RCinNC
Well-Known Member
If you’ve followed my posts here for the past seven years or so, you’ll probably be aware that I like to make stuff. I usually have a couple projects going at once, so I can work on one if I get bored with the other. This cell phone mount was the “B” project while I was working on my pannier attachment quick release system.
I built a similar mount to this several years ago, but I wanted to improve on it.
These are the plans I created for the mount on a free software program called Inkscape.
These are all the components that I made in order to build the mount.
This is what I call the main body. It’s made from several different layers of 1/8”, 1/16” and .020” thick ABS sheet plastic, stacked on top of each other and glued together in order to create depth for both the fingers and the top clamp that has to slide in and out of the mount. It’s much easier to build in layers for something like this, rather than trying to route out openings from a solid block of ABS (or at least it is with my limited tools). It’s a little like 3D printing, without the convenience.
This is a side view of the main body, and gives a better idea of how the layers are put together.
This is the inside surface of the main body. It shows the channel in the center; this channel is so the top clamp can slide in and out of the main body for adjustment. The channel was made by a separate layer of ABS, stacked on the other layers and glued in place. The photo also shows the embedded nut for the clamping knob. The clamping knob screws in through the spine and this nut and presses against the top clamp, which locks the top clamp in place once it’s adjusted for whatever phone I’m using.
This is just a close up of of the method I used to create threaded inserts in the plastic. I drill out a hole for the nut using a Forstner bit, then shim the nut in the recessed hole using small wedges of ABS plastic glued in place. The wedges hold the nut very firmly against the tightening forces when you insert a machine screw.
This is the clamping knob, that is threaded in through the spine and main body to put pressure on the top clamp to hold it in place. I put a small compression spring on the threaded stud on the knob, to exert back pressure on the knob to keep it from getting loose while the mount was vibrating. The knob was just a hardware store item.
This is the face plate, made from a 2mm piece of aluminum. The faceplate forms the covering over the center channel where the top clamp slides in. I used 2mm aluminum so it had the strength to resist the force of the clamping knob pushing the top clamp against the inside face of the face plate. The larger holes in the faceplate were drilled just to lighten its weight.
This is the spine, and adds strength to the main body. It also provides a mounting point for the RAM ball mount. The spine was made from a piece of 5/32” aluminum, that was left over from the pannier project. I drilled and tapped a hole in the spine to thread on a RAM ball that I got on Amazon. I spread JB Weld on the threads of the RAM ball, so it’s on there for good.
This is the top clamp, formed from a piece of 2mm aluminum. I bent the aluminum in a tiny little bending brake that fits inside my vise. The neoprene pad was glued to the aluminum using E6000 cement; it’s purpose is to provide a really grippy surface to keep the phone from slipping around in the mount.
This is the top sliding face clamp. There’s also a neoprene pad on the inside surface of the clamp, though you can’t see it in the photo. The face clamp traps the top of the phone into the top clamp so it can’t come loose. The face clamp was made from a piece of hardware store 1/16” aluminum angle. The slots allow the face clamp to be adjusted for varying thicknesses of phones.
This is the bottom clamp, again with small neoprene pads to provide a grippy surface. The large center cutout is to allow the power cable to be able to attach to the phone. The clamp is made from a piece of hardware store 1/8” aluminum angle.
This is the bottom sliding face clamp, made from a piece of hardware store 1/16” aluminum. It locks the bottom part of the phone into the mount.
These photos show the assembled mount. There are six slots on the rear of the mount that allow the fingers to be moved to different positions so they don’t interfere with any of the buttons on the sides of the phone. The fingers were from a piece of hardware store 1/8” aluminum. The fingers are there for added security on the phone so it can’t slide sideways.
This is a close up of the top sliding face clamp. The mounting screws thread into two tapped holes in the top clamp.
This is a closeup that shows how the bottom sliding face clamp interacts with the bottom clamp.
These show the mount on the bike.
I do quite a bit of banging around on bumpy dirt and gravel roads, and wanted a phone mount that would definitely not let my phone go flying. The sliding clamps and the fingers hold the phone very securely, and I have a lot of confidence in it. Once the mount is adjusted properly for a specific phone (which does require a Phillips screwdriver), all it takes to lock the phone in place it to slide the top clamp down over the phone and tighten the clamping knob. Removing it is just the reverse. The mount doesn’t interfere at all with the operation of the phone. The mount can handle a device up to 4.125” wide and 7.5” tall.
It was all made pretty much with basic hand tools, though I do now have a benchtop drill press. Since I make a lot of stuff, I tend to have scrap boxes of ABS plastic, aluminum, etc laying around in the garage. I think the only things I had to actually buy for this project were the RAM ball, the threaded knob, and the stainless steel machine screws and nuts.
I built a similar mount to this several years ago, but I wanted to improve on it.
These are the plans I created for the mount on a free software program called Inkscape.
These are all the components that I made in order to build the mount.
This is what I call the main body. It’s made from several different layers of 1/8”, 1/16” and .020” thick ABS sheet plastic, stacked on top of each other and glued together in order to create depth for both the fingers and the top clamp that has to slide in and out of the mount. It’s much easier to build in layers for something like this, rather than trying to route out openings from a solid block of ABS (or at least it is with my limited tools). It’s a little like 3D printing, without the convenience.
This is a side view of the main body, and gives a better idea of how the layers are put together.
This is the inside surface of the main body. It shows the channel in the center; this channel is so the top clamp can slide in and out of the main body for adjustment. The channel was made by a separate layer of ABS, stacked on the other layers and glued in place. The photo also shows the embedded nut for the clamping knob. The clamping knob screws in through the spine and this nut and presses against the top clamp, which locks the top clamp in place once it’s adjusted for whatever phone I’m using.
This is just a close up of of the method I used to create threaded inserts in the plastic. I drill out a hole for the nut using a Forstner bit, then shim the nut in the recessed hole using small wedges of ABS plastic glued in place. The wedges hold the nut very firmly against the tightening forces when you insert a machine screw.
This is the clamping knob, that is threaded in through the spine and main body to put pressure on the top clamp to hold it in place. I put a small compression spring on the threaded stud on the knob, to exert back pressure on the knob to keep it from getting loose while the mount was vibrating. The knob was just a hardware store item.
This is the face plate, made from a 2mm piece of aluminum. The faceplate forms the covering over the center channel where the top clamp slides in. I used 2mm aluminum so it had the strength to resist the force of the clamping knob pushing the top clamp against the inside face of the face plate. The larger holes in the faceplate were drilled just to lighten its weight.
This is the spine, and adds strength to the main body. It also provides a mounting point for the RAM ball mount. The spine was made from a piece of 5/32” aluminum, that was left over from the pannier project. I drilled and tapped a hole in the spine to thread on a RAM ball that I got on Amazon. I spread JB Weld on the threads of the RAM ball, so it’s on there for good.
This is the top clamp, formed from a piece of 2mm aluminum. I bent the aluminum in a tiny little bending brake that fits inside my vise. The neoprene pad was glued to the aluminum using E6000 cement; it’s purpose is to provide a really grippy surface to keep the phone from slipping around in the mount.
This is the top sliding face clamp. There’s also a neoprene pad on the inside surface of the clamp, though you can’t see it in the photo. The face clamp traps the top of the phone into the top clamp so it can’t come loose. The face clamp was made from a piece of hardware store 1/16” aluminum angle. The slots allow the face clamp to be adjusted for varying thicknesses of phones.
This is the bottom clamp, again with small neoprene pads to provide a grippy surface. The large center cutout is to allow the power cable to be able to attach to the phone. The clamp is made from a piece of hardware store 1/8” aluminum angle.
This is the bottom sliding face clamp, made from a piece of hardware store 1/16” aluminum. It locks the bottom part of the phone into the mount.
These photos show the assembled mount. There are six slots on the rear of the mount that allow the fingers to be moved to different positions so they don’t interfere with any of the buttons on the sides of the phone. The fingers were from a piece of hardware store 1/8” aluminum. The fingers are there for added security on the phone so it can’t slide sideways.
This is a close up of the top sliding face clamp. The mounting screws thread into two tapped holes in the top clamp.
This is a closeup that shows how the bottom sliding face clamp interacts with the bottom clamp.
These show the mount on the bike.
I do quite a bit of banging around on bumpy dirt and gravel roads, and wanted a phone mount that would definitely not let my phone go flying. The sliding clamps and the fingers hold the phone very securely, and I have a lot of confidence in it. Once the mount is adjusted properly for a specific phone (which does require a Phillips screwdriver), all it takes to lock the phone in place it to slide the top clamp down over the phone and tighten the clamping knob. Removing it is just the reverse. The mount doesn’t interfere at all with the operation of the phone. The mount can handle a device up to 4.125” wide and 7.5” tall.
It was all made pretty much with basic hand tools, though I do now have a benchtop drill press. Since I make a lot of stuff, I tend to have scrap boxes of ABS plastic, aluminum, etc laying around in the garage. I think the only things I had to actually buy for this project were the RAM ball, the threaded knob, and the stainless steel machine screws and nuts.
