DIY mod for using a phone with case attached

[gregw]

I use a Rhinoshield Bumper Case for my Galaxy S7, and got tired of having to remove it from the case to fit it in the RC controller when I fly, so I made one small change to the arm of the controller by removing the bottom rubber piece on each arm so there was more clearance on the bottom.

With the bottom rubber removed, my S7 with the bumper case fits perfectly within the arm. Just FYI, the thickness of the case on each end of the phone is around 10mm.. You will need to use a T6 Torx screw driver to remove the screws before pulling out the rubber piece.. I found that I needed to remove all 3 screws and remove both rubber pieces together before re-attaching the upper piece back on the arm.



BTW, the Rhinoshield bumpers are incredible, and really protect your phone.. See this video:

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[Alex Baxter]

Smart move, I'll do that for my Nexus X, that'll make it the perfect controller/phone combo for me.

 

[dgreno]

I use a Rhinoshield Bumper Case for my Galaxy S7, and got tired of having to remove it from the case to fit it in the RC controller when I fly, so I made one small change to the arm of the controller by removing the bottom rubber piece on each arm so there was more clearance on the bottom.

With the bottom rubber removed, my S7 with the bumper case fits perfectly within the arm. Just FYI, the thickness of the case on each end of the phone is around 10mm.. You will need to use a T6 Torx screw driver to remove the screws before pulling out the rubber piece.. I found that I needed to remove all 3 screws and remove both rubber pieces together before re-attaching the upper piece back on the arm.

View attachment 1555

BTW, the Rhinoshield bumpers are incredible, and really protect your phone.. See this video:

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Very nice. I removed the three screws and yanked on the rubber piece but nothing budged. What am I missing?

 

[dgreno]

Very nice. I removed the three screws and yanked on the rubber piece but nothing budged. What am I missing?

Never mind. Figured it out... just put my finger in the opening and pulled away firmly. Thanks for a great mod. Allowed me to put my iPhone 6 with Apple SmartBattery case in easily!

 

[Alex Baxter]

Well, it took quite considerable force, but I've removed the (upper) grips and now my Nexus fits perfectly, thank you @gregw for the suggestion. It seemed that every time I took my Nexus out of the silicon case, I dropped it, they're slippery little suckers, smartphones...

 

[4wd]

I'll do this too (Samsung S5)
I think you can safely leave that slider thing out of the arm and it will be much easier to attach the even more recessed plug with the case on.
In another thread I've seen some suspicion voiced that it damages the short cable, and doesn't really do much apart from help keep it in place when not in use.

 

[4wd]

Well, it took quite considerable force, but I've removed the (upper) grips and now my Nexus fits perfectly, thank you @gregw for the suggestion. It seemed that every time I took my Nexus out of the silicon case, I dropped it, they're slippery little suckers, smartphones...

They are on a sort of track, just slide them out lengthways, no sign of anything sticky.
You have to take both out initially because they lock together with teeth.
Fairly simple ten minute mod if you have a T6 Torx

 

[Alex Baxter]

Exactly, they are dovetailed in, just as you can see in the photos gregw supplied, the right hand side came out readily enough, but the left was a little sod to get out..

 

[JohnMFord]

Well, all of this info has taken one of my issues off the table. Thanks everyone. Now I just have to wait and see if DJI does something about the buggy Android app. Thanks again. Makes me glad I found this forum. Got a feeling I'm going to be back often.
john

 

[skypros]

I knew someone here did something with the RC rubber to get a phone with a case on.
I have a iPhone 7 with a Apple Battery case. I removed the TOP rubbers and I got it to work "kinda"
If the origional top piece of the mavic controler was just flat, I think it would work perfect. I used a rubber band to add grip..... and it does work.
I don't think most of us want to keep removing our cases every time we use the Drone.

Thank You gregw for posting this!!

Here are a couple of pics of my franken-iphone-remote

 

[kydroneman]

I have an S7 also and my case is a low profile case w/kickstand so this little mod is just what I need to do. Thanks for sharing.

 

[kaitlyn]

IWith the bottom rubber removed, my S7 with the bumper case fits perfectly within the arm. Just FYI, the thickness of the case on each end of the phone is around 10mm.. You will need to use a T6 Torx screw driver to remove the screws before pulling out the rubber piece.. I found that I needed to remove all 3 screws and remove both rubber pieces together before re-attaching the upper piece back on the arm.

My other question is - what is that little thing attached to the arm? The string

 

[gregw]

My other question is - what is that little thing attached to the arm? The string

That's my DIY lanyard. See it here: http://mavicpilots.com/threads/controller-carry-hack-lanyard.1162

 

[kaitlyn]

Went out and bought an overpriced torx set today and removed the rubber flaps. Tried with just top or just bottom. Just the bottom seems to hold it a little more reliable, but neither really have any pressure. It slides in and out "sideways" without problem. Aside from grinding one of the rubbers down so that it fits but still firm, what do you guys think about applying the felty/loop side from a velcro piece to the opposite side just to provide a touch extra padding while not be abrasive.

Any other ideas apart from wrecking the rubber permanently? Especially since those aren't available for purchase, should I change/try other devices...

 

[kennyvle]

I knew someone here did something with the RC rubber to get a phone with a case on.
I have a iPhone 7 with a Apple Battery case. I removed the TOP rubbers and I got it to work "kinda"
If the origional top piece of the mavic controler was just flat, I think it would work perfect. I used a rubber band to add grip..... and it does work.
I don't think most of us want to keep removing our cases every time we use the Drone.

Thank You gregw for posting this!!

Here are a couple of pics of my franken-iphone-remote
View attachment 2882
View attachment 2883 View attachment 2884 View attachment 2885

YOU BETTER BE SPENDING TIME WITH THAT DOG!!

 

[motopa]

This is mine, for my S8 with a ringke case.
I don´t like to cut or destroy original parts (would be perfect to buy the rubbers at cheap price, then I could cut it... but it´s sold with full arm legs, at 50$).
Then I removed the upper rubber and install adhesive rubber.

Works ok with my S8, and in future, I can install the removed pads if I need (other phone... or simply... selling mavic)

Regards

 

[Bohlebe1]

Thanks for the forum! I was nervous to make this mod to my controller but saw that others had been doing it. I ended up removing the rubber on the back sides and using a dremel to shallow the rubber on the front to my phone's case size. This worked out great as it left rubber on the screen side. I did have to remove a small portion of my phone case to allow the usb connector to completely mate with my phone.

With this mod I can use my Galaxy Note 8 w/ Tech21 case which doesn't sound like much but it is extremely handy to remove a step when messing with several items in the field.

 

[FunN4Lo]

All hail the power of search!

I knew there must have been someone that has figured out how to get a phone in a case, into the remote. I did my mod today. Galaxy S8+ in a Seidio case. So it is a big thick beast.

I left the bottom piece out so the rubber was on my screen. I needed a T5 torx to get my screws out
I wasn't sure what a couple of posts said about the teeth that held both pads together, so I have those circled in red.
I saved a bunch of the tiny zip lock bags from waAay back in the day, that the screws for the arms/motors for the DJI F450 came in. For extra credit, I put the extra pieces in one of those bags for safe keeping.

 

[gvolos]

Excellent. Thank you FunN4Lo.

 

[Shakey Jake]

Awesome mod..newbie at all this as in only 2 flights with my mav pro. I have been researching other screens and maybe going to ios. I currently have s10plus which works well (all things equal with only 2 flights lol) but I have the otter box that has the rubber plug cover for my port. Has any one addressed this yet short of cutting it off?