Homemade Evo car mount

[AS329]

After searching forever for a mount, I decided to build my own. I just got done breaking the prototype and rebuilding a new one, so I figured I'd share. The prototype (which wasn't intended to be a prototype, but since it fell apart within a week, that's what I'm calling it) worked pretty well, this one came out much better so I think it'll will work even better.

This is what it looks like, below is how I built it.



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So I needed a mount that would go into my lighter because I live in hell and the heat kills suction cups. They have just never worked for me. But all the mounts I found that went into the lighter were generic and I wanted a sure fit. So I got one of these fitted mounts from deal extreme, which have been posted on here before I'm sure.

DealExtreme: $5.50 Plastic Car Swivel Mount Holder with Suction Cup for HTC EVO 4G - Black

Then, I got one of these. From the comments on Amazon, it doesn't look like it plays well with every car, so check your out before ordering. They are kinda wide, but offer two lighter chargers and a usb charger, which I liked.

http://www.amazon.com/Gilsson-Univer...5450519&sr=8-6

Also, the first one I bought was not as tight and well built as the second one. I don't know if I got a fluke with either.

When I got the mount, I ripped off the suction cup by just twisting the base...the glue broke fairly easily. (I also broke the glue at the other end, you may just want to go ahead and break the seals, then re-glue with the adhesive of your choice, as I am sure it will be of better quality). I was left with the metal rod and black plastic covering on the bottom. I trimmed about five links of the plastic covering off (helps for a later step).

Essentially, I built a wooden plug to fit into the top lighter charger port on the three way charger noted above. I stuck the metal from the mount into the plug and the plug into the charger as follows:

I went and got a 7/8th inch wooden dowel from the hardware store (it's four feet long so you'll get plenty to make what you need, which is about an inch). This is slightly too thick so you'll need to whittle it down. I used a dremel to sand off about a 1/16 of an inch (or less). Shaving it down is much easier to do before you make the cuts I will tell you about in a second, so just go ahead, and shave it before you cut it to size. You only need about an inch of dowel, and you'll want it slightly thicker at the top (the lighter ports are somewhat tapered). Keep checking the fit by placing the dowel into the top port of the three way charger BUT DO NOT FORCE IT IN! You want a snug fit, but if you start tugging and pulling to get the plug out while checking the fit, you will rip up the internal electronics and won't be able to charge (go ahead, ask me how I know this).

Once you have the dowel shaved down to where it fits, but comes back out, go ahead and mark the depth and cut that piece off. You should end up with a piece about an inch or so long.

Drill a hole through the center. I used a 13/64th bit and the fit was pretty good.

Use the adhesive of your choice (I am sure some of you know much more about this that I do, I used liquid nails because I have a sh!tload leftover from a job a I did a while back. Something else might work better and if you know it, please share.) to seal the metal rod into the hole and the plug into the lighter port. If you didn't trim a few links off the plastic, it may act as a spring and push the metal out of your dowel, you want it to be able to rest in the dowel pretty deep and without pressure while it cures, which is why I trimmed it off (again, another lesson learned from my prototype).

Let it cure and set for a while (overnight) and it should hold pretty good. If you drilled a hole completely through the plug, you may want to be sure that the metal rod is not touching the bottom of the port - may screw something up. I just filled the bottom with adhesive anyway.

There you have it. Feel free to ask questions if I didn't describe it well enough. I have a few pictures from the process as well that'll I'll post if anyone wants to see. I like this because I can charge with usb and still have a port available. I may mount an fm transmitter to the next one I build for my wife's car. The holster part also has a hole for the camera, so if your mount is high enough, you can record your driving (which may or may not be a good idea depending on how you drive).

YMMV - the 3 way plug may not work for all cars. Secondly, I did notice on my prototype that with the phone's weight, the whole mount could twist a bit on turns. I think that was because the 3 way plug didn't fit well the first time, but I'll update once this new one is all set and I use it tomorrow. Just play with it, and drive cautiously for the first few miles to make sure it all works before trusting it fully.

[stanglifemike]

Wow, I was in my car just ten minutes ago and playing with my car mount and moving it in different locations wondering where I would like it because I want to change it. I see the title and think awesome that's what I want to do, them I see the pic and it looks like my car!! Awesome!! On the go right now but will read all about it in a bit. Thanks!

[Tuffgong4]

what about the speaker on the back?

That looks awesome.

[AS329]

Originally Posted by Tuffgong4

what about the speaker on the back?

That looks awesome.

I used speaker phone with the first one and you're point is valid, it is a bit muffled, but I could hear. Probably works much better if you can route your calls through your car speakers or use bluetooth.

And thanks. It's holding up pretty well, though I may have to reseal the metal rod into the plug at some point. Seems like it gets torqued on turns and it may stress the adhesive. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

[stanglifemike]

Ok, I like this a lot!! That is where I was thinking I would like mine, and where my fiance said it would be best. What you made looks very similiar to something that I was already considering, and wouldnt be any work for me. Made by Scoshe(which is awesome) here Amazon.com: Scosche PowerMount Universal Charging Mount (Black): Electronics , and there are a few different variations of power mounts...

[AS329]

I saw that mount and considered it, but I wanted something to reach up over my dash so I could record my driving every now and then...rush hour is a bitch around here. This one just gets over the dash enough.

I already ripped this apart and re-did it this morning. Liquid nails rocks, but not in this application. Ended up using JB Weld to mount the metal rod...roughed up the metal a bit, drilled a couple holes inside the mount hole and reset it. It's hard as a rock now and ain't moving a bit and it hasn't even cured completely. Wasn't a whole lot of work and tinkering keeps my old mind working.

/edit
If I do say so myself, this rocks. Resetting it with a better adhesive was the key. I just took it on a test drive and it doesn't budge a bit now (it's only cured for about 45 minutes, but I'm impatient). Getting rid of the lateral torque means it doesn't sway and it stays up perfectly. I've got an extra charging cable on the way which I will rig to this semi-permanently, get a T505 and I'm set.

[stanglifemike]

Ok cool. Yea, I actually want one that places the phone just between the 2 center a/c vents. So I'm thinking that the one I linked may be perfect for my application. Thank you for posting this though, you got me thinking again and looking for a powermount option.