Temporary or permanent, until the proper media cradle is delivered, here is what I came up with:
Ultimately, I wanted a mod that I could reverse & put back to original form.
Most members here seem interested in center rail accessories that utilize the
stock mounting base, so I used the otherwise useless MINI phone holder, separating the upper part from the base section.
The Ram Mount cradle http://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount-uni...-hol-un3u.html includes a mounting bracket that I carefully drilled & counter sunk to the bolt so it would be flush to the cradle bracket. I purchased a metal disk at the hardware store for $2(drilled a hole in the center), to put between the top base piece and the RAM cradle. This covers the notches & clips that attaches the orig. phone holder. Assembly simply takes one nut & bolt!
The iPhone, with protective case fit easily, even with the E-Brake lever up.
The RAM mount cradle is well made for the cost & I expect it to handle daily use.
The front rail area with Connected is very tight, not too many things fit in this space, in fact, the eyeglass case doesn't really fit that great either, with the brake lever up, the case barely opens.
Hopefully we will see some innovative & useful accessories in the near future.
Happy Motoring!!!

 

Very nice job. It looks like an OEM unit.

A question: My wife is getting an automatic and we live in a very flat area. If you don't raise the parking brake and take out the rubber stops on the rail, would the included iPhone holder work ok? Could you slide it up and turn it toward the driver in a tilted mode?
Thanks,
CN

 

Good questions!
I wanted to keep everything as stock as possible.
The rail stops are still in & the unit is slid up to the stops.
Also, the Y cable is short, so I couldn't slide it back much more.
Keeping everything stock is very limiting.

I had previously put together an option that enabled swivel & tilt, but unfortunately the phone came up too high or too low & either the brake lever or the armrest obstructed placement. REALLY annoying because the first mod was NICE! and only needed one bolt!!

 

Nicely done my friend, nicely done.

 

I've considered doing something similar to mount my Garmin GPS. I think that may work nicely. Good Job.

 

Someone had a mount with a gooseneck that fastens to a seat floor bolt that would be excellent for a GPS. It would allow you to get a much better height & point of view. Check out RAM Mounts, highly recommended.
http://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount-uni...oor-mount.html

 

Another good solution, however I only occasionally use the GPS and wanted to do something that I could pack away when I didn't need it. I'd go with that gooseneck mount if I was in a vehicle that I always wanted the GPS.

 

coldnorth,
IMHO, the MINI phone holder included with the car just doesn't cut it. I tried every which way to make it work. It fails to hold the iPhone dependably & connecting a cable to it is super cumbersome. Removing the rail stops & keeping the brake lever down will open the area a bit more & give you more options.

 

I think I'm going to use a holder the drops in the cigarette lighter and then run a Y cable (aftermarket) to the USB/AUX jacks. Right now, I have a cigarette lighter mount from Belkin that holds the phone in an OK place, but it uses the dock connector to charge the phone, and that means I can't hook up to the USB.

Except I can't find a gooseneck cigarette mount that really looks like it'd work. There's an Arkon one that goes in a cupholder, but with the lack of cupholders already, it's not something I'm willing to lose.

 

Thanks, That's too bad. You would have thought more effort would have gone into the design.
CN

 

Just a note, I have a long aftermarket y cable (USB and aux) but it registers differently to the radio. It won't let you use the steering wheel controls to control tracks or anything. Still charges, plays music but only controls on iPhone work.

 

That's weird. Other people were saying that their Y-Cables worked fine. Or maybe that's people using dock extenders?

 

Maybe brand makes a difference, not sure. When I use the MINI supplied one the radio shows iPod, when I use the aftermarket one it just reads as Auxillary.

 

Nice job Miniaturize.. Ram makes great products…I use nothing but the best for flying...Just received my dock extender that works well with the supplied Y cable and my I phone. Previously was using the a usb extender and a A/V cable 3.5-4 contact patch cable…heat shrinked them together…worked well also. currently have the plastic console around the shift that also houses the controls for the screen apart for Hydrographic Coatings - Carbon Fiber Film…Was thinking of adding another dock just for the dock extender…If I do I'll take a few picture of where it ends up..have the scanner mounted in the headliner up by the upper bank of switches. By the time the correct cradle is out..we won't need it ..

 

Flyer53,

That Hydrographics process is very interesting, especially the carbon fiber treatment, definitely post pics!! Also, another doc connection would really help direct cables better. It's a shame that there is a proprietary connection in the Armrest, been looking for an adapter with no luck.
I'd like to utilize that connection in some way.

 

Here's some progress pictures of the prep work for the console and misc items that are to be carbon fiber wrapped (Hydrographic Coatings). Clean, mask scuff, urethane/epoxy..

 

ok... who took my pictures...

 

Flyer/Miniaturize-
Did you look at using the side grip mount with the b-arm and two *****? I'm wondering if you could pop the plastic off the rails and get enough height with the arm+***** accesories to slip past the brake and over the gear shift housing.

I'm still flabbergasted by the utter crap design of the plugs and phone holder.

 

Pics of the I Phone Base that some day will hold the correct cradle out of the armrest, is in photo gallery, for those who care to see.

 

okay, so how do you remove the rail stops? espciailly the ones up front.....i have the armrest so i have that AND the handbrake limiting my rail area.....if i could remove the rail stops in the front part, that would enable me to put a phone holder closer to the gear shift boot.......

 

If I remember right…Needle nose pliers and if your sitting on the left pull the ones out on the right side and then the opposite. Pull them in the same direction as the rail. It will give you some room..but not as much as we would like.

 

Below is the iPhone holder I crafted up. Been pretty happy with it thus far.

Total Cost ~$5

Simple eBay search for iPhone Case. I then modified it by cutting off the top edge of it. The iPhone snaps/slides right in while still being snug.

I then slapped a longer piece of velcro on the back of the case, and a smaller one next to it for horizontal stability. Then a piece of velcro on the post. It will remove when needed without issue leaving no trace of it's existence.

 

Here is my solution: The "LandingPad." Made of 4 pieces of wood and 4 screws and fits into the center rail. The LandingPad places the iPhone or iPod or iPod Touch, or any other small object, in easy view and reach above and to the rear of the gear shift well, and in front of the hand brake, as shown in the photo below.