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I am looking for purchase a car mount/holder for my car. However, as i drive a sports car the suspension is very stiff and therefore I need something that will cope with a very bumpy ride (some of the UK's roads are terrible at the moment!). I also use hire cars frequently, so I need something that is interchangeable between vehicles and therefore can't go for one of the brodit models that is specific to my vehicle.
I received a PDA model specific, European made, heavy duty PDA holder for the HTC Touch HD, by Herbert Richter (http://www.pdahut.com/store/product.php?productid=21157&cat=2385&page=1), but this vibrates quite badly so it will be going back.
Therefore, does anyone have any suggestions for a very sturdy car holder that is transferrable between vehicles that will cope with the rigours of a GTi's very firm suspension?
Thank you, in advance, for your help.
Spudgun
My suggestion ...
I drive a 4 wheel drive car (Renault Scenic xR4) because i like to drive through easy mountain tracks from time to time and that's the combination i have. Probably it's not the best solution but i assure you my HD neve falled down and no matter about vibrations. Also, even when it's not the easiest, you can change from one car to another (i do by myself when taking my wife's car).
It's for placing into an air vent of your car.
Rgds,
Thank you very much for your suggestion
How easy is it to transfer between cars? as i had a really bad experience with one of these once and broke the air vent grille of a hire car trying to remove it
spud_work said:
Thank you very much for your suggestion
How easy is it to transfer between cars? as i had a really bad experience with one of these once and broke the air vent grille of a hire car trying to remove it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hummmmmmmmmm ...
Difficult to say, but i never broke it and never broke any grille. ¿Perhaps i did 20 times? For me it's easy to remove it but ...
Rgds,
Get one of those suction cup things from ebay. It's decent quality. The only thing I needed to do to make it work well in the Miata is add some cushion on the bottom so I can rest it against the dash and prevent it from jumping up and down. They move from car to car easily.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Windshield-...34.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=|301:0|293:1|294:30
good sturdy support!
I am going to recommend you get a Herbert Richter Gorilla Mount coupled with a custom H.R passive holder.
It's a bit more costly than most other options, but does the best job! Since you can use interchangeable holders on the gorilla mount (eg. if you get a new phone, or a second device) it's a great cost effective option than the non-branded flimsy options normally purchased.
Despite what you may think, it does look 'great' on the windscreen!!
Regards,
- RazzyUK.
Spud_work,
I purchased mine aboyut three months ago, its discreet and completely supports the phone wihtout blocking half of the windscreen
http://shop.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=03039
Hope this is of use.
Regards,
Niall
I bought the one pictured below (12 Euros on ebay). Here is my opinion (of course I drive normal streets - I can't say how it does on extremely bumpy terrain).
The suction cup sticks really well to the glass (assuming both surfaces are clean, of course). At first, I was scared that the whole thing would loosen up and fall off, and so I kept checking it constantly, but it holds totally firm. Even when I go to take it off and I release the suction-lock lever, the remaining suction is still really strong.
The tray that holds the actual phone fits the HD well, and all buttons and ports are clearly accessible. I wish the phone would fit just a little tighter in the tray, but it is still fine. I never worried that it would "fall out" or anything like that. I suppose it's also good that it is not so tight that it could scratch the HD when sliding it in and out. The tray can also be easily removed and re-attached to the arm. Oh - and of course, the HD will NOT fit if you have any protective case around it (such as the silicone or hard plastic covers).
The "arm" part is easily bent and adjusted at the two joints, so you can set the HD at whatever angle you want in any direction. Once set to whatever angle, it will not loosen or bend on its own.
All-in-all, I'm very pleased with this so far and I would definitely recommend it. The user reviews I read for it on Amazon do so likewise.
I hope this helps.
Cheers!
Hi Chris Cross
As I am also in the market for a mount to use with my Touch HD could you just answer a few questions about this mount which you have:
1. is it fairly compact as the last thing i need is a mount that's in my face and completely overpowering the HD
2. are you still happy recommending it
3. is it easily changed between landscape and portrait modes
4. any chance of a link for it
Thanks for your help
T
Hey guys,
got my Herbert Richter Gorilla Mount today (it's actually the Banana Global 1 with the holder for the HD). I have to say that the quality is brilliant and the HD fits very well. I've ordered it yesterday at gps-haus.de and it arrived today. I payed 25euros (shipping included) which is absolutely OK. Anyone interested in pictures?
Greets,
Nico
n2daico said:
Hey guys,got my Herbert Richter Gorilla Mount today (it's actually the Banana Global 1 with the holder for the HD). I have to say that the quality is brilliant and the HD fits very well. Anyone interested in pictures?Greets,Nico
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, post some pic's of this strong holder...
I ordered this one from Brando yesterday.
For me, it has a great design, just iphone like and I used a similar holder for my former phone (Hermes).
I drive a sportcar myself and I have to say, that vibration could possibly occur because of the "thin" arm of the holder.
My old holder did vibrate at higher speed, like above 85mph (140km/h) but could handle strong impacts, like chuckholes, very well.
greetz
playdo
playdo said:
I ordered this one from Brando yesterday.
For me, it has a great design, just iphone like and I used a similar holder for my former phone (Hermes).
I drive a sportcar myself and I have to say, that vibration could possibly occur because of the "thin" arm of the holder.
My old holder did vibrate at higher speed, like above 85mph (140km/h) but could handle strong impacts, like chuckholes, very well.
greetz
playdo
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have that one and I can confirm that it will shake constantly during driving, which can be seriously annoying. No matter if the road is silky smooth, it will simply shake even from the engine vibration itself.
I had a temporary solution by putting it rather low and using the dashboard as an additional support. This works just fine, so you're probably gonna want to do the same unless you want to get shake-sick from trying to read anything off the screen while driving.
In the end I decided to try one of the shorter car holders that has a stiffer and shorter arm. Will report when it comes in.
Rozenthal said:
I have that one and I can confirm that it will shake constantly during driving, which can be seriously annoying. No matter if the road is silky smooth, it will simply shake even from the engine vibration itself.
I had a temporary solution by putting it rather low and using the dashboard as an additional support. This works just fine, so you're probably gonna want to do the same unless you want to get shake-sick from trying to read anything off the screen while driving.
In the end I decided to try one of the shorter car holders that has a stiffer and shorter arm. Will report when it comes in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be interested in any feedback that you have with your new purchase, as i have tried the herbert richter gorilla mount and although that is better, there is still quite a lot of vibration. However, I do own the car with the word's stiffest suspension, so I probably shouldn't expect too much!
I got my holder (look 2 posts before) on friday and I was pleased by the wonderful 360° joint.
But like Rozenthal said, that thing shakes like nothing
It has a far too long arm, so that it can't hold our device in a fixed position.
So now, I mountet the holder plate onto my old, shorter holder (same construction) and I will drive this evening to a friend.
I will post my experience tomorrow!
The one in post #8 is stable. I'm happy with it.
Chris Cross said:
The one in post #8 is stable. I'm happy with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a UK seller for this? as my German isn't very good!
Didn't got the time to report back yesterday.
But I will give you my experience now:
I tried my old, shorter goose neck holder with the new adapter plate.
And it worked really well
It is stable, although i drive a car with sport suspension, so there are some strong impacts on the holder. If there is a very rough street, it produces a few vibration. But that stops very fast, because the holder is much stronger.
But if you need a very stable holder, take the one from post #8 which Chris mentioned.
greetz
playdo
^that's good feedback...I'm going to check that one out since I'm getting ready to take a long trip on all kinds of roads
eversince i got a brodit phone holder for my old ipaq 6515 from proclipusa.com, I have been using it for all my phones as I just add padding to the holder to accommodate the narrower phones.
however, for HD, with a silicon skin casing (I use capdase), I can just slot the phone into the holder w/o any modification. I kinda like brodit holder because they look 'OEM' (not cheesy universal holder you see elsewhere), at the same time, my ipaq holder could be reused each time I changed my phone with some minimal modification. I change my phone every 4-6 months so it'll be too expensive for me to get a phone specific phone holder.
Hi all-
I've been lazy about this one, just plugging in and leaving it in my cupholder. But now that's I've found an in-car UI I actually like (InDrive ) it's time to find a mount that actually fits. My old one is just too small for the massive Optimus G.'s width and weight. Any suggestions that brace solidly, allow the microUSB plug to connect and rotate to landscape with a jelly case on the phone?
I have a few of this companies products, fairly well made. They even have one that locks into cupholder.
http://www.bracketron.com/
I really like the concept of the direct 12V lighter mounts, but unfortunately for my car this is a non-starter, mine is buried on the centre console, recessed under the dashboard. Even the Amzer mounts like this are not long enough and don't have enough articulation.
Well, here was my attempt at a car mount for the G3.
Parts list:
Pringles can (it will need to be emptied, feel free to start with a full one and a tall drink)
KoolPad charger (I used this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DQCUVPI/)
Qi back for the Lg G3 (I used this one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/151360455517 but you'll want a new listing)
LG G3 (VS985/Verizon)
12 1/2" diameter x 1/32" magnets (If I did it again, I'd use something more like this:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00269N68Q/)
Nonskid mat (like this:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IH5VVHQ/)
Car mount (I already had this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I0DL2OC/)
Tools list:
#1 screwdriver
clear packing tape (1/2", 2")
Spooge/guitar pick/old credit card
Razor blade
Scissors
piece of glass (I used a picture in a frame)
As mentioned by posters below, that's an expensive charger - about $60 all in - compared to a similar AirDock for $70-80 with no effort required. The expensive items (KoolPad and long mounting system) I had before starting the project, so were sunk cost. To build a similar version, you could likely order the entire kit from Dx.com for under $30 as follows:
Qi pad for $11 http://www.dx.com/p/qi-x5-mobile-wireless-charger-black-298118
the bigger magnets for $4 http://www.dx.com/p/12-5-x-1-5mm-round-shape-ndfeb-magnet-silver-9-pcs-233616
the sticky pad $3 http://www.dx.com/p/vehicle-car-anti-slip-mat-pad-black-19-x-14cm-161650
Mount for $8 http://www.dx.com/p/lson-028i-adjustable-car-mount-holder-for-cell-phone-black-185931
You still have to buy the Pringles yourself
The only question is whether the Qi case has the same clearance inside the shell. That I can't say, though if the aesthetics weren't a huge deal, you could epoxy the magnets to the exterior of the shell.
Step 1: disassemble the charger
The charger comes apart with four screws in the pack, hidden under the non-skid pads. I popped them out with the tip of a razor blade and unscrewed... Then a spooger (or other thin, stiff tool like a guitar pick or an old credit/debit card) can be slid around the outside to release the catches.
Step 2: Install the magnets
Next comes the magnets in the charger cover. I didn't know how much space I'd have, so I got 1/32" thick magnets. I stacked 3 together in four locations, but if I were to do it again I would know that I could have used four 1/16" thick magnets, and they could be a bit larger (3/4" dia vs the 1/2" I used).
to omit the long story about how I got here, just imagine an hour of trial and error (go eat some of those pringles and get another drink)
To get them in the right place without using glue, I copied the area that corresponds to where the battery is in the G3 back to the inside of the Qi charger case in pencil, then laid a length of 2" packing tape (sticky side UP) in the case and traced the corners with a blue marker. The ruler you see is to hold the edge of the tape and keep it from folding up...you'll want one on each side when you get to the next step!
Now put the magnets in the corners of the "box" you traced onto the tape (see the two rulers...yeah, that's the second piece of tape). Maneuvering the tape by the rulers, place the magnets into the cover of the charger (sticky side down now) so that the tape encapsulates the magnets. There are lots of exposed contacts - no sense in shorting everything out on the magnets, as it will be a tight fit.
As you flip the case over to close it, be careful to make sure the LED charging light pipe is still in its slot. Also, hold on tight...the charger coil is slightly magnetic, so adding the magnets will snap this baby shut!
Step 3: Assemble the charger and apply the sticky stuff
Okay, after you put those screws back in it's time to make the front of the charger sticky. The charger will lift/hold the phone, but the phone back is too slick against the charger and it will slide right off. Note: other chargers normally put the magnets on the outside and then spray them with a rubberized coating. Just for kicks, I did it differently; I may ultimately add a rubber coating to the charger, it depends on how this holds up.
So, you've got that non-skid stuff. Put it onto a glass surface and use a ruler to cut out two 1/2" tall x 3" wide pieces. If you use more than that it will be difficult to extract the phone. Place the strips top and bottom. Note that by doing this, you're letting the case back and charger case deflect between the sticky pieces, getting a little closer. The force is strong enough to hold the phone to the sticky mat and compress it lightly, ensuring it stays in place, even upside down.
Step 4: Modify the phone back
Next comes the phone side of the equation. There are several ways to get a Qi enabled back plate; I got mine off eBay - ugly Verizon logo and all. Anyway, there is about 0.030" (0.9mm) of clearance between the battery and the back. That's a good place to put a piece of steel, too, since it won't be covering any of the multiple antennas which surround the perimeter of the phone back.
It turns out that a Pringles can bottom is both the correct size, made of magnetic steel, and a good thickness at about 0.3mm. Note that if you can find a 0.5-0.6mm (0.020") thick piece of sheet stock, it will increase the holding power by 50% or so. Above that doesn't help any. You're done with the Pringles by now, right? Okay, then just cut the pringles can bottom with scissors, and be careful of those sharp edges! Tape it into the back, right over where the battery would be.
Note: most sheet metal will have a slight bow - use this to your advantage and flip the steel so that the natural curve matches the curve of the phone back. The closer you can get the steel to the magnets the better.
Step 5: Test it out (aka, there is no step 5)
Home stretch. Put the phone back together and double check your mounting matches and the alarm in the charger indicates you have power. In my installation, the charger will be upside-down, so the LED will be covered. I decided to keep the alarm so I know that the phone is positioned properly, but if you're not as concerned you can neuter the alarm when you have the charger open (see the Amazon reviews for a how to).
That's all there is to it.
http://youtu.be/REiDGBtzbkE
What was the total cost of this? With all the time and effort added in, wouldn't a iottie of been worth the trouble for wireless qi charging.
Sent from my Gunmetal Lg G3
Nicely done but adding all those prices up..$23 for the Koolpad, $24 for the car mount, $10 for the magnets is already over $50 and that's not including the non-slip mat.
Wouldn't it cost the same for one that already does the same thing? You probably just have to add metal to the battery cover but that's about it.
iazybandit said:
Nicely done but adding all those prices up..$23 for the Koolpad, $24 for the car mount, $10 for the magnets is already over $50 and that's not including the non-slip mat.
Wouldn't it cost the same for one that already does the same thing? You probably just have to add metal to the battery cover but that's about it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The AirDock, when they eventually ship, is $69 (+$10 in my case for the long mount). I'm in for about $60 at this point, so not much savings, but I probably should have clarified (and will in a moment) - the item list was mostly what I had and wasn't purchased specifically for this project. The car mount was way more pricey than what I'd normally get, but the raked windshield in my van makes normal mounts nearly impossible. a Similar mount for my truck was ~$10. The KoolPad was purchased prior to wanting to make the magnetic charger; I just wanted one I knew would work well and could transfer a lot of juice.
One-stop shopping at Deal Extreme (dx.com) would cut the cost quite a bit, the only question is whether the Qi case has the same clearance inside the shell:
Qi pad for $11 http://www.dx.com/p/qi-x5-mobile-wireless-charger-black-298118
the bigger magnets for $4 http://www.dx.com/p/12-5-x-1-5mm-round-shape-ndfeb-magnet-silver-9-pcs-233616
the sticky pad $3 http://www.dx.com/p/vehicle-car-anti-slip-mat-pad-black-19-x-14cm-161650
Mount for $8 http://www.dx.com/p/lson-028i-adjustable-car-mount-holder-for-cell-phone-black-185931
Pringles $2
So for a dedicated version, $28 could probably be done.
fgcchevy said:
What was the total cost of this? With all the time and effort added in, wouldn't a iottie of been worth the trouble for wireless qi charging.
Sent from my Gunmetal Lg G3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I spent about $60; as I've added to the OP it could be done for less (<$30) with careful component selection from a single Hong Kong vendor. The iOttie is $80 and wouldn't work well in my van (raked windsheild. no "dash" to speak of for mounting).
Not relevant, sorry.
I will try to make a similar charger but with the DX parts instead - I did choose a different charger than the one linked to though as I read that the X5 doesn't work very well. I will keep you posted on the parts when they get here.
I found a China QI charger in a closet (got too many gadgets in there) and after inserting the Pringles bottom in the phone the charger actually charges alot better for some reason..? Anyway - I left the G3 on the charger pad with navigation running. The charger could almost keep the phone charge at status quo BUT the phone temp went up to 46C after maybe an hour or so. I hope the DX charger works better or at least cooler
I've been working more on this little project I've put 4x 3 10mm magnets inside the charger and I noticed that the actual coil could be lifted closer to the lid of the charger - actually by several mm. After this the lid had to be pressed hard together to close and it arcs a tiny bit in the middle but that only brings the coil even closer to the charging pad inside the cover when the bits of sticky pad is lifting the phone a bit.
The result is now that the phone charges between 18-30% / hour at a temp of 35C. I can keep it charged when using navigation (and even very slowly charge it) at a temp of 40C. This is at a temperature in the room I'm testing in at about 25C. So when using AC in the car it will be lower.
The learning point for me has been that a quite bad QI charger can be caused by wrong placement of the coil inside in charger. After lifting (and centering) mine it's actually quite good. Keep in mind that before modding this actual charger I was close to throwing it out as it seriously almost couldn't charge and it was VERY picky about placement of the phone. So after using maybe a minut finding the right placement it almost couldn't charge neither my old SGS3 nor my LG G3 and it often stopped charging because the coils was too far away from the phones charging pad. This was when placing the phone directly on the charger with no sticky pad lifting it slightly from the charger.
Now after modding it and WITH sticky pad it charges consistently and at an acceptable rate
If anybody is curious I can take the charger apart and take a picture. I build mine from the same design as the OP (which I'm really grateful for, this is more or less the charger I've been dreaming of), I put in the magnets a bit differently, personally I think my way is easier but it's not a huge difference.
Ohh.. and I still got parts coming from DX, I also found a 1.5A output QI charger that I would like to make a build on to see if it's even better for navigation If anybody is interested I will keep posting in this thread with my experiments..
So you used a grid of 12 magnets? What thickness are they?
Or did you mean you used four 3mmx10mm and that's how you got the space to lift the coil - by placing them outside the coil area ?
That's interesting about lifting the charger coil. Mine isn't too picky about the placement, but I'm a little glad that I don't have more magnets as it's just enough to hold my G3 on but not so much that it pulls out of my hand before it's in the correct spot for charging.
I'll let admit I haven't checked the charging rate, but it seems to hold its current battery level while using GPS.
Oh I'm sorry - I use 4 "towers" which each is made of 3x 10mm diameter, 2mm thick neodymium magnets. They are placed around the coil in the corners marking the coil area in the charger (if that makes sense..?). I guess a picture would be helpful here so I will take the charger apart later today and take one.
Varming said:
Oh I'm sorry - I use 4 "towers" which each is made of 3x 10mm diameter, 2mm thick neodymium magnets. They are placed around the coil in the corners marking the coil area in the charger (if that makes sense..?). I guess a picture would be helpful here so I will take the charger apart later today and take one.
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Click to collapse
Makes perfect sense get - and a great idea.
Does someone use their Z1 on a car mount? If so, which one?
Hey,
i bought a mount which looks like this:
http://www.amazon.de/iZideals-Unive..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=0CG8D7VT925YPS92KEC5
but it only paid like 2€ or something it works pretty good!
To be honest, I prefer the spring mounted holders with the suction cups which attach to your windscreen/dashboard, these holders which attach to the heater vent don't look like they could take many knocks and there's lots of lovely sharp corners and pedals under there which will make short work of your phone's screen, suctioning a holder to the top of your dashboard means it's attached a lot safer and if it becomes loose it'll probably land on the top of the dashboard and slide to the sides.
There's tons of these type of holders on ebay and Amazon, I would go for something similar to this so if you insist on the vent mount you still have that choice :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00TSSJJHK/
It's got a very good rating and the QA states that the arms on the side are adjustable (usually spring loaded so they grip the phone with tension) meaning, even if your phone is in a rugged case, it will be held securely.
Best car cradle in the the world coming through:
http://www.samsung.com/au/consumer/...es/EE-V200SABEGWW?subsubtype=other-multimedia
I use this with my Z1. It's not cheap, but you get what you pay for.
Rock solid build quality, and the raised part at the bottom of the cradle means that the phone never falls out. Easy button at the back to release the side clamps. It holds the Z1 firmly enough to press the home button to unlock without the phone moving.
Highly recommended
I bought this one for 2 USD from aliexpress. It's great.
Colorful Commonly 360 degree Rotating Universal Car air vent Stands monopod holder for your mobile phone GPS hot
http://s.aliexpress.com/jErMfeie
(from AliExpress Android)
I've tried a couple of mounts the last years, but the only one i would buy again is the former recommended Samsung cradle.
It still "sticks" on my windscreen for month, you can turn it from landscape to portrait mode with one hand, put the phone in and out one-handed, everything no problem!
I have the isomount one that is istalled in the CD. Its works really well
Enviado desde mi Z1 mediante Tapatalk
I use a magnetic one with a metal plate under my case, works so great and is so easy! We have a magnet in each car and every phone in the family has this metal plate. Go into the car and just pop the phone on there. Holds almost every bumper! And I really like to not have it on my windshield so it doesnt block my view in any way. Works better than expected!
Not allowed to post links yet, sorry
Im using this one:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Univ...obile-Cell-Phone-Smartphones/32356443508.html
Anyone have any nice finding on desktop and in car docking? Other than a brodit active charging cradle I couldn't find anything similar, would like to find something similar to hold the phone up higher a bit than leave it in the center pocket or have it stuck to the windscreen or air vent. Thanks
no body drive here? that cant be true, maybe you happy with any kind of car holders, I like one tht made to fit, so now I'm making my own, 3D Printed, with cutout for camera button, which isn't really needed
I just use a holder that goes into the CD player since I never use it. You want a stand that also works when it's on your desk? Why?
I don't know about other colour of this phone, but I have the one that's like a mirror and it slides around way to easily and I prefer to it to be on a charging dock, I will be designing a holder to add on to the cradle to hold the charge cable so I don't have to pick up the cable and plug it in anymore, just slot the phone in, I made mine to click on air vent
I have the chrome one as well, and I don't use a case or anything, unfortunately I don't even have a screen protector on it right now either. I use this in the car: Exogear Exomount. This works really well in the car, but obviously it won't work for you on your desk. There are lots of holders like this one though that have grips, my phone never slips out of this one.
That looks nice and neat, but I don't need to buy one now after designing and printing my own, just making a addon to hold the charging cable so when I slot the phone in, the cable plugs in like the brodit active charging cradle but doesn't cost me 65euro plus shipping, more like 2euro and few hours drawing in CAD , I will be designing a desktop one as well that also holds the charge cable, I made one for the z5 and was very handy, this phone is terrible for sliding around but it's a brilliant phone to use even with everything stock, the 3D creator is amazingly good too, all other scanner I tried were awful
P.s. I haven't use any sort of protective cover on my phone's since the z1, don't actually need it, and never even scratch a single screen for years, let's hope it stays this way in saying that, this xz premium has slide off the desk I don't know how many times, at least few times a day, but not a mark on it thank God