Securing a moto g with attachment loop

[d7v7d]

Some use smartphones in situations where there is a possibility of losing a phone if dropped. For instance riding a ski lift and making a phone call or while riding an amusement ride taking a picture with its camera. Or maybe one is a runner wearing a cotton sweatshirt with a single open pocket without a zipper. Many more. In such cases there is value in being able to secure a phone to clothing so it does not drop while handling or fall out of a pocket while in action moving. See image below.



To do so while skiing with the moto g I have attached a short 15 inch thin 2mm nylon cord between my ski jacket breast pocket zipper pull loop and a lanyard clip that I can then attach to the phone. The lanyard hooks are the most basic metal types available in small packages for a buck say at Walmart. The cord connects onto the lanyard clip end via a couple simple overhand knots that I've added a dab Gorilla glue stick glue so it cannot unravel. I actually have 2 of the hooks at the cord end knot to make sure the phone doesn't accidentally come lose. When not in use, I fit the cord into the pocket.

So the key information here is the attachment mechanism on the phone. If the moto g plastic rear cover is removed, the only place on the back where the cover would not be flush with the phone body is at the SIM and SDcard socket. That is where one can do something. Thus I drilled 2 small holes about 1/4 inch apart just behind the SIM socket. Through those 2 holes pushed a short length of 20 pound test monofilament fishing line into and then back out. I then created a one inch loop by tying two back to back overhand loop knots on the outside section of the line. The knot was again further made permanent by using Gorilla glue. And one could tie better knots. The knot was tied on the outside side of the cover holes in order to minimally get in the way of cover closure. I chose 20 pound mono because it is readily available, strong, and made for flexibility and stresses.



Thus clip the lanyards into the monofilament loop. One can readily check that there is no chance dropping the phone 15 inches from the pocket would cause the rear cover to pull off even slightly. The ability to clip and unclip the lanyard quickly or easily is not an issue because once connected it is left so while involved in whatever activity. In the above image the Cellet black belt case I use is also shown. When using while skiing, I put the clipped in phone into the case for a bit of mechanical protection. When I use the phone, I pull the phone out of the case that stays in the pocket. The case of course could be dropped if pulled out of the pocket, however that is inexpensive. Note I've worked decades in Silicon Valley hardware electronic engineering skilled at cluging.

 

[PapaGary]

That's a kludge:

kludge
A quick, messy but functional fix or workaround to a problem.
The server chassis was snapped in two, but I've kludged it together with electrical tape.

In spite of what you said I'd be afraid that in a drop that back would pop right off. A better solution would be an OtterBox Defender with the holes drilled into the back of the case. Once a phone is put into an Otterbox it's not easy to get it out (it's a PITA actually).

 

[d7v7d]

Indeed that is a healthy concern PG, thankyou. So I'll expand a bit. I wasn't convinced myself until I made the modification then dropped it so, numerous times in all manner of orientations to see what happened. With the cord just 15 inches the longest drop held out at eye height might be 20 inches. The small weight of the phone just doesn't develop strong forces. Never did the corner where the SIM card is even pop out a tiny bit. Then I added more cord length to the drop and found at about 36 inches that corner of the cover peeled open a bit occasionally. Never did the cover fully disengage. From that limited testing I am pretty confident accidentally dropping from 15 inches is rather safe at least for my phone. An alternate design if the drop was an issue would use elastic 2mm shock cord.

Now we all know how there are mechanical variances between individual units so I certainly won't claim everyone's phone would check out as mine did. However these expensive superbly engineered products in this era of automated production probably have rather tight dimensional specifications so maybe almost all would be as mine. Anyone making a modification can easily check it out for themselve while over something soft like a bed or couch. If it didn't work out, backing out and filling the tiny holes on the case with glue is trivial as are any affects to the case mechanical integrity.

The phone has some water immersion resistance and the rear cover slows entry of water into the back of the phone. The tiny drilled holes would allow water to enter that area a bit more. To eliminate that one can add glue into the holes after the monofilament is installed.

And indeed the suggestion of performing a similar modification to any external phone case one may be using is likely to be more straightforward so can't possibly damage the phone itself. One would need to use a case that allows access and visibility to the display and all the buttons. A case that is simply for protection won't work because one would need to remove a phone from the case for use while in precarious activity that is the primary issue. Using a smartphone with or without a case in the way is a long running trivial discussion of personal preference. Some like the raw look and feel of their phones as is while others are fine encasing them with storm trooper suits.

David

 

[PapaGary]

Ever seen an OtterBox defender?

Rugged Moto G 3rd Gen. Case | Defender Series from OtterBox | OtterBox

 

[Ry]

Does this compromise the Moto G's IPX7 Water Resistant rating?

 

[NucleBAH]

I guess it would depend where the holes were drilled. If they were drilled through the rubber gaskets, yes. If not, probably not.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[d7v7d]

As for water immersion, the rear cover is certainly not going to completely inhibit water entering inside. For that it would require a design with a gasket and screws along edges applying pressure. What the rear cover will do is slow water entry significantly and minimize peak pressure on any inner entry locations. In other words if one drops into water say from a 4 foot height, the phone section impacting the water surface will bear increased forces of water entry. Thus as noted, I recommend adding a bit of glue sealing the holes after installing the monofilament line.

A use update, I went skiing twice over the New Years holiday while carrying the phone as noted in my coat breast pocket. During that activity removed the phone several dozen times while up on lifts and on ski slopes in order to use the moto g 13 megapixel camera. That worked out very well with the corded lanyard system removing the usual extra careful need while handling. An extra benefit I had not expected is in order to remove the phone from the Cellet case, I merely need to grab the cord/landyard and pull up instead of trying to get my fingers around the top edge of the smooth phone. Note the Cellet case is a model specifically for the moto g with a snug secure fit that slips in and out easily.