Wireless Charger

Josh8667 · Feb 8, 2019

So one feature I really liked about the 3rd gens was the built-in wireless phone charger. I use a wireless charger at home because my Samsung seems to hate keeping the plug-in chargers connected. I decided to try to throw something together in the same spot as the 3rd gens (front-most center compartment) and see how I like it.

I started with finding a wireless charger puck at the store (sorry I didn't take any pictures at this point). I needed one that was flat and 4" wide, at most. From there I found some wood in my garage that was the same thickness as the puck.

I took some rough measurements of the compartment, added about 1/4" to each side just in case, and cut out 2 identical pieces from the wood. I then traced out the puck, with the cord plugged in, and cut that shape out of 1 of the cut pieces using a jig saw (I could not find a hole saw that fit perfectly, this is a rough draft anyway).

Then I did a test fit to make sure the puck fit, then used wood glue and clamps to mate the two pieces of wood together.

The next day I took this assembled piece to the table saw and began cutting it down to the shape of the compartment. I found that the compartment gets narrow towards the front, and seems to have sloped sides front and back. What I ended up with was 10 degree angles on both sides, and a 30 degree miter cut to the front and back. Another test fit, then spray painted the wood black.

Then I needed to figure out how to cover the wood. At first I debated getting cloth to match the interior seats, but I liked the idea of a rubberized material better, to keep the phone in place and keep the entire center black. I decided on a rubber liner from Home Depot, designed to be installed in tool box drawers to keep your tools in place. It was relatively thin, easy to cut, and designed to keep things from sliding around.

Using some spray adhesive, I glued each side to the wood, clamping each side down separately until the glue dried. Took about 10-15min per side, literally just watching glue dry.

Final install and used it all day today to keep my phone charged (especially when the phone is connected with bluetooth and GPS, it really drains the battery).

I still need to route the wire so it's not sticking out the side, but I'm not at the point of drilling holes in the truck yet, I have only had it a few days so far. I'll leave it as-is and see how it holds up and any changes I wish I would have made. Overall I spend $40 on the charger, $10 on the rubber, and just had the wood, spray paint, and spray adhesive sitting in the garage, so $50 invested isn't too bad. Quick and easy, first mod to the new truck, and first real post to TW! Now I have the itch....