How to use the Samsung Galaxy S III without a Battery! (With better support)

[AlienDrew]

Closed Per OP request

WARNING: Rewiring this wrong can possibly ruin your phone, please do this at your own risk. Don't strip a wall charger unless it's voltage is as stated for highest input (by recommendation stated below) or somewhat lower than!
Remember, you should only do this, for the most part, for a temporary time. Otherwise, your phone could break slowly over time (due to unstable surges of power from time to time), and no one knows yet if there is protection against it.

*This method may work on other models of the Samsung Galaxy S III

For those looking for a way to get their phone up and running without a charger may now do so, but before you start please pay attention to the important information first.

Important Information:
An official Samsung battery for the Samsung Galaxy S III gives off power at 4.2 V (no matter how much energy storage, when fully charged)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_(electricity))
Official recommendation for a highest energy input to the phone via energy source (usually via battery output/USB charger output) is 5.25 V
*Thanks to paccer for this ^ information
USB 2.0 ports will only give off 100mA unless the device requests for more... up to 500mA (make sure you know what type of port it is... others may give off 500mA by default and go higher!)(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Power)

You're going to need the following:

Materials
1. A usb cord of any kind that you're willing to cut up
*For those who are experienced, if you have wires already then make sure to have the vcc and gnd)
2. Some sort of device with a USB 2.0 port (not sure about 3.0, and 1.0 might not be enough) that gives off energy from a device such as a computer, gamingconsole, etc.
3. Electrical Tape (other tapes may work if they are nonelectric and have enough adhesive to stick)

Tools
1. Scissors
2. A wire stripper (the scissors may work, just be gentle)


Overview
First off we need to label some parts and describe what they are for (I'm pretty sure I have this right)

Now it's time to know where the wires will go (overview so don't do anything yet)...

Obviously we want the VCC pin connected with the VCC wire and the GND pin connected to the GND wire.
Then essentially the phone (when pressing the power button) should turn on...
*Sometimes the phone won't turn on/turns off after being on, this may be because of loose wires so just try to refold the wires onto the pins.

Steps
1. Make sure the back of the phone is open and ready
2. Use the scissors to gently cut off the outer part of the USB cord (make sure not to cut into the wires inside!)
3. Strip the ends of the VCC and GND wires by about a centimeter so we can use them on the pins
4. Connect the wires to the pins
A. Loop the exposed VCC wire through the VCC pin and fold it back to tape to phone (make sure it's not
touching any other metal)
B. Repeat step 4 A for the GND wire and GND pin.
5. Test your phone by turning it on... if it works then welcome

Proof of it working (sorry for the bad quality, only had an old 3DS to record with):
Instead of haveing it plugged in a computer I had a different power source called the PocketJuice (http://tzumi.com/manuals/Solo2000mAh.pdf) which supplies a bit more power than a USB 2.0 port
(I made sure before I used my power bank that it had an okay voltage, so don't go testing your portable power banks unless you listened to the warning at the very top of the post)

(didn't remember that I had internet on so that's why the first game I tested didn't load and the PocketJuice is visible after 1:39)


Need Help?
Samsung officially supplies support that can be given from visiting their website for a live chat, sending an email to them through their official form , or by calling their phone number at 1 (800) 726-7864

 

[Marlowguy]

Are you sure that 5V on 3.8V port will be safe for long usage?

 

[AlienDrew]

Are you sure that 5V on 3.8V port will be safe for long usage?

If you are worried about the long time usage, I've ran my phone without it's battery for a successful 6-7 hours until I put my battery back in because of having to go somewhere.
Or you can take a look at the confirmed allowed voltage info in the "Important Information" section in my forum.
Official support from Samsung can also be given if you visit their website for a live chat, send an email to them through their official form or call 1 (800) 726-7864

 

[paccer]

An official Samsung battery for the Samsung Galaxy S III gives off power at 3.8 V at it's highest battery energy storage of 2100mAh

Incorrect,
A fully charged Lithium-ion battery will give off 4.2V, regardless of capacity.

Samsung's official recommendation for a highest energy input to the phone via energy source (usually via battery) is 110 V to 240 V

What? No. This has absolutely nothing to do with the phone, and is the maximum input voltage for chargers. The maximum input voltage for the phone is according to USB specifications (max 5.25V)

USB 2.0 ports will only give off 100mA unless the device requests for more... up to 500mA

Most USB chargers and computers actually deliver 500mA or more by default, without negotiation.



Supplying with 5V on the battery port is potentially a very bad idea, since 4.2V is going to be the max voltage that the battery port is "designed" for, and voltages above that may (or may not) damage or significantly shorten the life of the electronics.

(Actually, according to the USB specs, you can have up to 5.25V on USB and still be within specs.. That's 25% more than a fully charged battery!)

Another thing to note, is that a battery as a voltage source is generally very clean and stable.
The voltage supplied from a 5V source is not going to be as clean and stable, and the voltage may potentially contain spikes well above the 5V (which again, the battery port might not have any protection against)

Depending on the design of the electronics and the components used, this might not cause any problems. You have been warned though.

Samsung support and similar will almost certainly not be able or want to help with such unintended/unsupported use of the phone, and you probably shouldn't be referring to them.

TL;DR
This can potentially damage or shorten the life of your phone, even if done correctly.

 

[adeb2]

Awesome! Just soldered a charger to the battery tips. Works like a charm. If it does fry, so be it. Will report back if it does..

 

[MamaROM]

This was pretty helpful actually, might just try and solder or glue gun the cables down to the phone so I can just use it like this and cut some holes in the back case so it' still kind of safe. Thanks for the tutorial

 

[AlienDrew]

That's good to hear.

 

[AlienDrew]

Thank you for your information

Incorrect,
A fully charged Lithium-ion battery will give off 4.2V, regardless of capacity.


What? No. This has absolutely nothing to do with the phone, and is the maximum input voltage for chargers. The maximum input voltage for the phone is according to USB specifications (max 5.25V)


Most USB chargers and computers actually deliver 500mA or more by default, without negotiation.



Supplying with 5V on the battery port is potentially a very bad idea, since 4.2V is going to be the max voltage that the battery port is "designed" for, and voltages above that may (or may not) damage or significantly shorten the life of the electronics.

(Actually, according to the USB specs, you can have up to 5.25V on USB and still be within specs.. That's 25% more than a fully charged battery!)

Another thing to note, is that a battery as a voltage source is generally very clean and stable.
The voltage supplied from a 5V source is not going to be as clean and stable, and the voltage may potentially contain spikes well above the 5V (which again, the battery port might not have any protection against)

Depending on the design of the electronics and the components used, this might not cause any problems. You have been warned though.

Samsung support and similar will almost certainly not be able or want to help with such unintended/unsupported use of the phone, and you probably shouldn't be referring to them.

TL;DR
This can potentially damage or shorten the life of your phone, even if done correctly.

I was unsure for some things I posted on this, but you know I kinda said that on my post, anyways...

The 3.8V I found was from an early replacement battery that Samsung distributed with their phones (most likely when it was coming out in it's first few months) that my phone was using at the time, it's nice to know the full voltage of the main battery.
I knew something seemed off with the voltage's I got from Samsung Support (I couldn't think it would be that high, but somehow went with it like a noob), so thank you for the correct voltage the phone can receive.
However, I already know that some computers will give off different volts because they are not all the same type... that's why I recommended the USB 2.0 ports if on a computer. Using the link, I provided, to the wiki already explained to me about this and I know that (most) USB 3.0 ports start off with 500mA to begin with like you were talking about. So, no need for clarification on that.

I have since then fixed my tutorial, added in more to the warning's, and gave credit to you on the voltages for the battery and voltage input for the phone.

 

[LeoMiami]

i can confirm this work with tree 1,5v AAA batteries, i use it only to test an i9300 with no battery for working condition.