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QI Wireless Phone Charging

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Would you be willing to post an instructable... or even start making them yourself for sale? Part of the attraction is how seamless the final product matches the original design. I had the same idea, and even bought a qi charger coil, but was afraid to take the lid apart. I think that Tesla only sells the lid as a part of the large center console, so if I mess up, it could be costly.
 
I wish we had thought about taking pictures as we disassembled the entire console. We went back and disassembled the most confusing part and took pictures. Here are the basic steps:

Qi Wireless charger - Amazon.com: Wireless Charger,Itian Qi Wireless Charging Single Coil DIY PCBA for Samsung Galaxy S7 S7 Edge S6 S6 Edge Note5 S6 Edge Plus: Cell Phones & Accessories

  1. Pull out rear console vent assembly. This literally just pulls out.
    01.JPG 02.JPG 03.JPG
  2. Disconnect the USB connectors and extend the cup holders.
    04.JPG
  3. Pull off the back panel of the console by hand.
    05.JPG 06.JPG
  4. Move driver and passenger seats all the way back and recline both as far as they will go.
  5. Remove both side panels from the center console carefully with just fingers. There were about a dozen or so clips on each side.
  6. The pivoting cover will have two screws, one on each side, securing it to the console that need to be removed. Pay attention to how the soft close mechanism is attached.
  7. Two additional screws hold the plates together and also need to be removed then the two pieces of the pivoting cover will slide apart.
  8. Some of the plastic ridges on the back will need to be trimmed away to make room for the charger.
  9. Drill a small hole for the LED and sandwich the wireless charger between the two plastic plates.
  10. Test placement of the charging pad before permanently securing it between the plates and installing it back in the car.
Hope this helps!
 
Nice, great ingenuity.

1. Question - did your phone connection kit, include the two guiding rails that a phone slips into to align it with charging port (if you were using it)? Our has the lightening iphone charger installed, but no guides so kinda have to eyeball it over the port and keep trying some.

2. Hope - I'm hoping the iPhone 8 (10th anniversary one) has wireless charing, and hopefully it is the WattUp type solution that doesn't require a pad even, just a transmitter in the car. Let's hope for that :)
 
Nice, great ingenuity.

1. Question - did your phone connection kit, include the two guiding rails that a phone slips into to align it with charging port (if you were using it)? Our has the lightening iphone charger installed, but no guides so kinda have to eyeball it over the port and keep trying some.

2. Hope - I'm hoping the iPhone 8 (10th anniversary one) has wireless charing, and hopefully it is the WattUp type solution that doesn't require a pad even, just a transmitter in the car. Let's hope for that :)

Yes ours came with two sets of guide rails for different size phones. WattUp charging sounds awesome! I wonder how much power it can deliver to a device. Something to keep an eye on for sure.
 
I wish we had thought about taking pictures as we disassembled the entire console. We went back and disassembled the most confusing part and took pictures. Here are the basic steps:

Qi Wireless charger - Amazon.com: Wireless Charger,Itian Qi Wireless Charging Single Coil DIY PCBA for Samsung Galaxy S7 S7 Edge S6 S6 Edge Note5 S6 Edge Plus: Cell Phones & Accessories

  1. Pull out rear console vent assembly. This literally just pulls out.
    View attachment 208094 View attachment 208095 View attachment 208096
  2. Disconnect the USB connectors and extend the cup holders.
    View attachment 208097
  3. Pull off the back panel of the console by hand.
    View attachment 208098 View attachment 208099
  4. Move driver and passenger seats all the way back and recline both as far as they will go.
  5. Remove both side panels from the center console carefully with just fingers. There were about a dozen or so clips on each side.
  6. The pivoting cover will have two screws, one on each side, securing it to the console that need to be removed. Pay attention to how the soft close mechanism is attached.
  7. Two additional screws hold the plates together and also need to be removed then the two pieces of the pivoting cover will slide apart.
  8. Some of the plastic ridges on the back will need to be trimmed away to make room for the charger.
  9. Drill a small hole for the LED and sandwich the wireless charger between the two plastic plates.
  10. Test placement of the charging pad before permanently securing it between the plates and installing it back in the car.
Hope this helps!

I really appreciate the instructions, but ended up running past my comfort zone. I started the disassembly as you outlined, but after removing the back panel, and while starting to remove the side panels, I chickened out.

It takes a good amount of force to take off the side panels, and I kept imagining that I would permanently damage the console. As it is, I did end up cracking a small plastic bridge (no real harm) on the back panel, and I think that there may be a small side panel gap that was not present previously (although I might be imagining that, too). Chalk it up to paranoia, but I sweat small imperfections in this $135k car. Maybe I will try again after building my courage back up.

I had bought this slightly larger triple coil, which might not fit in your design anyway:

Amazon.com: Wireless Charger,Itian Qi Wireless Charging 3 Coils DIY PCBA for Samsung Galaxy S7 S7 Edge S6 S6 Edge Note5 S6 Edge Plus LG G3 G2 Google Nexus 4 5 6 7 Nokia Lumia 920: Cell Phones & Accessories
 
@CurrentRide yeah I've never put my hands on the triple coil so you may be correct that it's too large. Removal of the side panels does take a good amount of force for sure and I completely understand not wanting to break anything. I'm not sure if it makes a difference but we started panel removal at the front of the car and worked our way back. We also saw a video of someone who removed their center console (to a much greater degree than we needed to) and they used some plastic pry tools they purchased at Harbor Freight.
 
I really appreciate the instructions, but ended up running past my comfort zone. I started the disassembly as you outlined, but after removing the back panel, and while starting to remove the side panels, I chickened out.

It takes a good amount of force to take off the side panels, and I kept imagining that I would permanently damage the console. As it is, I did end up cracking a small plastic bridge (no real harm) on the back panel, and I think that there may be a small side panel gap that was not present previously (although I might be imagining that, too). Chalk it up to paranoia, but I sweat small imperfections in this $135k car. Maybe I will try again after building my courage back up.

I had bought this slightly larger triple coil, which might not fit in your design anyway:

Amazon.com: Wireless Charger,Itian Qi Wireless Charging 3 Coils DIY PCBA for Samsung Galaxy S7 S7 Edge S6 S6 Edge Note5 S6 Edge Plus LG G3 G2 Google Nexus 4 5 6 7 Nokia Lumia 920: Cell Phones & Accessories
I'm a chicken also when it comes to dismantling a 100K car. I got this free standing charger from Amazon with a circular base that fits perfectly inside one of the round cup holders. I ran the USB under the rubberized mat and into the bottom console. The charger has a non-slip ledge that prevents the phone from moving around. Does the job and I can close the top to hide my phone if needed.
 

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So... I did it!

It was not easy for me, and I had a couple of hiccups along the way, but the final solution works well -- an identical design to that of the OP. I had hoped that the wireless charging would work through my phone case, but unfortunately it does not. It did work reliably in the case when I tested it inside, probably because the plug in charger was of higher amperage than the USB port in the car. Oh well, so the case is gone now and the S7 Edge looks sexier naked... as long as I don't drop it!

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Good job!! Didn't you take the console out?

How was attached the plastic where you installed the Qi? Just clips ?

I followed the instructions posted earlier in the thread. You have to remove the side panels of the console to remove the pivoting cover (by removing 2 screws at the hinge). Once the cover is out, it is easy to separate the two plates (held with 2 screws). It took a lot of time to shave down the plastic and rubber between the two plates in order to fit the Qi charger, which I just taped into place.
 
So... I did it!

It was not easy for me, and I had a couple of hiccups along the way, but the final solution works well -- an identical design to that of the OP. I had hoped that the wireless charging would work through my phone case, but unfortunately it does not. It did work reliably in the case when I tested it inside, probably because the plug in charger was of higher amperage than the USB port in the car. Oh well, so the case is gone now and the S7 Edge looks sexier naked... as long as I don't drop it!

Hey great job! And thanks a ton for the pictures!
 
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