I designed my own Motorcycle Smartphone holder to fit a big rugged phone inside it.

Some years ago, I was travelling with a TomTom rider 400. But shame on them, this device have been created with some serious engineering issue : The battery die after 4~5 years and it's impossible to source it. Tomtom is also unable to change it. I was loving the windering roads feature that help you travel while escaping from big cities and highways, but since yet I used a smartphone to navigate again and not a standalone GPS device.

I was hoping to find a smartphone capable of being charged while riding, rain proof, hot proof. If you want to use a normal smartphone on hot days, you can easily get some troubles with the phone  overheating.

I chose the Blackview BL6000 pro which is a large rugged phone that I also covered by a Silicon case. I bought it to use Osmand for Dual roads (off-road + street). Wasn't happy with aftermarket products to hold it on my bike, so I did my own !

This article is the engineering story of the creation, depicting the creation process in a diy point of view.

I finished a first version, and for sure, I got some issues and wasn't able to get all the features implemented on the first try. I just want to share all my discoveries and difficulties.

My original specifications were : 

• Printable with my Prusa mini, meaning a total size of 18cm × 18cm.
• Use only low-cost furnitures (like screws) for a total of 10€.
• Resistant to high temperatures and UV for outdoor use.
• Don't require any mod on the phone itself.
• Compatible with any 4-hole AMPS subframe (like a ram-mount plate, or a motorcycle GPS holder).
• Can be operated with a single hand, even if that's slow.
• Leave all the access to buttons and features of my phone (Microphone, luminosity sensor, USB-Socket).
• Camera stabilizer dampening to not destroy the sensor with the vibration in off-road use.
• Can let me charge my phone while riding.

Others… Nice to-have and advanced features : 

• Wireless charging.
• Can keep my phone unlocked while on the holder.
• Automatic luminosity adjustment when I put it on / off the bike.

But « Why did you build your own holder and not used a after-market one ? »

I can't fit SP-Connect or Quad Lock adapter to it because of the silicon back (there is not a big range of aftermarket case for this phone). Also I don't want to lose the induction charging by fixing a metal holder on the back of it. I also considered Ram Mount X-Grip but my phone is very large and weight 400gr and I don't love the grip system that also require a plastic strap to hold securely.

About the « Engineering » story

Here is a photo album of some prototypes & the my latest iteration

I first used Fusion 360 to create basic shapes to fit my phone inside and printed several prototypes to adjust tolerances with my silicon socket. It took me 2~3 small test part to have a correct fit.

At first, I was thinking about designing the whole holder to slide the smartphone into it by the right (because I am right-handed). I printed a whole model to just discover that my handlebar curve block the access to the left and right side. I become a bit frustrated to be honest, but I didn't surrender.

While being at a shop, I took a while looking on small furnitures that was capable of helping me. I listed some interesting parts like hinges, special screws, pin and piston pin, but I found something intersting : Some elastic strap used to secure camping tent. The strap was very strong, rigid, and can hold 25kg. The bag of straps was about 7€, so, comptletly in my budget.

I then build another prototype, with a slider on the top, this time, and with 2 straps attached. I also tried something new : To print directly the model with strap attached during a printing pause. In a way, that it's impossible to change straps or lose them. When I printed the first PLA model, I figured that the hole on the top, to slide the phone in the holder was dangerous. The very small section on the top that is used to hold straps was to thin, and there was no way to change that, except enlarging this section in a hideous way. Also, the phone was a bit moving in the holder and it was hard to fit the phone in it : I wasn't happy with the result, again.

For the anti-vibration system. I tried TPU printing for the first time. I created some spacer with various infill and 2 sort of TPU. Theses spacer are very rigid but dampen some vibration. I paired them with some anti-vibration foam used by SW-Motech in a Smartphone holder case that I bought years back.

I then proceed to think in another way : Making the folder in two parts. It look's like it will make the whole assembly less rigid, but no. It make's two parts with enough rigidity. It also solved the issue on the section that was too thin. I created 2 hinges on the model with insert thread. I used 2 screw, but litterraly glued them to my insert thread to have no issues with them in the future.

This time, I tried to print it with ASA with my Enclosure. The print is a mess to be honest. It work, but I got a lot of warping, and after various test, I can't really improve the quality of the final product. I also used acetone smoothing on it. I think that the model is more flexible after the smoothing, but the prints layers are maybe better attached now so it's ok.

First version achieved

I tried on a off-road trip. Popping wheelies just to know if the device will handle it. After 3 hours of riding, no issues. The phone is well secured. I feel less vibration on it than a proper GPS holder that I was using from TomTom. The design is a success, it's convenient to use, I don't need a lot of effort while getting my phone to fix some navigation issue with Osmand. I have a hole for the luminosity sensor, and even if he is very close to the handlebar and didn't receive a lot of light, it's still working. The two straps are convenient to use, because they are well oriented and don't hang arround with the 3d model design. I can even use them with my summer gloves.

About the nice to have features

NFC Smart unlock : I extruded a small hole to fit a NFC badge on it. But again, I learned the hard way that Google just removed the smart unlock features with NFC some years back. Another big disappointment. I now need to root my phone just to make it again work, with a third party app. To be honest, I think I will surrender on this one. In a way… I have the smart unlock working with my Bluetooth Scala device on the helmet but that's… unperfect !

NFC luminosity adjuster : NFC isn't designed in a way that you can plan tasks while being in contact with a tag. It's just an instant action when you scan it, and that's it. At this point, I am able to get full luminosity while plugging the phone, but I don't have a way to put it back in Auto adjustment mode. Also, I tried a bit and got spammed by the NFC tag scan. Another fail, I guess. But it's not a big deal since I have my luminosity sensor working.

Wireless charging. For now, I didn't implemented a induction PCB on it. I think I will dig a bit just to try to fit a PCB on it + a 12v to 5v converter on my bike. But the issue is that I will need to enlarge a bit my 3d model to fit the induction system properly on it, but it will not match with my ASA 3d printing difficulties. Larger my model is, more warping issues I will have.

Next things to upgrade

ASA printing for sure. But I tried in so many ways and got so many fails I don't even know what to try now. I tried to create walls that fit my models perfectly, disable the fan (I got a big mess on this), taping all the holes of my « Ikea Lake » enclosure to got higher temps, printing on smooth-sheet with hair spray etc… Literally everything that I tried make worse result.

Also my 2 3d models need a TON of support, whatever the orientation you choose.

Straps holder orientation. I want to change that to be able to print the model flat on the bed.

Embedded Induction charging device…

But more important, riding with it. Because at the end, it's just a stupid device to have a GPS on my bike and it took me so much time to do it…