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Best buy and amazon are selling the original 15W pucks for $30. Any chance we can get those for 15W charging? Will both phones charge at 15w?
According to the manufacturer of the pucks it’s 7.5W each for iPhones.
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This one charges at 15w so not sure why you would need the Apple version?
It's a bit confusing...the manufacturer of the pucks advertises them as 15W (per puck) then in the description they say 7.5W for iPhones...not sure why the iPhone would be getting less, maybe Apple is software-throttling non-Apple accessories, I have no idea.

Does anyone around here know how can I actually measure what the truth is? Perhaps some device that connects to the USB-C and I plug the charger into said device and see how much it's actually consuming?
 

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It's a bit confusing...the manufacturer of the pucks advertises them as 15W (per puck) then in the description they say 7.5W for iPhones...not sure why the iPhone would be getting less, maybe Apple is software-throttling non-Apple accessories, I have no idea.

Does anyone around here know how can I actually measure what the truth is? Perhaps some device that connects to the USB-C and I plug the charger into said device and see how much it's actually consuming?
This is pretty standard, unfortunately. Apple only gets 15W of power through the OEM pucks, AFAIK. Unfortunately the magnetism of the OEM Magsafe puck is pretty low, especially when you factor in a case. That, combined with the high cost for two, make them unsuitable enough for an in-car application that I actively avoided them when making the my NLA kit.

I purchased this tester from Amazon in 2021 and I've been happy with it.
 

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Unfortunately the magnetism of the OEM Magsafe puck is pretty low, especially when you factor in a case.
I disagree. With a MagSafe case and Apple OEM MagSafe charger the strength is just right and perfectly balanced between a secure hold and easy release.

I’ve found stronger magnets and cases making releasing too difficult.
 

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I disagree. With a MagSafe case and Apple OEM MagSafe charger the strength is just right and perfectly balanced between a secure hold and easy release.

I’ve found stronger magnets and cases making releasing too difficult.
Don't get me wrong, I think they are wonderful when done right. Few people are going to shell out for an OEM case when so many third party cases exist.

At the end of the day, this is a more difficult thing to get right than people assume. You need to hold onto the phone enough where it doesn't slide while ensuring a clean release and the puck staying put across a wide range of cases and iPhone sizes.

There is an expectation that something like this be 'plug-and-play' while working 100% of the time for every customer's unique situation. Some folks were really insistent on it working for them, and a small percentage see nothing wrong with getting nasty about it. This is a big reason why I don't make my solution anymore.


Anyway, I applaud @twraps taking this on. The design seems really clever. I'm going to check out of this thread as I don't have more to add.
 
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This is pretty standard, unfortunately. Apple only gets 15W of power through the OEM pucks, AFAIK. Unfortunately the magnetism of the OEM Magsafe puck is pretty low, especially when you factor in a case. That, combined with the high cost for two, make them unsuitable enough for an in-car application that I actively avoided them when making the my NLA kit.

I purchased this tester from Amazon in 2021 and I've been happy with it.
Thank you so much for the compliments and for the information! I will buy this tester so I can verify the MagSafe manufacturer's claims myself.
 

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There is an expectation that something like this be 'plug-and-play' while working 100% of the time for every customer's unique situation. Some folks were really insistent on it working for them, and a small percentage see nothing wrong with getting nasty about it. This is a big reason why I don't make my solution anymore.
I believe your solution was the first, remains greatly appreciated, and is still very impressive. Glad it worked for a lot of people. Ironically, I think the best and worst part of yours was keeping the OEM look. I typically strongly prefer stealth installations such as yours; however, the OEM pad has a design flaw being flat. It cannot accommodate current smartphones' camera bumps to keep flat, direct contact between a phone and charging area - whether it be Qi or MagSafe. Your solution definitely needed a stronger magnet - especially to get some attraction through rubber pad. Again, all your efforts were tremendously appreciated. I learned a lot reading your thread and you're an incredible asset to this community. Thank you again!

@twraps, your contributions and efforts here are also greatly appreciated. When other vendors offer similar products, I try to buy from you first because of your engagement here and excellent customer service. Keep up the great work! I bought my first Tesla in 2012 and regret I had not seen your work for that community previously, but I am greatly enjoying your Rivian efforts.

This discussion reminds me of another question. You replied to one of my earlier comments about how your product stays in place with spirited driving without adhesive and you said your tray just fits securely and is heavy. Is it secure enough as well for the magnets to release the phone easily when lifting a phone off of it? Without adhesive and a strong magnet, I worry the entire tray will stay attached to a phone when the phone is picked up. If that doesn't happen, what's keeping it place? Is it fitting slightly under the edges of the wood trim on the center console? How difficult is your tray to remove if it's securely in place and is there a special procedure to do so - e.g., is a pry tool needed? I'm having a hard time envisioning how this stays securely in place.

I imagine there has to be some downward force somewhere when lifting a phone off a magnet otherwise that magnet won't release. You said it's heavy - is it just gravity?
 

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I believe your solution was the first, remains greatly appreciated, and is still very impressive. Glad it worked for a lot of people. Ironically, I think the best and worst part of yours was keeping the OEM look. I typically strongly prefer stealth installations such as yours; however, the OEM pad has a design flaw being flat. It cannot accommodate current smartphones' camera bumps to keep flat, direct contact between a phone and charging area - whether it be Qi or MagSafe. Your solution definitely needed a stronger magnet - especially to get some attraction through rubber pad. Again, all your efforts were tremendously appreciated. I learned a lot reading your thread and you're an incredible asset to this community. Thank you again!

@twraps, your contributions and efforts here are also greatly appreciated. When other vendors offer similar products, I try to buy from you first because of your engagement here and excellent customer service. Keep up the great work! I bought my first Tesla in 2012 and regret I had not seen your work for that community previously, but I am greatly enjoying your Rivian efforts.

This discussion reminds me of another question. You replied to one of my earlier comments about how your product stays in place with spirited driving without adhesive and you said your tray just fits securely and is heavy. Is it secure enough as well for the magnets to release the phone easily when lifting a phone off of it? Without adhesive and a strong magnet, I worry the entire tray will stay attached to a phone when the phone is picked up. If that doesn't happen, what's keeping it place? Is it fitting slightly under the edges of the wood trim on the center console? How difficult is your tray to remove if it's securely in place and is there a special procedure to do so - e.g., is a pry tool needed? I'm having a hard time envisioning how this stays securely in place.

I imagine there has to be some downward force somewhere when lifting a phone off a magnet otherwise that magnet won't release. You said it's heavy - is it just gravity?
Great question!
First, let me point out that I also highly respect @RWerksman's work. It's rare nowadays to see something get made locally and I for one have a sweet tooth for small businesses and domestic production. Hence TWRAPS too :)

Now on your question - let me clarify - when I say it's heavy I mean it's heavier than the appearance would suggest. Also it's about to get heavier too for production starting next week (will explain this below). But it's certainly not heavy enough to allow for magnetic separation without help. The first day of testing, I found it unintuitive that the pad would lift up as I grab the phone. Then I figured if I jam it in front with my middle finger and lift the phone up holding it on the sides with he rest of the fingers, then it works. First day - you have to think about it. Day 2 (at least for me) it was a habit...I did in fact practice a lot during Day 1 though so perhaps if you just do the regular commute it may take a couple of more days to get used to picking the phone up that way. Alternatively you can apply a double tape to keep it together with the existing pad (glue marks can be wiped off with Goo Gone later on). I too am not sure how this will be perceived. I personally love it, but then again I am so biased so definitely don't listen to what I say 😃

Now on the clarification about weight...
As I started actual production (past prototyping) over the weekend, I figured the production process was so labor intensive that this thing will bankrupt me quickly. Right now I am actually selling them at a loss while I nail the unit economics. (I know, the price tag is high so selling this at a loss at this price sounds insane, until you factor in labor at California rates, and a bunch of supply chain issues that took me by surprise and forced me to buy stuff at retail price).
So, currently (first week of production) this is built in the following way: I laser cut 3 acrylic plates - bottom, middle and top. Then I glue bottom & middle. Once they set/cure, I glue the MagSafe pucks and the cords to the bottom+middle and then I glue the top. So it's basically a sandwich of 3. The thickness of the plates is 1/16 for bottom and 1/8 for middle & top.
With this approach, apparently, there are a bunch of issues that I did not foresee though, namely: I have to stock 3 different materials for each layer (procurement issues), I have labor to glue them all together + wait time. Also apparently gluing them together - not as as easy as one would think. They want to move around until the glue sets. You put the glue too close to an edge - it leaks and destroys it. You put the glue too far from an edge - you have a gap. As with anything practice makes perfect, but I really want this to be simpler, so I am about to test (tomorrow) a different way, and if it works (and by all means it should) I will start doing them this way starting next week when more of this material arrives. The new way will be 2 layers - top & bottom. No changes for the top really. The bottom though will be 1/4" thick as opposed to the previous 1/8+1/16. That leave us a gap given the height of the MagSafe pucks, but this height fills up just right if I use the cutouts from the top and glue them to the bottom of the MagSafe. Then we should theoretically have a flat, even surface. Obviously that alone will be ugly if you look at it at the bottom, so at the bottom I will use our plotters to cut self-adhesive artificial leather and I will add a leather bottom. I hope with this approach the overall design will be even better (don't get me wrong, even now it looks good, but if you lift it up and examine it on the sides, you see a sandwich of 3 which is a bit weird imho). And the other bonus is that 1/4 > 1/8+1/16 so it will also be heavier and feel even more solid.
So let's see how it goes...
 

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This solution is the best yet, but why hasn't anybody look into making one that would sit inside the armrest as part of the organizer? Is is because it wouldn't fit? The design and aesthetics would be out of sight and unencumbered.
 
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This solution is the best yet, but why hasn't anybody look into making one that would sit inside the armrest as part of the organizer? Is is because it wouldn't fit? The design and aesthetics would be out of sight and unencumbered.
It would actually fit but it makes it less convenient for access...Other than that, it's an easy breezy one for me to make...I might give it a shot and see how people respond to it 👍
 

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It would actually fit but it makes it less convenient for access...Other than that, it's an easy breezy one for me to make...I might give it a shot and see how people respond to it 👍
Thank you for being so responsive and quick. I would love to have one out of sight vs one sitting on top of a useless one. Aesthetics would always trump a little inconvenience for me. It would for sure be a much easier one to design/produce.
 

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Great work. I would definitely be interested in a DIY kit, since I already have one Apple MagSafe puck already. I understand this may never happen and not ever be feasible for you to do. Anyway, been happy with your products and great customer service.
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