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Hidden Wireless Charging in my Desk

After getting a set of AirPods this year I thought it would be nice to have wireless charging at my desk. I like using the touch pad on my MacBook pro, so this mouse pad drawer doesn’t get used and I got the idea to embed a charger in it.

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I bought a cheap $10 wireless charger.

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It won’t charge very quick, but it doesn’t have to when I’m sitting there working most of the day. I figured it would be a fun project and the worst that could happen is I fail and I’m out $10. I opened up the case and there wasn’t much to it.

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Then there was only one small screw to remove and the electronics were free.

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I forgot to take any other pictures until I had put everything back together. After pulling up the top of the mouse pad, there was some foam underneath. I traced the electronics and USB cable to make a cut out in the foam. Then I used a chisel to carve out the particle board until there was a deep enough recess. I drilled a few holes for wires and the LED. I had cut the LED off of the circuit board so I could route it to the front of the drawer. I soldered on some wires to connect the LED back to the board, hot glued everything in place, and then used super glue to put the mouse pad top back on. Overall it was an ugly hack job. Over to the right is a picture of the holes and wiring underneath.

Check out this short video of the charging in action.

BTW, the mouse pad drawer has two identical halves, so if I ever decide to use a mouse again (it’s been at least 5 years since I had one), I’m good to go.

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Discounted Apple Services

I uploaded this to Instagram the other day, which got me thinking I should make a proper post to explain.

You may not know this, but if you have your Apple account loaded with a balance from gift cards, it’ll pay for things you buy with your account. Mine pays for iOS and Mac apps, an Apple Music membership, movie rentals, and an iCloud storage plan.

You can find Apple gift cards for 15-20% off several times a year, especially around the holidays. Never pay full price for Apple services again!

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Skip iPhone X S?

I’ve been getting the new iPhone every year since 3 or 4 I think, even the S models. I think I’m going to skip this year though. My iPhone X still runs great and I wasn’t too impressed with the updates for this round.

Are you upgrading from an X? If so, what got you excited?

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Rewired MacBook Pro Charger

One end of the cable on this cheap charger had worn out to the point where it would only work if held in the exact right position. Or so I thought. After a little rewiring and heat-shrink tubing I found out that it’s actually something on the inside portion of the connector. I’ll have to see if I can open up the case.