Lowest Profile LOD To date (9/7/09)

For the next couple of weeks I'm going to try to make the lowest profile LOD currently available anywhere. My goal is to eventually just have wires sticking out of the bottom of an ipod dock.

Here's the current lowest profile I could make, it sticks out 0.175" from the bottom of an ipod dock I figure if I can go down to 0.1" that would be awesome. Oh and yes this one does have a resistor in it for iphones/ipod touches.

Sorry mate no internal pics, well I can't now since its covered in that epoxy stuff. I'll put up a how to make tutorial later like Punisher did for his low profile one's. The next part I'm trying to work on is using an SMT resistor and a better way of holding the wires in place or using something more bendable like mogami wire.. I was an idiot for using HGA solid wire. Tutorial should be up in a week or two when I get more parts.

Punnisher, I used whatever LOD supplies I had lying around, but I think its from the slim dock connectors (its on the same page you linked).

I thought about magnet wire, and I'm still finding a good place for SMD resistors that won't kill me with shipping either that or if I get in the DIY mood again I'll order parts I need for a new diy amp/dac and just add the smt resistors on there.

Looks Like I'm outta cash for a while so I won't be able to experiment with stuff, but I was able to scrounge together some parts to build this. its a Low Profile LOD for a sansa Fuze, I figure the same thing can be done for an imod.

Hi Folks,

I finally had some extra cash and bought some docks from qables so I could make a mini tutorial.

So first you start with the basic dock and pull all the pins and the metal shield apart:


Next you cutoff the bottom part of the plastic piece like this. You can use a dremel or some other power tool but to be honest, it makes it a lot harder to work with because the dremel will melt the plastic and make it a pain to push pins into the tiny slots. I prefer using a box cutter/exacto knife but its pretty dangerous so please becareful.




Here's a quick shot of the pins inside the dock:


After you do the mock up (as shown above) take a marker and mark the point where you will need to bend the pins in a right angle. Here is a sample of the pins. MAKE SURE THE PINS ARE RIGHT ANGLES!!! The one on the left is slightly off and the one on the right is at a right angle:


If the pin is not bent at a right angle it will not line up when you push it into the dock, look at the very right pin:


Do this for all 4 pins.

Here is what your dock should look like after:



If you need to install a resistor, you need to cut out part of the LOD for the resistor (SMD or 1/8" watt will be fine, I don't find either easier to work with, both are a PITA)

Cut out a notch on the right side of pin 21 (pins 22-30 will be taken out). This notch should be roughly 1/8" deep so that the resistor can fit inside



Glue the resistor in, and solder the pins as you normally woud.

After soldering the wires you have several options.
1. Cover it using epoxy
2. Cover it using glue

Then cover using heatshrink or paint it or if you use black epoxy material you can just sand it down for a nice finish.

I've actually preferred using glue (from a glue gun) and covering using some type of plastic or several layers of heatshrink. I think it leaves a nicer finish and its not as brittle as epoxy (the one I made all the way in the first post, ended up cracking on me after taking it in and out to test).

Before you begin construction, please be aware that this will take a lot of time and patience. I can normally build Punisher's low profile LOD in a little over an hour and a regular lod (no customizations) in about 40 min, this one takes me close to 4 hours when all is said and done. Its not hard, its just time consuming. so if you're like me, put on a Teaching Company cd, and listen to a good lecture while you're working. I've been burning through lectures like nothing lately. Good luck!