. Also, I forgot to mention, our 3D model also has a hole for routing a regular cable up to the phone in case it doesn't work with QI wireless charging.

    Any help would be much appreciated! (Even if it's just an explanation to why it isn't feasible)