Waiting for a ProClip Holder, Make your own! - Thunderbolt Accessories

I have been a longtime ProClip user, but I was tired of waiting for them to produce a holder. I really liked the OEM Verizon mount, so I bought one and found that it is quite easy to attach to a ProClip swivel mount (with move clip in my case). The Verizon mount is about $25-30, so it is actually cheaper than the ProClip part will be.
I did not take any "making of" pictures, but it is trivial to do it yourself. The back part of theh Verizon holder can be seperated from the front after removing four screws from the back. Then just drill two holes that match up with the swivel mount, find small screws to attach them, and reassemble the front of the Verizon mount.
I have several old holders that are useless, so I had parts around, and I really like the result. One downside is that you cannot access the center swivel mount screw to change the tension of the swivel wihout taking the whole thing apart, but I think I can live with it.
Brent

Nice work. I have considered doing exactly what you did. So does the phone enter a dock mode with that holder?

The phone does enter dock mode.
Brent

Nice! ProClip is second to none in quality and fit...but a few phone models later the price starts to add up. Personally I'm looking into either the tetax magnetic setup or the soundgate m2 to save some bucks.
Nice work for sure. If I stumble on a super cheap VW holder on eBay ill prolly do the same. Thanks for sharing.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Related

Simple $3 DIY snap on vent mount (works with or without case)

I've always liked the simple use of the Garmin GPS clipping system, you just snap the unit in and that's it. When I saw the Kensington mounting system, I was ecstatic but then disappointed to find out that it would not work with my Seidio Innocase. I ended up staying with my MOBI vent mount but the vent clips aren't secure enough and the whole unit slides around when I turn and go over bumps so I went on ebay to purchased a Garmin GPS vent mount to use the coiled spring vent clips so it'll hug the vent. Turns out those spring clips don't attach to my MOBI vent mount. At this time I figured I'd just disassemble the two and get a $60 solution from ProClips. This is when I discovered my perfect solution. I just took a piece of foam from the MOBI unit and taped it to the wider clip of the Garmin GPS clipping unit and now my EVO holds securely with or without my Seidio case. It doesn't have to be a vent mount, as long as you have the Garmin GPS clippping unit and a 17mm ball mount. I've included a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri0AWroEzhQ
So I pretty much just bought this GPS vent mount from ebay user chxee (seems to be the only one selling them for cheap starting at 99cents. I got mine for $2.75, I've seen some going for just 99cent free shipping.)
Garmin air vent mount nuvi 255w
The foam piece can be purchased from a crafts store.
Anyways, here are the pics:
Try heating it up with a hair dryer and see if you can permanently bend it. Should work, and might be the perfect solution.
i thought about that, it was my last resort. but now with this foam workaround i think the foam gives it an extra grip to keep it from sliding.
How does that mount hold in your vent. I see it's similar to this one. http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-Air-Vent-Mo...EVO-4G-Black-/390229156793?pt=PDA_Accessories
I had a vent mount for my iPhone 3G but it was significantly lighter than the EVO, haha.
I ordered one (suction for $4.99 since I like that better), but I'm wondering if there's anything better than foam to use since that looks a bit tacky. I want it to look professional. Might try the hairdryer route, but am afraid of snappage. Let me know if you have any ideas.
Springs = CHINSEY
I had this car mount for my Evo 4G for about 2 weeks, and literally after taking the phone in and out of the cradle (Correctly, I might add. I wasn't tearing it out, rather pressing the release button, and then removing.) about twice a day for not even two weeks, both of the plastic connectors on the arm-end of the spring loaded clamp snapped off. Any suggestions on how we can reinforce this? If it hadn't snapped, I LOVED THIS THING!

DIY Captivate Car Dock (with pictures)

So I'm sure everyone has seen the DIY android car dock. There was a thread in here with someone wanting to make something similar (and me silently stalking it), but no one had found a suitable case to make the mount from. Well, I went on ebay and was able to find one, so here's some pics of the finished unit. Sorry there are no before pictures, I forgot to take them in my excitement.
The case cost me about $5. The other parts used were a garmin gps suction mount, the clip to hold a garmin gps, and some double sided tape. I simply used a dremel tool to cut off the ends of the gps clip to provide a flat surface, and attached it to the case with the tape. Looks somewhat ugly due to the clear case color(couldn't find a black one) but it works well, rotates, and looks good with the phone actually in it.
Well apparently I can't post external links(the images), but there's no way to upload the images here.
The USB ciggarette adapter
http: // imgur.com/WhHe1.jpg
The case/mount/tape
http: // imgur.com/ZRIQh.jpg
http: // imgur.com/qZ5Aj.jpg
http: // imgur.com/VJ5YJ.jpg
The phone mounted in my car:
http: // imgur.com/ZH5or.jpg
http: // imgur.com/TTowp.jpg
Linked...
The USB ciggarette adapter
http://imgur.com/WhHe1.jpg
The case/mount/tape
http://imgur.com/ZRIQh.jpg
http://imgur.com/qZ5Aj.jpg
http://imgur.com/VJ5YJ.jpg
The phone mounted in my car:
http://imgur.com/ZH5or.jpg
http://imgur.com/TTowp.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks nice. How does the Captivate fit in the case, does it just snap in? I can't see how is it mounted it on the car... vent clip?
aloant said:
Linked...
Looks nice. How does the Captivate fit in the case, does it just snap in? I can't see how is it mounted it on the car... vent clip?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for posting the links. Yeah, it just snaps into the case. The gps mount I'm using is the suction cup mount as it fits nicely onto my stereo face. It's just a regular garmin gps ball mount clip that I cut the ends off. It's 2 pieces, the mount, and the clip part, so you can use it with the vent mount.
Nice job. Other than the tape, it looks good. This seems to be the mod of choice for DIY car docks. I don't see why manufacturers can't seem to make this a retail product. Just a snap-on/slide-in back plate with a ball cup on the back. Anyway, thats a nice way to take your captivate for a ride!
I would like to do the same thing but my concern is the fit of the case to the phone. I want it to be snug but remove easily without scratching/damaging from repeated use.
Do you feel confident that case will hold up?
If you do, mind throwing out a brand name or model number?
Shovelhead84 said:
Nice job. Other than the tape, it looks good. This seems to be the mod of choice for DIY car docks. I don't see why manufacturers can't seem to make this a retail product. Just a snap-on/slide-in back plate with a ball cup on the back. Anyway, thats a nice way to take your captivate for a ride!
I would like to do the same thing but my concern is the fit of the case to the phone. I want it to be snug but remove easily without scratching/damaging from repeated use.
Do you feel confident that case will hold up?
If you do, mind throwing out a brand name or model number?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My concern as well. I'd change up the mounting a bit for my car since there's a plate the previous owner mounted an XM radio head and I can't take it out without leaving an eyesore. If this can go there, my car will be /perfect/.
I'd actually prefer some sort of clear sleeve (think the "case" that comes with the N1) so that after I get my permanent case I don't have to snap it in and out of both, but if that's what it will take, I'll do it.
@Shovelhead84: Yeah, the tape isn't the best looking. I really wish the snap-on case was black, so you couldn't see it at all. It's kind of an eyesore in my mercedes without the phone in it, lol.
The case itself fits the phone pretty well, and it fits in pretty easy. It's not quite as easy to remove the phone, but still easy enough. I'm really not sure why no one is making docks like this either, all of the one's I've seen have been gigantic and ugly. I'm not worried about it damaging the phone, as the case only covers the back.
I'm not sure what the brand is since I got it off ebay, but here's a link to the exact one I bought.
http: //cgi.ebay.com/SAMSUNG-i897-CAPTIVATE-AT-T-SNAP-OEM-CASE-COVER-/350388879623?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item5194ce0107
BigJayDogg3 said:
My concern as well. I'd change up the mounting a bit for my car since there's a plate the previous owner mounted an XM radio head and I can't take it out without leaving an eyesore. If this can go there, my car will be /perfect/.
I'd actually prefer some sort of clear sleeve (think the "case" that comes with the N1) so that after I get my permanent case I don't have to snap it in and out of both, but if that's what it will take, I'll do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it would be nice if the phone just slid into the case. Unfortunately all of the cases I've seen snap together around the phone, so this was the first one I found that appeared to even be useable for a car mount. Hoping I'll find something a little better later. This definitely works well enough for now though, and the price was hard to beat (I had the garmin parts sitting around from my gps I don't use).
phone damage
have you noticed any scratches or scuffs from taking the phone in and out often?
i am with you waiting on that sleeve type case like in that original video
epoplive said:
@Shovelhead84: Yeah, the tape isn't the best looking. I really wish the snap-on case was black, so you couldn't see it at all. It's kind of an eyesore in my mercedes without the phone in it, lol.
The case itself fits the phone pretty well, and it fits in pretty easy. It's not quite as easy to remove the phone, but still easy enough. I'm really not sure why no one is making docks like this either, all of the one's I've seen have been gigantic and ugly. I'm not worried about it damaging the phone, as the case only covers the back.
I'm not sure what the brand is since I got it off ebay, but here's a link to the exact one I bought.
http: //cgi.ebay.com/SAMSUNG-i897-CAPTIVATE-AT-T-SNAP-OEM-CASE-COVER-/350388879623?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item5194ce0107
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get the case for like $5? The listing is about $13

Proclip mount shipping - works with extended battery!

Good news for all you Proclip fans,
I just recieved mine today and it works with the Samsung Extended battery just as well as the standard battery. There is a 1/2 in space behind the phone that should allow for even the most extreme extended batteries to fit as long as the battery cover does not extend beyond where the original battery cover fits (like if it wraps around the side of the phone it will not fit).
I ordered Proclip part number 513331 (Hard wired install).
Proclip doesn't disappoint either, this mount is just as awesome as the one for my old DINC. Nice and sturdy.
I'll post some pics later when I get it installed.
As is typical with proclip mounts, the mount is designed based on the physical dimensions of the phone (specifically the sides of the phone) so cases that change those dimensions will cause the phone to not fit in the grooves correctly.
Pix of the proclip in action
Grabbed a couple of pics for anyone interested.
Looks good, I had the incredible one too, but imo it was a little to hard to get in and out. Unfortunately since I already chipped my phone, I'm too scared to go naked with this phone. Plus their price is just too high for me.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
T-Keith said:
Looks good, I had the incredible one too, but imo it was a little to hard to get in and out. Unfortunately since I already chipped my phone, I'm too scared to go naked with this phone. Plus their price is just too high for me.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wont argue that they are spendy - I already had the base part but it's like $100 for both pieces for newbies.
But I do get something that no other mount has been able to offer me - this one is wired into the car, I can use only one hand to put my phone in it, and it doesn't fall or move when I press too hard. Considering the Verizon one is $40 and a POS it seemed worth the extra.
But yea if you have a case it's not so good.
does you phone fall if you turn the screen for navigation ?
I just ordered Proclip's adjustable mount 875214. Hopefully it will work well with my diztronic case. It grips near the bottom of the phone so it shouldn't interfere with any of the buttons or ports. I'll update after it arrives with the results!
roachdabug said:
I just ordered Proclip's adjustable mount 875214. Hopefully it will work well with my diztronic case. It grips near the bottom of the phone so it shouldn't interfere with any of the buttons or ports. I'll update after it arrives with the results!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Should be good, as it is adjustable. I wish they made the sides of the powered mount adjustable...
juju2lose said:
does you phone fall if you turn the screen for navigation ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, it stays in there really well.
roachdabug said:
I just ordered Proclip's adjustable mount 875214. Hopefully it will work well with my diztronic case. It grips near the bottom of the phone so it shouldn't interfere with any of the buttons or ports. I'll update after it arrives with the results!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well for those who aren't aware, these Proclip holders come in 2 pieces: The first is a custom-fit bracket for your particular vehicle, and the other is the actual phone holder.
So let me start with the holder. The one I got is adjustable and holds my Galaxy Nexus with Diztronic case extremely well. It's snug but not difficult to remove, and leaves plenty of room behind the phone for the craziest of extended batteries. A+
Then there's the mounting bracket... I selected 853616 for my '07 Impreza. It hooked in behind the panel just fine and it is made of the same plastic as the holder which was nicer than I expected.
Unfortunately, it goes downhill from here: This particular bracket is a bad fit. All the angles are off, and as a result the adhesive backed sections do not contact the vehicle properly. Even if they did, the adhesive is so weak that I'm not sure it would stick. I'm going to have to pull it all apart and go to work with some thick double-sided adhesive tape of my own in order to deal with the gaps and get it installed properly. Not cool, especially considering the whole kit ended up costing me about $60. Now, there's lots of different brackets for lots of different cars out there, so your mileage may vary.
At any rate, it does a much better job holding the phone than my cupholder did.
Got mine a couple of days ago.
As has been noted, they come in two pieces. The piece that holds the phone is very, very nice and will definitely work with any reasonable extended battery. It's very snug, but not too snug, and the fit is perfect. I got one of the powered versions and it's fantastic.
The car mount piece, for me, is of similar quality. The fit is near stock and the thing is damn near impossible to remove.
As a unit, the two pieces are rock solid.
Highly recommended. I wouldn't hold out for the Samsung three pin holder. I had that same holder (minus the three pins, obviously) for my Nexus S - and this one is far, far, far better.
roachdabug said:
Well for those who aren't aware, these Proclip holders come in 2 pieces: The first is a custom-fit bracket for your particular vehicle, and the other is the actual phone holder.
So let me start with the holder. The one I got is adjustable and holds my Galaxy Nexus with Diztronic case extremely well. It's snug but not difficult to remove, and leaves plenty of room behind the phone for the craziest of extended batteries. A+
Then there's the mounting bracket... I selected 853616 for my '07 Impreza. It hooked in behind the panel just fine and it is made of the same plastic as the holder which was nicer than I expected.
Unfortunately, it goes downhill from here: This particular bracket is a bad fit. All the angles are off, and as a result the adhesive backed sections do not contact the vehicle properly. Even if they did, the adhesive is so weak that I'm not sure it would stick. I'm going to have to pull it all apart and go to work with some thick double-sided adhesive tape of my own in order to deal with the gaps and get it installed properly. Not cool, especially considering the whole kit ended up costing me about $60. Now, there's lots of different brackets for lots of different cars out there, so your mileage may vary.
At any rate, it does a much better job holding the phone than my cupholder did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How snug of a fit is it? I have Verizon galaxy nexus with extended battery and Diztronic case. Does it take quite a bit of pressure to put it in the holder? Also, is the headphone jack open at the bottom?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
roachdabug said:
the adhesive backed sections do not contact the vehicle properly. Even if they did, the adhesive is so weak that I'm not sure it would stick. I'm going to have to pull it all apart and go to work with some thick double-sided adhesive tape of my own in order to deal with the gaps and get it installed properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I had to do for my wife's Civic. She got the car mount that affixes to the center console and that one piece of double sided tape just wasn't cutting it. I used a heat gun to remove the factory tape and then liberally applied tape to all parts contacting the console. It's been holding steady for over a year.
Proclip should probably give people more sticky tape - but I think the reason they only use a single piece is because they tout that the proclip doesn't damage the car and it could be argued that uber liberal amounts of double-sided sticky tape could potentially damage some surfaces. In the civic it’s all plastic so it’s NBD to use a heat gun and remove any residue, but if was a BMW with an oak dash then I could see people complaining.
dgwood12 said:
How snug of a fit is it? I have Verizon galaxy nexus with extended battery and Diztronic case. Does it take quite a bit of pressure to put it in the holder? Also, is the headphone jack open at the bottom?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think any case would work with the proclip because it is a very snug fit and yes it takes a fair amount of pressure to put it in. Not so much that it will move the dock but certainly enough to keep the phone from coming out accidentally.
The only reason the extended battery works is because there is nearly a 1 inch opening behind the phone and the battery cover does not extend to the edge.
Yes the headphone jack is open but you would need a connector that is straight. A 90 degree connector would not work.

ProClip + Mountek Snap

I had been using the Mountek nGroove Snap for almost two years, but the thing they don't tell you in the product description is that the Mountek will compress and destroy the foam protector in your CD Player. When you take it out, your CD Player will look like a Hillbilly's smile.
I just bought a new car, and I didn't want that to happen again. I've always been interested in ProClip's offerings, since they are custom molded to fit your car, but the high price always put me off. For my car, I'd have to shell out 30 bucks for the custom mold and another 50 for the adjustable iOauto Pro Magnetic mount. Also, I couldn't find any posting anywhere that said that the iOauto Pro would hold the Nexus 5 securely without adding the included metal plate. I prefer my Nexus 5 naked.
My solution combines the Mountek nGroove and ProClip that more or less works perfectly with my Nexus 5 (I'll get to the drawback in a second)
Since I already had the nGroove, all I needed to buy was the Custom ProClip mount for my car ($30) and an AMPS ball adapter ($9.95), which I found on Amazon (search for iBOLT AMPS Adapter Plate).
The iBOLT comes with screws that are a little too big for the ProClip mount, so what I did was widen the holes on the ProClip with a power drill until they fit. Since both the iBOLT and ProClip use the AMPS standard, the holes lined up perfectly.
I'm happy with the finished product, although the ball on the iBOLT and the ball of the Mountek have a different texture. This made the Mountek piece sit a little too snug against the iBOLT ball. I'm thinking about sanding down the iBOLT ball until it can click into place.
Thanks for reading!
that looks awesome. id love to see some more pictures of it actually in the car. i might have just found my car clip!
Thanks for the setup. I was looking for a solution to this exactly. BTW you can take that yellow sticker off if you didnt know.
Thought that Proclip mount looked familiar. I have an XV Crosstrek and it looks like you either have an XV or impreza.

what car holders are people using

would be interested in something good to use with Fire Phone while navigating (and possible video registrator as well)
Because 300+ have viewed with no response I guess I will...lol. I think any holder that gets good reviews would work!
I am using a Mountek nGroove Snap 3 Magnetic mount, it goes in the cd slot. I use the large metal plate inside my case between the layers. I am using this case:
i-Blason Amazon Fire Phone Case- Armadillo Series 2 Layer [Ultra Slim]
Search both of those at Amazon to see pics.
Heavy phone it moves around a bit, but hasn't fallen off. I use the same setup with a Galaxy Note 2 with an extended battery which is pretty heavy, and it only fell off once or twice.
I use the Aduro U-GRIP PLUS Universal Dashboard Windshield Car Mount for Smartphones. Got it on Amazon for $10 and it works very well. Takes both hands to put the phone in it, but once it's in it stays put. An added bonus is that the actual holder part can be attached to the ball mounts that come with Garmin GPS (which I already had), so it can be used with any Garmin type holder (look at the last pic on Amazon to see what I mean).
Just got the Magnetic Phone Mount Suction Technology By Gizmount from Amazon. It was on a lightning deal so I grabbed it. Has the same Garmin type holder like the one above but uses a magnet to hold the phone. It works really well and doesn't take two hands to put the phone on or take it off.
I too use a magnetic holder that attaches to the CD holder. I love it. I also bought a $5 magnetic suction cup holder and use it at my desk. Works so great! I also did a little modding of the Amazon charger so it is magnetic too and I can just stick my phone to it to charge (I plan on writing up the howto for this soon). If anyone wants more info/links, let me know.

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