[Device Reviews and Information] avatar4:
My sim card mod

DISCLAIMER!!!

DO NOT DO THIS, NEVER EVER. I BROKE 1 SIM AND 1 SDCARD DOING THIS SO DON'T DO IT.

I MEAN IT.

DISCLAIMER!!!

All photos taken with Ulefone Power and OpenCamera app. One photo stolen from Aliexpress.

Ok, so I did this mod, it worked until I decided to file sdcard some more (to be not so tightly fitted). After filing some more, I damaged some contacts on it, chip itself is deeper but if you see chip, STOP. Photos below.

Tools:

Whetstone, cheep Chinese aluminium whetstone. Cost ~1$ in bazaar or market. MUST be flat (flatish) so dont use old bended one.

AND FOR GOD SAKE DON'T USE WATER TO CLEAN EXCESS PLASTIC WHILE FILING.

This one has 2 gradation types.

Nail file for fine tuning, I used glass one.

Reference

This is the part that connects to sim cards and sdcard. Notice that sdcard pins are (in my opinion) a little higher. Photo stolen from aliexpress.

So basicaly you want something like this.

Lets start with sim card.

DO NOT BEND SIM CARD WHILE FILING IT ON WHETSTONE. I broke one like that.

Contacts on it are very delicate so don't bend it. Don't put pressure on chip, you want to take away ONLY (in this case) white plastic, the part that encapsulates sim chip on card. Sim chip is submerged in clear resin/plastic, don't file it, it protects chip.

I marked in green what can be filed and what should be avoided in red.

When you have filed enough plastic, you can then easily cut some of it out, to allow contacts from sdcard through.

Most important part to file is an edge, where sim card tray touches sim card (marked blue, of course file the back of the card, not the front).

This point will have most force applied to it when you slide sdcard and sim card together into your phone. Its the only point where all 3 things collide. If you wish, you can also file edge of the sim tray. 1-2 mm wont hurt.

Sd card.

This was my victim. Notice the hump on the back. It must go away.

Don't file the bottom of the card, that layer is very thin and not worth it. This didn't broke my card but I suspect filing more might brake it.

File the top, until you take away the hump and first layer which is just paint.

Continue with caution, I strongly advice against filing until you see the chip, there are contacts that appear to be higher than the chip so when you are seeing the chip it can be too late.

In my case I filed some more after going through the paint and than stopped. Tested the card, it worked. It worked for about a week until I tried to file some more, and this killed it.

Part that I broke is marked in red.

In the end you should have something that looks like this.

This was tested on 3 sim cards (one became broken) and 1 sdcard (also broken) so DON'T DO IT.

While doing it exercise common sense. If you are uncomfortable, stop, don't rush anything.

It will be a tight fit if you manage to use 2 sims and sdcard.

Don't try pushing the tray too hard into a slot, because you might not be able to take it out anymore or you break something.

Don't file sdcard at an angle, you want it to be flat.

Sdcard might start to slide out of a tray when you try to install tray in to phone, just gently push it in position and continue (unless there is too much resistance).

While filing sim card you will eventually dig into a chip. Stop now, and file around chip. Don't file chip or chip resin coating.

Be patient, it will take you at least an hour of filing alone, fitting and figuring out things will take another.

And don't bend sim card, even while filing, especially while filing around chip.

And remember, I might also be just some guy trolling people on internet with photo shop so use caution and common sense.

Right now I'm using my filed sim card and it works. Even on LTE. But I have to tape it at the bottom because its too thin and sometimes phone thinks that I took it out :D

And remember.

DON'T DO IT.