CUT THE CORD: DIY Qi WIRELESS CHARGING PAD AND STAND.

by Maggie Shah in Circuits > Wireless

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CUT THE CORD: DIY Qi WIRELESS CHARGING PAD AND STAND.

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I'm going to show you how I build my own wireless phone charging pad with stand and built-in battery, for totally wireless usage.

The wireless Charging Pad can be used separately as one unit or With its Modular Stand.

The Mobile phone can be placed vertically or horizontally on the stand, both orientation will allow phone to charge wireless, for the ease of use.

All wood Build.

This project is consist of two parts, which can be combined with each other.

  1. The Wireless Charging Pad.
  2. The Stand with built-in battery for the charging Pad.

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Parts, Supplies, Tools

  • Qi Wireless Charger PCBA Circuit Board + Coil
  • Wood sheets strips (3mm thick)
  • Acrylic sheet (clear 3mm thick)
  • Handsaw
  • Hole saw (54mm and 76mm)
  • Drill
  • Drill bit (3mm)
  • Hot Glue
  • Epoxy Glue
  • Sanding Papers
  • Measuring tape
  • Soldering Iron
  • Wire Cutter
  • Tweezers
  • Power Bank Charger Board
  • 2x 18650 Battery
  • Micro USB 2.0 Cable
  • 3mm LED s (Blue) x 5
  • piezoelectric buzzer
  • Wood Glue
  • Masking tape
  • G-Clamp
  • Rubber Feet (x8)
  • Thin Rubber foam strips
  • Wood Wax

Qi Wireless Charger PCBA Circuit Board + Coil

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I found this Qi charger set for $2 online.

Here is the link, if you want to buy.

Finding the Maximum Working Distance

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This is an important step, finding the maximum working distance because if the primary coil and the secondary coil are too far, the flux linkage will not occur and hence no power will be transferred.

Also the positioning of the coil is crucial.

Getting the Wood Sheet Ready

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I've used plywood strips of ~100mm x ~35mm x ~3mm , All were uneven pieces.

Using wood glue, combine all the strips of plywood together. Size of end piece was ~100mm x ~100mm x ~3mm.

Making the Inner Hole of the Pad

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First I marked the centre and using 3mm drill bit, drilled the hole at centre for the hole saw guiding bit. Then using 54mm hole saw

Gluing the Acrylic Sheet.

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I glued the clear 3mm Acrylic sheet in between two layers of plywood, using epoxy glue and clamped. After drying day long I removed the clamps. The edges were rough but that wont matter cause they were going to be cut.

Ring of Sandwiched Wood and Acrylic.

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After the sandwiched Acrylic and Wood sheet dried properly, I drilled a 3mm guiding hole for the guiding bit of the hole saw in the centre, Then after cut a outer circle of 76mm using a hole saw. At last cut the inner circle using using the same 54mm hole saw. The final job was looking like a big ring of sandwiched plywood and clear acrylic in between. This ring is the main frame of the Pad.

Gluing the Face With the Ring.

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Cutting a Wood sheet round of 76mm diameter for the face of the pad. And then using wood glue, I glued the face with the sandwiched ring and clamped it using clamps for the proper bonding.

Sanding and Polishing the Pad.

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Sanded the visible surface using sanding papers and also buffed the visible acrylic ring. Finally polished the visible outer Wood sheet using polish paper.

Grooving the Pad for Micro-USB.

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Grooved bottom 2 layers in 12mm space parallel to the axis of the pad. This space is for the micro -USB cable.

Removing the LED From the Circuit Board

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I removed the Led from the main Circuit board using desoldering wick. The led was common cathode and two anode pins.

Adding the Coil and Circuit Board to the Pad.

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Using some Hot-Glue, locked the charging coil inside of the pad and soldered the coils ends to the circuit and for the circuit, I used double sided tape to keep them attached by making sure that the micro-USB pin faces towards the grooved section of the frame.

Installing the LEDs.

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Here, I've used 5, 3mm blue LEDs. After determine how they are going to face towards the acrylic on a small piece of plastic card, I glued 4 of them using hot-glued their legs. After connecting the LEDs in parallel connection. the remaining one led is soldered on the circuit itself and the combined ground of LEDs to the ground and the positive to the charging status pin of the circuit board.

The LEDs are little far from the Acrylic to spread even light.

Adding a Buzzer.

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Bonus Point!! This circuit has a buzzer output. So I decided to Add one buzzer to the pad which will beep when the Phone is placed on pad.

For the buzzer I'v used a disk Piezoelectric Buzzer, and the connection were done on the BEEP and the GND point.

Finishing the Charging Pad.

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For the bottom piece i cut a Wood sheet circle of 74mm using the hole saw. The hole which was drilled by the guiding bit of the hole saw, is used as the vent for the buzzer.

By gluing the the last bottom piece to the Pad, and then sanding it to an even surface with the rest of the Pad, I added rubber feet to the bottom for better grip.

Finished Charging Pad

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Using wood Wax I polished the visible surface, for natural look of the wood.

The Front Part of the Stand.

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I made a slot for the charging Pad using the same 74mm hole saw. this time I used the Outer portion so it gave me a ~1mm gap in between the slot and the charging pad.

First I plugged the Micro-USB cable inside the Charging pad and then putting the Charging pad in the slot, I determined the exact position of cable to where to be glued, After that using Epoxy Glue I glued the Cable And let it dried for a day.

Completing the Front Part of the Stand.

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Used same size of Wood sheet for the back support of the Charging pad, and sides of 10mm width, Glued them together and Cutting the excess part from the bottom.

Attaching the Front Piece With the Base.

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Giving an Angle of inclination of 65ยบ with respect to the base, Glued it using wood glue and giving back support to the same.

The Resting Stands.

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By determining the Coil position in my phone as the reference, I marked the resting position of the Phone horizontally and vertically both.

Power Management.

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For the battery I've used 2x 18650 batteries which are connected in parallel to each other, and the battery terminals are connected to a powerbank circuit.

Function of the Powerbank Circuit:

  • Overcharge / Discharge protecion
  • Step-Up the voltage to 5v
  • Provides a USB out and Micro-USB in Port.
  • LED indicators for the battery Status.

Attaching the Batteries and the Power Circuit to the Stand.

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Using Hot-Glue, I glued the all the components to the base of the stand.

Completing the Stand

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Used A Wood sheet to cover the top of base and all the components, and grooved a Wood sheet as per the size of the circuit body and covering the back.

Finishing Bits

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Sanded all the visible surface using fine grit papers for even look.

Using thin rubber foam, I covered the resting stand for the grip and to prevent phone body from scratching.

Lastly added rubber feet to the bottom of the pad and used Wood Wax to polish the Wood surface.

Finished Product.

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I Hope You Liked this Project.

THANK YOU!