Update: As requested, I made a few for sale. See my Vendor Announcement, or go to my web page. In-car testing convinced me that the backstop was not necessary, so they could be made fairly inexpensively.

Recently got an iPhone 3G and wanted a secure mount for Dynolicious, and iPod use (doesn't really matter where it is for Bluetooth). So, I whipped something up out of some scrap plexiglass and the iPhone 3G dock. I considered turning one out of hardwood, but thought I should try it out first. This just took an evening to do. The biggest pain was sanding the backstop.

 

You really did a great job. How much would you charge to build another?

 

What charger are you using there?

 

Looks Awesome.

 

Thanks.

Hmm, not sure about price. I'm thinking about doing one out of an exotic hardwood if I like how this works out. So, might be willing to sell this one. It wouldn't be hard to make more of the plex base, but the black wedge took a lot of hand sanding. I need to think of a better way to make that. You realize that hand-worked plex is not going to be as inexpensive than mass produced injected plastic, right?

Griffin PowerJolt Car Charger for iPhone or iPod (Black). Got it at the Apple store. One review says that it generates a "background whine" when using "an AUX in audio cable". I don't hear any whine when using the audio out on the iPhone 3G dock to the AUX on the MINI.

 

Great job Robin! Looks slick! Makes me want to get an Iphone!

 

looks great, Robin

one thing I would change though - location - would be good to see Caller ID for a call coming in

I got a Kuda mount with the generic PDA holder (on the right from the steering wheel on top of the dash) that fits my blackberry curve - should fit the iPhone too (when I hopefully upgrade :-)

 

I can't say I receive phone calls very often in the car (only a few people have my cel number), but I was under the impression that Caller ID info displayed on the NAV screeen through Bluetooth.

 

It is.

 

Sign me up, I'll pay you lots of money for such a device.

 

After some use, I think that the 2.5" dia tube is not large enough to hold the unit still in the cup holder. It can move about a little, horizontally.

I'm working on a design that would allow removal of the iPhone 3G Dock. So, you could supply your own dock, and used it elsewhere when desired.

 

Looks like I'll be heading up to San Jose this weekend and can pick up some larger dia tubing, if there is some serious interest in purchasing plex versions of the iPhone holder. It looks like I could make a version for the Universal iPod Dock, or the iPhone 3G Dock. I'm not sure about the latest version of the Universal Dock, but the older one I have is not fully compatible with the iPhone 3G, but such a holder might be useful to iPod users who have the USB connection. I assume you can connect the MINI cable to a Universal Dock.

So, for those seriously interested, here are some questions. You can PM me if you prefer.

1. Would you prefer a black plexiglass unit, white plex, specific color plex, or hardwood?

2. If hardwood, what kind of wood? Some of the choices would be:
a) Walnut - premium gun stock quality, would match English Oak in color, and relatively inexpensive.
b) Cocobolo - a type of rosewood, hard and strong, takes a high polish, usually has beautiful reddish color. Generally darkens with age, can fade when exposed to direct sunlight over time. Not good for a convertible. My favorite shift and ebrake handles are cocobolo.
Cherry - Least expensive, takes on a nice rich color when exposed to sunlight.
Amboyna Burl - most expensive. Nice grain pattern. Can be fumed to match English Oak color. This has been a popular choice for shift *****.
Other - some other wood.

3. Do you want a backstop for the iPhone? The backstop is going to be about 50% or more of the labor. Without it, you would probably want to wrap your fingers around the iPhone and tap it with your thumb. Or, tap it gently.

4. Do you care if the dock is permanently attached to the holder? This would be the easiest way to do it (like the prototype pictured at the beginning of the thread), and the least expensive. Double-stick tape would probably suffice for dock to holder platform, but the back support might need to be glued.

 

1. For me, since I have plain black interior, black plexiglass would be the best. Hardwood would sure look sweet though.

2. I think a backstop is probably a good idea, no matter what.

3. It really doesn't matter if it's permanently attached or not. I don't plan to use it anywhere else outside of the car.

Let me know how much this kind of thing will cost me! Dock included.

 

I wont know until Saturday what the plex costs. I'm guessing that I would have to charge somewhere around $75 for making a plex version with a simple backstop. Then add $31 for the iPhone 3G Dock (what I have to pay for it with CA tax).

It seems like gluing the backstop to the dock would be the best way because engineering it to allow the dock to be removed would probably cost as much as the dock.

 

interested tooo

 

Robin,
Was thinking of the same idea for a Garmin holder utilizing the cup holder, gonna make something on the lathe hopefully this weekend (Aluminum). 2 1/2 inches diameter to small you think? Input?

Jason

 

If you want a tight fit, I'd go for 2.75".

 

I did that very thing using the ashtray. Got rid of the flip top. Used L brackets to mount a flat piece of black plastic over the top. Used a Garmin mount for my 76CSx on top of the that. Works great.

You can also buy an Arkon cup holder mount that works well too. Pics of that one in my gallery.

 

I've made a couple black plex versions, and am just finishing some wooden ones. There is a cocobolo (rosewood), bocote, walnut, a ziricote that I'll keep. I'll post photos when the wood is finished.

After a fair amount of in-car testing I determined that the backrest wasn't necessary.

Prices will be $35 for the plex and $45-50 for the wood (walnut less expensive).

Can be used to mount an iPhone 3G Dock, or an iPod Universal Dock.

Edit: See my Vendor Announcement, or go to my web page.

 

I'm interested too! Looks great. I just checked out your site. Is the plexi one that is made for the 2007 R56 model going to fit the 2008's?

 

Yes, it will fit. There hasn't been any change in cup holder size.

 

I'm kind of digging back up a old thread but Robin, don't you think 35$ is a bit expensive?? I can in reality make this out of a tuna can if I wanted to, if I wasn't aiming for aesthetics. Is is possible to sell just the black plex disc? I have all the other necessary items BUT the disc.

 

The black plastic disk is what takes all the labor. Go to Tap Plastic, get some black plex, and make it yourself. You'll see that $35 isn't expensive.

 

$35 is cheap, I would prefer not to have a tuna can in my Mini.

 

So is it possible to sell just the disk alone?