Introduction: Shorten Your BT Headset Charger Cord & Make a Dock - Motorola HS850

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Once again, Bob Loblaw doesn't like loose wires, and Bob also likes to talk in the third person when he's using the intertubes because it breaks up the monotony of writing law blogs. Bob didn't take any progress pictures, but it's simple enough to figure out. This solution eliminates the long extension wire for a motorola HS 850 bluetooth headset and gives it a nice little perch to charge on.

Step 1: Ingredients

For this project you will need some JB Weld Quick Setting glue (as always), some aluminum tent stakes (or other wire that bends but holds its shape), some thin steel wire or zip ties, a short section of heat shrink tubing (or electrical tape), and some pliers and wire strippers.

First Bob needed to shorten the original 3' wire. Easy enough-just cut it. The wire will have two leads: one smooth and one ridged just like a standard AC cord. Bob wanted his to be very short, and Bob has a lot of experience stripping wires, so if you tend to overstrip wires or cut all the way through accidentally, leave yourself some room. Bob cut his to about an inch on each side (the charger side and the charge plug side). Strip enough from each lead to twist them together, making sure the ridged sections go together and the smooth sections go together. Actually, before twisting, put a section of heat shrink on each lead that will cover the twisted portion and then some. Or just use electrical tape, if you prefer half-assery. Heat up the shrink tubing with a heat gun or a lighter to cover the exposed leads of the shortened wires.

Step 2: Make the Dock

Now that the cord has been shortened, it's time to make a dock for the headset, which in this case is more of a hanging dongle thingy. Bob Loblaw went with the hanging dock because of the light weight of a headset and the small size of the release button on the charge terminal. A fixed or hard dock would be tricky to use with Bob's enormous fingers. Also, it was necessary to have the end of the charge cord extend over an inch out from the charger because the release button is on the back of the charger plug, and Bob wants the blue light on the headset to face outwards so he knows when it's done charging.

To do this, just JB weld some aluminum tent stakes or some hard wire to each side of the charger base. In this case, Bob pre-bent the stakes to fit the charger base, but you could do an arch or any other design as long as it gives you a mounting surface about an inch or so out from the charger base. Bob used some thin steel wire to tie the charge cord to the tent stake frame, with the terminus hanging down.

Now Bob Loblaw can charge his headset without sloppy wires all over his workspace. BTW, Bob only uses a headset for his online gaming. All legal discussions are done in private or through a surrogate. If your house burns down after making this, Bob Loblaw is not responsible.