The desk was getting a little too untidy with the iPhone and its USB cable snaking around, so I decided to shop for an iPhone dock to make things a little neater and more ‘glamourous’. My jaw totally dropped when I saw the pricetags on a simple piece of plastic base. I’m not paying almost $40 for something that probably cost $5 to produce.

I got online and Googled ‘DIY iPhone docks’ and found some pretty nifty experiments and pet projects, but didn’t see one that I really fancied. It’s been a very long while since I DIYed anything, so I decided to get creative and craft my own version of a dock. Here’s the list of ‘ingredients’:

Metal file
Stanley knife
Strong glue like Bostick Multi-bond, that can handle plastic
Black marker
Nail varnish (optional)
White plastic piece that came with the 8GB iPods (1st generation, I think)
iPhone or iPod box including the inner tray

I never figured what that plastic piece from the iPod packaging was for, but it sure came in handy for this project. It has a slot in the base, which is almost perfect for acting as a holder for the port side of the USB cable.

Problem is, it’s a little too narrow, so I used the metal file to wear away the curved sides as well as the horizontal sides to create more room. I didn’t do exact measurements; I just filed away and checked regularly to see if the port could fit through. This took a good 10 to 15 mins.

After you’ve filed the slot into a perfect fit, apply glue along the edges of the slot and insert the port. Make sure the little icon on the port is facing in the same direction as the grey tab (see Pic 2 above). The metal connector needs to be extruded enough to fit into the iPhone’s port while the bottom bit is sitting nicely in the white piece. You may have to do a little cleaning to get rid of the excess glue at this point.

You’ll now need the inner tray that your iPhone lay in when you first opened the original packaging. Using a very sharp Stanley knife, cut a V-shaped notch in the middle of the tray edge; this is where the USB cable will run through. On the opposite end of the tray, you’ll need to cut out a chunk that is about 1.5cm tall (see Pic 2 above). This is where the white piece will be mounted.

Run the USB cable through the rectangle hole you’ve just cut. Make sure the side of the white piece that has a longer extension sits on the end of the tray (see Pic 1 above). You’ll need the bottom box now – cut a V-shape notch into one of the ends. This is also for the USB cable to run through. In Pic 3 above, you can see how the white piece, tray and box should fit together. The USB cable should be able to extend and retract freely (curl the cable up nicely to sit within the box, untangled). Note that the white piece should be tilted at an angle, due to the grey tab that is sticking out. Glue the white piece to the tray, then the tray to the edges of the box.

You’ll now need the box cover. The cover will naturally tilt at an angle as you rest the edge right up against the white piece. Use a ruler and pencil to mark the angle where you should cut the cover off. You should end up with a cut like Pic 2 above. The USB cable should be unobstructed even with the cover on.

If you wish, you can use a black marker to blackout the cut edges. You can also do a coating of clear nail varnish to seal the cut off edge to prevent fraying. Glue the side of the cover on the inside surface where it makes contact with the bottom box’s sides.

Allow the glue to set for at least 2 hours before using the iPhone dock. Tada!

I’m probably going to keep thinking of alternatives so I can get a more sleek and polished dock, but this’ll do fine for now. Got ideas of your own, or built one yourself? Feel free to share your masterpiece here!