DIY wireless charging pad upgrade project

[Seaph03nix]

I'm planning a DIY project to upgrade the wireless charging pad in my 2022 Kia Stinger GT2. If I can pull it off, I'll detail the exact plans in the how-to / DIY forum. My plan is meant to be relatively reproducible, with parts sourced from 3d printing, a commercially available magnetic wireless charging puck, & a cigarette socket car adapter.

The current pad in my Stinger not only doesn't work properly (turns on / off intermittently) but also only charges at 5 watts wirelessly, as I believe is the case for all Stingers, which is not nearly fast enough. Newer iPhones (16+) support Qi 2.2 fast wireless charging at 25 watts, which I think is considerably fast enough even for a short 20-30 minute drive. I personally have an Android phone that supports 50-watt wireless charging, so in maximizing that potential, I plan on installing a 50-watt wireless charging puck.

To upgrade it, I purchased a 50-watt (AirVOOC) magnetic wireless charging puck. The puck comes with a built-in fan to resolve the heat dissipation issue that's present even in the 5-watt wireless charging pad. A similar Qi 2.2 25-watt wireless charging puck with a built-in fan can be found on Amazon for $50 a piece, $30 for 2 pieces, or $22 for 4. The dimensions for my 50-watt wireless charging puck should be very similar to those of the Qi 2.2 25-watt wireless charging puck I linked to, but I'll try to develop a plan for both options, including a separate 3d printing file for the Qi 2.2 25-watt wireless charging puck I linked to, for reproducibility for those with iPhones.

I plan on removing the factory wireless charging pad + cover, then designing a 3D printable housing case that houses my wireless charger with holes for the cable to plug into the wireless charging puck as well as for ventilation, print the housing case, and install the 3d printed housing with the wireless charging puck inside, plus wire the cabling to a 12 volt, 8.5 amp cigarette socket car power adapter with power output protocols specifically designed for 80/ 100 watt SuperVOOC charging protocols (which I also already purchased). A similar PD 50-watt cigarette socket car power adapter can be used for the Qi 2.2 25-watt wireless charging puck I linked to. I'd like to hide the wiring and the cigarette socket adapter behind the dashboard.

The first challenge I'll encounter is that I need the dimensions of the factory wireless charging pad and cover. From what I gather, the rubber cover can be removed easily, so that's simple to take out and measure. However, the wireless charging pad is a bit trickier to remove and requires disassembling some of the center console. Is there any online resource that I can find these dimensions? Or will I have to take out the factory wireless charging pad and measure it manually? If anyone happens to have the measurements for the wireless charging pad or has one loose that they can measure, I would greatly appreciate the help. Thanks.

Note: I can't post links yet as I am a new user but I will update with link when I can.

 

[Landshark]

i just used a thin wireless charger that i just placed in the factory charger area (disabled factory charger in settings, removed rubber pad). worked great until i got a new phone - Samsung Galaxy Fold 6. the Fold is too thick to place in the charging area when folded, and too wide when unfolded.

now i have a magnetic charging adapter cable that is plugged into the rear of the center console, and just click it to the phone in the cupholder if i need to.

 

[Seaph03nix]

i just used a thin wireless charger that i just placed in the factory charger area (disabled factory charger in settings, removed rubber pad). worked great until i got a new phone - Samsung Galaxy Fold 6. the Fold is too thick to place in the charging area when folded, and too wide when unfolded.

now i have a magnetic charging adapter cable that is plugged into the rear of the center console, and just click it to the phone in the cupholder if i need to.

Gotcha, well, there isn't much that can be done to repurpose the existing wireless charging space to be larger for a phone like the Galaxy Fold 6.
I seriously considered just putting a 15 watt wireless charging pad on top of the factory pad and turning off the factory wireless charging. It would be a whole lot easier than all the trouble I'm going through. I decided that this was a fun challenge and project, and more so that 15 watt, without heat dissipation, was not fast enough or good enough. So now I'm set on this project. Hopefully I can pull it off!

 

[Thomby]

From what I gather, the rubber cover can be removed easily, so that's simple to take out and measure. However, the wireless charging pad is a bit trickier to remove and requires disassembling some of the center console

i just used a thin wireless charger that i just placed in the factory charger area (disabled factory charger in settings, removed rubber pad)

I seriously considered just putting a 15 watt wireless charging pad on top of the factory pad and turning off the factory wireless charging

I went with a middle option. I disabled the factory charger and removed the rubber pad. Then I cut a piece of cardboard to match the pad, and cut out a hole for an aftermarket charging puck, and a little channel for a short right-angle USB C cable.

I wrapped the cardboard (in neat rows) with black electrical tape, including across the back/bottom side of the charger to anchor it. The black electrical tape makes it disappear, but a 3D printed version would really make it professional. Cable just runs the few inches to a compact 12v/cig charger, and removal of the rubber pad negates most of the height of the charger.

 

[Landshark]

I went with a middle option. I disabled the factory charger and removed the rubber pad. Then I cut a piece of cardboard to match the pad, and cut out a hole for an aftermarket charging puck, and a little channel for a short right-angle USB C cable.

I wrapped the cardboard (in neat rows) with black electrical tape, including across the back/bottom side of the charger to anchor it. The black electrical tape makes it disappear, but a 3D printed version would really make it professional. Cable just runs the few inches to a compact 12v/cig charger, and removal of the rubber pad negates most of the height of the charger.

i just used this one (15W) .... smaller than a credit card, and almost as thin. my Galaxy S10 Ultra with a case fit, but the Fold is just too thick. didn't try without a case, but i definitely need a case on it, so doesn't matter anyway.

 

[Thomby]

i just used this one (15W) .... smaller than a credit card, and almost as thin

Oh that's a cool form factor. When I did mine, maybe 2 years back, I found either full on charging docks, or generic little pucks just the size of the coil.

A shame that even being that thin, and with the rubber pad removed, you still don't have enough height. Have you looked at removing or modifying the stock charger itself? Since it's not really useful, I wonder if cutting a spot for the aftermarket one to sit in would be feasible (cutting plastics cleanly has been hit or miss to me, depending on the material, but if the cover is removable, cleaning things up with a dremel should be doable).

 

[Seaph03nix]

I went with a middle option. I disabled the factory charger and removed the rubber pad. Then I cut a piece of cardboard to match the pad, and cut out a hole for an aftermarket charging puck, and a little channel for a short right-angle USB C cable.

I wrapped the cardboard (in neat rows) with black electrical tape, including across the back/bottom side of the charger to anchor it. The black electrical tape makes it disappear, but a 3D printed version would really make it professional. Cable just runs the few inches to a compact 12v/cig charger, and removal of the rubber pad negates most of the height of the charger.

Interesting, sounds like a pretty effective, very low-budget DIY project. I'm aiming for a fairly professional finish / option with my 3D printed project. As OEM looking and functioning as possible, whilst remaining cost-effective.

Update:
I ordered a pretty decent 3D printer for the project (as I didn't own one for myself) and also ordered some Threekey Qi 2.2 25-watt magnetic wireless charging pucks with built in cooling fans so that I could measure and repurpose them to be 2nd models/versions of the project for reproduction for those with iPhones or androids that aren't like my own phone that supports 50-watt SuperVOOC wireless charging. So I'll make two plans and two 3D print models for the project, to be universally applicable.

With either the Threekey or the AirVOOC wireless charging puck, I aim for and roughly estimate the project to be reproducible by other individual Stinger owners for as low as $100 to $200, depending mainly on whether the installation / labor is done manually or professionally - $100 manually and $200 professionally inc'l labor. The factory 5-watt wireless charger costs ~300 just in parts to replace, so I figure $100-200 for an aftermarket / DIY wireless charging setup that is 5-10 x more powerful, potentially including labor installation costs, is reasonable.

 

[Thomby]

I ordered a pretty decent 3D printer for the project

If you've already taken the plunge on a nice 3D printer, I assume you're going down the rabbit hole of other stuff you can do? Sites like Yeggi have some cool phone mounts, and a year or so back @nagisa made a tweaked version of one that I further modified.

Original design:

Thread '3D Printed Phone Mount'

Jun 5, 2021

Hey guys, just a quick project I made this weekend. There was an old public design for a stinger phone mount in the console that I had used originally, but I recently upgraded my phone so I had to tweak the design and reprint it. The new design looks a bit better than the original IMO, and it fits a galaxy S21, I made versions with and without a case. If anybody is interested, I made the designs public and they can be found here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4878747

If you print it with a metallic silver filament, it would likely blend pretty well, I used red for some...

• Thwack
• Replies: 5
• Forum: Kia Stinger Interior Discussion

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Kia Stinger Galaxy S23/ S21 Phone Mount (with case) by Cervonij

This mount is meant to sit on the front console of a Kia stinger, ahead of the shifter with the slide door closed against it to secure it in place. The hole on the right side is to pass through a charging/ data cableThis specific model is for a Samsung Galaxy S23 or S21 with a thin TPU-style...

www.thingiverse.com

Modification to turn phone toward driver & match angle of console/buttons (also notched the right side vertical wall for charger plug):




I think the $100-200 price point may limit it to those who really want the ultra fast, active cooled, etc. version. But if you can get to a simple design that accommodates a basic $15 Amazon puck (keeping up with gps/spotify use and trickle charging beyond that still beats the factory one), I think it would be popular.

 

[djerickd]

thats awesome

 

[Seaph03nix]

If you've already taken the plunge on a nice 3D printer, I assume you're going down the rabbit hole of other stuff you can do?

Well, I did take a look into existing free or relevant 3D printable designs that I can repurpose for this project. I found a stand that houses the 50-watt AirVOOC magnetic wireless charging puck I picked for the project (can't link as I'm too new) I figure it's a good start as it already has the internal dimensions to house the charging puck, plus an opening for the bottom and side ventilation ports, and for the cable to plug in. Just have to remove the stand/base, and then expand on the outside (outer limits) of the housing case to fill the dimensions of the factory wireless charging pad. As for other stuff, I have another stinger-related project that I'll need a 3D printer for, so I also looked into that; & then I've thought about some other small projects like just making customized phone cases for my family or friends, maybe for like Christmas gifts.

I think the $100-200 price point may limit it to those who really want the ultra fast, active cooled, etc. version. But if you can get to a simple design that accommodates a basic $15 Amazon puck (keeping up with gps/spotify use and trickle charging beyond that still beats the factory one), I think it would be popular.

Fair point. My $100-200 estimate was being somewhat conservative as to not overpromise, but technically speaking, it could be even less. It could also be more, closer to $250, or even 300, with professional installation. It's a little early in the project to say. Even at $300, it is still less than a new OEM 5-watt wireless charger for the Stinger, which doesn't include another $100-200 for installation, at a dealership.

The costs are the following:
1. qi 2.2 25-watt Wireless charging puck - $50 per one for the ThreeKey one I linked to. or, $55 for the Oppo 50-watt AirVOOC wireless charging puck. both with shipping included, minus taxes. The Oppo charger can't really or won't likely come down in price, but for the threekey, you can get two for $60, and 4 for $90, so about $22.5 a piece if you get 4.
2. a cigarette socket power adapter charger capable of outputting 45 watts (for the threekey wireless charger) or SuperVOOC 80 watts (for the Oppo charger). ~$10. These might come with the cable needed, but if not, that would be maybe another $5.
3. The 3D printed housing case. This is the biggest hurdle because most people don't happen to own a 3D printer. Putting that aside, just the PETG filament material alone would (very roughly) be $5. I guess people would have to ask around to see if a friend or small local business has a printer they could use.
4. Installation. I don't suppose it's out of the question that someone could do the installation themselves and save some money. I have seen some YouTube videos providing a guide on how to disassemble the front center console, and it's somewhat feasible. Otherwise, a car accessory professional, like those that install stereos, dash cams, etc., might charge anywhere between $100-200 (very roughly estimating - I will reach out to my car accessory guy to confirm, although that will still be subject to labor rates in my local area).

So let's try a very optimistic best-case scenario:
1. Get the threekey for $22.5 for just one somehow, maybe with new pricing in the future being as that it's pretty new and so is the qi2.2 technology.
2. Get the cigarette charger for $10, and it comes with the right cable
3. Print the 3d housing case for $5, already have a printer or easy/free access to one, like a friend who has one
4. Do the installation yourself
In this very optimistic scenario, the total cost would be around some $40 bucks. Granted, it's not very realistic.

It occurs to me that, if the first three costs / items were all sold together, maybe by me or by some other seller, it could still be pretty affordable, maybe at around $60, with a good enough margin for the seller. I'm personally not looking to make a business or profit out of this; I'm primarily posting on this forum for help, as I asked in my first post, and then happy to share how to do it if I can pull it off. But let's say I or a stinger aftermarket seller partner were to do an investigation into sourcing these parts wholesale:
1. I found a similar Qi 2.2 25-watt wireless charging puck with cooling fan available on alibaba for $14.90 a piece, 10 minimum order quantity.
2. Similarly, the 45-watt cigarette socket charger could be sourced for at most $6, maybe even $3, for 10 minimum order quantity. plus $1-2 for a cable.
3. Seller would have to invest in a 3D printer, and the PETG filament cost would stay fixed at around $5, but again I'm being conservative - a professional seller might be able to source it for less - so maybe $3.

With this sourcing, the cost would be around $25 at the lowest per kit, and charging $50-60 with shipping included, the seller makes a healthy $25ish margin. Perhaps the biggest advantage or added convenience of this is that anyone without a 3D printer would be able to get it with such a kit. There's also the convenience of all the parts coming together, and no need to shop for deals, so it's more realistic in that these prices I quoted are live on Alibaba right now, no negotiation needed. It's more price stable or consistent.

Then, if, again being optimistic, the professional installation is just $100, that's about $150...