Phone Magnetic With Rare Earth Magnets
I got this idea while looking at a Palm Pre sitting on its inductive Touchstone charger. I thought, "If the Pre sticks to the dock using magnetism, wouldn't it be cool if the Pre itself was magnetic?"
The back to the Pre seemed to have a little extra room under the cover, so I stuck a penny in for a test fit.
The cover closed with a little force and there was no awkward bulge sticking out the back, so I went ahead and ordered some extremely strong rare earth magnets.
These were the exact magnets I ordered: Magcraft NSN0640 1/2-Inch by 1/16-Inch Rare Earth Disc Magnets, 24 PACK
Once you receive the magnets, all you need to do is tape them to the back cover.
There's no bulge in the cover, but I did notice that the slider gap at the top of the phone opens up a little bit more. This could get annoying to some people, but it's not all that big of an issue for me.
The rare earth magnets I used are very strong. They have no problem holding the phone in place upside down, and they also have no problem attracting a fairly hefty multi-tool.
Now, what can you do with a magnetic phone? Use your imagination! I stuck some magnets behind my dash and made a magnetic car mount (inspired by the Touchstone car mounts).
I've had this mod on my Pre for about three days prior to writing this article and I'm happy to report that my phone has received no ill effects from the magnets. All my data is still intact and the phone is functioning as perfect as ever.
This guide isn't just limited to the Palm Pre. If you have any extra space in the back cover of your phone, try a test fit with a penny. If the penny fits, then so will these magnets. |
