Mod My Mophie! (camera flash for the iPhone)
07.7.2009 I got the new iPhone when it came out and I have been taking a lot of pictures and video with it. It's a pretty good camera, but it would be better with a flash. FastMac has an external battery pack with a built in flash, but it looks kind of bulky. I really wanted the Mophie Juice Pack Air to come with a flash, but for some reason they didn't put one in...so I decided to do it myself.
The following is a photo tutorial of just how I did it. After completing the project there are a few things that I wish I would have done differently and as a result, I bought another Mophie and I am going to do it again. I will be giving this Mophie away, FOR FREE, as soon as I have finished the second mod. If you would like this Mophie Mod, subscribe to our Twitter Feed @ChannelProject. We are going to give it away LIVE on one of our Podcasts. I'm not sure which one, so you'll have to keep tuning in for the next few weeks.
Click on any of the pictures for a full size image.
The first thing that you need to do is break apart the body which is glued together. Using a tiny flathead screwdriver, work the seal open at the top inside, where the phone slides in. Just get enough of it apart so that you can slide a credit card into.
Using a credit card, or some thinner plastic card, slowly work your way down the seal toward the bottom of the cradle. The card will break the seal apart easily without damaging the plastic.
Now separate the back part of the cradle from the front. The iPhone connector in the front of the cradle plugs in to the circuit board at a 90º angle so you have to pull it apart at a 90º angle.
Once the front and back are separated, peel off the piece of reflective tape to reveal the main circuit board. Using a tiny phillips head screw driver, remove the two screws holding the main circuit board to the back piece. Gently pry off the two long skinny circuit boards that run along each side of the battery. They are held on by some pretty tough glue and connected to the main circuit board by two gold "rainbow" ribbon connectors. Be very careful not to damage these.
With the skinny circuit boards dislodged, you can now pull the main circuit board up and out, away from the body.
It will remain connected only by the battery wires.
If everything was done carefully, the battery charge indicator LED's should still function.
With all that out of the way, now you can start on the battery. This was the most difficult part for me. The battery needs to removed so that it can slide down and make room for the LED and switch to be installed at the top. It is encased in a soft foil (which can tear very easily) and glued to the back. To get at it, however, you will need to cut out the the small plastic wall that separates it from where the circuit board sits.
Using a razor blade, you can easily score the plastic wall a few times at its base and then break it off the body.
Now for the hard part. Take a very thin piece of flat plastic (I used the back of a flashlight container that I will show you later) and gently work it underneath the battery, peeling it away from the back. The glue is very tough and it will take a while. I didn't think of this at the time, but you may want to use some kind of solvent like Goo Off to keep the glue from re-adhering to itself as you work.
After you completely separate the battery from the back, you can remove it with the circuit boards still connected to each other. Also, peel the masking tape off of the top of the battery to expose the terminals.
For the light assembly you will need three things:
The first is a switch. I used the switch out of this little flashlight that I picked up at Home Depot for $5.99. Just unscrew the top and bottom of the light and push the switch out with a small screwdriver.
The second is a cap for the switch. I used the rubber switch caps from this laser/light pen also from the Home Depot, also $5.99. All you need from this are the rubber caps so if you can find something else suitable without spending the money, give it a shot. To remove the caps you will have to twist and pull the ends off with a set of pliers, then push the switch assembly out and the caps will come with it.
The third thing you will need is, of course, the LED. I found this at SuperBrightLEDs.com. At 5500 mcd's, it's not as bright as I would like (I was looking for something around 10,000 mcd's) but it was the brightest low profile LED I could find. This is important because the space where you will mount the LED is only a few millimeters deep and a standard LED is too deep. They are $.59 a piece and shipping is $4.00 so grab a couple.
Here I took a Dremmel and dug a hole in the rubber switch cap. You can see it here with the flashlight switch above it. The cap will go through the plastic back and the switch will seat in the cap.
This is the point of no return! Now you must drill the holes that the light and the switch will go through to the back side. I drilled the hole for the light dead center and as close to the top of the battery compartment as possible. I tried to off set it to the left (opposite side as the camera) but there wasn't enough room. Even with the battery moved down as far as it would go, it still interfered with the positive battery terminal. There is only enough room in small gap between the positive and negative battery terminal to mount the LED. The switch is much smaller and can be mounted just above the negative terminal. Start with a small drill bit (like a 1/16th in) for the pilot hole and then use slightly larger and larger bits until you reach the desired size. I can't stress this enough, if you use too large of a bit you will tear the plastic...I did. Eventually you will get to a 7/32 in hole for the switch, and a 5 mm for the light. If you don't have metric drill bits use equivalent size.
Figure out which side the anode and cathode is on. There are two anodes and two cathodes. With the battery and circuit board back in place but not secured, position the LED so that the anodes are on the left and the cathodes on the right. Clip off and remove the bottom anode/cathode pair. It may also be necessary to grind off some of the bottom portion of the LED to get it to fit with the battery. Now use an adhesive to fix the LED and switch cap in place. I used Gorilla Glue. Then solder one wire from the anode to the positive battery terminal and and another wire from the cathode to the switch. Complete the circuit by soldering the last wire from the switch to the negative terminal. I used 22 gage wire here but do yourself a favor and use phone wire or small headphone wire. It will be much easier to work with. Position the battery as close to the light and switch as you can and press it in place. There should be enough glue still on the battery to keep it in place. Put a small piece of electrical tape across the bottom of the battery where it will touch the circuit board, then screw the circuit board back in place.
You may have to bend some of the wires/connections after soldering but you should be able to get to get the two pieces of the cradle back together without any gaps. Use a small drop of adhesive in each of the corners and press together until it dries.
When it is done it will look like this. Hopefully yours won't have the chip by switch button. To use it you just have to hold the switch down. I'm not really happy with the placement of the switch, that's why I am doing the Mophie Mod 2.0 and why I will be giving this mod away.
Here are some pictures that I took with the light on and off.
Our NRV-10 M-Audio mixer low light and with LED.
Here is picture of me in a dark hallway.
Any questions, hit me up on Twitter @ChannelProject or email me ryan@standuporlando.com
Reader Comments (121)
Very cool. Will it fit my Nokia Trac-Phone I got from the 7-11? Actually, it doesn't shoot pictures. Can you modify it to do that?
No but I am going to build the next one with a lighter.
very smart! gratz!
Mind blowing nerditude. Whenever you guys discuss iphones, I feel the same way I did in high school spanish class; I don't understand whats going on, and I know I'm gonna fail.
Hola y buen dia no seria mejor men que esto fuera portable ya que si dañamos la tapa podriamos perder la garantia, bien esto podriamos hacerlo en una tapa transparende o una dura para que no nos contraega problemas y usar una baterias de relojes para alcanzar los 3.7 voltios que usas para prender el led incluso podriamos poner una boton para encendido y apagado .
emepezare el proyecto y si te interesara saber como quedo este es mi correo
XMATRIX_7
Administrador Aux
Macosmovil Team
WWW.MACOSMOVIL.COM
Hello and good day would be best not mentioned this to be portable because if damaged the cap would lose the warranty, it may well do so in a lid or a hard transparende to contraega problems and we do not use a watch battery to achieve the 3.7 volts you use to turn the LED could even put a button to turn on and off.
begin the project and if I am interested to know how this is my mail
XMATRIX_7
Aux Administrator
Macosmovil Team
WWW.MACOSMOVIL.COM
Si no le gusta hablar de la tecnología, le invitamos a avanzar rápidamente a través de las partes. Gracias por seguir siendo un dedicado oyente. El proyecto del canal te ama!
En Estados Unidos Hablamos Ingles.
Much love, Ybme2day
man ask a patern for this you kan be rich man
XMATRIX_7 I originally tried to put the light in the cap but there just isn't enough room.
Funny Todd.
No no no, this sucker's electrical... But, I need a nuclear reaction to generate the 1.21 gigawatts that power the flux capacitor!
wow, that's amazing, could you make an iphone case which connects via usb to the iphone itself to get power for the flash/light an maybe make so that it reacts/detects when a photo is shots? a manual switch can still be useful to use it as light source thought...
i would buy that :D
SomeoneInterested, we'll get R&D on that. Thanks for the feedback. We could use someone insightful like you in that department. Interested?
absolutely captivating! i love it when smart XY's talk shop. i'm off to home depot and to get an iphone, i feel an action packed sat. nite coming on! keep it real and keep it coming.
Very cool man! I'm looking to do the same thing. The phone is useless in taking pictures at night. This case is not cheap and you've done well. The best thing is - it doesn't look bad. Good for you!
You should submit a provisional patent. You can do it online and it costs about $200 or less. This will give you time to get sponsors, and figure out logistics for an official patent and so fourth. You can also look for suppliers for the parts you need so u pay less to build it. Then using your own labor you can build these things and ship out orders. It'll be your own product.
The fact that you published it online in an article already guarantees you protection under federal law. Good luck. If you need more help with strategy and operations, I'll be glad to lend my creativity to you.
Email me if you'd like to do so.
A lot of specialists claim that home loans help people to live the way they want, because they can feel free to buy needed things. Furthermore, a lot of banks give commercial loan for different persons.
Thanks for the nice post. I am expecting some different idea from your side. You always represent some new thought in your post.
Acai Berry Colon Cleanse
How To Get Pregnant Fast
Acai Berry
Acai Max Cleanse Review
How To Get Pregnant Fast And Easy
How To Cut Your Own Hair
Hey, I'm checking this site from my BlackBerry and it seems a little loose. I want to know. This is a great post, but do not miss
Thin Digital Cameras
Best Thin Digital Camera
Small Thin Digital Cameras
Thin Digital Cameras Reviews
Heya..thanks for the post and great tips..even I also think that hard work is the most important aspect of getting success.
Cut Your Own Hair
Acai Max Cleanse
Acai Berry Weight Loss
Acai Berry Select Reviews
Acai Berry
Diet Solution Program
Stretch Mark Removal
How To Get Pregnant Fast
Diet Solution Program
Acai Berry Diet
acai berry
what is acai berry
Acai Berry
Acai Berry
Acai Berry
I have buyed many products on line.Cool.I found some good sites,whose
pruducts have gained popularity among socialites and celebrities.From
these sites,several of my friends buyed products.The Website including.
weight loss
diet pills
how to
lose weights fast
louis vuitton
replica
handbags
lv
louis
vuitton bags
louis
vuitton handbags
discount handbags
lv
discount handbags
louis vuitton bags
louis
vuitton
replica
handbags
lv
louis
vuitton bags
louis vuitton handbags
discount handbags
lv
discount handbags
louis vuitton bags
christian
louboutin
louboutin
christian louboutin shoes
louboutin
shoes
bridal shoes
sexy shoes
high heels
shoes
christian louboutin
louboutin
christian louboutin shoes
louboutin
shoes
bridal
shoes
sexy shoes
high
heels shoes
ed hardy
ed hardy
clothing
ed hardy
clothing shirts
ed hardy
clothes
ed hardy
t shirts
ed hardy
ed hardy
clothing
ed hardy
clothing shirts
ed hardy
clothes
ed hardy t
shirts
rosetta stone
rosetta stone
software
rosetta
chaojimengnan supplier
chaojimengnan
pump seals
Mechanical Seals
Silicon Carbide
Alumina
Carbon Graphite
ZL1/1A Mechanical
Seals
ZL43 Mechanical Seals
Electric Pallet
Truck
Electric Pallet
Stacker
Pallet Truck
Pallet Stacker
ed hardy
christia
sex
viagaraonsale
youono
Ok, i really good and i like it too.
Acai Berry weight loss
Acai Berry
You delivered very interesting information,that attract me to know more about it,thank u:)
Really the blog is very helpful for me.I hope you will continue post such useful information in future as well.