While I like that this thread gives good install instructions for Pali's new BME this is still a thread about modding the Qi universal add-on thing and then installing it into/onto the phone. Ideally we will just find a charger manufactured as compatible with standards compliant shorted pins and post that as best. I do strongly recommend installing the BME replacement in the best/100% option since it is already right here on the page. The other two are work around options because not everyone can or wants to solder.

A bit of science.
I had a Qi charge pad on top of an aluminum case stereo amplifier sitting on my desk. Set my N900 on the pad to charge, after five hours it had only taken 5% more charge, the amp was pretty hot.
Set the pad onto the desk and left the N900 on the charger, I think it went from 57% to 100% in about two hours.
It seems that some cheap Qi base pads don't have magnetic isolation on the bottom so will leak off energy to metal objects like an inductive stove top.

Thanks biketool, that's pretty consistent with my "less than 10% efficiency" estimated here. A (slightly) different setup, but the same mechanism. It's nice to have my estimate confirmed by a real life experiment

I think the Al backcover thread should take notice.

Pichlo, if you do an external install there should be no problem using with the Al cover as the Qi charger on phone side has an induction blocking pad.
I just had a Qi pad fail due to a bad solder joint in the little control PCB, if I cant reflow the loose chip I can divert the induction blocker pad to my desktop charge pad so that it can be set atop that aluminum amp or anything else without inductive loss problems.

The quality of these cheap units is telling, I had to do a toaster oven solder reflow/reball on the Qi receiver's PCB as one of the tiny surface mount chips had a bad joint.
It seems to be working now but I am going to order another, who knows how long this will last.
That said at the functionality is worth well more than $6 delivered so you can order a few to have a spare to replace rejects.

To do the reball I put a drop of liquid surface mount flux onto the PCB where the loose joint chip is and ran the oven at 200C for 20 minutes with the PCB sitting on a clean piece of aluminum foil.

I am going to get another reciever myself once I have some free money, hoping someone finds a standards compliant(shorted data pins) receiver in that time so I can give it a try.

Quick question...
So, should I get receiver A or B, if I want to install Qi charger with minimum hassle and no soldering? And I would prefer to somehow short the data pins of the Qi charger, rather than get BME confused.
Thank you.
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Per aspera ad astra...

Wikiwide,
MicroUSB type A is rectangular, we need a type B with angled sides for the N900.
I have not heard any good news on a factory shorted universal Qi charger. Just upgrade to the Pali BME and use the charge timer script, it beats breaking your USB port using a regular cable.

Quick reply...

Alright, microUSB type B.

I would rather short the data pins of Qi charger once and not worry about it, because it is the 'right' way of doing things. Rather than get confused with custom software (what if I re-flash the N900 some time later, and forget to put the special BME back?). After all, Qi charger is not something valuable, to be afraid of breaking it in process of attempting to short the data pins.

But, it will take time. Currently, microUSB port is ripped off the board, and local repair shops (two of them) just refused to repair it (too old model, they say; unfamiliar, and so on; fair enough, but what will they do when new model, Neo900, comes in?). I may go to a third repair place (most likely, they will refuse, too), or I may buy a new microUSB port, and visit a local soldering place, in hopes they help me to repair it.

And local soldering place is open only once a week. And microUSB needs to get here by post. So, not soon.

Thank you.
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Per aspera ad astra...

Maybe see if the soldering shop can do the Qi mod at the same time.

Early hostmode adopters used to file microUSB A into microUSB B (creating this angled shape). It should be still quite easy to do, although, of course, I agree with the "proper" way of doing it via either sorting Qi pins, or using BME repl. Or both, in best case.

/Estel