Dual MagSafe phone charging

[TWRAPS]

Out of curiosity...what about buying a new case...something like this -

https://www.amazon.com/Boaoige-Compatible-Transparent-Shockproof-Drop-Proof/dp/B0B8NRDPHV/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2HBN65OLASHPR&keywords=z+fold+3+magnet+case&qid=1682264008&sprefix=z+fold+3+magnet+case%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzR0hKMDdEVTBGQjU2JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNTM0MDk3M1ZaSVkxVVJOUUhBTCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTEyODI5MURDWlZaRTNEMkcyRSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

You can try that, but I can't guarantee results...someone (I forgot who at this point) said they have a MagSafe case and it still didn't work with an Android phone.

 

[borski]

Not really as it's an iOS limitation. Only certified pucks would do it, with that said last I checked I think the only certified ones are Apple's own, Belkin and Nomad.
As for using Apple pucks - I can make you the plates only so you put your own pucks but there will be a few issues with that:
* You need to use both ports and you'd still need a USB-C to USB-A adapter
* You will need to glue the plates by yourself. We do it with casts which assure perfect fit every time, doing it by hand without a cast may cause misalignment
* You'd need to buy WELD-ON 3 or other acrylic cement. It technically works with superglue too, but in my experiments it's very risk prone for spillovers in the visible surface

Oh, turns out I’m just being dumb. The Threekey pucks I’m using now are 15W but actually only charge the iPhone at 7.5W for the same reason since they’re not MFi certified.

I’m fine for now, then. But good to know!

 

[bhramabull]

You can try that, but I can't guarantee results...someone (I forgot who at this point) said they have a MagSafe case and it still didn't work with an Android phone.

Noted - Although the USB to USB C adapters you linked a moment ago...how would I plug that into the Lucid port? Coz the one available (that we're currently discussing) is a USB C..am I missing something?

 

[borski]

Absolutely! 5 times software founder myself, 3 exits, 1 miserable fail and 1 is still ongoing (www.wiz.money). TWRAPS started out of my long standing desire to manufacture physical products, started more as a joke than anything and then one thing led to another Are you in the Bay Area?

Yup. 2 time founder, 1 exit (Jan 2020) , 1 failure. “One thing led to another” is how nearly every company gets started

Yeah I’m in Cupertino. Let’s catch up.

 

[TWRAPS]

Noted - Although the USB to USB C adapters you linked a moment ago...how would I plug that into the Lucid port? Coz the one available (that we're currently discussing) is a USB C..am I missing something?

The Lucid I had, had 2 ports in there - a USB-C on the left and a USB-A on the right...assuming they are all like that (if not please tell me!), you just plug our charger's USB-C port into the adapter's USB-C end, and then you use Lucid's USB-A port.
If you are wondering how would that make things any different, let me explain to the best of my understanding as I am yet to read the full docs myself but gained this experience with our Mach-E MagSafe:
When you have a power source (Lucid), charger (TWRAPS) and a phone, all connected, these 3 devices need to make an agreement on what power level charging will commence...that will be the common denominator for all 3 devices. Our pucks currently support 5V and 9V input. Some USB-C chargers are 15V though and this is where ours don't work. But USB-A stays within 5V so our charger works on USB-A. The other thing is that the pucks have firmware for the above handshake that needs to commence every time before charging, and I've noticed on a few Mach-Es that the said firmware seems to respond OK with Android if a USB-A port is being used, but doesn't acknowledge anything if the USB-C port is being used. Why is that is still beyond me, as I said - I need to dig deeper into the whole MagSafe/Qi documentation to get a better understanding myself.

 

[borski]

The Lucid I had, had 2 ports in there - a USB-C on the left and a USB-A on the right...assuming they are all like that (if not please tell me!)

They’re all like that.

 

[bhramabull]

The Lucid I had, had 2 ports in there - a USB-C on the left and a USB-A on the right...assuming they are all like that (if not please tell me!), you just plug our charger's USB-C port into the adapter's USB-C end, and then you use Lucid's USB-A port.
If you are wondering how would that make things any different, let me explain to the best of my understanding as I am yet to read the full docs myself but gained this experience with our Mach-E MagSafe:
When you have a power source (Lucid), charger (TWRAPS) and a phone, all connected, these 3 devices need to make an agreement on what power level charging will commence...that will be the common denominator for all 3 devices. Our pucks currently support 5V and 9V input. Some USB-C chargers are 15V though and this is where ours don't work. But USB-A stays within 5V so our charger works on USB-A. The other thing is that the pucks have firmware for the above handshake that needs to commence every time before charging, and I've noticed on a few Mach-Es that the said firmware seems to respond OK with Android if a USB-A port is being used, but doesn't acknowledge anything if the USB-C port is being used. Why is that is still beyond me, as I said - I need to dig deeper into the whole MagSafe/Qi documentation to get a better understanding myself.

You hit the nail on the head. All Lucid's have one USB C and one USB A input. Unfortunately in our case, the USB A input in the Lucid is being used by our satellite radio, meaning the only one free is the USB C Lucid input. This is where in my mind I'm trying to be creative in trying to make both these things work!! I know I can return it for a refund, but my wife and I really love the design so we're gonna try to make it work. lol. Sit tight for more updates

 

[joec]

The Lucid I had, had 2 ports in there - a USB-C on the left and a USB-A on the right...assuming they are all like that (if not please tell me!), you just plug our charger's USB-C port into the adapter's USB-C end, and then you use Lucid's USB-A port.
If you are wondering how would that make things any different, let me explain to the best of my understanding as I am yet to read the full docs myself but gained this experience with our Mach-E MagSafe:
When you have a power source (Lucid), charger (TWRAPS) and a phone, all connected, these 3 devices need to make an agreement on what power level charging will commence...that will be the common denominator for all 3 devices. Our pucks currently support 5V and 9V input. Some USB-C chargers are 15V though and this is where ours don't work. But USB-A stays within 5V so our charger works on USB-A. The other thing is that the pucks have firmware for the above handshake that needs to commence every time before charging, and I've noticed on a few Mach-Es that the said firmware seems to respond OK with Android if a USB-A port is being used, but doesn't acknowledge anything if the USB-C port is being used. Why is that is still beyond me, as I said - I need to dig deeper into the whole MagSafe/Qi documentation to get a better understanding myself.

Thanks for this. A lot of folks don’t realize how much software/firmware is involved in a simple USB connection.

 

[joec]

I love this thread. It represents the very best of what our forum has to offer.

First, we have a very conscientious vendor who wants to make the best product possible, asking for help in addressing issues that they, as a very small business, can't afford through research and testing to figure out on their own. (Imagine having to buy several different phones, not to mention more than one Lucid, just to try and test multiple scenarios. How many $99 charging pads would you have to sell before you became profitable?)

Second, we have customers who, rather than complaining their phone doesn't work with this charger, are offering valuable feedback and willingness to experiment in order to help the vendor make this product even better. Proving once again that this is the best place to go if you want knowledge and experience-based information about all things Lucid.

Third, we have an eye-opening look into exactly how hard it is to design hardware. Particularly "one-size-fits-all" hardware for phones. I have yet to see an OEM wireless phone charger in a car that didn't have at least some drawbacks, and reading this thread demonstrates why. Phones come in all shapes and sizes, with different charging, power needs, cases, and who knows what form factors in the near future. What may seem like a simple task to a lot of us is actually a pretty darn hard problem to solve in a way that makes most people happy. And that's just a phone charger, for crying out loud.

I know a lot of people gave Lucid crap about their wireless charger design, but you can imagine making the decision to stop at "good enough for a large group of customers" when you have thousands of other hardware aspects in the car that need just as much, if not more attention. At some point, you compromise and let a third party offer a solution for those who want it.

And it's so exciting to see this new market start to blossom.

 

[borski]

You hit the nail on the head. All Lucid's have one USB C and one USB A input. Unfortunately in our case, the USB A input in the Lucid is being used by our satellite radio, meaning the only one free is the USB C Lucid input. This is where in my mind I'm trying to be creative in trying to make both these things work!! I know I can return it for a refund, but my wife and I really love the design so we're gonna try to make it work. lol. Sit tight for more updates

You could, hypothetically, buy two adapters; use an A-to-C adapter to plug the sat radio into the C port, and a C-to-A adapter to plug the chargers into the A port.

Annoying? Surely. But it just might work!

 

[bhramabull]

You hit the nail on the head. All Lucid's have one USB C and one USB A input. Unfortunately in our case, the USB A input in the Lucid is being used by our satellite radio, meaning the only one free is the USB C Lucid input. This is where in my mind I'm trying to be creative in trying to make both these things work!! I know I can return it for a refund, but my wife and I really love the design so we're gonna try to make it work. lol. Sit tight for more updates

@TWRAPS - We tried man. Even tried an adapter at home. Not charging. Just sent an email to you as well. However, love your guys' stuff

 

[BitOfBytes]

Morning Illya - Finally caught up on all the comments here on the Android issue and your email. Thanks again for that. I tried aligning our phones (with and without our case) with the top of the bottom layer of the wireless charging pad and it just does not want to show even a slight chance of charging.
With regards to an adapter, can you post an Amazon link or BestBuy link just to I can see if we have any of these lying around in our drawers at home?
I appreciate the gesture of shipping over the adapter but hoping we don't have to get to that stage.

Hi, I was the one that gave the suggestion to align the phone. From your responses, it doesn't seem like you have gotten it working a single time. Just for a sanity check, do you have access to a friend's iPhone w/magsafe to make sure the charger is even working? Try re-plugging the USB-C connection and waiting 5 seconds after plugging in after each failed try. See below for reasoning.

I've found that sometimes for me, even the correct placement doesn't work. To fix this, I need to remove the phone, wait a bit (~30+ seconds), and then drop the phone back on the pad. Shifting the phone on the pad does not work, it needs to be physically separated from the pad. A little bit on qi charging: On phone placement, the charger recognizes that something is there. It will try to make the wireless handshake, and if successful, will start charging. But if unsuccessful, some chargers will stop trying to reconnect until the foreign device is removed, and then it will restart. This seems to be the case for these chargers.

And I've a quick update after this morning's drive. @TWRAPS, I'm happy to say that the phone has generally stayed in the same spot without needing magsafe. I'm a pretty smooth driver, but it seems that the weight of the phone has kept it steady in normal driving circumstances.

 

[bhramabull]

Hi, I was the one that gave the suggestion to align the phone. From your responses, it doesn't seem like you have gotten it working a single time. Just for a sanity check, do you have access to a friend's iPhone w/magsafe to make sure the charger is even working? Try re-plugging the USB-C connection and waiting 5 seconds after plugging in after each failed try. See below for reasoning.

I've found that sometimes for me, even the correct placement doesn't work. To fix this, I need to remove the phone, wait a bit (~30+ seconds), and then drop the phone back on the pad. Shifting the phone on the pad does not work, it needs to be physically separated from the pad. A little bit on qi charging: On phone placement, the charger recognizes that something is there. It will try to make the wireless handshake, and if successful, will start charging. But if unsuccessful, some chargers will stop trying to reconnect until the foreign device is removed, and then it will restart. This seems to be the case for these chargers.

And I've a quick update after this morning's drive. @TWRAPS, I'm happy to say that the phone has generally stayed in the same spot without needing magsafe. I'm a pretty smooth driver, but it seems that the weight of the phone has kept it steady in normal driving circumstances.

I appreciate the help, but that's a lot of stuff to sort through for charging. Let alone getting out of the house to find someone with an iPhone. No sweat but I'm glad it's working for you - and happier that it's not slipping on the pad whilst driving

 

[hydbob]

Holy smokes it worked. A USB-C to USB-A adapter and I out the phone on and it works right away. What in the heck. Either way, thanks @TWRAPS for the very quick responses and the solution!

@bhramabull you can get this and use either or for your setup.

Limited-time deal: 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝐔𝐩𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 [4 Pack] USB C to USB Adapter (2 Pack)&USB to USB C Adapter (2 Pack) [Aluminum Shell] SuperSpeed Data Transfer & Fast Charging for iPhone/PC/Samsung/iPad/Laptop/MacBook/etc https://a.co/d/gMLpf0x

 

[bhramabull]

Holy smokes it worked. A USB-C to USB-A adapter and I out the phone on and it works right away. What in the heck. Either way, thanks @TWRAPS for the very quick responses and the solution!

@bhramabull you can get this and use either or for your setup.

Limited-time deal: 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝐔𝐩𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 [4 Pack] USB C to USB Adapter (2 Pack)&USB to USB C Adapter (2 Pack) [Aluminum Shell] SuperSpeed Data Transfer & Fast Charging for iPhone/PC/Samsung/iPad/Laptop/MacBook/etc https://a.co/d/gMLpf0x

Here we go again!! Can you post a quick how-to video perhaps @hydbob . Would be much appreciated!
Also how does the setup work in the sense the @TWRAPS has a USB C output...soooo what plugs into the Lucid USB C slot and then where does the charging pad USB C go inti?

 

[thecodingart]

I’m late to the party here, but just threw down a purchase. This is hands down the best solution I’ve seen to date.

 

[borski]

Here we go again!! Can you post a quick how-to video perhaps @hydbob . Would be much appreciated!
Also how does the setup work in the sense the @TWRAPS has a USB C output...soooo what plugs into the Lucid USB C slot and then where does the charging pad USB C go inti?

The charger USB-C male end plugs into the adapter USB-C female end (what @hydbob linked) and then the adapter USB-A male end plugs into the car’s USB-A port.

 

[hydbob]

Here we go again!! Can you post a quick how-to video perhaps @hydbob . Would be much appreciated!
Also how does the setup work in the sense the @TWRAPS has a USB C output...soooo what plugs into the Lucid USB C slot and then where does the charging pad USB C go inti?

You said you had your radar in the USB A slot right? So, you take the USB C to USB A adapter and put that on the TWRAPS. Then you take your radar and put a USB A to USB C adapter on there and plug that into the USB C port.

 

[TWRAPS]

I love this thread. It represents the very best of what our forum has to offer.

First, we have a very conscientious vendor who wants to make the best product possible, asking for help in addressing issues that they, as a very small business, can't afford through research and testing to figure out on their own. (Imagine having to buy several different phones, not to mention more than one Lucid, just to try and test multiple scenarios. How many $99 charging pads would you have to sell before you became profitable?)

Second, we have customers who, rather than complaining their phone doesn't work with this charger, are offering valuable feedback and willingness to experiment in order to help the vendor make this product even better. Proving once again that this is the best place to go if you want knowledge and experience-based information about all things Lucid.

Third, we have an eye-opening look into exactly how hard it is to design hardware. Particularly "one-size-fits-all" hardware for phones. I have yet to see an OEM wireless phone charger in a car that didn't have at least some drawbacks, and reading this thread demonstrates why. Phones come in all shapes and sizes, with different charging, power needs, cases, and who knows what form factors in the near future. What may seem like a simple task to a lot of us is actually a pretty darn hard problem to solve in a way that makes most people happy. And that's just a phone charger, for crying out loud.

I know a lot of people gave Lucid crap about their wireless charger design, but you can imagine making the decision to stop at "good enough for a large group of customers" when you have thousands of other hardware aspects in the car that need just as much, if not more attention. At some point, you compromise and let a third party offer a solution for those who want it.

And it's so exciting to see this new market start to blossom.

Thank you And I must admit I am very pleasantly surprised how supportive and responsive the community is! We do products for a bunch of EVs and not all communities are that way, so that's deeply appreciated!
And yes, sometimes things don't work out as expected/hoped, but one thing I can say is that at least for us, customers come first so we either make it work or your money back. That goes for all of our products. The way I usually approach new products and new vehicles is that I rent a car on Turo (I myself own a 2021 Tesla Model S and my wife has a 2021 Tesla Model 3, so anything else that we support went through Turo). In the case of Lucid though we got very lucky as our office neighbor has a First Edition Lucid Air, so one day my wife went to ask her if by any chance she might be willing to park it in our garage (this is where we prototype) for a few days and she gave it to us for almost 3 weeks, free of charge But I just wanted to reaffirm what you said - it's very expensive to test on many vehicles by yourself. If we were in the big boys league (Apple, Google, GM etc) we'd have different sort of access where we wouldn't even need the vehicle - we will probably be able to get the specs directly from the manufacturer, but that's impossible for a small family owned business So community support goes a long way to help us and help other current and future owners, and I deeply appreciate it!

Holy smokes it worked. A USB-C to USB-A adapter and I out the phone on and it works right away. What in the heck. Either way, thanks @TWRAPS for the very quick responses and the solution!

@bhramabull you can get this and use either or for your setup.

Limited-time deal: 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝐔𝐩𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 [4 Pack] USB C to USB Adapter (2 Pack)&USB to USB C Adapter (2 Pack) [Aluminum Shell] SuperSpeed Data Transfer & Fast Charging for iPhone/PC/Samsung/iPad/Laptop/MacBook/etc https://a.co/d/gMLpf0x

I am very happy to hear that it worked! I am also equally bummed because we already shipped a bunch of these without an adapter. Starting tomorrow we will pack them with an adapter. It also begs the question why didn't it work on the USB-C... it's obviously not an electrical fault in the system if it works on USB-A, so it could be that at some point in time Lucid changed the power source to 15V and our pucks couldn't do the handshake. Yet to be determined!
PS For the record - we're working on pucks that will support 5V, 9V and 15V up to 45W but that 15V is turning out to be a lot trickier than 5V and 9V combined, so optimistically we will have such pucks in June/July at the earliest.

@TWRAPS - We tried man. Even tried an adapter at home. Not charging. Just sent an email to you as well. However, love your guys' stuff

That's a bugger! Sorry for getting back to you so late, I am mostly occupied with my kids on weekends hence the delay. I will respond to your email shortly (tonight).

 

[Drendino]

@TWRAPS I signed up for notifications for your out of stock trunk organizers. If you happen to have any extra inventory laying around, I would love to buy a set, even if you don’t gave packaging or they are scratched.