The SpiderPig home-made magnet switch case

[pegb856]

I was just sitting here looking at my file cabinet, I have at least a dozen of those magnetic business cards on it. I am wondering if one of these, or even a piece of one would be strong enough to work. I'd probably use shipping tape to attach it to the inside cover if I had one of these type cases.

Just a thought.

 

[The Architect]

that looks awful.

False. That looks awesome.

But to each their own.

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

very cool...what does the inside flap look like?

Covered it with grey felt from Walmart. Originally I had moleskin on the magnet, but the hole looked ugly.

Does it turn the screen off when you fold the cover over to the back? This seems to be a common problem with some of the earlier sleep/wake cases.

I tried this back when I got my N7 and the case and had problems with the magnet shutting it off when you fold the cover back. I tried a variety of magnets, and the weakest one that was strong enough to trigger the switch when opening the case also triggered it when the cover was folded back.

Before doing anything permanent, try taping your magnet to the cover and then open it and fold it back to see if it shuts off your Nexus 7.

I played around with a couple different things, and ended up putting metal tape (used for duct work) on some posterboard and sliding it behind the tablet. Cardboard worked as well, but it was thick and make it difficult to put the tablet in and out.

that looks awful.

Seriously? So now you have a gaping hole in the inside flap? And a bulging magnet on the front? This is ridiculous.

Good thing neither of you have to use or look at it then, isn't it?
But thanks for your insightful posts, filled with knowledge and wisdom.

 

[yoyocint]

The Shack sells very small magnets that work fine and are about the diameter of a ball point clicker. I made one for the case I purchased on Am_z_n. Works like a charm and its almost invisible. It has effect with the cover flipped over though.

 

[digitalslacker]

So I tried a slightly different approach after being inspired by Jerry and others

I should say right off the bat that I now understand why this case might not have a magnet by default. Comments on that in a second.

Here's what I did.

• Cannibalized almost every magnet in the kitchen to the amusement of my wife, ok not really.
• Found that every magnet in the kitchen was either too strong (triggered the sensor from the rear when the cover was folded over) or too weak to trigger it on the front.
• Cannibalized an old hard drive to get to its magnets.
• Cut the magnet down to size with the cutter edge on a pair of pliers
• Wrapped the small square mini magnet in electric tap to find the exact location of the senor.
• Attached it to the cover.

It's working well but I do get some sensor off when the cover is folded back. It's manageable though. I probably could resolve that by cutting down the magnet a bit more or putting shielding on the back like Jerry suggested.

I have a few concerns though.

• This creates a major pressure point on the glass that has me concerned that if anything pushes too hard against where the magnet is, it'll crack the screen.
• It doesn't look very good.
• The cover doesn't close completely flush, but that could be mitigated with a thinner magnet.

That first point will probably be the reason that I pull this off, but I didn't do any damage to the case so that's fine.

 

[anon(94115)]

Yeah but your little spider pig project had better not infringe on this: Apple Researching iPad Smart Covers with Secondary Displays, Keyboards, Solar Cells - Mac Rumors

 

[KungFooSausage]

I have a couple of - perhaps stupid - questions on this:

1. I take it a magnetic field wont do any damage to the screen or internals over time?

2. Is this what the 4 contacts are related to that are on the side of the Nexus 7 case?

I have a soft Mofi pouch type case and was thinkign of using a piece of flexible magnetic strip stuck into the edge of the inside of the case so when I put the tablet in it then it switches off. The only trouble I can see is that the tablet is a loose fit inside the pouch so continuous contact may be an issue unless just being close to the tablet works.

 

[eve_brea]

this does what now? I agree the stock case (Which i bought for sheer slim size) is boring, and i may stick a flat keychain on mine to give it some flair... but what does the magnet do? I took a magnet off my fridge and put it right there on my nexus and nothing happened. took off, put on, took off, put on, nada. What's the deal?

Edit: neeeeeevermind. I took a STRONGER magnet (one of those "sizzle" toy magnets that are rounded and polished) and put it on the phone, screen turns off, turns on when removed. Nifty but not necessary. That's what the power button is for.