I’d been toying with the idea of having a wireless charging spot on a bedside table for a while, but it wasn’t until I read about a similar project that I discovered you can buy a bare-bones wireless charging unit on Ebay for a lot less than one that has its own enclosure. A lot less.
This one cost me under $6 (Australian) including shipping (which was free)!
I found a thick plank that a neighbour had given us for firewood so I dressed it and used my panel clamps to join three pieces to make a top piece that would be (plenty) thick enough in which to embed the charger coil and circuit board.
The next conundrum to solve was how to route a hole neatly. Trying to create a circular hole was beyond my equipment and skill level, so I used a 25mm cutter bit and some square limit guide boards to produce a rounded square for the coil.
After routing the coil space down leaving about a 3mm thickness of wood, I adjusted the guides so that I could make a space for the circuit board.
While waiting to hear from the Ebay supplier if there were alternative ways of powering this module (apart from the micro USB connector), I made a wooden cover to fit the hole.
After a long hiatus work proceeds… legs have been prepared and joined to the top, and the waxing process is underway. The ebay supplier said that the micro-USB connector was the only way to power the board, but I was not convinced. I discovered that the four pads near the USB connector corresponded to the four USB wires, so I found I could solder some four-core wire directly to the board. That way there is one less failure point with connectors.
It took a while to figure out how to turn the ends of the legs. I didn’t want to use separate dowels because, since I don’t have a vertical drill press, I thought it would be impractical getting everything in line enough for the legs to be straight. I eventually created a sort of a jig that enabled me to use a 25mm surface planing bit in the router to make the round ends. I still had the problem of drilling the corresponding holes in the top, so I just had to do the best I could with my handheld drill.
After that it was a matter of applying the wax finish and fitting the board in place. Oh, and making a bottom shelf as well. 🙂
Overall I’m quite happy with the result!
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