[rob350]

Any one look into the hardware on the Canadian (I believe -3 priv), if blackberry releases parts for their phone I wonder if it would be possibly to add the wireless charging coil since it sits just inside the back cover and simply "plug" it in or the likes.

It can't be that expensive for the charging coils...

[BergerKing]

It's not just a hardware issue, there would be power management software involved as well, I believe.

[Bla1ze]

Rumor has it you can.... but you know. Rumors. Have yet to see anyone post anything about successfully accomplishing it.

[artemis-kun]

I would wager that it's possible. It seems silly that BB would have developed entirely different software for the myriad versions of Priv out there, when instead they could just simply throw a check into the code for if there is a wireless charger or not, and disable related things accordingly. That said, who really knows, but my long-term plan was to wait for parts to inevitably surface on ebay, and do it myself. By the time that happens, the device will probably be EOL anyway, so even if I fry it, a new one would probably be cheap to pick up.

[MrEvets]

Okay i did have a thread on this. I opened my case and I looked inside (i have a version 3 on Rogers) there was no coil sticker on the back as you can see from this pictures but there are also no spring contacts soldered to the motherboard for it to make contact with.If you look at the pictures below you can see the NFC contacts on the MB and then if you look below that there are 4 blank spots with nothing soldered to them this is where the wireless charging contacts would go. IMO there must also be some other components that supports the charging coil because how much could this sticker possibly cost. The reason they left it out was the poor Canadian dollar and they had to make the device price range seem decent even when it was already high. So there is no way they would remove just a $3 sticker to save money! there must be other things that were removed.

As i stated in my other post there is only one way to know. Take the back off a phone that has the coil, place it on a charging stone/mat and measure the voltage and amperage that is outputted by it. Take a device that does not have the charging coil and apply that voltage and amperage using a power supply (if your in electroteck you have one I do) if the Priv start to charge then it will work if it doesn't then there are other components that are missing. The only other way is to solder two of those pressure connectors to a version 3 board and put a back on it that has the coil in it.

[MrEvets]

Here are the pictures of the device that does have a coil. If you look you can see the pins soldered to the main broad just below the NFC ones

[anon(870071)]

Thanks for that research btw AND this really explains alot visually.

Passport SQW100-1/10.3.2.2252 Rogers Wireless Posted via CB

[MrEvets]

Not a problem, pictures always help. I would still like to do the test, if someone can tell me voltage and amperage that the coil produces I can test on my end if applying that would charge the device

[rob350]

Thanks Evets, its hard to see from the picture, does yours have the spot/contacts on the board for the charging pad?
One shot in the dark if we cant get any help from someone with a charging coil, try seeing what voltage you get on those contacts when charging off USB.


Since USB charging is DC from USB, and then into your DC battery. (yes, possibly other components in between)
Where as "wireless charging" utilizes AC and induction to transmit the power between the charging pad to the phones coil, the phone then has to convert that AC into DC (via a rectifier). Hence there could be more components involved than just the charging mat.

Now the charging mat seems to be available online for approx $10, so its going to be somewhere around a couple bucks to produce...
Now a rectifier could be more, especially since wireless charging would require a big tolerance in terms of the power than said coil may be receiving. Depending on the charging pad, as well as the exact placement every time would greatly change the charging effectiveness said rectifier would probably require fairly good regulating ability.
Regardless, rectifier can't be that expensive.... So removing wireless charging as the only money saving measure does not seem like it would have been all that overly effective.
Unless it was a last ditch effort to help an already razer thin profit margin line... (due to the dollar)

[MrEvets]

There are bare contacts on the board where the spring/pressure connectors should be soldered but are not there. I would only trust testing with the voltage and amperage tested from an existing one to be honest. Micro circuitry can be very sensitive and very easy to burn out a chip or lead with the wrong amount of current.. I would be interested to see, if it was you would still have to find a person to surface mount some pins on the board and get a proper coil lots of ifs

[andrewcroberts]

Sorry to dredge up a seemingly inactive thread, but I'd also be interested in doing this. I have a UK marketed version STV100-4, and have noticed the lack of these two pins. The charging coil for the LG G3 (ignoring the NFC part) looks like it'd be the right shape to connect to the pins. Do you think it'd be possible to use one of those, should the amperage be appropriate? Found one of Amazon that supposedly gives 1000mA

[MrEvets]

no one knows, try it and let us know... as i stated before someone needs to find out the voltage and amperage the OEM provides when charging, apply that same voltage and amperage to the blank pins on the Priv, if it charges they all you need to do is find a charging coil with the same specs and solder it to the board.

[andrewcroberts]

Try it I shall.
I've ordered a 'Qi Sticker' for the LG G3, which looks to be roughly the right size. It unfortunately also includes NFC in the same unit, but I plan on just cutting the contacts for that (the top two in the photo I previously attached). When it comes, at the end of next week, I'll give it a go and see what happens. If that works, I'll probably just solder directly to the board. I can't be bothered to **** about with tiny spring pins.

Also, I just tried putting 5V 1000mA DC through the pins to no avail, but then I suppose DC wouldn't, supposing the rectifier is somewhere on the mainboard and not stationed with the coil.

[MrEvets]

Well if applying voltage and amperage to those pins doesn't nothing then you already have your answer. A charging coil is just that, it is only a coil that generates electricity.

[MrEvets]

As I predicted above there is no way they only removed just the sticker to save costs. There had to be other components they used different parts for or removed all together

[andrewcroberts]

Should it not make a difference that I put DC through, and not AC as an induction coil would provide?

[scorepion]

Interesting thread...

Posted via CB10

[MrEvets]

I didn't see the DC part sorry. Yes it would have to be AC, I am surprised you put DC on you Priv, without know what it would do, that could have been $900 mistake

[andrewcroberts]

Ha, yes, it could have been, but fortunately it wasn't!
I'm a little over enthusiastic sometimes. Wasn't really thinking about the AC/DC difference at the time, until I took a step back and thought about what I was doing!
Nevertheless, I'll update when I've had a go with the coil from the G3 next week.

[andrewcroberts]

Right, I attached an induction coil I bought online, and it did absolutely nothing. I must presume that the pins are no active, and that there's more missing, as it was previously predicted in this thread.
I also tested the Qi sticker with a multimeter, and confirmed that it wasn't the coil that was broken.
Oh well, a pity, but never mind....

[ToniCipriani]

Well if applying voltage and amperage to those pins doesn't nothing then you already have your answer. A charging coil is just that, it is only a coil that generates electricity.

I don't think that's quite the case, otherwise PMA and Qi coils would just work with each other.

Touchstone however I know is like what you described, it's all analog and you can just apply a voltage.

[olee2222]

Any news about adding wireless charging to the Priv?

Now we have all our phone on wireless charging, and we got so much used to it, that actually this is the main thing that holds me back to buy a priv. I don't want to plug cables again, and leave home or the office with partially charged phones.

Is it possible to use a USA wireless charger enabled Priv in Europe? Any disadvantages?
Thanks a lot!

[FF22]

Any news about adding wireless charging to the Priv?

Now we have all our phone on wireless charging, and we got so much used to it, that actually this is the main thing that holds me back to buy a priv. I don't want to plug cables again, and leave home or the office with partially charged phones.

Is it possible to use a USA wireless charger enabled Priv in Europe? Any disadvantages?
Thanks a lot!

My Priv does not go to Europe till June. But last June my Verzion Z30 with Qi charging did to go Europe. I did make a few phone calls and used data. The Verizon models are used on cdma towers in the US but use gsm when in Europe but I don't know enough about them to know if there are limitations on frequencies, etc.

[ToniCipriani]

Any news about adding wireless charging to the Priv?

Now we have all our phone on wireless charging, and we got so much used to it, that actually this is the main thing that holds me back to buy a priv. I don't want to plug cables again, and leave home or the office with partially charged phones.

Is it possible to use a USA wireless charger enabled Priv in Europe? Any disadvantages?
Thanks a lot!

You can refer to the Frequencies sticky. Basically it's to do with bands coverage of the phone versus the network you are using it on.

[Kyle Montanaro]

Interesting thread, it's what I was looking for. Here's my 2 cents worth. There are those generic chinese coils which you plug into any phone using the micro USB port. I would just try it out see that it works properly and it gives me what i want via the port, then I'll cut the plug off, solder 2 wires on the circuit board where the micro USB runs and stick the coil on the battery pack.

my only concern is whether it would actually interfere if I connect a cable for data transfer for some reason.