Working Magsafe / Magnetic Qi Wireless Charging Pad Install! - DIY Writeup

[camaroz1985]

I'd be interested in a dual as well.

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[camaroz1985]

Follow-up: I believe this is the correct connector - https://www.molex.com/molex/products/part-detail/pcb_headers/0311010040

I have a few more inbound and they are due in on Thursday.

I was just reading through the thread. I was going to say it was probably a key code A connector, but you beat me to it. Unless there are two of the same connector close to each other, most connectors will be key A.

 

[NeuronBasher]

Would definitely be interested in a dual if you wind up doing a sale or group buy.

 

[R1T.NC]

Welp, my dudes, I've done it. I have successfully replaced the POS wireless charging pad with a Magsafe / Magenetic Qi chaging pad that functions correctly. It's 100% powered using the existing lead in the wireless charging pad cavity and does not require using the USB-C ports in the center console.

The phone in the video is an iPhone 13 Pro with an Otterbox Lumen case on it. In addition to charging, it also holds the phone in location reasonably well. The solution is basically a combination of a few different parts:

1. A third-party Magsafe / Magnetic Qi charger. This charger was selected because it holds (much) stronger than the Apple OEM part and it has a comparibly small pigtail with a USB-C female port on it.
2. A 12-24V to 5V DC-DC converter. This takes the 12v raw power from the truck and steps it down to the point where the charging pad can accept it. It also has a USB-C male end and is QC 3.0 which means that it puts out more than 3A, which is a requirement for just about any wireless charging pad.
3. A 3D printed shelf that I designed which holds the charging pad to the same level as the the POS charging pad. This is important so that the Rivian rubber mat installs as normal.
4. Two posi-tap connectors to splice into the stock wiring with no adverse effects.

On the inside, it looks like this:

(Please ignore the finish on the top of the plate - it's printed in PETG and I unfortunately have to use glue to get the first layer to adhere to my glass build plate.)

In doing this, I've learned a few things:

• Either the plate or the pad need to be able to slide forward and back to account for the different thicknesses of cases. For instance, I have a thin case on my iPhone and my wife has the Otterbox. My current design necessitated that I cut the deck of the 3D printed plate to account for the larger phone. That's no bueno.
• Tapping into the POS pad wiring was surprisingly difficult due to the very small gauge of the wires they uses. (26? 28?) They are quite tiny considering the significantly higher wattage that POS pad pulled. I had to be very mindful when screwing down the posi-tap as the wires really wanted to just bend out of the way.
• Wiring is a problem, from a space perspective. I'm glad I chose to use these items instead of a 'on the desk' pad with a 6 ft cable or whatever. The limited depth of the cavity and the bulkiness of the cables wouldn't go together well, especially considering the shelf just sits in there.
• Heat doesn't seem to be an issue at all. In my testing (YMMV) everything was room temperature or very, very slightly warm. I don't see a need for a fan like what was in the old POS pad.

Going forward, I have a few plans:

1. I need to revise the design of the 3D printed shelf so it can adjust for smaller and larger phones / cases.
2. I need to create a second design for a solo charger, not the dual variety that I've printed for myself.
3. I'm going to wire in a second pad and do a stress test with warm temperatures out doors charging two phones at the same time.
4. I may see if I can source the components here in bulk for a group buy or similar. If you're interested, please post below. Right now, everything here is pretty hard to come by, and the posi-taps are stupid expensive if you're looking for lower quantities.

That's it. Happy to answer any questions!

Looks great....very nice job of planning and installing. I would be interested in a single or dual. Thank you

 

[StevenLev]

Interested in the dual. Thanks!

 

[OverZealous]

Thanks for the STL! I might see if I can print this and get it working myself in the near future.

 

[OverZealous]

@RWerksman I couldn't find it in the thread, did you order the magsafe charger from Amazon? I assume I'd need a specific one for it to fit (although I could easily modify your design if necessary).

 

[RWerksman]

@RWerksman I couldn't find it in the thread, did you order the magsafe charger from Amazon? I assume I'd need a specific one for it to fit (although I could easily modify your design if necessary).

Yes - it's seems to be not currently available though. They seem to be bulk orderable via other means however.

 

[RWerksman]

So, I have good news and maybe good news.

First, the goodest news - I can confirm that the 'wrong' part as I identified earlier in this thread is indeed wrong. I've modified one however and can confirm that beyond the wrong grooves, the remainder of the part is correct as it fits right on top of the OEM cable.

Additionally, I can confirm that the pins are removeable. This means that one an pop out the two un-needed pins and solder wires to the two remaining. I may attempt this in a day or so. The end goal is to have a plug and play kit that can installed with nothing more than a single hand tool. This is a crucial part.

In other goodish news, I've done some power testing on the DC-DC converter and the wireless pad. When not charging, I can confirm the converter and pad pull very, very little. Most of the time, it's 0.16 or 0.17 watts. Occasionally it spikes up to 1w - likely when it's looking for something to connect to.

In other slightly goodish news, maybe not so goodish news is the total charging power of the pad. Generally, it fluctuates between 5-10w total. I *think* this means that it's charging the phone around 7.5w - the lowest power it's rated for. It's certainly not approaching the maximum output of QC 3.0 nor is it 'fast charging' at 15W. Connecting it to other chargers seem to have no effect on power. I'm going to try the other way to see if I can pull more from the converter.

Long story short - the whole setup charges the phone, just not super fast. It likely explains why neither the pad nor the converter is getting particularly warm.

I can look for an alternative - Please let me know what you think.

 

[astonius]

I can look for an alternative - Please let me know what you think.

Great findings, really appreciate the experimentation and frequent updates here!

As far as output is concerned, I believe Apple only allows 15w from the official MagSafe chargers while limiting standard Qi speeds to 7.5w. I understand why you went non-MagSafe, but I think a MagSafe option will be required for those who want higher output.

I do like the rivian.fun prototype on Instagram. A hybrid of your direct wiring approach using the Molex connector combined with two official MagSafe adapters could be a nice alternative. The MagSafe pucks would need to be trimmed down and adapted, of course, and a new pad would need to be fashioned, so it's not as straightforward.

 

[RWerksman]

Great findings, really appreciate the experimentation and frequent updates here!

As far as output is concerned, I believe Apple only allows 15w from the official MagSafe chargers while limiting standard Qi speeds to 7.5w. I understand why you went non-MagSafe, but I think a MagSafe option will be required for those who want higher output.

I do like the rivian.fun prototype on Instagram. A hybrid of your direct wiring approach using the Molex connector combined with two official MagSafe adapters could be a nice alternative. The MagSafe pucks would need to be trimmed down and adapted, of course, and a new pad would need to be fashioned, so it's not as straightforward.

The largest reason I didn't use the OEM MagSafe connectors was because of strength of the magnets. A few people have reported that it will not hold the phone or charge through the Rivian rubber mat. To me, it was it more important to retain the stock look and to function well enough.

I applaud the gentleman who is doing that work though. He was the one who got me thinking about this, has also put in yeoman's work and hopefully also have a solution that will allow us who need more watts to get them. I just wish he would post his work to Thingiverse.

 

[RWerksman]

In other slightly goodish news, maybe not so goodish news is the total charging power of the pad. Generally, it fluctuates between 5-10w total. I *think* this means that it's charging the phone around 7.5w - the lowest power it's rated for. It's certainly not approaching the maximum output of QC 3.0 nor is it 'fast charging' at 15W. Connecting it to other chargers seem to have no effect on power. I'm going to try the other way to see if I can pull more from the converter.

Also, slight update here - the power output might be due to my phone being at a 95%+ charge. Much like a Rivian, I think Apple throttles the charge speed when that high. I'm going to run it down a bit tomorrow and test again.

 

[Ronimal]

I can look for an alternative - Please let me know what you think.

So what power would it charge at if plugged into the usb c port inside the arm rest? I understand your goal was to tap into the existing pad’s power, and it’s been an impressive effort! But honestly I am considering printing your shelf, disconnecting the POS pad from power, and finding a way to route the MagSafe cable to the usb plugs under the armrest.

 

[RWerksman]

So what power would it charge at if plugged into the usb c port inside the arm rest? I understand your goal was to tap into the existing pad’s power, and it’s been an impressive effort! But honestly I am considering printing your shelf, disconnecting the POS pad from power, and finding a way to route the MagSafe cable to the usb plugs under the armrest.

~7.5W plugged in to the USB-C port on the inside of the console.

 

[JamesPolk24]

Good work. Props to you. I'm interested in single or dual if you get these done.

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