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Old 07-15-2023, 01:12 PM
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improvised charging station

Quote:
Originally Posted by AceEngineer View Post
I have no place to leave the car secure with the key in the ignition. That is why I want to build a standalone charger, thus my request for that specific info. I want to build a better mouse trap, that is what I do.

AceEngineer
Not an EE, but I (think) I know a cheap charging solution for us non-technical guys (not you). I couldn't find specs on the EWS charging ring, but did on the charger I am using.

I followed the advice of several sources, on YouTube and several BMW forums, and bought a Philips Sonicare (toothbrush) inductive charger for my only diamond key, that had gone dead shortly after I got it.

Though some people insist that it doesn't work on these keys, I tried charging the original dead battery on it and it worked again (for a day or so), but eventually died (a 20 years-old battery). After replacing the rechargeable battery myself, I've used the Sonicare charger everyday in the two years since then, as I sometimes don't use the key for two months at a time.

My reasoning to try the toothbrush charger, was that I found out that the Sonicare toothbrush battery is a Sanyo LI-ion 3.7v (but the charger puts out 3.7v-4.0v), and the VL2020 battery used in the X5 key is nominally 3v (but actually charges at 3.4v +/- 1.5v), so the Sonicare charger is in the ballpark (for a non-electrical guy like me).

I have several Samsung Qi charging pads at home, but they have an output of 5-9v (per Samsung), so I didn't try them on my key. Those pads have caused three of our Samsung phones' (a S7, S8, and S8+, all Galaxy models) batteries to overheat while charging, and swell up or lose functionality. So far, my S9+ hasn't (yet). My sole BMW diamond key is too valuable to risk.

If you build a better mousetrap, I'd be interested in the specs, but I'd not be able to make one myself, so I'm stuck using what I've got.

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Last edited by workingonit; 07-15-2023 at 01:34 PM. Reason: more info
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