Paperclip iPod Dock

 by christophor
According to a recent job satisfaction survey, I'm ready to leave my job at a moments notice, so I have nothing personal in my desk. In an effort to liven things up, I brought my iPod Touch to work.

There I was, bored, alone in my cube with nothing to entertain me but work and the movies and videos stored on my iPod touch. Alas there was no practical way I could watch my iPod and appear to be working. I searched my desk for something that might help.

At first, none of my office supplies seemed to be of any use unless I wanted to trust my iPod to some cheap transparent tape. There was one thing that seemed to have possibilities. A large metal paper clip. Not a binder clip, but a single piece of wire bent into a spring shape allegedly capable of holding a small stack of papers together.

What I came up with worked so well, I decided to share it with.. um.. The Internet.

Before we get started. I want to say that I did this Instructable at home because cameras are not allowed where I work. I may not like the place, but I do follow the rules, especially when potential witnesses are near. The only tool I used to create the original was my Leatherman. For the Instructable, I used a few extra items to simplify the explanation.

Here's how I did it.

I hope you find it useful or at least amusing.
 
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Step 1: Gather Tools and Materials

Here are the items I used to make the Improvised iPod Stand.

1. Paper
2. Pencil
3. Leatherman, pliers or anything that will help you make small bends in a paper clip
4. A paper clip

Optional - Board With a Nail in It
You can use a board with a nail in it to make some of the larger bends.
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coleslaw3 says: Dec 10, 2011. 3:55 PM
thank you so much kipkay on youtube tryed to explain it but i find schematics easier to use
izzi303 says: Mar 16, 2010. 5:38 PM
The best way to make an iPod Touch/iPhone stand...out of a paper-clip!
Picture 9.jpg
koolaidman505 says: Feb 4, 2010. 11:03 AM
this instructable works great thank you my touch pro thanks you too
christophor (author) in reply to koolaidman505Feb 4, 2010. 9:36 PM
Thanks. Glad you like it.

- Chris
terrormachine says: Dec 14, 2009. 3:55 AM
This worked pefect for me. I only made a small modification  to the first bend...I took the elbow and bent it inward 90 degrees to make the stand less likely to topple right or left .

This also works as a great "tripod" for taking closeups with the camera.

photoclip.jpg
wizard744 says: Oct 24, 2009. 7:18 PM
nice instructable =) im making something similar to this for my psp too and i have the exact same moniter does yours still have the little sticker of the birds on the back?
cooperkevin95 says: Sep 26, 2009. 4:00 PM
Works great, just one problem: It doesn't work too well when you stand the iPod straight, but works great sideways.
christophor (author) in reply to cooperkevin95Sep 28, 2009. 8:21 AM
Yeah. It's not really made for anything more than keeping the iPod out of the way while making sure the screen stays visible for watching videos. It's great for that. :) This was made using what the U.S. Army calls field expedient methods. All that means is I made it using materials I had on hand at the time. A paperclip in this case. I think this basic design could be adapted to something larger, like a coat hanger. You'd have to make it tall enough to give clearance for the connectors on the bottom and stable enough that the iPod wouldn't fall off. Maybe you could make one and post an Instructable about it. Thanks for your comment. - Chris
Human Being says: Jun 23, 2009. 2:17 PM
if u put in ur underpants dont u think it would hurt???
christophor (author) in reply to Human BeingJul 26, 2009. 11:23 PM
I'll never tell. :)
zeldagamer says: Jul 24, 2009. 12:42 PM
This is absolute genius. Thank you
christophor (author) in reply to zeldagamerJul 26, 2009. 11:21 PM
Aw. Shucks. :) You're welcome!
sharlston says: May 4, 2009. 4:56 AM
ITS IRON MAN IM WATCHING IT NOW
sharlston says: May 4, 2009. 4:50 AM
cool i made 1 for my sony erricson w910i
mango_2003 says: Apr 9, 2009. 12:42 AM
Ironman
christophor (author) in reply to mango_2003Apr 10, 2009. 3:49 PM
You got it! Congrats.
hockys1 says: Feb 22, 2009. 5:58 PM
that works great
sebgonz says: Feb 17, 2009. 2:57 PM
This worked perfectly, and now I have a dock to watch my videos while I waste time. :)
christophor (author) in reply to sebgonzFeb 17, 2009. 6:05 PM
Take that productivity! I'm glad I could help.
trenty996 says: Feb 13, 2009. 2:40 PM
That's cool
christophor (author) in reply to trenty996Feb 13, 2009. 4:32 PM
Thanks.
Jr Hacking kid says: Dec 28, 2008. 10:27 PM
Thanks I'm making this right now on my new iPod touch I got for Xmas =) that quick sheet helped me slot LOL well thanks and good job on makeing this

dkfa says: Dec 7, 2008. 10:29 PM
woot! Ebay here we come! lol
scorpoistak says: Dec 7, 2008. 9:15 PM
i have the same monitor/moniter how ever you spell it
davidleung says: Nov 24, 2008. 1:32 PM
This is very nicely thought out and elegantly made. Thank you.
christophor (author) in reply to davidleungNov 25, 2008. 5:42 AM
Thank you.
hellpilot says: Nov 17, 2008. 5:06 PM
Im thinking about getting a case for my iTouch now, it fills fragile...www.iSkin.com
christophor (author) in reply to hellpilotNov 17, 2008. 7:39 PM
The one on my iPod is a Griffin iClear. (Had to look that up the other day.) Its good and solid. I also have a clear plastic film over the screen.
hellpilot in reply to christophorNov 19, 2008. 10:54 AM
Yeah i have a tiny tiny TINY scratch on my screen (Side) so that film cover comes with it too :)
mg0930mg says: Nov 11, 2008. 3:32 PM
It's iron man!
mg0930mg in reply to mg0930mgNov 11, 2008. 3:34 PM
Good Idea. Will use this in school XD I knew from pepper, I am a comic book nerd. XD
christophor (author) in reply to mg0930mgNov 11, 2008. 4:21 PM
You got it. I wish they had iPods when I was in school. When it comes to comics, I'm a DC guy. I'm a big Batman fan. Have been since I was a toddler. But Ironman was probably the coolest comic book movie I ever saw. The suit was great, but I wish I had his workshop to play around in. You get your 2 points extra credit. Don't spend it all in one place. :)
mg0930mg in reply to christophorNov 11, 2008. 7:44 PM
Here I am. You like?
two-face 2.jpgtwo-face.jpg
christophor (author) in reply to mg0930mgNov 12, 2008. 7:21 AM
Nice makeup! My face hurts just looking at it. Good job.

Maybe you could make an Instructable about how you did it.

As for Batman Comics: You should check out the series starting with "Bruce Wayne: Murderer"? It shows Bruce trying to figure out which is the real man, Bruce Wayne or Batman?

I'll get Joker's Asylum next. Thanks for the tip.

Unrequested Advice: *sigh* I'm not a kid, just a 30 something geek who still puts Batman stickers on his stuff. When you said school, I thought you were talking about college. Take my advice. Don't use that thing in high school. I don't know if they confiscate iPods or not, but be careful. Have as much fun as you can, but stay out of trouble. lol
mg0930mg in reply to christophorNov 12, 2008. 3:02 PM
Ah. I have cool teachers thus year. they don't mind.
I will check out Bruce Wayne:Murder. I forgot to say, the joker's asylum is about the Villains.
Gah! I had to type that 6 times, because my hamster wants to run on the keyboard
mg0930mg in reply to christophorNov 11, 2008. 7:34 PM
weird. I'm on my iPod now. Yes, I'm more of a dc kid myself. Joker's asylum was the best mini batman series. It was six books each telling a little more about the character. I was two-face for Halloween. It was pretty sweet. I'll post pics when I get on my computer
mg0930mg in reply to mg0930mgNov 12, 2008. 3:03 PM
Also, I can't get this to work, and I may do an I'ble. Though, It'd be hand-drawn since I don not have the stuff now.
christophor (author) in reply to mg0930mgNov 13, 2008. 4:30 AM
You can't make the paper-clip stand? I'll put up a crudely done drawing courtesy of MS-PAINT. It should be more clear than the photos.
The magical duct tape kid says: Nov 11, 2008. 8:17 AM
Is that a first gen ipod touch?
christophor (author) in reply to The magical duct tape kidNov 11, 2008. 8:25 AM
Yes it is. It has a Griffin iClear cover on it so it's a bit thicker than than an unclothed iPod.
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