Custom Rennline Phone bracket w/ threaded rivnut insert for 1/4" hot/cold shoe mounts

[F80_BK]

I've been trying out different phone mounts to find the perfect setup. For me personally, I like having a cradle with wireless charging so I can just set the phone in place, not worry about magnets holding up or 3M tape, and no cords to fumble with. I decided the Rennline ExactFit mount bracket was the best starting point for me, but the ball joint was not keeping any of the phone cradles in place due to them being too heavy, so they would slowly sag at the ball joint especially during spirited driving or bumpy roads with lots of movement. Every mount I came across was made of plastic threads where the locking ring wrapped around the ball, so trying to tighten them to the point where it would not sag would just end up cracking the lock rings.

I started looking at different mounting solutions for things other than phones out there, to see if I could adapt something else to work as a phone mount. I realized cameras had hundreds of possibilities and all use the same common 1/4" threads for all their accessories.

Long story short, I ended up inserting a 1/4"-20 threaded rivnut into the Rennline bracket. In order to do so, I had to drill and enlarge the original hole where the ball joint was. Then using a rivnut gun, I pressed the rivnut/nutsert into place. Now I can screw any camera accessory into it.









I decided on a 360 swiveling (non-ball) monitor mount with a hot shoe connector. This is good for holding up to 7 pounds. I can attach any cold shoe accessory to it. This is the monitor mount I decided to go with:
ANDYCINE Vlogger Monitor Mount



I also bought a pack of cold shoe adapters so I can place one onto the back of the wireless charging cradle, and then lock the hot and cold shoes into place together. This is the 2-pack of cold shoe adapters I went with: SMALLRIG Cold Shoe Adapters



Lastly I bought a wireless charging cradle with auto open/close arms. The main thing I was looking for when choosing which cradle, was that I needed one with a smooth flat back. The one I already had has a giant bulge out the back where the motor sits for the auto open/close feature. So I needed one without that lump so I could attach the cold shoe adapter to a flat surface. This is the cradle I decided on: Actto Car Mount Wireless Charger

[F80_BK]

The actual cradle wont be delivered until Tuesday, but I will post pictures once that is in place to show the complete end result

Edit:

The cradle arrived today. Everything worked out great! The ball mount section on the back that I was planning on shaving off, was actually screwed in, into a metal threaded insert into the cradle. And that same screw fit perfectly in one of the smaller holes on the cold shoe adapter. So I screwed it back in with some thread locker. I also used Gorilla Heavy Duty GorillaWeld Steel Bond 2-Part Epoxy and filled in the larger hole in the middle, to give it some added strength. Its not going anywhere. It basically welded the cold shoe adapter onto the cradle.

[Blessm]

Looks solid.

Where did you get the attachment between your cup holders, and how do you like it?

[EasyBimmerCoding]

Originally Posted by Blessm

Looks solid.

Where did you get the attachment between your cup holders, and how do you like it?

Curious about this as well, nice one.

[F80_BK]

Originally Posted by Blessm

Looks solid.

Where did you get the attachment between your cup holders, and how do you like it?

Originally Posted by EasyBimmerCoding

Curious about this as well, nice one.

I like it. Its convenient for just setting a phone there to charge, or for easy access USB and USB-C ports. I got it on Amazon. Its only ever been available for the newer cup holders with the outlet in the middle (2016+), but they finally released a version for the older style with the outlet in the lid area (2013 - 2015).

It was only 54 bucks on Amazon a couple weeks ago when I bought it, but it looks like it went back to up $120 Sighill Wireless Car Charger