We do a fair bit of driving in unfamiliar areas. In our other cars, we have a screen that hooks up to the iPhone and displays Apple CarPlay which allows use of interactive maps from either Google or Apple. Once you start using these, they quickly become indispensable navigation tools. And I sorely miss them on my coupe, especially when I drive without someone else to point out the directions.
When I redid my dash two years ago I did a lot of experimentation to integrate a 7" screen where the speaker hole was with a removable front to hide it when not in use. I finally found an Alpine unit that would work for this but it is only available in Europe and it was $1,700 at the time. I had already spent way more than I was comfortable with on the car so I had to shelve the idea.
But I was so irritated at having to fumble with my phone or its cord that I decided to try something else. What if I could have the phone securely placed somewhere easily visible, without an need for cords and in a reasonably integrated way. Meaning, no clunky clips or cheapie holders that stick out of the center console. But since the maps apps use a lot of power, I needed it to be charged wirelessly at the same time.
I did a little research and found a battery pack that uses Magsafe technology and has a built it extendable "foot" so it can be positioned vertically. Cool. But how to secure it in the car where I can easily see it and without any permanent modification? I then thought I could simply build a wooden base that fits exactly on top of the dash shelf and build a custom holder attached to that. This way I can just drop it there when I am going to need it and just take it out when I don't.
If I am driving in an area with strict speed limit, I just use one of the GPS speedometer apps which are much faster to read precisely than the analog gauge
I tested it on a rally this morning and it hold up up real nicely in spirited driving or rough roads.
PS: You need a phone that either has a Magsafe ring or you can simply add one on your current phone
When I redid my dash two years ago I did a lot of experimentation to integrate a 7" screen where the speaker hole was with a removable front to hide it when not in use. I finally found an Alpine unit that would work for this but it is only available in Europe and it was $1,700 at the time. I had already spent way more than I was comfortable with on the car so I had to shelve the idea.
But I was so irritated at having to fumble with my phone or its cord that I decided to try something else. What if I could have the phone securely placed somewhere easily visible, without an need for cords and in a reasonably integrated way. Meaning, no clunky clips or cheapie holders that stick out of the center console. But since the maps apps use a lot of power, I needed it to be charged wirelessly at the same time.
I did a little research and found a battery pack that uses Magsafe technology and has a built it extendable "foot" so it can be positioned vertically. Cool. But how to secure it in the car where I can easily see it and without any permanent modification? I then thought I could simply build a wooden base that fits exactly on top of the dash shelf and build a custom holder attached to that. This way I can just drop it there when I am going to need it and just take it out when I don't.
If I am driving in an area with strict speed limit, I just use one of the GPS speedometer apps which are much faster to read precisely than the analog gauge
I tested it on a rally this morning and it hold up up real nicely in spirited driving or rough roads.
PS: You need a phone that either has a Magsafe ring or you can simply add one on your current phone
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