Who said the SIM card slot was useless?

I can't take a photo now, but I will try to describe what I did, even just for fun.


I had a broken small USB mouse for laptops, those with a rolling wheel to retract the cable.

And then I had an idea. Why not making a retractable stylus string for the EE?

So I knocked down the mouse, keeping just the retractable USB cable with the wheel in the middle.

One of the extremes of the cable had the USB jack.
The other end of the cable had a rounded plastic stop which goes into the mouse, and a little tail of cable after that (for the connection). So I trimmed this little tail for a finer termination keeping the plastic rounded stop at the end.


I used a big needle to make a hole through this rounded end and passed a little ring through the hole (not really metal) , as the ones I use to make bijou and keyholders. A little one, not very big.

Then I hooked the ring through the hole at the end of my L-motion stylus, which costs 42 USD and I can't go about life exposing myself to losing it or leaving it. (And I love it, really.)

So I created a retractable stylus ribbon, which goes into the USB slot. No harm in the USB slot.
I prefer to slide the wheel all the way against the USB jack to avoid clicking it against the displays when I write.

As I use my Edge with opposite orientation, and have my tablet in the left side, this position is very convenient to draw and write in the right e-ink side, because the USB slots are placed below, not above, so the ribbon doesn't bother at all during the writing.

In this way, the stylus is always attached to the EE. When I remove it to pack the Edge, I slide the wheel back to the middle and retract the cable. It is very convenient and neat.

And the sim card?

Oh yes, I am planning an upgrade of my invention next week.

Instead of using it in a USB slot, occupying an active slot, I will get an old SIM card, I will make a hole in the outside end, trim the cable to remove the USB jack, and hook it through the hole, so I can use the SIM slot as a socket to plug my stylus ribbon.

As my English is not native, I hope my explanation has been understandable enough.
I can assure it is very practical and convenient.

I had wondered for weeks how I could fasten the stylus to the Edge and I hadn't find a place to attach it conveniently. Now I have found it.

What do you think?

I think it's a very good idea!

Someone about a month ago was asking for a wrist strap so as not to lose or drop the PE while carrying it "bare". I wonder if a sim card would be a strong enough connection for this purpose as well??

Oh darn. I don't think the PE has such a slot. ;/

Never say "useless", huh?

Great idea! Please post pictures if you can when you do it!

I typically switch between different SIMs on my phone for travel, so I just use the eDGe slot to store the SIM that I'm not currently using. Otherwise I tend to lose the darn thing! Of course then I spend hours looking for the other SIM because I forget I put it in the eDGe.

Seriously though, I thought I saw someone on these forums saying they got a SIM to actually work on the PE for a 3G connection. Any credible reports of this? I just recently acquired a PE (couldn't resist the $200 price) myself, but haven't played around with it.

Originally Posted by devseev

Seriously though, I thought I saw someone on these forums saying they got a SIM to actually work on the PE for a 3G connection. Any credible reports of this? I just recently acquired a PE (couldn't resist the $200 price) myself, but haven't played around with it.

Some 3G USB modems do work with the EE and PE (at least with Dingo, apparently no longer with Ermine). A key was to remove the PIN on the modem's SIM card so that the eDGe could use the modem. Perhaps this is what you saw.

But, as the eDGes don't have 3G circuitry inside, getting a 3G connection simply with a SIM card would be rather magical.

Originally Posted by paula-t

Then I hooked the ring through the hole at the end of my L-motion stylus, which costs 42 USD and I can't go about life exposing myself to losing it or leaving it. (And I love it, really.)

Your whole invention is clever, but this part was especially helpful since it made me realize I could put a smallish (keychain-style) split ring through the hole in the Motion pen, attach it to a lanyard, and wear it around the house/office. I don't need to attach the pen to the Edge itself, but along with my potentially losing/leaving it, one of my dogs, an otherwise well-mannered pup, is a compulsive pen thief, and I have nightmare visions of her scoring a $35.00 chew toy. I've had to train myself to clip regular $1.00 pens to my collar or put them in a drawer rather than setting them down for a minute, even on a high shelf -- since her accomplice, a year-old cat, will helpfully climb up and knock pens onto the floor so the doggie can get them.

About wrist straps for a bare PE, I think if you put a strong, snug band of elastic longways around the hinge/speaker (and of course, you'd also need to hold it shut with a crossways elastic band), then you could affix a wrist strap like one of these Etsy ones with a larger split ring to the lengthwise elastic band.

Oh! Good idea, JL! Thank you.

Originally Posted by JL6161

...one of my dogs, an otherwise well-mannered pup, is a compulsive pen thief, and I have nightmare visions of her scoring a $35.00 chew toy. I've had to train myself to clip regular $1.00 pens to my collar or put them in a drawer rather than setting them down for a minute, even on a high shelf -- since her accomplice, a year-old cat, will helpfully climb up and knock pens onto the floor so the doggie can get them.

My ragdoll beautiful cat is extremely good-natured and, true to the name of the breed, it so lax that a towel shows more nervous activity. But it connives with the Golden Retriever with the same purpose, only it's the wooden or plastic handles of the cutlery, and the tupperware, and the socks.
Yesterday I had to throw away 14 socks with holes beyond mending. All of my forks and knives are torn and chewed at the handles, and visitors (I do know) think we are all very damaged people who bite our cutlery out of hunger, or worms in our bowels, or mental illness... I am glad to know the keychain split ring will help you with your stylus. If I had to hang around my neck all the things the dog bites or destroys, I would already be in osteopathic treatment.

P. D.: I had a gecko as well, but it died. Every time I read Gecko's posts, I remember and cry.