Homemade wireless charging for a tablet. How to add wireless charging support to any smartphone

Smartphone manufacturers compete with each other, equipping each new model some unique feature. This is how phones with the function became available to users. Convenient, fast, it promises maximum comfort when working with the gadget. But, as a rule, it does not come with a smartphone. The cost of the cheapest model starts from 700 rubles, a more or less normal one will cost 2.5 thousand rubles. And of course, the user has a logical question: how to make wireless charging with your own hands? It turns out that if you want and have some details, this is quite simple to do, but first you need to familiarize yourself with all the accompanying nuances.


A wireless charger allows you to charge your phone without connecting it to wires. The mobile phone is placed on a special stand, where the whole process takes place.

The operating principle is to transmit a magnetic field from the transmitter to the receiver. The second one in this case begins to generate voltage, which charges the battery.

The presence of a built-in receiver can be seen in the specifications; if the manufacturer has indicated support for the Qi standard, then everything is in order.

ATTENTION. The lack of a built-in receiver in a gadget is not a reason to abandon the idea. In this case, the smartphone owner simply needs to put in a little more effort and make the receiver himself.

How to do wireless charging yourself?

There are several options for performing the work, the essence of which ultimately comes down to one thing. If you place all the elements on clean board, attach them with a soldering iron and equip the structure with a choke, you can get a high-quality device. It will be capable of delivering voltage up to two amperes, operating reliably and uninterruptedly. However, if you have a minimum of materials at hand, it is worth using a simpler scheme. To choose the most suitable option, it is worth considering both.

Transmitter: option No. 1

Before making a reliable and high-quality wireless charger with your own hands, you need to prepare:

  • fee;
  • a choke with a wire diameter of 1 mm, wrapped in 5–10 turns;
  • resistors rated up to 1 W - 2 pcs.;
  • transistors with a voltage of 10 volts and more - 2 pcs.;
  • UF diodes - 2 pcs.;
  • film capacitor with a capacity of 0.35 to 1 µF;
  • multimeter;
  • soldering iron and soldering accessories.

First of all, a circuit is made from a long wire. To do this, the wire is folded in half, using fingers or a contour with a diameter of 5–10 centimeters, 5 turns are wound. Along the entire circumference, the contour is firmly fastened with tape or glue.

Next, you need to cut the loop resulting from folding the wire in half, you get 4 free ends. They are cleaned, the beginning of the first winding is connected to the end of the second, and the end of the first winding is connected to the beginning of the second. A multimeter will help you determine which end should connect to which. The “active” ends are soldered together, forming a midpoint. It is she who will go to the plus of the power supply through the inductor. Resistors will later be connected to the free ends.

Assemble for a phone with your own hands in the following sequence: two transistors are soldered, then diodes are soldered to them, and resistors are in turn connected to the diodes. The ends of the latter are distributed between the board and diodes. The circuit is soldered last, and both windings are pre-tinning.

A do-it-yourself smartphone transmitter assembled in this way creates a high-frequency field on the primary circuit, which is smoothed out by a capacitor on the secondary circuit and stabilizes to approximately 5 volts.

Transmitter: option No. 2

The second option will tell you how to make wireless charging for your phone more in a simple way from a minimum of materials. You will need:

  • copper wire with a diameter of 0.5 mm;
  • two transistors.

The wire is wound in forty turns per frame. It must be prepared in advance, based on the optimal diameter of 7–10 centimeters. After the twentieth turn, layering is done. A resistor is connected to it and the end of the coil, at which point the device is considered ready.

ADVICE. It is worth considering the conductivity of the resistor; if it is direct, the polarity must be changed during assembly.

The transmitter should be placed in a housing; a disc box is perfect for its role.

Receiver

If the smartphone is not equipped with a built-in receiver, then you will need to spend time making one. You can install your receiver not only on a smartphone, but also on a regular push-button one, since it is connected to a battery.

Wireless charger For a DIY smartphone in this case, you will need wire with a diameter of 0.3–0.4 mm. Double-sided tape and superglue will also come in handy. For convenience, work on creating the contour can be done on a plastic surface.

The receiver consists of 25 turns, pressed tightly together. To prevent the structure from breaking in the future, it is recommended to fasten the coils with double-sided tape and, as the area increases, fill them with superglue.

In addition to the wire, the receiver includes a silicon diode, the marking of which does not make much difference. The turns of the second part are carefully separated from the surface and connected to the device through a diode.

In addition to how to make wireless charging, it is worth thinking about how to connect it. The receiver can be connected either to a battery or to a connector for charger. The second option, as practice shows, is more preferable.

All that remains is to attach the made receiver to the cover of the smartphone and you can start testing.

IMPORTANT. To check the functionality of the wireless charger, you should take old phone, the loss of which due to errors in the assembly will not cause damage to the owner. It is also not recommended to charge a phone that is under manufacturer’s warranty in this way.

What is worth knowing about homemade charging?

Before you learn how to make wireless charging yourself, you should know the following:

  1. A homemade device without the proper quality and compliance of design elements will not have much power. Therefore, charging time can increase to 7 hours.
  2. The charge occurs at a distance of 4 centimeters; the gadget must lie directly on the transmitter during the process.
  3. With the right approach to creating wireless charging, you can get a truly excellent accessory that will help out if the standard charger or input breaks down!
I made a circuit for this fairly powerful induction charger to charge a pinpointer. A single-cycle one did not fit - with coils measuring 25x30 mm, it is difficult to transmit the large current needed to charge a 18650 battery with a capacity of 2.5 A/h. But first things first. Let's take a look at the schematic diagram(click to enlarge it).

Operating frequency - 100 kHz. I tried 200 kHz - it didn’t get better, but key field workers (and IR2153) find it easier to work at 100 kHz. An important element of the circuit is capacitor C4, with which coil L3 forms a parallel oscillating circuit. The coil contains only 7 turns of 1 mm wire, and without this capacitor we would have to wind significantly more turns, reducing the diameter of the wire to fit into our dimensions, as a result of which there are more losses for heating the wire, since even with a 1 mm wire the coil heats up quite strongly . And the required current cannot be obtained without this capacitor.

Resistor R2 is needed to adjust the frequency, so as not to select capacitor C4. As a result, by changing the frequency, we change the output current of the circuit. This is necessary to set the required current. Through 3 mm plastic, the charger is capable transmit current 1A, but at the same time the coils get very hot (much more than the transistors). It's better to exhibit about 0.5 A.


The board was originally made for a half-bridge - I didn’t want to make a tap from the middle of the coil, then I adjusted it with a scalpel to fit a push-pull one. Therefore, the attached seal has not been verified, although it is difficult to get confused here.

Charger transmitter:


The coils were wound on a collapsible plastic reel 2 mm thick:

I rolled up the receiving area without one side cover, placing a piece of paper under it and soaking it with superglue in the process. The transmitter was impregnated with zapon varnish or rubber glue - whatever was at hand. But since it will get very hot during operation, it is better to fill it with epoxy.

Charge controller I use from Eddy71, but you can also install TL431 + LM317 or, in general, a protection board against a dead battery. Or take a battery with a built-in charge controller. It’s just that the controller that I use not only charges, but also does not allow the battery to discharge below 3.1 Volts, and a tact button is connected to it, allowing you to turn the load on/off.

Power supply for wireless charging I used 12 Volt 2 Ampere, it costs 5 bucks, but inside there is a PWM controller and a field switch on the radiator. There is even a power filter, which made me happy. This is not a cheap simple electronic transformer.

We will tell you how to make a wireless charger for your phone with your own hands or buy a ready-made one.

The transmitting circuit has two half-windings, which are connected to the middle point.
The middle point goes through the inductor to the power supply plus. Limiting resistors that go to the bases of the transistors are also connected to the power supply plus. The diode goes from the base of one transistor to the collector of the opposite transistor. The same with the second diode.

The collector goes to the ends of the winding. For DIY construction there is an option without a midpoint. To do this, you need to take two chokes, parallel one of the terminals of each inductor and connect it to the power supply positive. Disconnect the free leads to the collectors of each transistor. You can assemble this option with your own hands, but the elements will get very hot.

Power depends on the elements used. A device made according to this scheme can be made both weaker and stronger. Using this scheme, you can construct a 2-amp wireless charger with your own hands.

Making your own reel

First, let's wind the outline with our own hands. It doesn't have to be very neat. You can use a piece of plastic with a diameter of 5-10 cm or your fingers.

We take one long wire. Fold it in half. Straighten it.

We wrap 5 turns on fingers or plastic.

Now we secure the coils themselves around the entire circumference with glue or tape.

We are left with three tips. One with a fold. Cut off this fold. Now we have 4 tips. We clean them.

We will need to connect either the end of the first winding to the beginning of the second, or the beginning of the first winding to the end of the second. To check what is connected to what, we use a multimeter.

Set the multimeter to diode test mode. We connect the multimeter to each tip at both ends simultaneously. We see that when connected to some ends the multimeter reacts, but when connected to others it does not. These tips should be on different sides. We must twist them together and solder them. This is the middle point. The remaining tips are two collector windings that go to the transistors. Now we are ready to assemble the charger ourselves.

Putting it all together with our own hands

To assemble the device with your own hands, we take solder, a soldering iron and a circuit board. First we solder two transistors.

After this we solder the diodes.

These are resistors. One tip goes to the diodes, the other to the board.

Now we solder the circuit with our own hands. We wound it up earlier. Now you need to tin its two windings and connect them to the circuit.

Receiver

As a rule, people don’t dare to make a wireless charging receiver with their own hands, since here you already need to get into the phone. A rather crude separate receiver can be made with your own hands just to check if the transmitter works. In a DIY receiver, it is advisable to use a UF diode as well.

Capacitor with a capacity of 47-100 µF. Operating voltage - 25 volts. The second capacitor can be used for 10-16 Volts. Capacity - 47 µF. The circuit of the receiver, made by hand, is also 10 turns. Wire diameter - 0.75 mm.

It is more difficult to understand the written instructions than to follow the actions shown. We have attached a video on how to make a wireless phone charger with your own hands.

Review of ready-made devices for those who do not want to assemble them with their own hands

Making your own phone charger isn't all that difficult, but few people want to mess with it. It’s much easier to buy it than to design it yourself if you have the opportunity and don’t have a particular desire to make something. For that category of users who did not want to build everything with their own hands, we offer an overview of popular wireless chargers.

RAVPower Wireless Charging Pad
The battery of this device has a capacity of 5000 mAh, thanks to which it can simultaneously charge two smartphones. But they must support the Qi standard.

Anker Wireless Charger PowerPort Qi Wireless Charging Pad
It has a temperature sensor to monitor overheating, overcharge protection. When this charger is not in use, it enters sleep mode. Costs about $17.

Woodpuck FAST Edition Bamboo Qi Wireless Charging Pad
This charger is more powerful and more stylish. It is made of bamboo, which in itself is a big advantage. At the same time, it charges the phone 40% faster. Price about $40.

Samsung Fast Charge Qi Wireless Charging Pad
This option has support fast charging, but it also costs about $50. Naturally, this is the best option for the same smartphones and tablets from Samsung, if you want to spend no more than an hour on charging.

Tylt Vü
What makes this wireless phone charger different from the rest is its unusual shape, which causes the phone to charge in an unusual position. It looks like a regular stand. The phone or tablet is placed on it in a semi-tilt, so it becomes much more convenient to use them while charging.

Nokia DT-903
The Nokia phone charger has a backlight that changes color to match the case. Especially for the native Nokia Lumia, a missed call and SMS indicator is built-in.

Advantages


The previous advantage is used to equip public places with phone chargers. That is, soon you won’t have to carry a charger with you everywhere and look for a cafe with sockets (the tables next to which, as a rule, are always occupied; and for a long time). But now you have to look for a cafe with wireless chargers. Which will probably be busy too. That is life…

If your smartphone is not very new, some elements in the socket may be worn out. Because of this, problems can also arise: the contacts simply will not touch each other tightly.

Flaws

The minimum cost of such charging is about 700 rubles. Quite inexpensive, you say. But keep in mind that the speed is much lower than that of the standard model. You have to pay extra for high speed. As a result, one wireless phone charger will cost at least 2.5 thousand.

In addition to the fact that energy efficiency is less, part of it will simply go away in the form of heat.

However, this method is not suitable for all phones. The same iPhones, for example, need additional devices.

FAQ

Above we told you how to do the exercises yourself and which one is better to buy. Now it remains to clarify some points. This technology is quite new, so not everyone knows what it is and how to use wireless charging. Here we answer the most popular questions.

What is the name of wireless phone charging?

Wireless charging is, of course, a name “for the masses”. Few people know what wireless phone charging is called. And its name is this: Qi standard induction coil. The name reflects the principle of its operation. Phone chargers of this type contain an inductive current transmitter that charges the phone. And the little word Qi also has its own history, a very ancient one - it is the energy of Qi, so it is written in Latin. The concept is taken from traditional Chinese medicine.

How does wireless charging work?

The basic operating principle of wireless phone charging is magnetic induction. Electric current creates a magnetic field in the charger, which transfers voltage to the battery in the phone or tablet. The Wireless Electronic Energy Consortium has developed its own Qi standard specifically for such devices, which can be used to evaluate devices regardless of the manufacturer. The standard determines the current power supplied to the coil - 5 Watts.

How does wireless charging work? The magnetic field operates at a distance of 4 cm. It begins to form when a signal is given - a compatible device has appeared in the coverage area. Most often, this signal is given by the smartphone itself. The NFC function helps them with this. It stands for Near Field Communication. Under the influence of the voltage of this field, a current also appears in the coil built into the phone, which is supplied to the battery.

Which phones support wireless charging?

In the previous paragraph, we described the principle of wireless phone charging. After reading it, we understand that according to the Qi standard, wireless charging will work if a receiver-receiver is built into the smartphone. This receiver will be able to receive energy from the magnetic field that is created in the charger coil. Which phones support wireless charging? Almost all modern smartphones and tablets are created taking into account this technology. These are companies such as Yota, Sony, Nokia, Samsung, Kyosera, Motorola, LG, Asus, Google, HTC and Blackerry.

How do you know if your phone supports wireless charging or not?

How do you know if your phone supports wireless charging? It depends on the specific model. For example, Samsung Galaxy Note Edge supports it, but Sasung Galaxy Note 3 does not. You can ask your sales consultant or look on the Consortium website. There is a form on this page. By entering the brand name in the Brand name line and the phone name in the Product name line, you will find out whether your device is on the list or not. If not, don't worry. For those models that are not equipped the right technology, produce special adapters. And it would be a good idea to buy them, because wireless chargers are gradually appearing in public places like coffee shops or airports. They are even going to build them into IKEA furniture.

How to charge wirelessly

How to charge wireless charger? Paradoxically, this must be done using a wire. If voltage is supplied to the phone through the air, then current flows into the charger itself in a standard way. First, assemble the power adapter and connect it to the device. Then we connect the adapter to the outlet. Some models have micro-USB cables, which allows you to charge them from laptops, for example.

How to connect and charge your phone with wireless charging

How to connect and charge your phone using wireless charging? As easy as pie. After connecting the device to an energy source, you need to place it on a flat surface and place the phone on top. It must be positioned so that the battery is within the coverage area, that is, in the middle of the backrest.

Mobile devices have long become an integral part of the life of a modern person. But for them to work, you must constantly use the power supply to replenish the battery life. The cord often becomes a hindrance when using the gadget during charging. To effectively solve this problem, is it enough to find out how to make wireless charging with your own hands?

About the operation of the wireless charger

Wireless charging is not an innovation. They are created based on technology developed many years ago by engineer Nikola Tesla. The latter found a way to transmit energy over a distance. This was achieved thanks to magnetic induction. The discoverer of the technology was able to provide electricity to an entire state in this way.

In gadgets, the technique is used like this. The coil built into the charger plays the role of creator and conductor of the magnetic field, which is directed to the device’s antenna. The receiving circuit is a flat spiral coil located under the cover of the mobile phone. The emission of electromagnetic pulses is activated only after the receiver comes within the range of the transmitter. Through capacitors and a rectifier, the gadget’s battery is affected.

About the disadvantages of a wireless charging system

Experts have found that such a convenient device at first glance has some significant drawbacks. These include:

  • lack of data regarding extent negative impact high-frequency impulses on the human body;
  • low level of energy transmission efficiency;
  • increase time for full recovery battery charge for at least two hours;
  • the risk of reducing the working capacity of the battery, which occurs due to connection to the charger before the battery is completely zeroed;
  • If you assemble the device incorrectly or use unsuitable components for wireless charging, the battery may overheat, which can lead to rapid wear.

A simple technology for modifying a push-button mobile phone

To improve your mobile phone, you need to do a number of things: simple actions. After updating the gadget, problems such as failure of the charging socket, tangled wires, etc., will become insignificant.

To implement wireless charging, you will need a couple of meters of thin copper wire. The conductor must be wound into a coil. The optimal number of turns is 15 pcs. It is advisable to secure the spiral with glue or double-sided tape to maintain its shape. In this case, a few centimeters of wire are left for soldering the contacts. To connect to the charger socket, a pulse diode and a capacitor are used, attached to different ends.

In order to create a wireless charging transmission circuit, turns of 1.5 cm in size are formed. The diameter of the coil after twisting should be 10 cm. Both ends should be free. The rest of the structure is held together using electrical tape or adhesive tape.

Next, 30 turns of thinner copper conductor are wound for the transmitter. A transistor and a capacitor are used to close the circuit. By placing the device equipped under the receiver cover in the area of ​​the transmitting ring with the display facing up, you can achieve wireless charging of the phone.

Features of universal charging

This universal device will become indispensable in any home. Today, almost every user has a whole arsenal of mobile technology: laptops, tablets, e-books, cameras. Using personal charging for each of them is extremely inconvenient and impractical.

Leading equipment manufacturers helped solve this problem. Some time ago they agreed to equip devices with chargers that have a single standard. Equipment that supports this function is marked with the Qi symbol. It is likely that similar technologies will soon appear in public institutions - restaurants, cafes, libraries, etc. It is worth noting that the largest “apple” brand was not included in the association of manufacturers. Later, the developers of this company released their own iQi Wireless Charger charger.

If you are interested in the assembly homemade charging, it’s worth watching the video with the master class. Here the developers cut the USB cable into three parts, removing the middle part. The remaining fragments were used to attach the induction coil. To strengthen the field of influence, a magnet was placed on the power supply. This experiment showed that the coverage area here is 15 m.

Why might you need wireless charging?

We are all tired of piles of extension cords and wires that get tangled with each other, gather dust and get lost.

Extension cords fray and they stop charging. Or the problem may be in the smartphone socket. One way or another, wireless charging can make life much easier.

True, it still cannot be called completely wireless. The device itself will still have to be connected to a source of electricity. But you can simply put the phone on the charger and go about your business with a clear conscience.

The cost of such devices may vary. There are more expensive and cheaper charging cables for phones that we are used to. However, some enthusiasts are trying to do wireless charging themselves. There may be several reasons for this. Perhaps someone prefers to make do with minimal funds. Or maybe the passion for creating something with your own hands plays a role here. We wrote about this above.

Greetings, dear readers. In today’s article, we’ll talk about today’s hot technology – wireless charging for phones. Surely you have heard how branded companies focus on it when presenting their next portable device with his support. Not wanting to spend their hard-earned money, many remain with their old mobile phone, never ceasing to dream of trying out wireless charging.

Do-it-yourself wireless charging is very simple and sufficient fast decision. Read the instructions and watch the video. Interesting, right? Then let's go in order. But be sure to read the advice at the end of the article!

Something new? No, the long-known “old”

When I first saw wireless charging, I thought that manufacturers had made a breakthrough by opening some kind of new technology. Fortunately, there is the Internet, which told me the truth. In fact, the advent of wireless energy transmission was made possible thanks to the discovery of André Marie Ampère's law, which proved that electricity produces a magnetic field.

And this happened, for a moment, almost 200 years ago. In subsequent years, a number of scientists confirmed the existence of electromagnetic waves, and Nikola Tesla devoted years of his life to studying the possibility of transmitting energy over a distance. Using electromagnetic induction, the physicist was able to light an incandescent lamp from a distance.

Standard Qi

Of course, wireless transmission energy was interesting in many areas of human life, but for a long time did not go beyond the walls of the laboratories. Already in this century, companies that develop consumer electronics(tablets, smartphones), they began to take initiatives to create wireless chargers. A huge contribution was made by the Wireless Power Consortium, which developed the Qi standard for low currents.

The standard specification was free and accessible, so it very soon began to be used in portable equipment. Three years later, Qi acquired a specification for medium currents. There are other standards, but they are more complex than Qi and less common. More recently, in 2015, scientists at the University of Washington discovered that energy can be transmitted via Wi-Fi networks. We are waiting for the smartphone to charge by connecting to the router.

How Qi wireless charging works

Well, already from the name of the device it becomes clear that the gadget does not require connecting wires to transfer energy. The operating principle is very simple. The charger has a built-in coil (copper), which takes on the role of creator and transmitter of the electromagnetic field already on the receiver coil placed in the smartphone (can be above the battery or back cover). Electromagnetic radiation occurs when mobile phone with the receiver placed in close proximity to the transmitter (usually about 4 centimeters). Then the capacitors and rectifier (low-power semiconductor diode) get to work, which provide the battery with energy.

So, can I do wireless charging myself?

Yes, this doesn’t even require any special knowledge of electrical engineering. Moreover, enthusiasts had already conducted similar experiments before us, posting detailed instructions and diagrams for assembling wireless charging with your own hands. If all the necessary components are at hand, then creating the simplest wireless charging will not take even an hour. However, we recommend that you first practice using old push-button devices, rather than rushing to “invent” charging for a brand new iPhone. For example, you can assemble such a thing for your Nokia, whose charging socket has fallen off, resuscitating it in this way. So let's get started.

Instructions: how to make wireless charging for your phone with your own hands

The whole process can be divided into two parts: manufacturing the transmitter and receiver. The first component will turn out separate device, and the second one will be installed on the phone.

The wireless charging circuit is very simple, consisting of two coils (transmitter and receiver), as well as a transistor and resistor.

Transmitter device:
  1. To begin with, we take a frame, the diameter of which should be 7-10 centimeters, but you can have another one - at your discretion.
  2. Now you need copper wire with a diameter of 0.5 mm. This is what we wrap around the frame. It is necessary to make 20 turns, then make a tap and twist another 20 turns in the opposite direction.
  3. You will need a transistor. You can use any, be it polar or bipolar - there is not much difference. If there is direct conduction, then you will have to change the polarity. The transistor is connected to the end of the coil and the tap.
  4. We fasten the resulting structure with tape or another type of insulation. To make everything look “solid”, you can use DVD or CD boxes. Some craftsmen even bother cutting out, so to speak, wooden bodies.
  5. To provide power, you can use a standard 5 Volt power adapter that connects to the circuit.
  6. Everything, the device that will transmit electricity is ready.
Now let's move on to making the receiver:
  1. If making a transmitter takes a few minutes, then you will have to work hard with the receiver. First you have to make a coil, but a flat one. You will need copper wire, but with a smaller diameter - 0.3-0.4 mm. You will need to make 25 turns. For convenience, I advise you to use some kind of lining, for example a piece of plastic. We gradually strengthen the coils with superglue so that the structure does not fall apart - you will have to wind it again. At the end of the work, you must carefully tear the receiver away from the plastic on which it was wound.
  2. Now we connect our receiver to the battery via a high-frequency silicon diode, for example SS14. The coil should be on the top of the battery, closer to the cover. To stabilize the voltage, a capacitor should be used.
  3. You can connect the receiver either to the charging connector or directly to the battery. The latter option is perfect for users whose charging port has died.
  4. That's it, we're closing back cover so as not to move the coil.

For many users, I think a video on how to make wireless charging with your own hands would be helpful. So here you go:

With this, your DIY wireless charger is ready. To start using it, just place the phone on the transmitter. TO today There are already dozens of instructions on how to assemble wireless chargers on the Internet. The principle is approximately the same, but enthusiasts continue to improve this device, introducing something of their own. True, it is better for beginners to first practice with the simplest option presented in the instructions, so that they do not have to take the phone for repair.

Suitable for any device

The most important advantage of DIY wireless charging is the ability to make it for almost any device: smartphone, regular phone, camera, radio and so on. The power principle of all these gadgets is similar, so charging follows the same scenario.

True, I strongly do not recommend trying to make wireless charging with your own hands for expensive smartphones. Firstly, you will have to disassemble the case to connect the receiver coil, since modern models often made non-separable (it is not possible to simply remove the cover). Secondly, if you mix something up, you risk damaging the device, especially for beginners. Thirdly, most modern smartphones support wireless charging from the factory or provided by other manufacturers.

Disadvantages of DIY wireless charging

do you need it?

Smoothly we come to a very important point - the disadvantages of homemade wireless chargers. Yes, the opportunity to make an interesting and useful device at no extra cost is great, but let’s not forget about the risks you are taking.

  • Errors during manufacturing will, at best, lead to the fact that wireless charging will not work; at worst, the phone will not work.
  • Don't expect your smartphone to charge quickly. Even factory wireless chargers still lag behind conventional chargers in terms of charging speed, let alone those made by yourself.
  • I don’t think that every house has a coil of wire, a diode and a couple of transistors. You will have to buy all this, spending an amount comparable to that required to buy a ready-made, albeit Chinese, device.

What can I add? DIY wireless charging – rather a way visually look at the principle of operation of the electromagnetic field. To collect something truly worthwhile and beautiful device, you will need to spend a lot of time and money. It is more profitable to order a ready-made kit without wasting time on winding the circuit. Of course, if you are a fan of creating something unusual with your own hands, then be sure to start developing “your own” wireless charger.


Photo: Koolpad Qi

What should those who don’t want to spend time assembling wireless charging do it themselves? It’s simple - we order a ready-made kit, which is already more or less well assembled at the factory. The cost, as a rule, does not exceed 300 rubles, and the kit already includes both a transmitter and a receiver. Wireless chargers are sold in electronics stores, but it is more profitable to order from Chinese online stores.

Please note that many modern smartphones are equipped by the manufacturer with a receiver (receiver). Therefore, owners of these models do not need to purchase anything additional (in exceptional cases, sellers may not include a docking station (transmitter) in the kit). The list of such devices is quite extensive:

  • Samsung (Note 5, S6/S6 Duos and later models)
  • Google Nexus 4/5/6/7
  • LG G3 and new flagships
  • Blackberry 8900
  • Nokia Lumia (810-930)
  • Yotaphone 2

The list includes the most common models, but not all. In addition, it is regularly updated with new devices. To find out if your smartphone supports wireless charging, look for the “Qi” designation in the model specifications. Information must also be present on the manufacturer’s website.

My smartphone does not support wireless charging

If your device does not have a built-in receiver, do not rush to get upset - Chinese “friends” have taken care of users by releasing both special receivers for certain models and universal receivers. About the first type, I think everything is clear. Usually, they indicate which smartphone model it is intended for. But the second type of receiver is more interesting. Such receivers are not tied to a specific smartphone, so they can be installed in almost any one. However, it should be taken into account that universal receivers are divided into several classes:

  • Film with special contacts. Fits under the phone cover without affecting functionality. The device must have contacts near the battery for its installation. The main advantage is that the charging socket remains free.
  • Apple receiver. This type is intended for Apple devices with a Lightning connector, that is, all current models.
  • Android receiver. Designed for smartphones with a microUSB connector. Since there are plenty of Android smartphones, and the manufacturer places the charging socket however he wants (and where he wants), you should look at the specific model. As a rule, microUSB is located on the lower or upper end, and is of type “A” (connector in the form of a regular trapezoid, when looking at the smartphone with the screen up), “B” (irregular trapezoid) or “C” (oval).

The docking station (transmitter) does not play a special role - you can even use more than one kit or a completely different form. Therefore, the receiver and charging pad can be purchased separately, which will help save a little more.

In addition to receivers that need to be mounted on a lid or hidden under it, cases with a built-in receiver are available for sale. Of course, they are not universal, so you can’t find one for every smartphone. And they don't look the best in the best possible way. Be that as it may, many may still be interested in this look.

Models of ready-made wireless chargers

So, we come to buying a wireless charger from Chinese online sites. You can, of course, go to an electronics store that sells better models, but you will have to pay significantly more. Therefore, we go to one of the stores on the Internet, where we look for something like “universal wireless chargers.” Here you will meet a bunch of models. Then you have several options:

  • Purchasing a complete set. In this case, you get both a receiver (receiver) and a charging pad. Upon receipt, all you have to do is connect everything.
  • Purchasing parts separately. Perhaps you already have a receiver, but the docking station is broken (or vice versa). In order not to waste money, you can order only what you need.
  • Purchasing components for self-assembly. Some sellers provide the base (coils, boards, transistors, etc.) so that the user can assemble whatever his heart desires.

You can’t single out popular companies because sellers don’t even list them. And if the manufacturer is indicated, then the name says absolutely nothing (some kind of Chinese company). And it’s stupid to bother finding a good manufacturer - the cost of wireless charging is usually ridiculous. Plus, customer reviews indicate that the defect rate is quite low.