Filed under: Accessories, Mods, iPhone
Mod your dock to work with iPhone 3G
Two intrepid users have found a simple way to mod their old iPhone docks to work with iPhone 3G: a rotary tool.
All it takes, apparently, is grinding away about a millimeter of the plastic where the back of the iPhone 3G rests against the dock. A rotary tool with a tapered grinding bit appears to work the best, as it avoids touching the dock connector.
It might not have exactly the fit and finish of a new dock, but hey, the price is right if you already have the tools.
iPhone 3G docks are $29 at the Apple Store. Dremel grinding bits are about $10 for a five-pack.
[Via Digg.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Techtistic said 5:43PM on 7-21-2008
I don't think I could do that; it's practical... but it looks horrible. Plus I'm a perfectionist. It would bug me every time I looked at it.
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Josh Monroe said 5:47PM on 7-21-2008
Oops, you goofed that up, the dock is only 30 bucks and it doesn't come with the remote. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB484G/A?fnode=home/shop_iphone/iphone_accessories/cables_docks&mco=MTI3Mzc2NQ
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totoro said 6:02PM on 7-21-2008
iPhone 3G docks are $29, and don't come with a remote or a USB/30 pin cable.
iPod Universal Docks are $49 with remote, but don't come with a 3G insert, which is $9 more.
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pmd said 6:03PM on 7-21-2008
Does anyone know if the Universal 3G adapter works with the Bluetooth Dual Dock?
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MSUBlake827 said 6:08PM on 7-21-2008
The Universal Dock comes with a remote and is $49 from the Apple Store. You still must spend $9 for the iPhone 3G adapter. The regular iPhone 3G dock is $29.
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Robert Palmer said 6:12PM on 7-21-2008
Thank you all for the catch -- I was erroneously looking at the Universal Dock. My mistake. The article has been corrected accordingly.
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Philster said 6:19PM on 7-21-2008
While I commend the DIY spirit, after investing in early-adopter-priced hardware and then dropping another three Benjamins to "upgrade," I'm not about to cheap out now and scratch up my beloved's glossy backside on an old scraped out hand-me-down dock!
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Andrew Roberts said 6:34PM on 7-21-2008
@pmd: As far as I know the universal dock adapter doesn't fit the bluetooth headset dock which is why I took this drastic step myself...
Actually it's not that drastic as I sold my 2G but kept the headset so the headset dock would be an unuseable doorstop without the mod...
Trick is to do it carefully and thus neatly to avoid any sharp edges just in case it were to scratch the 3G iPod back...
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Alan said 7:06PM on 7-21-2008
One person noted in the comments of the original article was that all he had to do for the his new iPhone 3G to fit into an old iPhone dock was to heat it with a hairdryer to allow to plastic to stretch and then put his new iPhone 3G in and let it sit overnight.
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mark said 7:22PM on 7-21-2008
A 69 cent sheet of sandpaper would do the trick just as well. Maybe a small file.
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YodaMac said 7:50PM on 7-21-2008
Once modified, will the dock still be able to hold an original iPhone as well? We are a two iPhone family now and have one of each...
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(01) said 8:02PM on 7-21-2008
I've actually never used my iPhone dock...is that an S-Video out on the back?
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KeynoteKen said 2:59AM on 7-22-2008
Yes, that's an S-video connection BUT that's not the iPhone dock. That was for the iPod photo dock.
http://gizmodo.com/archives/ipod-photo-dock-has-svideo-out-024248.php
Christian Kalkhoff said 12:56PM on 7-22-2008
I use my Universal Dock I bought for the 5th gen iPod. The Dock Connector for that very same model is the right one for the 3g.
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Tom von S. said 9:49AM on 7-22-2008
If you file away too much of the dock might you end up putting too much stress on the docking port in the phone? Probably not much of an issue unless you use the touch screen while the phone is in the dock.
Either way, I'd either pony up the $30 or follow Alan's tip.
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Gizwit said 11:45AM on 7-22-2008
Great idea! Had some spare time today and did a little video:
http://online1o1.com/2008/07/22/retrofitting-an-old-iphone-dock-for-3g-model/
Hope you like it.
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