Custom Phone/GPS Dash Mount

[Daniel_Malloy]

After searching long and hard for an acceptable solution to mounting either my cell phone or a dedicated GPS above the dash and coming up empty, I decided to make an almost stock looking dock for my phone. After working on this project today, I am too exited about to wait until it is 100% complete before posting! So here goes!!!

I bought a car dock for my phone, a Samsung ATRIX, and cut the suction cup base off of the arm.
2011-09-09_14-38-18_826.jpg


I then cut a short piece of 2-inch PVC pipe at an angle, inset the arm, then JB Welded the two together.
2011-09-09_19-57-38_861.jpg


I then JB Welded a flat base that I will attach velcro to so that I can easily attach/detach it from atop my dash.
2011-09-09_22-35-11_290.jpg


Next, I sprayed everything but the mounting ball and bottom with spray on rubber to make it blend into the dash.
2011-09-09_22-58-29_569.jpg


So, what do you guys think so far? It will sit atop the dash with the PVC essentially mirroring the shape of my PUIG windscreen. I will update and add pics as soon as it dries and I have the time to mount it to the bike. And FYI, this setup should allow me to mount any dock that uses a standard ball attachment.

[setasai]

Looks cool. Great idea on the PVC and velcro. Let us know how it works out for you in terms of vibrations and stuff. Btw, I would tether the bracket to something just in case the ball pops out during a random bump. Those ball mounts are spring tensioned and arent designed to be uber secure. They're unlikely to pop off but I wouldnt take the chance of it falling down the triple tree region.

[Mazakawi]

Originally Posted by setasai

Looks cool. Great idea on the PVC and velcro. Let us know how it works out for you in terms of vibrations and stuff. Btw, I would tether the bracket to something just in case the ball pops out during a random bump. Those ball mounts are spring tensioned and arent designed to be uber secure. They're unlikely to pop off but I wouldnt take the chance of it falling down the triple tree region.

I have a similar mount for my phone. It isn't just snapped onto the ball. There's a threaded ring on the back that secures the holder to the ball mount. I would be more worried about the little arm on top popping open when you hit a bump. That's all that holds the phone in so if it comes out the phone could fall.

[Daniel_Malloy]

The mount I used has the threaded ring on it, so I'm not too concerned with that part. If I find that I worry about it during testing I will probably just KB Weld it solid. That is a great idea though to tether it to something just in case (I do NOT want to take the chance of losing my expensive phone). Mazakawi, I'm like you; I am thinking if I have any troubles it'll be with the clamping mechanism. It is a fairly strong clamp and the whole system was designed specifically with my phone in mind, so it appears very secure. When the phone sits in the dock, it also sits in a mini usb port on the bottom that holds it in also. When I get back from diving at lake Murray today, I'll be mounting it and testing. I will be using a few rubber bands as a precaution until I can be sure about the clamp. Might also figure out an unobtrusive way to tether the head to the body like setasai suggested. Thanks for your suggestions; they've helped me plan this out a little more. I will update you guys with my progress.

[setasai]

Whoops, my bad. I see the threaded ring on it. Nice much more secure than my garmin that just pops on the ball. I see your concern with the clamping mechanism. Does it just snap close or is it not tensioned at all? You could always put velcro on the back of the phone as an extra protective measure. If you dont want to stick the velcro onto the phone itself, lay down some tape or vinyl or screenprotector as a base and stick the velcro to that. Since it's in the dash area, on the left side of the dash there are mirror bolts, just add a little ring or something and use that to tether. Unobtrusive and function. Gotta love that. Good luck, looking food so far.

Do you plan on adding a charger to that rig? Would come out to be a very neat dock system.

[Momaru]

I love that setup, definitely eager to see how it turns out.

[Mazakawi]

Originally Posted by setasai

Whoops, my bad. I see the threaded ring on it. Nice much more secure than my garmin that just pops on the ball. I see your concern with the clamping mechanism. Does it just snap close or is it not tensioned at all? You could always put velcro on the back of the phone as an extra protective measure. If you dont want to stick the velcro onto the phone itself, lay down some tape or vinyl or screenprotector as a base and stick the velcro to that. Since it's in the dash area, on the left side of the dash there are mirror bolts, just add a little ring or something and use that to tether. Unobtrusive and function. Gotta love that. Good luck, looking food so far.

Do you plan on adding a charger to that rig? Would come out to be a very neat dock system.

The arm just snaps down. There's nothing to lock it down and keep it from popping back up if you were to hit a serious bump in the road.


@Daniel:

For the charger you could add a 12V plug to the bike and just run it direct to the battery. That way even if the bike doesn't start there should still be enough juice left in the battery to call for help.

I have the Droid Bionic and they made a pretty much identical car dock for it. It's just shaped to fit the Bionic instead of the Atrix.

[setasai]

Originally Posted by Mazakawi

The arm just snaps down. There's nothing to lock it down and keep it from popping back up if you were to hit a serious bump in the road.

What if you drilled a hole for a screw or cotterpin into the hinge mechanism so that after you snapped it tight, you just tighten the screw or push a cotterpin/rod through to prevent it from popping back up?

[Daniel_Malloy]

First to questions, as Mazakawi stated, the arm just snaps down. However, it appears to hold the phone in securely especially with the mini usb plug on the bottom of the dock.

@Mazakawi,
Ya, I plan on running a 12V plug up to the front. I'm debating whether to run it straight like you said or wire it in so that it'll turn off with the rest of the bike.


Now, on to the update. The setup looks AMAZING!!! The PVC appears to follow the lines of the windscreen and the rubber finish blends in with the dash rather nicely. Also, the placement of the screen is rather good. I maybe could have lowered it some and overlapped some on the front of the dash, but I'm pretty happy with it where it sits. I think it will only appear in the way with a huge tuck (but if you have a dark windscreen you don't look through, it is perfect!).

Now, on to the negative. With the phone sitting forward, I can forsee possible problems with viewing the screen when it is in direct sunlight. In my test run I was still able to read the screen and I'm not sure if this will really be a problem so long as you can adjust the angle of the mount (ie, keep the ball joint working). The mount is not as solid as I would like. It will no doubt stick to the bike under any situation with the heavy duty velcro I used. With the inherent give of velcro, the plastic dash not being the most ideal solid platform for mounting on, and the PVC end of the mount not being nearly as heavy as the phone end, the mount moves more than I would ideally like.

I'm already fairly certain that this is already better than using the suction cup to the tank and I'm pretty sure after my rough test ride that the phone would stay put even on rough roads, but its not absolutely perfect yet. With the phone angled slightly up, I'm confident that it would hold the phone. In my testing, I had it perfectly vertical to record video of the ride to determine how much the phone was moving. I am thinking that if I fill the PVC in with weight, it might help reduce some of the movement. from the above. I will try and post the video up as soon as I can so you guys can get a first-hand look. Until then, enjoy the pictures below .

IMG_2455.jpg IMG_2456.jpg IMG_2457.jpg IMG_2460.jpg

And in case you're wondering, I did place the mount crooked. I placed it while sitting on the bike and couldn't see from above. I also placed a longer strip of velcro than necessary on purpose so that I get the maximum amount of adhesion as possible and don't have to worry if I slide it further back.

[setasai]

Looks great. I went with the relay so that when I turn the key off, everything shuts off. I have it wired so that it's just a miniUSB wire instead of a 12V adapter. I found that I never use anything else but my garmin GPS so there was no need for an adapter. I may add one in the future but for now i've yet to desire more connections.

With sun, there is very little you can do about that because even with my garmin, with sun it became difficult. One benefit of wiring up power is you can run the gps on full brightness which does help.

I was just going to suggest adding some weight. Take a plastic bag and fill it with sand and stuff it in there. Once you get it the way you like it, I was going to suggest switching it to concrete or something solid. Also, there is industrial velcro that uses these funky hard plastic mushroom shaped hooks instead of soft velcro that has much less give and is just as secure from a velcro standpoint.

Looks great though. Once you start using a GPS on the bike, you wont go back. It's super handy just to see what streets are coming up even if you dont use it for navigation.

[Daniel_Malloy]

Wiring usb instead of a 12 volt and a converter is a good idea also. As I will mostly be powering this or similar items, I think when I get around to it I will so the same.

For weight, I filled the PVC with bb's and covered/filled the end with more JB Weld. Adding this weight made a noticeable difference.

The idea of the special Velcro was a great one! I replaced the stuff I was using and with it and the above modifications, the mount is much more stable now. I think my mount is ready for a true test now. Tomorrow morning I think I'm going to take it on a test ride through the Wichita Mountains and see how it fairs. I think after these simple modifications, I will forego my previous video and post one of my ride through the mountains. Thanks for the input; it really helps sometimes to talk a process out.

[setasai]

Originally Posted by Daniel_Malloy

Wiring usb instead of a 12 volt and a converter is a good idea also. As I will mostly be powering this or similar items, I think when I get around to it I will so the same.

For weight, I filled the PVC with bb's and covered/filled the end with more JB Weld. Adding this weight made a noticeable difference.

The idea of the special Velcro was a great one! I replaced the stuff I was using and with it and the above modifications, the mount is much more stable now. I think my mount is ready for a true test now. Tomorrow morning I think I'm going to take it on a test ride through the Wichita Mountains and see how it fairs. I think after these simple modifications, I will forego my previous video and post one of my ride through the mountains. Thanks for the input; it really helps sometimes to talk a process out.

Np, glad to help. One thing with the BB's, make sure you pack it in tight or else you'll get rattling and that'll drive you nuts. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

[kaiserz]

That looks awesome!

[greatwhiteninja]

heres mine.. used a pc of alum bar i found at lowes. twisted the middle, and drilled a hole on ea end and mounted to the top windscreen bolts. i put the pc of rubber on it to make for a tighter fit for the clip on my otterbox case. havent had any issues with it. works good for gps, gps speedo.. or lets me see when i get a call or text as the screen will light up.

[Daniel_Malloy]

greatwhiteninja, nice setup. Just goes to show there's more than one way to skin a cat. I personally like it to sit a little lower and back so I can still see through my windscreen if need be, but with your windscreen dark I bet its perfect. Thanks for posting the pics; always great to see other ideas.

Now, for an update:
I took it on a test ride this morning through the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge here in Oklahoma and this setup is awesome! Even in a full tuck, I can see above the phone through my windscreen and still make out the screen in direct sunlight. The modifications I made last night really helped reduce the play it had previously. It still vibrates slightly (what do you expect? Its mounted on a high reving bike, not a desk!), but it holds the phone nice and snug with no fear of losing its grip. Over a 2-hour ride, never had any problems with it (speeds ranged from 35mph-75mph). I think if someone was really paranoid, they could forego mounting the dock with the ball connection and just weld it directly to the PVC housing; possibly using 3-inch PVC. That would probably reduce vibrations even more and you would never have to worry about the dock coming off... Period... If they wanted to go a step further, they could rig a strip of metal to mount it to above the dash and to the frame instead of the movable plastic dash. If I were to do it again though, I still think I would mount it using the ball and velcro-ing it to the plastic dash. This just looks so clean I wouldn't consider any other option! Plus it allows me to tilt it perfectly vertical to record my rides! I would most likely shorten the ball arm as much as I can and lengthen the PVC housing so I can add a little more weight to it. Other than that, I think this is a winner! It blends in well, holds the phone securely, is adjustable, allows for video recording, and is just plain cool! Here is some more eye candy for those of you who are interested.

2011-09-11_08-40-15_262.jpg


And a video of me riding up Mount Scott:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-PVZnZhP2U

Not bad quality considering its just a phone.

[greatwhiteninja]

just watch on hot summer days and having a clear screen the heat from the sun actually overheating your phone. herd that happened to a few guys with clear screens. nice setup btw!

[Daniel_Malloy]

Time for an update:
The mount has been holding up great! I've even gotten quite a few compliments on how well it blends in with the bike. As for its performance, it has lived up to my expectations. Its placement is practically perfect and I have no doubts it'll hold my phone secure. The suggested Velcro alternative is a PITA to undo with how many strips I put on, but the mount WILL NOT come off accidentally and I actually haven't found a need to remove it when its not in use. There is still some vibration visible, but I have concluded that its nothing to worry about as far as excessive wear on my device or mount.

As with everything I do, I always look for ways to improve. I'm thinking switching from a 2-inch diameter housing to a 4-inch so that it can be weighted more should reduce vibration a little more. I also would make the arm for the ball mount as short as possible. I have noticed that the weight of the phone on the arm seems to be the cause of most of the vibrations left in my original attempt. With this larger housing, I believe it should be possible to add button for a garage door opener and possibly a switch so that the phone can be connected directly to the battery, but still be able to be turned off manually if power drain was a concern. Also, the 4-inch housing should look no more out of place than the smaller one. It would also have a side benefit of not needing as much Velcro since it will be heavier and have a larger footprint. That should make it easier to remove for those who might not want it on all the time. I also plan to see if I could substitute a RAM mounting ball instead cutting up a mount.My plan is to improve this system as much as possible and provide an easy to follow DIY that can be used for many devices with little to mo modification. I'll post a picture of my Solidworks prototype when I get the chance.

EDIT:
Here's my mockup. The ball on the left is for the mount while the square and circle on the right is a switch and button respectively.
Dash%20Mount%20V2.jpg

Having the mounting point offset will allow my phone to sit almost overlapping the dash without covering up the turn signal indicator. The only downside is if I make it sit lower, overlapping the dash I do not think I will be able to use my phone to record videos...