Custom cupholder mount

I like my friction bag on my dash and I didn't have to build anything. However, I know it is always satisfying to make something.

I had also thought about mounting the nuvi in a cup holder but never tried it, nice to see someone did try it.

Do you have any problems with satellite signal strength?

Nice install, very nice visual story!

Dear JD & B,

I use the bean bag but your solution is most interesting. In my Subaru Outback the cup holder is higher and might be an even better position for your invention. I must think about this. Thank you.

david

Most vehicles today come standard with multiple cup holders, and it's tough to find a coat or jacket without a cell phone pocket.

Why has no one noticed that when we get into our vehicles, we need a place to set your cell phone and GPS.

I never thought of using the cup holder beyond dropping a cell phone in the hole.

I had thought of such an idea about 2 years ago when I bought my 360, but never put it into action. The way the Volvo cup holders are placed, does not work well. Yours is a gem...great job!

I have a Toyota Tundra. What is the make and model of your car in the video clip? I'm seriously contemplating building one if yours is not copy-righted.

Very Nice Presentation of your hard work.

For those that want to have it easier:

http://www.overstock.com/Electronics/Cup-Holder-Car-GPS-Moun...

interesting, thanks for sharing your work.

Good idea but I wonder if a cop would think that was something else at first glance?

But I have used the cup holders since I got my GPS a couple of years back. Seems to take a little longer to get a signal then if windshield mounted but I usually know the first mile or so of driving anyhow.

I just set the suction cup mount into the cup holder and play around with the angles until I find one that won't topple when making a quick turn. Recently added a bottle of 1500 bbs to my "set-up" to help ensure that the unit doesn't fall over. But I do like the looks of your set-up and appreciate you and BobDee sharing the links.

I just used an alluminum type of coffee mug, and glued the disc that came with my Garmin to the top of it. Now I can use the suction mount and connect it to the coffee mug and place it in my car's cup holder.

I like your setup. Unfortunately, my Acura's cup holders are placed at my elbow so it would not be a good place to use the GPS.

I did something similar last year. I found a rubber-like short length of tube in my hardware store that is used to patch pipe leaks. It is about the diameter of a soda can. The base of the windshield mount that holds the adhesive disk fit inside the tube and a hose clamp makes sure it does not come out.

I wanted some weight at the bottom so it would not be launched during emergency braking and after a little searching found that a plastic baby food container with a plastic lid fit inside the tube perfectly. I added some lead sinkers (from the same hardware store) to the cup and put the lid on.

Only problem that I found was that the GPS would frequently twist around while I was driving and shimming it with some cardboard solved that problem nicely.

Total price probably no more than $5-6.

Roger

Those of you that use a Coffee Mug Holder to mount your GPS where do you put your coffee mugs?

Not a problem on my vehicle--at has two cup holders side by side. If you check, you may find someone that markets a double cup holder that fits into a single cup holder.

As an alternative, you can buy AC vent mounts for GPS's, cell phones, etc. My daughter has one of those which she uses for her Garmin and says it works very well.

Roger in Jacksonville, FL

I'll keep mine in the bottom corner of the windshield. Just wondering.
Anyway, I don't think I would like it in a cup holder. To look at it I would have to take my eyes off of the road. Your mileage may vary.

Wow I just found this thread. The cup holder idea is awesome!

Especially since I have an external GPS antenna, it doesn't matter where I place the GPS.

I will look to make my own. Too bad my car doesn't have too many cup holders.

I looked at the very nicely done/documented cup-holder solution by JD and Beastle and thought, "Now how could I make one of those without a trip to Home Depot?"

Simple as pie: got a jam jar in the house? That may be all you need. See the attached photos of repurposing a Bon Mamman jam jar to a GPS cup-holder unit.

http://qkpic.com/e4c8b
http://qkpic.com/35f8d

My cup-holder is in the center armrest unit of my Mazda Speed3 and the GPS works there as well as it does on the dash.

I like the vent mount over this cupholder mount.

for anyone who doesnt know or seen the vent mount. here is a link

http://www.semsons.com/ventmount.html

as you can see from the pics the little prongs fit into the AC/Heater vents in your car.

although the cupholder and the vent mounts are nice. i still use the suctioncup mount on my windshields

Is without doubt, one the the brightest innovations I have ever seen on this website. I could not stop laughing on just how ingenious I think this is! So simple but, very practical! Everyone has a "Ball Jar w/lid" around their house, or something very like it, if not, they will soon have an additional 11 more...just brilliant!

Hahahaha... very smart idea. I gotta give it a try. One question, how hard is it to look at the screen? My guess is since it's right next to your thigh, you'll have to take your eyes off the road completely, right? My cup holders are in the same location as yours.

This would be a perfect solution for cars like the one on that flickr link.

I agree with nansoutey, the vent mount is very slick and clean, but yours is a ingenious idea, thanks for share.

Speed3 did you fill it with sand or something else?
I would think the more weight the more stable it would be.

Heck I think I may try that with my 3 and I will fill my jar with mercury.

Actually, no, I haven't. But that's a thought. Since the old Bon Mamman jam jar I am using is fairly short, there's less of a problem of it being unstable.

The taller the jar you use, the more that will become a problem. If you do use sand, I would suggest you glue the cap on; you don't want it popping loose an spraying sand down all the cracks and crevices of your armrest or wherever.

This was a topic of invention on that show on the discovery channel with Billy mays from the Oxiclean commercials. Some guy did something similar that was originally intended for propane heaters in golf carts and modified it for gps units in cars.

It wouldn't work in my car either, though. The cup holders are at my elbows too.