Today we try to merge two things: high tech charging for an iPhone X and an Ikea nightstand.
Some will say this is an Ikea hack, because it is based on a piece of furniture made by the Swedish company. Our goal is quite simple: We want to attach the Qi charger on the underside of the topside to make the charger invisible and allow the iPhone to charge when placed in the right position. So everything looks clean and the cable is hidden inside the nightstand.
We decided to remove the topside of the table and go to a carpenter in our neighborhood. He milled for a fair price the right shape for charger and cable for us into the underside of the wood. You can this with your own equipment or by hand, of course, but we wanted to have some nice pictures afterwards. 😉
During milling, you should make sure that you remove all material but two to three millimeters. The less the better, but still enough to give the upper side enough strength. This is important because you cannot have a too big between charger and iPhone. We thought that we maybe had to remove the charging coil from its plastic case, but everything was going well: the iPhone X charges without any problems. The charger got fixed in place with just two screws, so it is removable once it should fail.
From the outside, the nightstand looks like before, mission accomplished. If you place the iPhone on the right spot, however, it begins to charge instantly. As there are no markings, you have to remember where to place your smartphone. After a few times though, you’ll get it right. In addition, the iPhones makes the characteristic charging sound.
Have fun building this yourself!
