Faking a car dock

[Sokudo Ningyou]

Am I correct in understanding that you can trigger the car dock or desk dock modes on the X by simply using a magnet in a particular spot? Like a cheap craft magnet?

 

[jaiotu]

Yes. But why? You can trigger the car dock application just like any other application.
Your phone is a sensitive piece of equipment. The manufacturer knows the right spot to place the magnet and the right strength of the magnet. Why risk waving a magnet around your phone to do something that you can do by clicking an icon?

 

[Deleted User]

Magnets won't affect the electronics much. Especially not the normal craft magnets that you can buy inexpensively, and you can tell when you move the magnet around the back, exactly where the sensor is.

To the OP, I bought a 6-pack of neodymium magnets from Wal-Mart for a couple bucks and used one on my Tetrax X-Way so when I flip my phone sideways on the mount, it jumps into car mode. Works great, and cost me virtually nothing. Just make sure you mount it with the right polarity - in one direction, the magnet launches the car dock. In the other, it launches the home dock.

 

[Sokudo Ningyou]

Yes. But why? You can trigger the car dock application just like any other application.
Your phone is a sensitive piece of equipment. The manufacturer knows the right spot to place the magnet and the right strength of the magnet. Why risk waving a magnet around your phone to do something that you can do by clicking an icon?

I was curious because I'd seen someone else describe how they basically made their own dock. And if I can buy a $15 mount and a $1 magnet, that's quite a bit cheaper than the actual Droid X mounts.

Magnets won't affect the electronics much. Especially not the normal craft magnets that you can buy inexpensively, and you can tell when you move the magnet around the back, exactly where the sensor is.

To the OP, I bought a 6-pack of neodymium magnets from Wal-Mart for a couple bucks and used one on my Tetrax X-Way so when I flip my phone sideways on the mount, it jumps into car mode. Works great, and cost me virtually nothing. Just make sure you mount it with the right polarity - in one direction, the magnet launches the car dock. In the other, it launches the home dock.

Would you happen to know which polarity does which one?

 

[Deleted User]

No, I don't... sorry. The magnets weren't marked. I just tested it before I glued the magnet down - just put the magnet up to the back of the phone, it's about a half inch below the Motorola "M" logo on the back of the phone. If it launches the home dock, just flip the magnet over and glue it down that way.