Droid 3 Dock

[Warglock]

Howdy gents, first time posting, and i wanted to enlighten everyone, and hopefully provide a way to modify the D3 dock to transmit data.

I owned the OG Droid and loved it. I rooted it strictly for root access. It treated me nicely over the last two years so I'm making it my PMP. I picked up my D3 yesterday and got the dock too, even after reading this topic. I had dismantled my D1 dock earlier that same day, and had an idea. I read that someone was a little worried about taking their new dock apart, but I am not. I once made my living refurbishing home and office printers, so I know how to take electronics apart without leaving a trace.

Now that I've got my intro in, I wanted to explain the major differences between the D1 dock and the D3 dock. (due to forum constraints, I have to break up the post to a few separate ones to accommodate the 5 pic per post rule.)

After dismantling the D1 dock, I made a quick parts list in my head;top and bottom plastic pieces, steel or iron weight, Micro USB cable and its bracket. You can see most of the parts in the pictures, how everything looks inside and you might even get the same idea I did.

1/3

 

[Warglock]

After I got home from the Verizon store yesterday, I set my phone up, tested out the dock for a second, then set about dismantling it. My mental list came up a bit lengthier; top and bottom plastic pieces, middle plastic bezel, mini HDMI extension cable and bracket (the bracket also keeps the Micro USB cable in place), Micro USB cable with controller board and 3.5 jack connected. There's no weight added here, but the quality of the plastic and injection molding are very similiar, but the D1 still wins in rigidity.

The the idea I had really came to life once I took out the Micro USB controller board and cable from the D3 dock. I saw that the male end of the Micro USB cable (the part that actually inserts into the phone) was the exact same shape and length of the D1 cable... So I thought swapping them was worth a try.

2/3

 

[Warglock]

The cable from the D1 was a perfect fit into the slot. It also fits in the bracket that holds the HDMI cable in place as well keeping it well seated. With some strips of electrical tape I routed the female end of the D1 cable to the Micro USB port on the back side of the D3 dock. I don't have a hot glue gun I couldn't properly secure it, so I plugged the dock into my computer.

Lo and behold, it works. The drawback, no dock screen pops up, so IMNOTMIKAL's theory that the cable was the trigger was partially true. I believe it's the controller board. If there is anyone out there who knows how a proper USB cable is wired, it might be possible to make some form of modification to keep the dock-screen functionality and add data transfer at the same time. If anyone is interested in better quality pictures, or specific ones, I would be more than happy to provide them. I would also be tempted to do some soldering if someone were kind enough to provide one...

PS: All pictures except the one showing my D3 in it's dock showing PC connectivity(taken with my old D1) were taken with the D3. As some reviews have said, the white balance is quite blue, but only on most of the pictures. The ones that weren't tinted blue look pretty decent for a camera phone. I am using a lightbulb that has a specific color temperature (5500k) which is pure white.

3/3

 

[spikejnz]

REALLY disappointed in this dock.

The D1 had a really nice, heavy and substantial dock. This thing is a light, plastic-y piece if crap.

They even cheaped out on the cord.

Really lazy, cheap effort Moto and they have the nuts to charge $50 for it.

Going back to Verizon right after work. This crap should not be patronized.

That's disappointing. Up until yesterday, I used my D1 as my alarm clock at night, and I loved how that base was solid and didn't move. If it's as light as you say it is, I want nothing to do with it. Meh.

 

[Warglock]

That's disappointing. Up until yesterday, I used my D1 as my alarm clock at night, and I loved how that base was solid and didn't move. If it's as light as you say it is, I want nothing to do with it. Meh.

Check out the pictures I posted above, the D1 dock only feels heavy because of the huge weight they put inside it. The D3 dock is almost exactly the same in built quality. My only issue with the D3 dock is that they didn't allow data transfer. If they release a desktop/computer dock, I'll go back and pick one up.

 

[spikejnz]

Yeah I know it's because of the steel bar they placed inside of the dock, but it gave a considerable heft to the dock and made it easy to put the phone on the dock w/o it sliding all over the place in the process. I may still get a dock--we'll see.

 

[KidCuda]

I'm getting one once the price drops to a reasonable one. It's slowly going down on Amazon!

 

[nexusnrg]

Everyone keeps mentioning that you can't connect it to a pc to sync. But I'm finding descriptions on the internet that say otherwise. Google the droid 3 dock and you'll find these. Here is one example for a seller's website describing the item. I bold-faced the specific part that says you can not only charge but sync via the pc through the dock's usb. So what's going on???


________________________________________________________________________________________________
Motorola Droid 3 XT862 Multimedia Station Desktop Charger 89495N

$40 online

The Motorola Droid 3 Multimedia Station Desktop Charging Cradle is the perfect companion for your Motorola cell phone. The dock transforms your phone into a multimedia experience, allowing you to watch movies and view photos. The Motorola Multimedia Station Desktop Charging Cradle connects to your PC to charge your phone and synchronize data. Perfect for use as an alarm clock or to simply watch movies, get the full multimedia experience that your device has to offer with the Motorola Multimedia Station Desktop Charging Cradle.
________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

[militant]

It DOES not sync data period. I've tried it, others have tried it. They are probably copy/pasting info from old dock's for the D3 without knowing that this one doesn't actually transmit data.

 

[shalott131]

Check out the pictures I posted above, the D1 dock only feels heavy because of the huge weight they put inside it. The D3 dock is almost exactly the same in built quality. My only issue with the D3 dock is that they didn't allow data transfer. If they release a desktop/computer dock, I'll go back and pick one up.

Would the steel weight from the D1 dock fit inside the D3 one, by any chance? I'd pay $5 for a D1 dock if I could use the weight it has...

 

[Warglock]

Would the steel weight from the D1 dock fit inside the D3 one, by any chance? I'd pay $5 for a D1 dock if I could use the weight it has...

It's quite possible if you did some serious work with a dremmel, but if I recall correctly (I returned the dock the next day after my tinkering) there wasn't sufficient space inside the D3 dock to fit that hunk of steel in it. Your best bet is to get lead weights for derby model cars or fishing line sinkers and hotglue them in.



Sent form my D3.

 

[must_i_register]

It's quite possible if you did some serious work with a dremmel, but if I recall correctly (I returned the dock the next day after my tinkering) there wasn't sufficient space inside the D3 dock to fit that hunk of steel in it. Your best bet is to get lead weights for derby model cars or fishing line sinkers and hotglue them in.

Or go by a tire/wheel store and get a few ounces of wheel weights, the ones with the adhesive on them and apply them. Something that is like this: http://images.drillspot.com/pimages/7443/744383_300.jpg

 

[Warglock]

Or go by a tire/wheel store and get a few ounces of wheel weights, the ones with the adhesive on them and apply them. Something that is like this: http://images.drillspot.com/pimages/7443/744383_300.jpg

Another excellent idea. That will probably be what I will end up doing if Motorola or a 3rd party company makes a desktop/computer dock that does data connectivity. Curse you Motorola! *shakes fist*