Inlay a wireless phone charger into your desk with a Handibot

One of the things I like best about my new Samsung cell phone is that it can be setup for wireless charging using the Qi charging system. I’ve had several chargers scattered around my shop and office, but thought it would be nicer if they were inset into the tables and desks…flush with the surface. Seemed like a great job for a Handibot.

I have two styles of chargers, both purchased from Amazon. One is a disk and the other a rounded rectangle, but there are lots of other types and styles available. The power supplies I use with them are made by Samsung and have an asymmetrical usb plug, but files are included for the more usual rectangular usb plugs.

I measured each piece accurately with a set of calipers and created VCarve models for both charger inlays, setting the X and Y axis zero point at the middle of the drawing so that I could make a pencil mark on the tables to locate the center of the pocket. The recess for the charger and usb plug were toolpathed as a pocket, with a thru-hole to allow the power plug to come in from the bottom and a hole in the center just big enough to use a finger to push the charger out from from underneath. Everything was cut with a 1/4″ bit.

After using the C3 command to zero the Handibot I moved it to the center of its work area with an M2,3,4 command and re-zeroed with the Z2 command. Then I placed the Handibot right over my pencil mark, zeroed the Z-axis so that it was flush with the top of the table, and ran the file for the charger I wanted. In a little more than a minute I was all done and ready to insert the charger.

Want to do this yourself? You can download a zip file with the VCarve .crv files and ShopBot .sbp files for both the chargers and the Samsung and rectangular plug power supplier that I have. Feel free to modify them to fit your charger and power supply, but if you use ours make sure you test them THOROUGHLY in scrap wood to make sure they do what you expect and that everything fits BEFORE you cut into your Grandfather’s antique desk!!!

Consider yourselves warned! Download the zip file  here