custom metal iphone

[nickswagger]

I want one

[dingster]

Hi Martin,
I've an interesting idea for you.
Please check your Inbox

[alghawas]

Video: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrSf9-3jRQE]YouTube - iPhone 3GS Titanium[/ame]

I've repeatedly been drawn to watch this video, blinded by how ******* great this looked, I remembered the "Faraday Cage" effect. Knowing that it would be close to impossible to make a full signaled phone call in an aluminum casing, yet, a titanium casing.

Around 40 seconds in keep your eye on his right hand. Notice he is gripping something, using a technique similar to the "Tenkai Palm" in playing cards. Later on, 42 seconds in, dropping it. I suspect he switched the iPhone in order to make the phone call.

The next swap happens around 1 minute in (after the phone call) notice his hand again, a slight forward-push gesture while rotating the phone. I really hope I'm wrong, I'd buy this without any hesitation.

[flix]

No, dummy, there aren't any tricks involved here. The phone works fine in this video.

The Faraday cage effect applies to a closed box only, whereas this housing is basically an open pan. Take your iPhone and wrap its back with aluminum foil and double sided tape. Put as many layers as you want and you're still gonna be able to make phone calls. The radio waves leak out (and in) right through the speaker/home button assembly and the front glass of your phone.

As for the actual performance, that's hard to measure. Signal bars are not a reliable indicator. Extensive field testing is the only way to get an idea on how much you're sacrificing in terms of calling capacity and battery life.

[dwalk51]

Immense kudos sir! That looks simply amazing, and the video cleared any skepticism. While people are chiming in, I too would be most definitely interested in purchasing one such case from you. If you are taking orders or whatnot, you can PM me, or email me ([email protected]), or I'll just keep up with this thread and listen for what you say next. Job well done!

[krazy]

I couldn't understand how one can grab an ingot of titanium. at 7 eleven perhaps?

McMaster-Carr!

[mikerlx]

Carbon Fiber would probably involve vacum mold and with that large apple would also be a nice choice with titanium OR just a black or white plastic back design the same. Awesome Job Martin!!!

[andi54]

You'd be crazy not to get this made or licensed to sell, you'd make a fortune. You must do this. This is what we've been waiting for. Just a thought...surely a simple way to improve both the reception and the look further, would be to cut out the Apple logo and have a white poly one inserted which would light up. That would be awesome. You have come up with leading edge tech here if the titanium really is RF permiable. Patent ASAP! I guess you are waiting to see what design Jobs comes up with in a couple of months right. It needs to be pretty special to beat your design. If you don't do this yourself, you know this is already all over the web and will be made anyway?...

[lscangus]

I*need*one!*The*plastic*feeling*case*makes*me*stay *with*my*original*iphone.

Can*i*buy*one*off*you?

[mikerlx]

^I tend to stay with the original metal iphone moreso than the 3G

[crewshin]

romazzino, would you mind clearing some of your PM's so I can send you one?

Cheers

[romazzino]

Sorry for that, should work now ;-) cheers

[Effenpig!]

I like the carbon fiber idea. You could probably get away with a simple mold for the outside and just make a solid block to be machined just like a metal one

[jdanielca]

See i am pretty sure it isnt that hard to get this done. Of course doing it himself is another matter and that is great. If a company wanted to do this and sell this it would be out there but I would bet w/o the apple logo because that would be a lawsuit that would come at you so fat you wont know what hit you.

Question is now.. why isnt anyone doing this? Probably because it is too expensive.. google gigapascal and that guy has been saying he was going to get it out by xmas but I have not heard anything.

I am from Canada but in a few days I would be moving to Singapore for a while, where tech is great and labour is cheap. So if there is enough real interest I might set up something to do this for real. Might not be titanium but maybe the same finish was Macbooks or first gen iphones?
Or if anyone has comes across something similar I would not mind buying. But arent we all looking LOL

[Effenpig!]

I doubt the logo is the issue, you could just put a different logo or no logo at all.

I think with the cost of titanium the final product after all the costs would be a hard sell at a price that would be profitable. No matter how much you or I might want one, it's probably just not a profitable venture.

The market flooded with $5 dollar housings, to make money it most likely have to sell for several hundred. You have to be realistic.

Also, there's just no way it does not affect signal quality, and even if it's just a small loss of signal, that's still to much.

[romazzino]

well I guess one of the main reasons that nobody has done this commercially is that the phones warranty is void by the disassembling in order to change the back cover.

Also, the whole process of changing the back cover is not an easy job as you need to separate the bezel from the original back cover with a heat gun, clean it, grind it, and glue it to the new part. Also the original buttons and sim card tray do not work well with the new design - custom ones have to be manufactured.

I also agree that anything more than 2-3, maybe 5, percent less signal strength is too much. This mod is for sure over that threshold. But its hard to tell without exact (very expensive) analysis, I would guess about ten percent less. But, I mean, it was a only a try - in the meantime I think I found a pretty acceptable solution for the problem, I'll post an update if that should work out well.

Now the cost to build one of them is quite relative - if not bargain, compared to these: ;-)

World’s Most Expensive iPhones

cheers and thanks for the comments,
Martin.

[Effenpig!]

Martin- I don't want you to think I was in any way trying to bash your work. It is amazing and you have some serious skills!!!
I was just trying to explain the problems to all the people who think it would be easy or a money maker

[romazzino]

I wasn't thinking that at all ... I think you have a good point with the cost of it - all these plastic 5$ covers are much "better" business models to make money of, this mod is very problematic if someone should consider selling it... my main reason to build it was the challenge of doing it and the design of it. It's interesting to hear peoples opinion, so I'm glad that you posted ! :-) the most expensive phones where more or less a joke, incredible how expensive these are... and I don't even especially like the design of them.

[jdanielca]

ah yes your work is amazing, the issue with signal you brought up is quite true.... but it is still damn cool LOL theres a guy out there who is supposedly i repeat.. supposedly making one out of kevlar but since before xmas hes been saying its coming out but till today same **** story.. so.. i aint too sure... google gigapascal

[Mike_7318]

A truly unique iphone. Awesome job Martin