Gadget charging station

Most households now have a few things with batteries that need charging. Cell phones, mp3 players, bluetooth headsets, etc. With that proliferation of gadgets comes a proliferation of charging stations--places to keep your gadgets while they suck juice while hiding all the unsightly wires and wall warts. Goody! An example is shown here.

But they are not free; in fact, they can cost from $50 and up. The one you are admiring below (and I admit, it is beautiful and functional) costs $129, so you can spend as much as you want. I thought I could do up something real nice for less with some stuff I bought and had lying around.

There are lots of other charging stations on this site. Take your pick!

WARNING: This project involves working with mains power. It's pretty basic stuff, but if you do it wrong or thoughtlessly, you will end up in the hospital or worse. Follow the directions that come with your materials carefully, and you should be fine.

Step 1 Gather your materials

I had a stainless steel box with handles on either end. It was in my garage when I bought my house. I have no idea what it's for, but it'll do for our charging station.

I also had some carpet tiles. One of these, trimmed to fit, would make an excellent place to lay my phone, etc. while they were charging.

Other materials:

Strips of 1/4" plywood
sandpaper (100 grit or less should be fine)
hot glue and glue gun
clamps
3/8 carbide drill bit (for drilling into stainless steel)
cutting oil (mineral oil might work, too)
drill (I used an old corded drill for this--cutting stainless means pushing hard on the drill)
1/4" wire grommet (inside diameter = 3/8")
Extension cord (the kind with a 2-prong plug and 3 outlets on the other end)
wire cutters
3 add-a-plugs (aka add-a-tap. These enable you to add a plug in the middle of a 2-wire lamp or extension cord--here's an example: http://www.barbizon.com/catalog/detail.cfm?Prod_ID=7916&series=5&brand=32)
1 add-an-end (just like the add-a-plug, but designed for the end of the cord)
small drill bit to match diameter of one of the two wires in your extension cord
utility knife
locking pliers

I'm not sure how much I spent on this project, but I had to buy a new drill bit (~$5 at Menards), the cutting oil (~$4/bottle, of which I only used a half-ounce), the grommet (~$3 for a pack of six, of which I used only one), and the add-a-plugs/end (~$1.80 each). Less than $20 bucks, I guess, even if you don't count that I didn't use all of what I bought of each item.

Comments

[moclov555]

Im thinking about building one with a timer that shuts the power off to the box after about 2 hours as I usually plug in my phone and ipod right before I go to bed. Just a thought.

[etlerd]

Thanks. Yes, you're right that I need a better pic of the final outcome. Soon as I clear away the dirty dishes from the counter around it :)

[codester]

That's pretty sweet, it does need some more pics of the final process, though. Good job!