First let me apologize about the quality of the photos. I did the mod at around 3am in the morning and the lighting was lousy. Anyway, after months of searching for a good but relatively cheap QI solution for the G2 F320L, I decided to go ahead and mod it instead. It works great so far so I'm posting basic instructions and some pics so others can do the same and also learn from my mistakes in the process. Basically what I did was connect the middle 2 pins of the extra 4 pins to a QI receiver coil. I don't know the actual polarity since I basically just did some trial and error with connecting the contacts on an internal QI receiver coil with 2 of the extra 4 pins. Oh and yes, I did a sucky job. Fortunately, none of it is visible once everything is in place.
Here's what you need:
1. 3rd party internal QI receiver coil - I used one that was designed for the Samsung Galaxy S3. You may be able to get more flexibility in positioning the receiver by getting one with a relatively long ribbon cable leading to the contacts instead. Also if the contacts area are as thin as the ribbon cable, you may get a neater result.
2. A working QI charger that has charging indicator LEDs - duh. But seriously, there's a number of things you may want to test before you start doing the mod and you want the indicator LEDs to tell you whether you're charging or not.
3. An extra back cover - I actually used the original back cover that came with the phone as it had physical damage already, but I recommend you get a cheaper third party back cover instead, just in case.
4. A two layer case with a soft inner layer and a not-so-thick, non-transparent outer layer - I used a Spigen Slim Armor case and it works marvelously. I have a Ballistic Shell case somewhere but since I can't find it at the moment, I can't check if it will work, but I do expect it will work too. Also, your QI charger will also determine whether or not the case of your choice works. Particularly, the charger's plastic cover on the charging surface combined with your chosen case's outer layer should be thin enough to still let you charge wirelessly. If the distance between the actual charger coil and receiver coil is too far, you won't be able to charge properly.
5. A small, sharp knife that can cut through the extra back cover and your chosen case's inner soft layer cleanly - I used one, but I just suck at cutting stuff.
6. A roll of thin double sided tape, and preferrably, also a roll of thick double sided tape - My receiver coil already had a thin strip of double sided tape so I ended up not needing anymore, but you might, even if your receiver coil has a strip of double sided tape too.
Ok, first thing you do is test, test, test. As far as I know, the extra 4 pins also exist on other F320 variants and that the QI pins are also there. Since I only have an F320L, I can't be sure for certain. Also, it's very unlikely, but it's possible that there are different F320L revisions with actual changes in wiring those 4 extra pins. So test everything before you start the modding. Do test your case's outer layer by putting it on the charging surface and putting the coil on the case. Chargers can only detect if your a receiver coil is present but they can't detect if your coil is actually connected to something. Don't keep the coil on the charging surface for more than a few seconds when it isn't connected though. Once the charger detects the receiver coil, it will start sending charge to the receiver and if the receiver can't send the charge elsewhere, it will just accumulate on the receiver's electronics which will cause it to overheat and eventually burn out. Once you're confident that everything works, then you can start the mutila- err cutting.
First thing you want to do is to cut a hole on the extra back cover such that you can make the receivers contacts connect with the QI pins on the phone without having to put the rest of the receiver inside the back cover. The receiver will be taped to the outside the back cover. If your receiver has a thin ribbon cable and with exposed copper surfaces an the end to serve as contacts, you can cut a small slit into the case that will let you insert the ribbon cable through. If you have the ribbon cable but with thick contacts, you'll need a bigger hole. If, like me, you only have a stub sticking out from the side of the receiver coil containing thick contacts, you will need a hole that exposes the QI pins on the phone. Before you start making the hole, make sure you plan on the actual position you will tape the receiver in so you can make as small a hole as possible. As you'll see on the photos, I didn't exactly plan it right. :p
Once you're done with the back cover and installed it along with the receiver coil onto your phone, get your QI charger again and test your handiwork. Make sure the phone actually detects that you're charging. I was being a retard and proceeded along without testing at this point. :silly: Don't make the same mistake. Also, take note that I put a rubber tape shim on top of the receiver's contacts. This is because I have to push it down for the contacts to connect with the QI pins. It might not be necessary in your case, or it might. Do whatever you need to to make sure that the connection is secure. You don't want your receiver coil to burn out because the connection went lose while you were charging your phone at night when you're asleep.
Now, it looks rather ugly doesn't it? Well, that's where the two layer case comes in. If you just put the case on your phone right now though, you'll probably have a bulge on it where the receiver is. For the Spigen Slim Armor, you won't even be able to fit the outer layer properly. So go ahead and cut a hole on the inner layer to make room for your receiver. You should already be sure of your QI coil's positioning at this point so you can should cut a hole in the inner layer as precisely as you can. Here's a photo of my lousy worksmanship:
If you want to know how it looks like with the case's inner layer installed with the outer layer, use your imagination. What? Do you expect me to do everything for you? (Actually, I'm sorry. I forgot to take a photo. This is what happens if you do things at 3am in the morning. :p)
When you're done cutting a hole on your case's inner layer, go ahead and put the case on and test it out again. If that works, then you're now a proud owner of an LG G2 F320* with QI charging. If it doesn't work, it's very likely that your case's outer layer is just too thick and you didn't test it beforehand, good job. :good: Well, that, or your case's inner layer is so thick, in which case you can remedy the problem by putting additional layers of double sided tape underneath the receiver coil to bring it closer to the charger's coil. Ideally, the receiver coil's surface should be flush with your case's inner layer when installed. See end results below:
(yeah, this is an old battered case, but the nice thing about this particular one is that I can buy a new one and use the outer layer with my modded inner layer)
NOTE: Your ROM might not be able to detect wireless charging, in which case, it will say you're charging via USB instead. In fact, unless you're using a ROM based on the G3's ROM, your ROM will probably not be able to differentiate between USB and wireless charging.
