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How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

far.computer

61–70 of 122 posts

Re: How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

#62
post #27

The thing that holds me back from this is always the battery. I want to have my battery removed so that it doesn't eventually become a time bomb, but it's a pain on modern phones and I'm not even sure if they boot without. The mobile hardware reuse space can suck for hobbyists.

In theory, you can replace the battery with a chunky enough capacitor (to get past the power-on surge) and a power source at the right voltage attached right where the battery would go. The soldering points are way too tiny for my amateur soldering skills, though.

Re: How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

#63
post #27

The thing that holds me back from this is always the battery. I want to have my battery removed so that it doesn't eventually become a time bomb, but it's a pain on modern phones and I'm not even sure if they boot without. The mobile hardware reuse space can suck for hobbyists.

Most phones can have battery removed somewhat destructively, but without affecting the rest of the phone. Generally, as long as you keep the phone plugged in, the battery should be safe virtually indefinitely - the battery management on board will keep it in a state where its a constant charge which means the chemistry will be stable.

> Generally, as long as you keep the phone plugged in, the battery should be safe virtually indefinitely

What is your source on this?

I've replaced the battery in always-plugged-in iPhone 3 times over 10 years because it was expanding into a spicy pillow.

I too want a way to run phones directly off of USB power, without a battery present.

Re: How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

#64
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is Arch ARM officially supported by the same team? If not, what might be the reason?

x86_64 is the only official Arch Linux. All other ports are unofficial. They are community projects where many of the members are the same as the main Arch Linux. I think it's basically for the same reason as why they dropped 32-bit x86 support about 8 years ago. Not enough users. (That resulted in the unofficial Arch Linux 32 to maintain support.)

Arch is working to officially support ARM and non x86_64 archs.

https://rfc.archlinux.page/0032-arch-linux-ports/

Re: How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

#65

so once you have a web server on the phone how are you able to make it available publicly on the internet? don't ISPs detect these and ban? are you using wireguard or something like that? ive been looking to build and serve my own servers and i have been considering to use old android phones to outright racks but the part I am still struggling to figure out is how to serve it publicly without ISP catching on as they…

> don't ISPs detect these and ban

No? I mean, I'm sure there are ISPs out there that do it, but that's a ridiculous thing to do.

Re: How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

#66
post #27

The thing that holds me back from this is always the battery. I want to have my battery removed so that it doesn't eventually become a time bomb, but it's a pain on modern phones and I'm not even sure if they boot without. The mobile hardware reuse space can suck for hobbyists.

Check out this method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f8SliNGeDM

Re: How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

#67
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

x86_64 is the only official Arch Linux. All other ports are unofficial. They are community projects where many of the members are the same as the main Arch Linux. I think it's basically for the same reason as why they dropped 32-bit x86 support about 8 years ago. Not enough users. (That resulted in the unofficial Arch Linux 32 to maintain support.)

Arch is working to officially support ARM and non x86_64 archs. https://rfc.archlinux.page/0032-arch-linux-ports/

That RFC says "New ports are added by proposing them in an RFC. At least two package maintainers have to lead a port to ensure it will be developed longer term." but I'm not finding any RFC for ARM support, so can one say work is really officially happening on ARM?

Re: How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

#68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most phones can have battery removed somewhat destructively, but without affecting the rest of the phone. Generally, as long as you keep the phone plugged in, the battery should be safe virtually indefinitely - the battery management on board will keep it in a state where its a constant charge which means the chemistry will be stable.

> Generally, as long as you keep the phone plugged in, the battery should be safe virtually indefinitely What is your source on this? I've replaced the battery in always-plugged-in iPhone 3 times over 10 years because it was expanding into a spicy pillow. I too want a way to run phones directly off of USB power, without a battery present.

Go to ifixit.com, look up your phone's battery replacement steps, stop half way through :)

Re: How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Generally, as long as you keep the phone plugged in, the battery should be safe virtually indefinitely What is your source on this? I've replaced the battery in always-plugged-in iPhone 3 times over 10 years because it was expanding into a spicy pillow. I too want a way to run phones directly off of USB power, without a battery present.

Go to ifixit.com, look up your phone's battery replacement steps, stop half way through :)

Yeah the first two times Apple did it for me. Then Apple stopped supporting battery replacements on a phone that old, so I ordered a battery replacement kit on Amazon and did it myself, with ifixit.com's assistance.

Never again. I was genuinely shocked the thing turned on once I closed it up. It's one thing to have a conceptual understanding of how tiny the components inside a phone are. It's another thing to actually be trying to seat a plug into a socket with tweezers and just have no idea how you're supposed to tell if it's fully inserted or not.

Re: How to repurpose your old phone into a web server

#70
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

x86_64 is the only official Arch Linux. All other ports are unofficial. They are community projects where many of the members are the same as the main Arch Linux. I think it's basically for the same reason as why they dropped 32-bit x86 support about 8 years ago. Not enough users. (That resulted in the unofficial Arch Linux 32 to maintain support.)

Arch is working to officially support ARM and non x86_64 archs. https://rfc.archlinux.page/0032-arch-linux-ports/

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