HowTo: Make a Portable Pocket PC Phone Edition Car Mount

I have been using a T-Mobile PocketPC Phone Edition (PPCPE) for about 2 months now and it was starting to get dangerous using it in the car without a mount. It is simply too low to lay it on a console or seat and try to use it while driving. I wanted to build a mount that would allow the PPCPE to be as close to eye level as possible while driving. I first looked into getting a windshield mount as this was the closest thing I had seen. I then read that they sometimes come loose from the windshield which I wasn’t comfortable with, and I also didn’t want to take my PPCPE out of it’s case (EB Slipper).

I apologize for the “in car” pictures… I need to do this in the right lighting.

My first thought was to buy a Flex Mount from www.pocketpcthoughts.com, but after trying it, I found that it does hold the PPCPE, but with my vehicle, you couldn’t really use it without two hands. This was because my dash has an overhang which left the PPCPE dangling with no support on the back. The other thing I didn’t like about this was that it had to be mounted to the dash I wanted something portable.

The basic concept that I went with required a couple of design points:

Heavy enough to stay in place
No-skid surface that would minimize sliding
Solid enough to allow one handed dialing and
stylus usage
Hold’s PPCPE in it’s case

Materials

After a few trips to Home Depot, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and RadioShack, we were in business. Here are the parts that I used to assemble the mount:

5 pound ankle weights by Key Fitness, from Dick’s Sporting Goods, $7.99 a pair and you only need one.  These are black spandex with a nice Velcro strip across the top.

4’ section of rubber wall baseboard from Home Depot, $2.25, this is available in many colors, but I liked the Jet Black. SKU 042369166881.
5’ metal support from Home Depot, approximately $2.38 and you will use about half of it. I don’t know what you call this stuff but it’s with the heating ducts. SKU 050206959701.
Glue – I used GE Silicone glue, but found that a hot glue gun works much better and is less expensive.
Velcro strips – I used adhesive back Velcro to glue to the mount, and then used Velcro straps to bundle and attach the cable harness.

You will need the following tools to make this:

Sharp knife – I used an Xacto razor knife.
Tin snips
Ruler
Glue gun (optional)

Assembly

The materials are cheap enough that you can make a couple of these to fool around and get it the way you want it. Just don’t attach the ankle weight until you are OK with the finished product. You need two strips of baseboard that are about the same length. Initially, I left them full width, then on the second version I trimmed them so that they are just the width of the PPCPE. Since the baseboard is curved on one edge, you want to overlap them in opposite directions so that it gives the appearance of a rounded corner on both sides.  This looked better when I assembled it without the metal supports.  If I make another one, I intend to split the top down the middle, the long way, so that the lip is the same on both sides. The length is roughly the length of the ankle weight + the length of the PPCPE + a few inches. For me, it was 17-18”.

After you get the length correct, you need to shape the PPCPE end that you will see. I layed the PPCPE on the end of it and rounded the corners to the contour of the PPCPE around the bottom. You need to do all your cutting before gluing it together or it will be real tough. I then rounded the top by cutting a notch in each side and then contoured it in both directions. The final cut you need to make is a hole for the mount. Depending on your case, you need to make slot that will hold yours. For the EB Slipper Case, I made a notch that the nipple would fit in and slide down. There needs to be a big hole that the whole nipple fits in, then a slot for it to lock down in. Cut it this way for the top layer. On the bottom layer of baseboard, you want to just make it a big oval.

To test the look and fit, you should be able to lay the two pieces together, slide the PPCPE into place, and lay the ankle weight on it to support it.  This will let you make final trimming and “tuning” of the fit and look to your liking. It is pretty much functional at this point, but will flop around a bit. This was the way I made my first one and although it works and looks good, the PPCPE bounces a bit too much for my liking. You could try gluing it this way if you want, but I recommend reinforcing it with metal.

I took the metal support strips and cut them ¾ the length of the baseboard. You will need two of them. These will be sandwiched between the two layers of baseboard. In my case, I needed to trip the metal a bit so that it didn’t interfere with the hole for the case mount. You want these pushed down as far as you can and still not see them towards the PPCPE. This leaves about a ¼ length of baseboard that doesn’t have support. This is good because in my case, my dash tapers off toward the windshield and this will allow the mount to form fit better. You’ll need to play with this to get a good fit in your vehicle.

Next you need to bend the metal supports to the correct angle. You want to do this on a rounded edge so that it doesn’t kink and break. You want a nice rounded corner. It won’t be totally smooth, but should look nice when done. You want them both bent the same. In my case, I bent it to about 75-80 degrees… not quite a right angle.

Finally, you glue it all together I dry assembled it several times to make sure the fit was good, then I put the bottom layer down (you want the ridged edge facing down and the curved lip facing up… should have mentioned this sooner) on the edge of my desk. Apply a generous supply of hot glue to the bottom layer and metal supports, then push them into place. BE CAREFUL – GLUE IS VERY HOT. Next, apply more glue to the support and ridged side of the top layer. Then push them together like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Have some paper towels handy to wipe up the excess.

Apply clamps to this to keep it tight until it dries. I used giant paper clips. Also make sure that the mounting hole is clear of glue as best you can. If there is glue in there, you’ll need to cut it out later. Follow the directions for the glue to allow sufficient time to dry.

Your mount is pretty much finished now. I then glued Velcro to the back of the portion where the PPCPE goes, and then wrapped the cable harness in Velcro straps. Then you just stick it on there. I have not glued my ankle weight to the mount yet, as it stays in place pretty well with the lip. Once I’m satisfied I won’t change the mount anymore, then I’ll glue the weight on. I recommend just attaching it at the far end, leaving the part near the PPCPE loose. This allows you to slide the EB Slipper case’s flip cover under the weight for extra safety and stability.

Done