I often need my iPhone and tablet propped up so I can read or view updates on various apps and news feeds. Rather than buying a stand, I decided to create an adjustable one with K'NEX. I initially created some non-adjusting stands but I wanted more variability in height and angle so I created a stand that is propped up and allows a great deal of viewing angles. The size of the stand and the height can easily be customized for your needs.

Step 1: Collect the Pieces

You will need the following K'NEX pieces:

RODS

2x gray
8x red
11x yellow
8x blue
7x white
6x green

CONNECTORS

4x half-spheres (blue x violet)
2x quarter-spheres (violet x violet)
2x green
2x yellow
4x white
8x red
7x orange
3x gray

OTHER PIECES

1x red gear*
1x tan wheel-axle connector*

*These pieces are from the K'NEX Big Ball Factory and other sets.

Step 2: Assemble the Base

If the sphere pieces are not already combined, connect those together. All the partial sphere pieces are used to create the base and provide support as shown in the photo. This adjustable stand is best used with an iPhone 6 or similar sized mobile device, as well as smaller devices. The base can of course be made larger if you are creating a stand for a larger device.

Step 3: Create the Back Support

The support is fairly basic and holds the weight of the phone / tablet. I added rotating wings to enfold the edges of my iPhone 6. This works well when the iPhone is propped up at 90˚.

Step 4: Create the Shelf Support

The shelf holds the base of the phone / tablet and also provides the pivoting point. This part also bears the most stress from the weight of the phone / tablet. The gear notches fit quite nicely into the end point of the gray rod and the wheel-axle connector ensures the gear maintains the position of the base. The angle of the base can be adjusted by rotating the gear so that it clicks into the desired position.

The structure supports the weight of my iPhone 6 at any angle without any trouble, although larger or heavier devices may place too much stress on the base and cause the gear to move out of the set position, especially with more horizontal angles.

Step 5: Connect All the Parts Together

The base connects to the shelf support by the upstanding base rods. With the exception of the front-facing yellow base rods, all rods click in to the shelf connectors. The front-facing yellow rods are positioned inside the hole of the red connectors.

The back support connects to the gray rod of the shelf via the three orange connectors at the bottom of the back support. These connection points will bear the most stress from the weight of whatever device you place in the stand, so keep this in mind when selecting pieces for your device. You could add more connectors or modify the structure in other ways to strengthen this point. For the purposes of an iPhone 6 or smaller device, this connection provides sufficient support at any angle.

I hope you enjoyed this instructable!