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iPhone as GPS

  • Thread starter Thread starter ChicagoRob
  • Start date Start date
C

ChicagoRob

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Howdy. I guess this isn't technically an appearance mod but I didn't know where else to put this.

I repurposed my old iPhone 3G as a GPS for the bike and I thought that I'd share how I did it. It's probably not the best way, but this is what I did.

I started with RAM mounts that I got from gpscity.com. They had everything and shipping was reasonable. There are lots of other places to buy these.

I purchased these:

A handlebar mount

http://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount-motorcycle-handlebar-clamp-ram-b-367u.html

The iPhone cradle

http://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount-apple-iphone-3g-3gs-mount-cradle-ram-hol-ap6u.html

Ball mount for the cradle

http://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount-diamond-plate-with-1-inch-ball-ram-b-238u.html

And finally a small connector for between the cradle and the handlebar mount

http://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount-short-arm-b-socket-ram-b-201u-a.html


The handle bar mount went on easy and the screw clamp on the connector is study so it doesn't move at all when tightened.

Leaving the phone on all the time really sucks down the juice so I had to figure out how to power it. I didn't want a cable flopping around when I wasn't using the phone, so I opted for a female usb "a" connector that I could plug an iPod cable into. Found that on ebay by searching for usb extension and picking a suitable one. (Look for one that is completely surrounded in plastic.) Cutoff the male end to make it easier to test fit but leave some of the wire still on it so you can figure out what color wire goes where. The pattern for my connector was black-green-white-red.

To convert from 12v to 5v I ebayed a 12v usb power adaptor. iPhones are finicky about power so make sure that it supports iPhones. I found a short one for a few bucks that fit the bill.

I also ebay'd a short usb ipod cable. The first one I bought was too short (listed as 15cm) but I eventually found one about a foot long.

There is not a lot of room under the tank and I wanted the usb outlet in a specific spot so measure now and figure out just how long you need it. Mine turned out to be 2 feet.

Soldering iron time. Take apart the converter and dremel off the female usb connector making sure to leave some pins to solder to. Then solder the wire to the pins. Solder a power and ground on the other end. I guess if you can find the exact size usb extension you wouldn't need to do this step, but this made for a smaller power converter.

A quick test with a battery powered the phone, so I put the plastic housing back together as best as I could and black taped it up to make it water resistant and to provide some stress relief for the soldered connectors.

The accessory tap on my fuse box is powered all of the time and I didn't want a battery drain so I ended up connecting the power to the power out of my coil relay mod. This way it only gets power when the the ignition is on and the run button is on. In retrospect, I should have found another source that had power when just the key was on. Oh well.

There is one last issue. I wear gloves and the touchscreen doesn't work through leather. I resolved this by finding some conductive thread on the net (I forget where but they sold 10' for a few bucks) and sewing it into the fingertips of my index finger and thumb of my left glove. I left the threads long inside the glove to get a good connection. You need to do both fingers to be able to resize the screen with the pinching motion. Before you do this, mount the phone on the bike and note where your glove contacts the screen. For the index finger it was at the tip, but when resizing, my thumb contacted a bit to the side. You can see in the pic blow I had to go back and redo the thumb.

That's it. I've been using it awhile now and everything seems good.

Here are some pics of the final install.

Rob


The post and you can see the female usb connector in the background.

P1020074Small.jpg



A better pic of the power tap. (I have a plug for it when not in use but removed it so it can be seen better.) It's hard to tell, but it's a bit below flush with the tach.

P1020068Small.jpg


The phone cradle and ball:

P1020062Small.jpg


Installed front view:

P1020072Small.jpg


Installed side view:

P1020071Small.jpg



And a pic of the modified gloves:

P1020077Small.jpg
 
Rob, you are a very clever guy - well done sir!

I have an old 3G and may try this, any thoughts to how it will withstand rain? I'm thinking you may have to put it in you pocket and fly blind like the rest of us, or do you have a solution?
 
Rain is going to be a problem. I'm going to have fly blind. The other problem is that usb connector, though. I have a plug for it but what I really need is a rubber cap to keep the water out. If anyone knows where I can find one, I'd love to here about it.
 
Make a sleeve for it, checkout waterproofing ipod/iphone on google. Also you can upgrade the gps to show a current speed minimized in the window or as a full window if you run headphones and have the navigation speaking in the background.
 
That's awesome!

I've been brainstorming up a way to mount my iphone too!

I know they sell motorcycle/bike mounts online.....but they are overpriced and just read the reviews! Tons of people are watching their phones go airborn after the mount breaks....



I really wanna try the altimeter,tilt, and speedometer on my bike!
 
Yeah, I was worried about launching my phone too. I checked that cradle out by pull and twisting on the phone. I couldn't get it to come out unless I pushed the release up top. It's in there snugly. This mount wasn't cheap but it may be a case of you get what you pay for.

The other failure point is the extension piece that goes between the two rubber balls. To get it off you have to loosen that screw 4 or 5 turns. By the time that happens your phone would be drooping so there's plenty of time to tighten it while on the move.

I think that the best part of this solution is that when it's not mounted, it doesn't look too bad. It's just the one rubber ball and a plug by the tach. No nasty clamps on the bars or big empty plastic pieces.

I did forget to mention that I cut down the post on the ball just a bit. Out of the box it was a little too tall for my liking.
 
Ranger said:
Make a sleeve for it, checkout waterproofing ipod/iphone on google. Also you can upgrade the gps to show a current speed minimized in the window or as a full window if you run headphones and have the navigation speaking in the background.
Click to expand...

One thing about the cradle is that the phone has to be naked to fit into it. That's not a problem for me since I keep it in a leather sleeve when not in use. If you keep it in a case you have to take it out every time that you want to mount it.

I guess if it's raining and I'm not ducking for cover and waiting it out (my preferred way of dealing with rain) I'd go with a ziploc bag over the whole thing and a twisty tie to hold it on. A bit cheesy, I know, but it would be effective. I think that I'll add one to my bike bag now...

Rob
 
Now that it's been a year, I thought that I'd give an update.

I upgraded to an iPhone 4S. I had to buy a new cradle piece (about $10) but the rest of the hardware was still good.

I've had no problems with this rig. It's been very sturdy.

One issue that I did have however was that my original 12v usb power didn't have enough juice to power the phone constantly with the screen brightness cranked up. Originally I had a 1.2A unit and I replaced it with a 2.1A one.

I also added some of the conductive thread to my right index finger as well. This is to allow operation of the touchscreen at a stop light when the left hand is busy with the clutch.

I've looked for some good apps to use with it but have so far come up empty. If I ever find something useful, I'll update the thread.

Rob
 
i used a running arm band iphone holder and just strapped that around the flat part of the handlebars in the center. easy on and off. nice job though.:)
 
I use this from BiKase: Handy Andy 2 Smart Phone Pouch

It works pretty well on my mountain bike. I've not yet tried it on my GS. The issue I have with it is glare, and that's more the phone than the case (though it doesnt help).

ChicagoRob's solution is more stable I'm sure, though my pouch would work in a pinch and it's not too expensive. It uses strong velcro I doubt it'll go anywhere, even at speed or vibration.
 
Also check out proclipusa.com

I have stuff from them for my car. I also bought something for my bike on there, works great. Just clamps to the handle bar as opposed to replacing a bolt.
 
I have a set up that works. I use a quiet helmet and use a blue tooth ear piece and let the voice tell me what to do. The phone stays in my waterproof phone pocket.
 
Check this out!

http://www.liquipel.com/

I wish I had known about it last year when I found out my iPhone WASN'T waterproof when I walked into a swimming pool with it in still in my pocket.
 
cableguy said:
I wish I had known about it last year when I found out my iPhone WASN'T waterproof when I walked into a swimming pool with it in still in my pocket.
Click to expand...

really?... splashproof yes but dunk it in water and it's gonna break fella!
 
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