Database Users

Aluminum case to amplify speaker

I am currently working on a case for the atrix that is milled out of a solid block of aluminum using a cnc machine that a will be air tight around the phone except where the speaker is on the phone there will be and a so called PORT for the sound to be forced throught that will be directed to the front of the phone using a port that will be front facing so you dont have to cup your hand around your phone to hear things, it also will have a kickstand if you all have any other ideas to incorporate into this aluminum case please feel free to post

Have you tried this with aluminum foil? You might save yourself some wasted effort.
I'm thinking such a case could have deleterious effects on some or all of the various bands of the RF spectrum. There are 3 RF based features on these phones. GPS is likely to be the most affected based on signal strength. Reduced range for both WiFi and cell is likely.
I may be wrong and hope I am. I am speculating as I have no idea where the various antennae on these phones are located.
OOPS, I forgot about Bluetooth.

Well... i think it all depends on the case, really. I mean... look at the iPhone 4. Has that whole Antennagate issue... yet companies like ElementCase release the Vapor 4... an aluminum band that get's affixed around the phone, covering the coveted antenna band.

Kickstand yeee..
Looks like an amazing case the kickstand is huge +. If the sound changes even a little bit will be a disadvantage. Engraved styles is what you can add, some parts you can make glossy other brushed. As for assembly I'd like it to be two parts with screws like the vapor bumper, but for most people will be a drawback.Shouldn't be thick since the atrix is pretty thick already. And also have you tought of doing a battery door replacement to incorporate those things. If you are making them for sale I'd like to know because it sounds like an awesome case.

nikidorian said:
Looks like an amazing case the kickstand is huge +. If the sound changes even a little bit will be a disadvantage. Engraved styles is what you can add, some parts you can make glossy other brushed. As for assembly I'd like it to be two parts with screws like the vapor bumper, but for most people will be a drawback.Shouldn't be thick since the atrix is pretty thick already. And also have you tought of doing a battery door replacement to incorporate those things. If you are making them for sale I'd like to know because it sounds like an awesome case.
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Atrix could stand to be thicker. Not too fond of the thinnest phone eva craze.
Iphone > galaxy s 2.

Lie the phone on an aluminum desk and watch your service fade away. I have an aluminum desk at work for drafting and I gi from 3 bars to no service at all if I set it on my desk. Pick it up about 6 inches and bame, 3 bars again. Im right in front of a window too. I have to put my phone up on my filing stand. Once phones went with internal antennas, metal casings had to go. Im pretty sure it will kill the signal at 3 bars and lower. Mill it out of abs and it will be a hot item. For those wanting a thicker phone, do a search for extended batteries. They come with a modified back case that's thicker to accommodate the fat battery. Almost an 1/8th to 1/4 inch thicker.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium

Dirtburgler said:
Lie the phone on an aluminum desk and watch your service fade away. I have an aluminum desk at work for drafting and I gi from 3 bars to no service at all if I set it on my desk. Pick it up about 6 inches and bame, 3 bars again. Im right in front of a window too. I have to put my phone up on my filing stand. Once phones went with internal antennas, metal casings had to go. Im pretty sure it will kill the signal at 3 bars and lower. Mill it out of abs and it will be a hot item. For those wanting a thicker phone, do a search for extended batteries. They come with a modified back case that's thicker to accommodate the fat battery. Almost an 1/8th to 1/4 inch thicker.
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
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Those fat batterys are horribly ugly. No one wants a fat block sticking out the phone. We want a little thicker door to make the phone feel more solid and look the same.

Aluminum Case/Bumper Anyone?

Who do I email to make this happen?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A0BWN8Q/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
Wouldn't it be awesome?
Also, do you say a-loo-min-um or al-you-mini-um?

I've emailed xgear even though they're a bit expensive. I've also try to contact Element case but was unable to...
I pronounce it as it's spelled.. a-lum-mi-num

aluminum affects phone signal.

zephiK said:
aluminum affects phone signal.
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Aluminum could also protect more ably than plastic. I suppose its function versus form, or some variant thereof.
Hello, I am a signature.

I'm in its always worth a try if it hurts signal in the drawer it goes.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Xparent Blue Tapatalk 2

upstandingcitizen said:
Who do I email to make this happen?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A0BWN8Q/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
Wouldn't it be awesome?
Also, do you say a-loo-min-um or al-you-mini-um?
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The first is the American pronunciation. The second is the British pronunciation.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda premium

redthunda69 said:
The first is the American pronunciation. The second is the British pronunciation.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda premium
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To think they make fun of Americans for the way they talk. Hooked on phonics, Your Majesty?
Peugeot is my favorite British pronunciation. I don't see an 'r' anywhere.
Back on topic, is aluminum not transparent to radio waves? I thought only ferrous metals had an impact. Titanium could be a better material if it's radio transparent, though it is more expensive. The type of alloy is all-important, though, be it an aluminum alloy or a titanium alloy.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda app-developers app

I'd swimsuit buy this if they made it. But doesn't this pose a higher risk to screen crackage than tpu?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

I had actually made one at school on the CNC machine for my S3......you're right, it dipped signal a decent amount. I'm half tempted to make more for my N4 now but the signal killed me as I only got 2 bars in my apt before, and about 0~1 afterwards.
Plus we all know aluminum is wayyyyy to soft to use for a bumper case. It dinged and scratched up pretty good within about a week. Took about 2-3 weeks till it actually made the phone look worse because of light damage. And I'm extremely careful with my device, its just aluminum is that goofy.
We anodized my friends and it came out pretty cool, was thinking if trying that for this phone, but I don't know if I'm a fan of glass being in contact with metal at all.....:bang head:

Metal is not protective. If you drop a phone with a metal case it will not absorb and impact.

fr8cture said:
Metal is not protective. If you drop a phone with a metal case it will not absorb and impact.
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I think so too, but I think if it was lined with some rubber it would be really nice.
I would like the feel of a metal case.

tehtrk said:
To think they make fun of Americans for the way they talk. Hooked on phonics, Your Majesty?
Peugeot is my favorite British pronunciation. I don't see an 'r' anywhere.
Back on topic, is aluminum not transparent to radio waves? I thought only ferrous metals had an impact. Titanium could be a better material if it's radio transparent, though it is more expensive. The type of alloy is all-important, though, be it an aluminum alloy or a titanium alloy.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda app-developers app
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wiki:
Two variants of the metal's name are in current use, aluminium and aluminum (besides the obsolete alumium). The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) adopted aluminium as the standard international name for the element in 1990 but, three years later, recognized aluminum as an acceptable variant. Hence their periodic table includes both.[60] IUPAC prefers the use of aluminium in its internal publications, although nearly as many IUPAC publications use the spelling aluminum.[61]
Most countries use the spelling aluminium. In the United States, the spelling aluminum predominates.[16][62] The Canadian Oxford Dictionary prefers aluminum, whereas the Australian Macquarie Dictionary prefers aluminium. In 1926, the American Chemical Society officially decided to use aluminum in its publications; American dictionaries typically label the spelling aluminium as a British variant.
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fr8cture said:
Metal is not protective. If you drop a phone with a metal case it will not absorb and impact.
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Neither is a tuxedo. I implemented it for looks and feel, not protection. Had I been looking for that, I would have injection molded it from a different material

phil001 said:
wiki:
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Great, so apparently we can't spel. Good info.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

upstandingcitizen said:
Aluminum could also protect more ably than plastic. I suppose its function versus form, or some variant thereof.
Hello, I am a signature.
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TPU protects better than aluminum.
Metal bumper on plastic body frame?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app

richteralan said:
TPU protects better than aluminum.
Metal bumper on plastic body frame?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using XDA Premium HD app
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Serious question, not trying to be a smart ass...
So you're saying if i have an aluminum bumper and i drop the phone, the plastic tpu case would hold up better than the aluminum? Aluminum cases are not all aluminum. They all have padding inside so the phone is not in contact with aluminum, at least my experiences with such cases. Do you have any sources or drop tests proving aluminum is less reliable than tpu?
Sent from my Nexus 4

Sorry, that looks like an old Altoids tin!

Solutions Etcetera said:
Sorry, that looks like an old Altoids tin!
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I was thinking it reminded me of an Aluma Wallet.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

The mobile network antenna is at the very bottom of the phone. See http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/DykIcLRdKVNbLTXp.medium It will be essentially shorted out if there is a metal strip nearby. Easy enough to try with a strip folded of alumin(i)um foil.
I'm on UMTS now. When I put the strip around the phone I drop down to -97 dBm. Without the strip, it is -83. That is 14 dB loss - the strip takes 96% of the signal away! Ouch! And this is with the strip on the outside of my TPU case - but take care to cover both the bottom and side antennas in this way.
Now on GSM (it says GPRS:1, don't know if that is 900 or 1800MHz). Without band, -61 to -63 dBm. With band, -73 to -77 dBm dBm. Losing at least 90% of signal.
So - that was an easy test, with a clear conclusion: a metal band is not practical if you want to use the phone.

so theoretically, if there is aluminum case that has a hollowed out bottom, then it wouldn't be much of a problem? I imagined only the bottom corners are protected and the rest would be hollow because of charging port anyways.

Running cases/arm bands

Any recommendations on running cases/arm bands for the Nexus 4?

nicxus said:
Any recommendations on running cases/arm bands for the Nexus 4?
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I asked same question:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/111286251302377428260/posts/ZK5h4fdNCZf

I'm currently using this case: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0096XAUSY/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1361417190&sr=8-1&pi=SL75. The phone slips right in & out without a case. I usually use it with this case: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AHHDG4I/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1361417430&sr=8-1&pi=SL75. It is an exact fit with this case, but will still slip out pretty easily once you get the hang of it. If the case was not "grippy", it'd be no work at all. This arm band will not fit a bulky, protective case like this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00B5SCCOI/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1361417869&sr=8-2&pi=SL75. As far as function, it's kinda hard to read the screen in daylight due to glare on the plastic screen cover. The back is neoprene and some people have complained that sweat from their arm dampens it, causing condensation inside, adding the risk of liquid damage, but I have not experienced this. Also, the top flap closes over the headphone jack, so I neatly snipped a piece of it off to make room for my headphone plug. Overall, I think it's a good quality arm band for the price.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I got this case: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OUPXNS/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 for my HTC One X and my Nexus 4 fits well in it using a TPU case. I was glad I didnt have to buy another.

Wireless Reception Issues?

Here's something to think about. The One's casing is indeed 100% aluminum. In every previous attempt by a manufacturer to use an all-aluminum housing the result was disastrous for wireless reception. That includes antenna-gate on the Sensation which only had a partial aluminum body. Looking at the casing HTC's either going to try to get a signal through it or the antennas will have to be forward facing to get through the glass front panel. Neither is a recipe for great and/or consistent wireless reception. It'll be interesting to see how the One does once it's tested by sites like GSMArena and Anandtech.

First of all..I still don't get the "all aluminium construction" as from some pictures the sides are clearly NOT metal but plastic.
Other than that:
His focus on the all-metal attributes is a direct shot at the iPhone 5, which similarly uses aluminum but has a top and bottom row on the back that's constructed of glass, enabling the antenna inside to broadcast and receive signals. The HTC One, however, worked around that by building the antenna into the metal back of the phone, allowing for a more seamless looking device.
While the back of the phone is part of the antenna, Croyle doesn't foresee any reception issues like the iPhone 4, which used the metal frame around the phone as its antenna, causing some signal issues when held the wrong way. Croyle promised there wouldn't be an "antennagate" with the One.
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http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...ke-good-first-impression-with-all-metal-body/

Its mentioned a hundred times on this forum how the antenna is integrated into this phone. The back has strips for it... look at the pictures...
Sent from my HTC One S using xda app-developers app

Eggcake said:
First of all..I still don't get the "all aluminium construction" as from some pictures the sides are clearly NOT metal but plastic.
Other than that:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...ke-good-first-impression-with-all-metal-body/
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HTC says that the white strips on the sides are in fact metal.

Eggcake said:
First of all..I still don't get the "all aluminium construction" as from some pictures the sides are clearly NOT metal but plastic.
Other than that:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...ke-good-first-impression-with-all-metal-body/
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It's no plastic @ the side its all metal....its just metal in a different colour...if u take out all components u are left full metal case so I don't see where the plastic is from
Sent from my Desire Z using xda premium

Eggcake said:
the sides are clearly NOT metal but plastic.
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Guess again.
HTC also makes a big deal about the One's all-aluminum chassis, describing it as using a zero-gap unibody design. Indeed, available in hues of black and silver, the handset feels sturdy, has reassuring heft, and its smooth metallic skin exudes high-end craftsmanship. HTC also took pains to point out that while the thin white trim encircling the silver model I manhandled appears to be plastic, it is in fact metal.​

The iPhone 5 needed a lot of glass and the iPad needs the plastic Apple logo for the WiFi and those black plastic strips for the 3g versions. The HTC fans better hope that they need less plastic than Apple or they will have an Asus Transformer prime fiasco here.
The fans better hope that HTC has thoroughly tested this thing from a basement, between two skyscrapers, to a boat, to the top of the mountain, in car, on a helicopter etc. Judging from HTC craftsmanship from the past though, especially button ergonomics, good luck HTC fans.

Oh alright, that's news for me. Very good news in fact

guess they learned what to fix after the fiasco on the one x

Tomatoes8 said:
The HTC fans better hope that they need less plastic than Apple or they will have an Asus Transformer prime fiasco here.
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That's exactly what I thought of when it was announced the One's housing was all-aluminum. Here's what Anand said about the Prime's signal issues which Asus corrected in the Infinity by adding a plastic strip along the back where the antennas are. Wi-Fi limped along on the Prime but GPS was so FUBAR because of the all metal-back Asus ended up giving owners a detachable external dongle in order to use GPS at all.
There is no RF window on the back of the Prime where the two antennas are located. Aluminum does a fairly good job of attenuating RF signals, which contributes to worse range on WiFi than the original plastic Eee Pad Transformer. WiFi performance at the edge of reception as well as the maximum usable WiFi range are both noticeably lower than its predecessor.​
expertzero1 said:
guess they learned what to fix after the fiasco on the one x
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The One X Wi-Fi issue was caused by connectors not meeting properly during the production process. HTC can't defy the laws of physics which say metal and wireless signals aren't compatible. In the Prime scenario Tomatoes8 mentioned Asus added a second antenna and used diversity as a means of getting a signal through the metal back cover. They also amped the signal up to the point it interfered with BT which uses the same 2.4GHz frequency. The challenge is even greater using metal on a phone because there's less physical space to work with in terms of antenna size, placement, and interference with other components.
For HTC and fans of their devices sake I hope this isn't an issue. But if they succeed in using an all-metal housing and still maintain competitive wireless performance they'll be the first to do so where there’s a history of others failing.

Just another quote/info from Anandtech:
Plastic is injected into the aluminum block after certain cuts are made for the back case, which then gets machined into the final form. The One uses the top and bottom aluminum strips for antennas, both of which are actively tuned to mitigate unintended attenuation from being held. There’s a plastic insulative strip in-between the two antennas and the main body. In spite of being aluminum, the One also includes NFC, whose active area surrounds the camera region. There’s no wireless charging from Qi or WPC, however.
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http://www.anandtech.com/show/6754/hands-on-with-the-htc-one-formerly-m7
But yeah, let's hope they really tested it...it would be a fiasco otherwise.

maybe u can use the garanty?

Eggcake said:
Just another quote/info from Anandtech.
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Great info. But one has to wonder with an R&D budget larger than HTC's capitalization why Apple wouldn't have figured the same thing out and avoided the issues they faced when they took the Apple logo off the back of the iPad and moved the antenna under the perforated speaker grate and had to use a plastic trim strip over the antenna on the 3G/GPS version. The only real pass/fail test will be when there are One's in people's hands for a couple of months. It took almost three months (launched in March, issue identified in June) for users to figure out the commonality in the One X's wireless issue. Kudos to HTC if they've figured out how to design a metal device with decent wireless performance where others haven't been able to.

[Q] Anyone use thier Nexus around metal dust

I am in dire need of something to replace my Incredible s.
I work around steel fabrication, meaning lots of steel dust and shavings. After a year, I already had to replace my Incredible s speakers because they became loaded with metal dust, and they are already going out again after a few months.
Anyone use their Nexus in smiler conditions?
I was about to hit the buy button when I read Sony announced the Xperia ZR (water and dust proof/resistant), and now am holding off to see the pricing. It also does away with the two only things that made me hesitate on the Nexus in the first place, memory (I can slide my 32gb card into it) and no glass back.

cjunk said:
I am in dire need of something to replace my Incredible s.
I work around steel fabrication, meaning lots of steel dust and shavings. After a year, I already had to replace my Incredible s speakers because they became loaded with metal dust, and they are already going out again after a few months.
Anyone use their Nexus in smiler conditions?
I was about to hit the buy button when I read Sony announced the Xperia ZR (water and dust proof/resistant), and now am holding off to see the pricing. It also does away with the two only things that made me hesitate on the Nexus in the first place, memory (I can slide my 32gb card into it) and no glass back.
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Hm, metal shavings aren't gonna be good for any phone, even less so for the n4..

The grill holes for the ear piece are small and metal shavings shouldn't get in it to bad I've had to blow mine out a couple of times with canned air but it was from dust of mudding and then sanding dry wall.
Now as for the speaker I think this would go out very easily as the grill holes are bigger
Personally I would look at the HTC one, it's made from a solid price of aluminum and Injected molding for the plastic parts however I do not know what the speaker grills look like for the one. Just seems like it may do better around metal
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

If you can get a hold of something to block the openings on the phone, the N4 should be fine. I have no experience with anything near metal dust, but I imagine it could be pretty bad for any device's internals having direct exposure to it (short circuiting and whatnot).
That Xperia ZR sounds like it would be a better choice though.

The only real problem I have is that the speakers have magnets, and hold onto any steel dust that get through the screen covering them. The rest of the phone stays clean with a screen protector and tpu case. I never find any more then a few specks under the case or under the back cover.
when I pulled the speakers out they had a good teaspoon of steel dust stuck all around them.

I'm a steel fabricator as well. What I do is keep my nexus 4 in a zip lock bag. A thicker and smaller one that I got from a shipment of bolts.
Sent from my Nexus 4

Well.... I weld and work on heavy equipment everyday and have never had a problem. That said I take caution with my phone but there has been a few "incidents" and the only issue I have ever had was caused by media from a blasting machine scratching the screen. I am sure it has been exposed to metal shavings but have never seen any on the speaker grills. I love my nexus, but it isn't the most rugged phone. If I had genuine concern for contaminates from the work environment I would look into a dust and water proof model. Speaking of which Cat has its own android phone coming out....
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

I work around paper dust. It gets everywhere. I have a seidio active case. The dust pools at the speaker and camera openings.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

There's also a waterproof ruggedized version of the s4 coming out
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

why not put some extension at your tpu case to prevent metal dust to infiltrate?
back speaker is easy to protect...
Inviato dal mio Nexus 4 con Tapatalk 2

cjunk said:
....... and no glass back.
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Your wrong my friend....... It does have a glass back! And I've seen it broken all ready.
a pigeon delivered this message.... ** your welcome **

gohan040 said:
Your wrong my friend....... It does have a glass back! And I've seen it broken all ready.
a pigeon delivered this message.... ** your welcome **
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Not that it matters much here, but the "Z" has a glass back, the newly announces "ZR" is reported to have a plastic back.

what if you stick a piecee of tape over the speaker and ear piece before going to work everyday? sounds kinda cheap but it might work

Take a look at the Cat B15 http://catphones.com/ or JCB Toughphone http://www.jcbtoughphone.com/ or Fortis phones.
They are all listed on Amazon and would likely hold up better than the Nexus even in a hard case.

old thread update
For those that googled this lile i did
Been welding for 11 years and been through about 16 phones
A lifeproof case or a redpepper case keeps everything out.
If you dont like typing through a loose peice of plastic like myself
Clean out speaker ports daily with a magnet
Do not use compressed air. I have damaged several speakers with this method.