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hi all,
i am quite seriously considering the 7501 here in the usa, as an upgrade from the hermes, vs the kaiser, or eventual omni.
one large concern is the poss. of the magnet demagnetizing my credit cards.
as i almost had my honeymoon ruined 12 yrs ago in italy when i bought a magnet money clip and put it in the same pocket/area as my wallet, later after my atm card would not work i realized the blunder and have not used it since.
i searched the forums and came up empty.
the question is has any of you advantage users actually had their cards or other magnetic based(hd's) devices demagnetized, and if so can you tell me how exactly it happened in terms of proximity to the cards, length of time in proximity, OR if you have not had any problems and have had the advantage next to your cards/wallet, etc.
i like to use a leather fanny pack when walking/hiking for long distances and keep my wallet, cell phone, dig camera in it together but in diff compartments sep by fabric only.
i would hate to have to think of always keeping my wallet and main device exactly 6.25346???? inches apart to prevent disaster.
secondly maybe you engineers could tell me how to protect the cards in the wallet with a shield of lead( small enough to put in a wallet, of course or other material), or something that would block the magnetization effects.
thanks in advance!!
djsell
has not happen to me.... YET
There are a couple of posts in the Athena forum from members saying that their laptop hard drives have been damaged. Not seen any mention of credit cards though.
I am careful not to get the keyboard of the Athena anywhere near my laptop or wallet, I don't want to be the first to test it...
Haven't you seen Mythbusters?
It isn't possible for any type of commercially-available magnet to wipe a credit card. They tested cards with huge electromagnets and the cards were just fine. It would take at least 1000 gauss to erase a credit card. Most likely the "demagnetized" cards people keep swearing they have are damaged by other means, like scratches on the magnetic stripe. And it wouldn't necessarily have to entirely destroy the data on the stripe; just one well-placed scratch would be enough to destroy just enough data that the reader wouldn't be able to make sense of what it's seeing.
jsp91470 said:
It isn't possible for any type of commercially-available magnet to wipe a credit card. They tested cards with huge electromagnets and the cards were just fine. It would take at least 1000 gauss to erase a credit card. Most likely the "demagnetized" cards people keep swearing they have are damaged by other means, like scratches on the magnetic stripe. And it wouldn't necessarily have to entirely destroy the data on the stripe; just one well-placed scratch would be enough to destroy just enough data that the reader wouldn't be able to make sense of what it's seeing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That said, I believe T-Mobile recommend you keep the Ameo 5cm away from credit cards.
my athena has killed 2 hard drives (both laptop) so it does that, not sure about credit cards...
i just googled "credit cards and magnets" and found serious problems people have said they've encountered with the magnet in the sidekick-3 and losing all data on credit cards, dr. license , and someone tested a card with a 1 second exposure and the card was unrecognizable!!
also the "basics" of credit card magnetic stripes, and they are actual tiny magnets!
not looking good, ...and as this thread plays out some harddrives lost...makes me wonder how the advantages own hd is not affected.
i'll have to read up on "mythbusters", and the myth of these lost hd's and card data...i would love to believe it is a myth!!
the question for me is can i keep the advantage away from my cards and hd's 100% of the time!!!...knowing me, not a chance!!
djsell
The answer is you just need to be a bit careful - don't put the unit or the keyboard on your laptop or wallet. Also, if you are wearing a jacket with your unit in one breast pocket and your wallet in the other and put the jacket down on a flat surface, take one or other out before you do!!!!!
the answer is yes to credit cards in my x7500 manual it says to keep it away from credit cards and mag stripes as it can possibly harm them.
its just a warning not a guarantee just thought id throw this in there
Hi,
I can only speak of my own experience: on two separate occasions my Athena rendered my daily parking ticket (which is made of paper with a thin magnetic stripe) completely unreadable by the automatic cashier mashine.
Once the ticket was put in my bag right on top of the Athena(bad idea...). The other time I had the ticket in my shirt pocket and the Athena in my inside coat pocket, so the two of them were only separated by a few layers of fabric...
Since these two incidents I try to keep my Athena separated from anything electronic and/or magnetic. And if someone came up with a way to remove the magnet I'd be happy to test (I don't use the keyboard anymore).
Regards,
Silviu
The whole magnet keyboard thing is a bad design IMHO. Carrying around magnets with you 24/7 can't be a good thing. I do know people use magnets for therapy.
But for everything else it can just cause a problem. They should have just done away with the keyboard all together or done it the smart way like the Universal. Swivel style.
Sure the Omni might have this design but is the Omni going to have a 5" screen. I bet not.
I remember seeing something about removing the magnet(s) here on XDA-devs. If HTC puts them in, I'm sure some intrepid XDAer has/will take them out...
I've not managed to kill any of my cards (as yet), but now the UK's moved over to Chip and Pin, the stripe barely gets used. No problems with the storecards in their either mind. I quite often carry my wallet atop the closed Ameo. I have managed to knacker one lappy hdd though with my Ameo.
One thing I have noticed is the magnet seems to be quite focused - its grab doesnt seem to emit too far from the bottom of the device. However, the keyboard seems to have far greater radiance than the gadget (from holding them both upto a CRT).
thanks for all the feedback....still undecided on the advantage, i agree that if htc simply used the universals swivel design this would have alleviated a lot of poss problems....no magnet problems, adjustable viewing angles in laptop mode, no losing the kb or keeping track of it, etc., ....well i'll wait a few wks for the poss omni...kaiser still will be with an unprotected screen.
i loved the universal but for me it was quite slow, and the camera was essentially unuseable for my purposes, and important to have in the device.
ces la vie!!
djsell
[email protected] said:
thanks for all the feedback....still undecided on the advantage, i agree that if htc simply used the universals swivel design this would have alleviated a lot of poss problems....no magnet problems, adjustable viewing angles in laptop mode, no losing the kb or keeping track of it, etc., ....well i'll wait a few wks for the poss omni...kaiser still will be with an unprotected screen.
i loved the universal but for me it was quite slow, and the camera was essentially unuseable for my purposes, and important to have in the device.
ces la vie!!
djsell
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whoah there!!! Every PDA I've ever had had its drawbacks - each of which you had to find a workaround for. It is true that the magnets require a bit of careful thought but they are the issue you come up with a workaround for. There are other minor issues but generally the Ameo is fantastic - and I defy you to go back to a smaller screen once you've tried it!!!!
I have been able to kill two hotel keycards with my X7500. Another one to be wary about, since you will need to walk back aaaaalllllll the way down to reception...
silviu.h said:
Hi,
I can only speak of my own experience: on two separate occasions my Athena rendered my daily parking ticket (which is made of paper with a thin magnetic stripe) completely unreadable by the automatic cashier mashine.
Regards,
Silviu
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me to... thankfully it had my entry time printed on the ticket and so I wasn't charged a full day (it was airport parking too - very pricey).
Most of my credit/debit cards are probably already wiped by my Ameo, not sure, but I've not had a card swip done in ages since chip and pin so I suppose I'll only find out when I go to the one place that still relies on mag-stripe technology.
i agree apd,
my real objective...so i tell myself....is to find that near perfect all in one device to use for the longest poss period of time w/o having to continually switch to another phone and reload all my software and endure the new horrors of active sync, i am a physician that basically has the patience, with tech devices, that is, of a newborn baby looking for a nipple!!...I HAVE NOT MUCH, and i want everything to work fairly well and w/o side effects and time consumption.
i loved my universal ( you're right the vga screen!! ) and stuck with it for about a year, which as you know in gadget years, thats about 80 years!, but i really need a camera for my work, and its is insuff, so i had to carry a 2nd device, a dig camera which defeats the purpose.......anyway i just want to avoid the SERIOUS side effects which could be credit card dysfunction, harddrive loss, etc and certainly could live with the viewing angle, and size , since its evidently not that much larger than the universal.
we'll see...the omni proposes a 4" vga screen, 3mp camera,swivel design (minus magnets), and all the other stuff, minus the 8 gb hd, but with micro sd now coming out with 8 gd memory, thats ok.
maybe in its case i could slip in a material that would block the magnetization??!!
btw, here in the usa everything on cards seems to be magnetized still!!
djsell
Doodle said:
I have been able to kill two hotel keycards with my X7500. Another one to be wary about, since you will need to walk back aaaaalllllll the way down to reception...
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Click to collapse
me two and the first time i only had my pants and socks on went next door to borrow somthing of my work colleage, at least the receptionist found it amusing
Well I was watching Discovery Channel about a yr back. N I remember watching Myth Busters. They did a test about demagnetizing a credit card and the results were if u wanna demagnetize ur credit card...... the amount of energy required would actually destroy the card into pieces first..... I Doubt Athena has the power to do that... =D.....
Cheers
They are available here.
Would any of you be interested in a small wrist lanyard or a neck lanyard that would be custom made for the kaiser? I am having some made for me, but I would need to order in bulk, and I don't have the need for more than one
Either way, I just talked to the rep who makes them, and I gave him some specific requests for a custom lanyard that would:
A: Not have any material that could scratch the Kaiser
B: Would have the smallest quick release connector made
C: Would have the smallest strap that would fit around your hand to get on your wrist, thus leaving only the minimal hanging strap when in a case.
D: Would be Black to match the Kaiser
E: Could have custom imprinting on the strap to say.... Kaiser, TytnII, HTC, whatever we would want it to say.. or nothing at all.
Let me know if anyone would be interested. I'm pretty sure the cost would be less than a few bucks... Either way I will be ordering them for myself.
JB
I'd be in for a couple.
RemE said:
I'd be in for a couple.
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Click to collapse
Excellent... Anyone else?
RemE: You would be good with the small wriststrap correct?
JB
Yes, and I've liked this type minimal length lanyard for other small things like cameras as well, that's why I'd like a couple.
If you're putting a quick release on it anyway; how about making a wrist strap & a neck lanyard matching pair that has the same connector... easy to switch off between them. I think that'd be cool and worth a few extra bucks.
Amlethae said:
If you're putting a quick release on it anyway; how about making a wrist strap & a neck lanyard matching pair that has the same connector... easy to switch off between them. I think that'd be cool and worth a few extra bucks.
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Click to collapse
Thats a great idea... Ok, will do that. I will give those the options to choose one or both...
Give me a few days and I will have em...
JB
Great Idea! Matching strap and nek lanyards, perfect
I'm in, although shipping will cost me more then the actual strap itself LOL
gotta pic of what it'll look like?
little_rock said:
gotta pic of what it'll look like?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will a bit later today... You see.. I still haven't ordered them yet... but I can show you what each part will look like, since they are one offs.. there haven't been any made yet...
Give me a few hours, I will be working on this at work.
JB
Check these guys out, they may have what you need already.
http://www.rivetnow.com/
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones-headsets/rivet-rhythm-earphone-lanyard/4505-6468_7-31753449.html
Note, thay also make an attachment that threads through any spot meant for a camera type wrist strap. Not sure if the Kaiser has one of these, but it looks like it may from the pictures I have seen.
The thing I like about this system is that you can use the clips with more than one device.
One thing to note though, I tried the Harmony headphones with my 8125, and could only get one side of the headphones working. Seems the 4pin 2.5mm connectors used on the 8125 do not have any type of standard for how they are wired. I am guessing this would not be the case with the Kaiser, but you would need to use the usb to 3.5mm adapter in conjunction with the rivet offerings.
jgermuga said:
Check these guys out, they may have what you need already.
http://www.rivetnow.com/
http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones-headsets/rivet-rhythm-earphone-lanyard/4505-6468_7-31753449.html
Note, thay also make an attachment that threads through any spot meant for a camera type wrist strap. Not sure if the Kaiser has one of these, but it looks like it may from the pictures I have seen.
The thing I like about this system is that you can use the clips with more than one device.
One thing to note though, I tried the Harmony headphones with my 8125, and could only get one side of the headphones working. Seems the 4pin 2.5mm connectors used on the 8125 do not have any type of standard for how they are wired. I am guessing this would not be the case with the Kaiser, but you would need to use the usb to 3.5mm adapter in conjunction with the rivet offerings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link... but the lanyards they have, use metal adapters and that is what I am trying to avoid. The metal adapters will scratch the device. Not to be too anal, but when you pay 800 for a device, it's always a good idea to keep it in mint condition to have a good resale when the next hot device comes out.
JB
Spend a bit more and get this then...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=333707
I'd say it has easily prevented $20 worth of scratches on my wife's iPhone already and it also has just a slightly tackier feel to it, so the phone doesn't slip out of your fingers as easily, although the OP on this link indicates the Kaiser already has a tacky backplate, probably for that very reason.
jgermuga said:
Spend a bit more and get this then...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=333707
I'd say it has easily prevented $20 worth of scratches on my wife's iPhone already and it also has just a slightly tackier feel to it, so the phone doesn't slip out of your fingers as easily, although the OP on this link indicates the Kaiser already has a tacky backplate, probably for that very reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a great idea as well... But my own reason for wanting a lanyard is to help me pull the device out of the belt case that I use to carry it in... Almost everytime I have dropped a phone, it has been when I am taking it out of the case... With the lanyard on it, It will be easier to pull out, as well as keep it from hitting the ground.
I have been super busy at work, but I will be making the phone call very soon to get the lanyards...
JB
Well... I just finished getting a quote for the lanyards...
Looks like my idea is getting stomped...
The company wants a minimum order of 100 units at 1.52 per unit... That means I would have to dish out 160 dollars... Thats fine with me, but I'm concerned I wouldn't be able to get the money back...
Also, they won't send out one neck lanyard and one wrist lanyard with a cell conector, since it would mean that they would have to have more male connectors than female connectors. So the only way is to order half of the lanyards as 36" and the other half as 12"...
Either way, they are very nice lanyards and I really want a few for myself. If you all think I could get rid of 90 of them then I will go and order them...
Another Idea I had, was to have, "XDA Developers" prnted on the lanyard, and the site can use them as a way to help get donations.... such as selling lanyards for 5 bucks or so...
Gimme some feedback if ya all would please.
JB
I'd pop for 10, short ones.
Buzz313th said:
Another Idea I had, was to have, "XDA Developers" prnted on the lanyard, and the site can use them as a way to help get donations.... such as selling lanyards for 5 bucks or so...
Gimme some feedback if ya all would please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take enough pride in my geekness to buy something branded with XDA Developers, but I don't have a need for a lanyard.
It's a pretty good idea though. You may want to get it out to a broader audience via another more general post, as I am sure the interest would apply for other devices as well. Me thinks one of the moderators should be able to help out with this.
Ok, I will order the Lanyards with, "XDA Developers" on the lanyard. The lanyard will be polyester black, and the text will be a dark grey. I'm not into big bright text, I like being low key.
It will be 50 neck lanyards and 50 small wrist lanyards.
I don't think I will have an issue getting them outa my hands.
JB
let me know when you get em - m presumably you take paypal?
I am a bit of a loser for a lanyard!!!
Ok willdo...
JB
I'll take 1 of each
1 wrist & 1 neck
preferably PAYPAL as well
what route of delivery to Canucks ??
5 bucks ... 5 bucks ... 5 bucks
Just wondering if anyone's come up with a good way to mount the Defy on a motorcycle yet? Can't find a dedicated mount for the Defy yet so am looking for other options...Waiting for delivery of a plastic holster which, if I could remove the belt-clip, I could probably attatch to a universal stem mount. Not sure about how much clearance there would be between the holster and the phone for any securing nuts/fasteners so just interested if anyone has rigged up something similar? Can't wait to get my hands on this phone as the IP67 spec makes it perfect for use as a motorcycle sat-nav!
(Sorry- unable to include pictures/links to the proposed holster and stem mount as I'm a n00b!)
Hello mate,
I bought a couple of the cheap mounts from China, they use the standard 4 holes at the back, which makes it perfect for sticking cable ties though to hold it on the handle bars (see image).
I put it on the other day and took it for a test ride about 15 miles. It held in, but doesn't stop me feeling a bit scared that the vibrations will make it fall out.
I bought the origional motorola mount, put a decent bolt in the stem hole and used thw standard screw on mount. Done about 150km within like that, listening to music and google turn by turn through my bluetooth headphones.
2 issues though, wish it had a lanyard strap for a safety latch just in case it comes free the holder. 2nd issue is tha capacitive screen with racing leather gloves...
Cheers. That looks promising but I'm hoping to mount it to my R1 which has clipons. I think a stem mounts the only safe option (hate to pay the £70 odd Motohaus are asking for it tho!)...See what you mean about the posibility of it coming out of the upper clip (the holster I've ordered clips in on all four corners so may be safer.) Maybe you could rig up something that would lock the upper clip down- a loop of strong fishing line or something similar...bit of a bodge but wouldn't want to test the phones ruugedness by slinging it down the road at speed!!
senergy said:
I bought the origional motorola mount, put a decent bolt in the stem hole and used thw standard screw on mount. Done about 150km within like that, listening to music and google turn by turn through my bluetooth headphones.
2 issues though, wish it had a lanyard strap for a safety latch just in case it comes free the holder. 2nd issue is tha capacitive screen with racing leather gloves...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers. How did you secure the Motorola mount to the stem hole? Not sure how you'd be able to recess a captive nut or something similar within the stem itself? Ta.
I think the best idea maybe to try and fabricate your own, maybe get a small sheet of metal and fold the ends over so that the phone will slide in from the side only. Could then screw a ram mount bit on the back and attach to the bike that way. I'll probably try this when I can be bothered
The reason I got the defy though is because of it's ruggedness and because I go Dirt biking a lot and use the phone for Ordnance Survey mapping. I'm forever falling in rivers or big muddy bogs so I need to feel confident that it'll hold the phone in!
I used one of these
then got arount 5-8 rubber grommets like this
and pushed it through the stem hole. Its real tight!. Left a bit of of bolt out the top so the pivot locking system of the oem holder attaches to the bolt.
It looks pretty decent, nothing that ruins the looks of my 600rr.
I'll take some pics when Im in the garage next and post it up so you can see.
here it is, I'm going to wire it up to the battery when I find the right cables, needs to be removable since the bike does a lot of track days in race fairings.
Nice one- good job!
Might have to do something slightly different as I've got a steering damper mounted. Think I'll need to offset the carrier plate forward a bit...found site: telferizer.com that has stem mounts that suit various Ram mount parts so think I'll get something sorted. Thanks for the help!
Haha thats class, some proper american chopper business there- would have looked better if you had fab'd a custom tank and integrated the mount in the tank
I bought a Universal RamMount for ~50€ a few days ago, I'll post some photos as soon as I have it
Update...
...Managed to pick up one of these http://telferizer.com/ off ebay and these Ram Mount parts to secure the phone http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000WJ90K0/ref=oss_product http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002KO5XVU/ref=oss_product , http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001QD8Q5Q/ref=oss_product , http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000WJ90K0/ref=oss_product
Particularily like the phone holder as, having watched a UTube clip, I can be confident that the phone won't pop out over bumps in the road (got the suspension set up stiff for fast road/track use!) Hope this helps.
Can you not slip a couple of rubber bands over the ends of the bracket to keep the phone in place?
Simple solutions to complex problems
I'm sure there's loads of options for mounting the phone tho some better than others. My main concern is the phone coming out of whatever mounting plate it's held into- some of the car dock plates don't look too secure to me. Reckon rubber bands would help hold a clip shut but wouldn't do much for screen visibility! The RamMount plate http://www.ram-mount.com/CatalogResults/PartDetails/tabid/63/partid/082065077045072079076045085078052085/Default.aspx........comes with various length holding arms and can be set up to hold the phone as tightly as you like.
Different strokes for diferent folks I guess!
I bought the RamMount Fingergrip, have a look.
on picture #4 you can see an additional screw at the bottom of the 'fingergrip', that's because the defy is not big enough. But it's sitting very tight even with only the 'fingers' left and right.
I have a question: with RamMount Fingergrip, can you charge the phone or the micro USB port is hidden behind the finger?
Thanks in advance.
Quza said:
I bought the RamMount Fingergrip, have a look.
on picture #4 you can see an additional screw at the bottom of the 'fingergrip', that's because the defy is not big enough. But it's sitting very tight even with only the 'fingers' left and right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the same mount that I bought. I used the short "fingers" on all four sides (1 one each long side instead of 2) - instead of the large "endplates" suggested for the top and bottom of the mount plate. This holds the phone very well and it is still possible to access all of the buttons and sockets on the side of the phone...perfect!!
Can someone please post some pictures of the Defy installed in the RamMount Fingergrip? Thanks
lenoyy said:
Can someone please post some pictures of the Defy installed in the RamMount Fingergrip? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll be at my lockup tommorrow so will take a couple of snaps and post them up tommorrow evening.
Here's a couple of pics of the Rammount Fingergrip. Road tested it today and it seems very solid and gives full access to all buttons and sockets if you use the four small fingers...
I'm using the standard Acer case but I like to use it in my hand, upsidedown, but due to the one end of the case being open the A500 slides out.
What I'm hoping you people can help me with is, I`m after a case that allows for it to be folded flat when open (for use being held - I don't use it on a table) and doesn't slip out (so held secure all around); and preferably doesn't cover the bezel around the screen.
I know I'm asking a lot here, and I've looked at loads of cases, but the pictures don't show the detail needed to see if this fits the bill.
Thanks in advance.
coercri said:
I'm using the standard Acer case but I like to use it in my hand, upsidedown, but due to the one end of the case being open the A500 slides out.
What I'm hoping you people can help me with is, I`m after a case that allows for it to be folded flat when open (for use being held - I don't use it on a table) and doesn't slip out (so held secure all around); and preferably doesn't cover the bezel around the screen.
I know I'm asking a lot here, and I've looked at loads of cases, but the pictures don't show the detail needed to see if this fits the bill.
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im not exactly sure what u mean by holding it upside down and stuff but i think the case i use would work. The tablet doesnt slide out at all (unless you force it) and the bezel isnt covered.
Here it is: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005AZ7B4S/ref=oh_o03_s01_i00_details
I`d had a look at that, and read good things about it, but didn`t know the specifics; thanks for the headsup.
@coercri.....Some time ago I bought the "Vipertek" case which appears identical to the one jon described only different name. I published my comments and pictures on another thread in this forum. I think the same design case has popped up on Amazon over last months all about the same price with different names. It's still working well for me and holds the tab really well no matter which orientation you use. I have copied my original post including photos and attach it for your information.
The link posted by azoller1 in reply to my original post is the correct link to Amaz. Ordered it on 11/12/11 and it arrived by USPS on 11/16/11. It looks, it feels and it smells like leather on the outside whilst the inner lining is micro-fill. It has 6 "clips", (looking at it in landscape view) 2 are at the top L & R corners, 2 are at the bottom L & R corners and the final 2 are on the L & R sides about one third of the way down from the top. When it is closed up the A500 engages in all 6 clips. When it is fully closed every "input" (power,hdmi,usb full, usb "B", on/off button, volume up/down, rotation lock and even the sd card cover) are all accessible. To operate the A500 you have to "unhook" the bottom 2 clips and slide the bottom edge of the A500 into one of the "ridges" where it rests at the required angle. Although I am not an acomplished photographer I hope the attached photos will show that.
Having used it for a couple of days I am growing to like it especially at the price I paid.......THERE LIES THE RUB!......... When I bought it on 11/12/11 it was quoted on Amaz's site as $9.93 plus $4.99 shipping and even without seeing it I thought I couldn't go wrong at that price. On Tuesday 11/15/11 I went to Amaz's to check on delivery date and ........SHOCK HORROR........ found that the price was now shown as $19.98 plus shipping. Long story short I checked my bank account and found that the original price quoted me of $9.93 plus shipping was what had been charged to my debit card. There was no notice on the web site when I bought it that it was a special offer or some such so I can only conclude that for a short time a mistake had been made by the selling company.
At the price I paid I would heartily recommend this case BUT I am not certain I would at twice the price. But if you like the look of it, look around and see if you can find a reduced price.
Attached Thumbnails
Many thanks for the information.
Also many thanks from me as well, had the Acer brand case and got soooo annoyed by it slipping out, and not this one looks promising.
Anyone thought about raising the ouya with a fanned base mount of some kind, and creating some vents in the top to make the case a little wind tunnel. I mean it's great the processor has a heat sink and fan, but all that heat still needs an escape. anyone already working on something like this, or have thoughts on it?
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
bwild said:
Anyone thought about raising the ouya with a fanned base mount of some kind, and creating some vents in the top to make the case a little wind tunnel. I mean it's great the processor has a heat sink and fan, but all that heat still needs an escape. anyone already working on something like this, or have thoughts on it?
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
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Hey bwild... I just received my Ouya a few days ago and this was one of the many initial issues which i've noticed, especially when you launch a game and leave it sitting at the title screen for about 15 minutes. It heats up pretty well and if the ambient temp is 25c or higher then the little thing struggles to cool itself.
After opening mine up, i can see several points which cause me concern heat wise, and obviously the long term issues are potentially reducing the lifespan of the device as a whole.
1. Due to the size of the device internally, and the amount of air that the small fan can shift per minute and the lack of escape points for heat, the device warms up pretty quick as essentially the small cooler is just reusing warm air internally to try and cool the heatsink. There is no heat shielding on the inside of the case to isolate the board from the surrounding case so the entire device heats up but the only effective cooling part is the small heatsink. Its a REALLY bad design.
2. The mobo inside is mounted on its side, this forces the fan and heatsink to fire out warm air towards the vents at the top and the bottom of the case, well at least im sure they are 'Vents' . Im quite sure that this kind of heat build up and pressure makes it almost impossible to draw any kind of reasonably cooler air from the outside, inside. Any air being drawn in is already warm before it even hits the cooler. My Ouya does get noticeably warmer underneath the device but i also believe that this is due to the 4 small metal weights which sit right at the bottom of the case heating up as warm air is expelled downward from the heatsink... I'm thinking of removing these as they are acting as a small heater with cool air trying to enter the underside of the case. But i can test and let you know if theres any difference.
3. The unique shape of the Ouya doesnt help either i believe... Warm air being expelled downwards towards the bottom of the case, will naturally try and rise and move up the curved side of the case internally and then get drawn in by the cooler again, im no expert when it comes to these types of things but im pretty sure thats whats happening.
4. I've replaced the standard 40mm fan with an Akasa 40mm fan with slightly higher airflow rating (and a little more noise), Not sure if this again helps much due to the design but it should help to at least cool the device a little quicker once your return to the Ouya dashboard.
5. Something else that i noticed was that the heatsink is actually spread across what looks like the GPU and (What looks like) Memory Modules, i cant confirm this as it was a side on look and havent removed the heatsink (Yet). Again i noticed that the GPU sits on one half of the heatsink (the side which is closed to the bottom of the case actually) so im wandering if this heatsink is doing anything at all I'll see about removing this at some point and probably putting a highly polished copper shim on it with some better heat compound, silver or ceramic and see if this helps.
6. The underside of the motherboard, has no cooling or anything on there despite a memory module being present on the back but i dont think that this will cause any issues.
So will all of that in mind... i've set of to find a suitable cooler of some kind that wont require ear plugs or make the device levitate 2 inches from the surface its supposed to be sitting on.... Space is a real killer inside this so i think we are going to be limited to what can can do however i'll need to see if theres any way that i can change the airflow in the device to allow for cool air being drawn from underneath and the warm air being expelled from the top. Sounds simple but i dont think its going to be anything easy... Just by looking at the Ouya, i had the crazy idea of trying to mount a 80mm fan (Low Profile if such a thing exists) which has a low rpm which sits between the top of the case and the top lid where the power button is. There may be much pressure between the fan and top lid though so there would need to be some mods and see if i can get enough power.....
All of this sounds extreme for what it is but i hate warm devices
I came across this : http://www.ninjalane.com/reviews/motherboards/rampage3extreme/page4.aspx : which shows a small chipset cooler. This would allow you to mount is side ways with the fan obviously pointing towards the top of the case and flip the fan over so its draws air from underneath and out through the top. Its either something like that, or we start a watercooling ouya project LOL :highfive:
Well thats my 2c
I think the outside only gets warm because it metal if it were plastic no one would know.
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Ok.... Quick test there after work.
Removed the lid, played Shadowgun for about 30 minutes. Fan kicked in a couple of times, but when the fan kicked in for a 3rd time, I exited back to the dashboard and the fan stopped immediately.
Console was slightly cold to touch and the heatsink was roughly a little warmer to the touch so I'd say between 40 and 45c at the most. :thumbup:
Compared to last nights epic slaughter session on Shadow gun, the fan remained on for approximately 10 minutes with no system usage, just sitting at the dashboard as it tried to desperately cool itself.
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It's running a mobile cpu... won't it just throttle itself if it actually gets up to a dangerous temperature??
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I agree mate yes... however i'm not sure if it does actually throttle itself? On an enclosed mobile i can see why thats required, on an open, air cooled device (albeit poorly) there wouldnt really be a requirement for throttling, unless they know it couldnt cool itself properly there any way we know for sure?
That aside though, the device will still take some time to cool down even when throttled as it will still generate heat
Personally if i am playing a game at 1080p, i'd rather not have to suffer from reduced quality when the device throttles due to poor design!
I did notice as well initially when i had a really good session on Shadowgun, that the frame rate on a 1080 monitor was dropping below 30fps and the textures didnt quite look as crisp, so maybe it does throttle. If thats the case, i'll play it with the lid off until i can stop it from overheating and lowering the core frequencies :good: I'll make this a little project and see how cold i can get it to run.
If i make any changes that i think are working, i'll post a few pics :highfive:
Im going to picking up a mini-itx case so i can not only rectify the cooling issue when running my roms , but also to permanantly install a usb hub and hard drive internally. I am growing accustomed to using this for media too, so a hard drive is a must. I will post some pictures and video as I move along with it.
Ramzes13 said:
Im going to picking up a mini-itx case so i can not only rectify the cooling issue when running my roms , but also to permanantly install a usb hub and hard drive internally. I am growing accustomed to using this for media too, so a hard drive is a must. I will post some pictures and video as I move along with it.
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played through shadow gun and the left over and the system stayed cool to the touch the fan did come on a few times
I stripped mine down again tonight and had a closer look at the PCB. Looks like the heatsink, which is soldered on, isnt flush. It rises slightly at the end where the CPU/GPU is so that's maybe why mines is a little warm. I can apply a little pressure to the high end and it does drop 1 maybe 2mm. So maybe my heatsink isn't as effective as it should be.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
Here is the simple rigging I came up with.
A 60mm case fan with some allen bolts for legs. Plugged into the ouya usb (I still need to split it so I don't loose a slot.)
The fan blows up through the bottom vents, I do intend to cut a couple extra slits in the top too.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
Thingiverse has the plans for the ouya and others have likely moded it for better air flow if you have a 3D printer.
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The Old One said:
Thingiverse has the plans for the ouya and others have likely moded it for better air flow if you have a 3D printer.
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This is what I'd ultimately want to do I have a design in my head for incorporating the fan inside the bottom of the case raising the board by the equivalent height and adding in just a spacer with additional venting, between the case and top cover.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
bwild said:
Here is the simple rigging I came up with.
A 60mm case fan with some allen bolts for legs. Plugged into the ouya usb (I still need to split it so I don't loose a slot.)
The fan blows up through the bottom vents, I do intend to cut a couple extra slits in the top too.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
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Click to collapse
That's awesome mate!! :good: Do you get a noticeable difference with that fan?
it is noticeably cooler to the touch. I'll try to measure it somehow and update when I get a chance.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
So I picked up a dead sega dream cast at the flea market, got it home, gutted it, cleaned, and got most of it done. I was able to convert the sega push button power switch to a momentary and soldered the leads to the ouya main board. I hot glued the connection afterwords so it will stay (the power pins are tiny). I added two USB ports to the front and rear using a USB hub. I also mounted an hdmi coupler and m type power connector on the rear. I made a jumper cable to hook up power internally. I'm also looking into wiring up the stock dream cast cooling fan to use as side exhaust. I will update when i get the cooling sorted out. The point of doing this was to increase airflow in the case and make a more compact package for all of devices.
Ramzes13 said:
So I picked up a dead sega dream cast at the flea market, got it home, gutted it, cleaned, and got most of it done. I was able to convert the sega push button power switch to a momentary and soldered the leads to the ouya main board. I hot glued the connection afterwords so it will stay (the power pins are tiny). I added two USB ports to the front and rear using a USB hub. I also mounted an hdmi coupler and m type power connector on the rear. I made a jumper cable to hook up power internally. I'm also looking into wiring up the stock dream cast cooling fan to use as side exhaust. I will update when i get the cooling sorted out. The point of doing this was to increase airflow in the case and make a more compact package for all of devices.
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Pretty cool, I considered doing this as well with a dreamcast, but won't have a chance till I buy another OUYA specifically to mod. Looking at it, I have 2 concerns. Your USB hub is almost wasted, isn't it? I mean the majority of USB ports are inside the case, or am I missing something? What about heat? With the OUYA in the middle, close to the top, wont it cause more heat? or do you think the second fan will fix that?
Have you thought about anything to do with the lid/cd area?
JLCollier2005 said:
Pretty cool, I considered doing this as well with a dreamcast, but won't have a chance till I buy another OUYA specifically to mod. Looking at it, I have 2 concerns. Your USB hub is almost wasted, isn't it? I mean the majority of USB ports are inside the case, or am I missing something? What about heat? With the OUYA in the middle, close to the top, wont it cause more heat? or do you think the second fan will fix that?
Have you thought about anything to do with the lid/cd area?
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Click to collapse
I wanted the majority of the USB ports internal for use with the front USB ports and to add internal storage. You are correct about the pcb location and I'm going to make small vents above the fan inside the cd area for air intake. As it sits now heat isn't in issue yet. I mounted the pcb near the stock fan location so once I have that working it can pull air out more efficiently. Using a dream cast was great, I wish I did this in my spare Nintendo 64, but I didn't have the security tool yet (ordered last night). The n64 cartridge slot makes an amazing air intake, I will more than likely do it when I pick up another ouya ?.
So I got around to wiring up the stock dream cast fan to maximize air flow and moved the led from the pcb to the lid of the console so now the light can be seen.
The first picture is with the cd tray open to show the vents I had to create since the CPU fan sits below. In both pics you can see the light now works. I ordered right angle USB adapters last night and will update when they are installed.
...and so nothing falls into the system or the fan ...