Motorcycle or Bicycle Phone Mount RAM Finger Style

thingiverse

Work in progress here, but it seems pretty close so far. I will update as my design progresses. I was looking to model a similar phone holder to my RAM mount that I have on my motorcycle that would accommodate a bit larger phones. I decided to try to model my own. There are two ways you can create the gripping action. One is to purchase a correctly sized approximately 6mm x 100mm spring and fit it between the pin and the slide bottom to have a fully encased spring mechanism. The pin would then get super glued in place. After making a few of these though, I think the pin is naturally tight enough that it won't work free, but feel free to add a drop of superglue if you are nervous about it. I have some springs on order and will update the description with a link if they work. The second way is also pictured to use rubber bands. I created two models of band guides that you can glue to the top and bottom of the holder and this keeps the bands in place. This is both inexpensive, fully adjustable by using different bands, and works fantastic. Just carry some extras with you when you go out. I will probably incorporate these into the body eventually, but wanted them to be optional for now. Use supports when you print. The slide cavity is pretty difficult to clean out, but if you take your time with some needle nose pliers and a thin screwdriver, you'll get the support structure out. The slide is made 0.25mm smaller than the hole in all directions, however, I had to do a bit of filing on mine in order to get it to slide nicely. Rotate the handlebar mount pieces and band guides so they sit with the flat side down before printing. You'll need to purchase some 1/2" long 8-32 screws to attach the ball, and 6-32, 3/8" long screws for the fingers. You'll also need a screw to go through the handlebar mount. Use 1 3/4" long bolt if you are not using the knob, or a 2" bolt should be perfect if using the knob. That bolt should either be 1/4-20 or 1/4-28 if you want a bit more gripping power. I used SAE fasteners instead of metric for cost and availability reasons. The provided knob should fit a 1/4-20 or 1/4-28 nyloc nut so it will stay tight once you crank it down. You can download the fingers from me here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4719276 These were one of my first designs that I posted. I also included them in this design for convenience. I printed the phone holder and slider at 30% infill and it seems both light and strong. I printed the handlebar mounts, ball, and knob at 100% infill for extra strength. I should be able to test it out for real in the next few weeks with my kids. This should accommodate most phones. My Galaxy S21 is shown and has tons of room to spare. Also tested with my son's older Galaxy S9. I added a thin strip of rubber from an old innertube to keep it from sliding around on the handlebars. This seems to make it stay put very nicely. I have included the Fusion360 files so you can make any modifications you like and share! Note: my phone base is two different colors because I was using up the last few feet of red filament and had bonded it to my orange spool. The part is all one piece. **UPDATE 8/21/2021**: I purchased the following springs and they are just about perfect:. https://www.ebay.com/itm/174553200282 These are 0.8mmx6mmx100mm. Insert the spring in the slide slot, close the slide, push the spring down slightly from the back with a pair of small screwdrivers by working a few coils at a time. Once you get it to the edge of the pin hole, hold it with one screwdriver from the back side and insert the plastic pin from the other side. I tapped mine in with the handle of the screwdriver and I don't even know if it will need any glue. I also purchased the next 2 wire sizes down and will report back on the feel of those but the above springs provide a nice, strong grip and still allows enough travel for a large phone. **UPDATE 8/22/2021**: I added a double ball connector and an extension as the handlebar mount was too short for one of my kid's bikes. This allows for a significant amount of articulation to work around any obstructions or just add flexibility to the mount. I posted both the STL and Fusion360 files for those also. I also added a small radius to the fingers since they were not fitting correctly with the radius on the slots. You can use the same 1/4 x 2" bolt and nut for the extension piece. **UPDATE 8/23/2021**: I created a slide with 0.25mm more clearance on all sides so overall dimensions are not 0.5mm less than the hole. This fits pretty much perfectly without any filing once the support structure is taken off and cleaned up. Depending on your model of 3D printer, you now have the choice to use the original slide that's 0.25mm smaller or the new one that's overall 0.5mm smaller. The only pain in the butt part at this point is removing the support structure from the slider hole. It takes me about 5 minutes to clean it out with a long, thin flat head screwdriver and a set of needlenose pliers, but I wish it was easier. I'm thinking about creating a structure with a pull ring that sits inside with very tight clearances but does not touch and can just be pulled out. **UPDATE 9/6/2021**: I got to field test these on a dirt bike trip with the kids in central Michigan. Both my son and I used the phone holders that are pictured above and they worked fantastic! My son took a few pretty big spills in the dirt and sand and the mount held his phone solid as a rock! Mine never budged either despite dumping the bike a few times. I think I'll make a few more for the other two kids. Both will require some slight modifications and I'll post up any variants as I build and test them. One variant will be a base unit that leaves room for a ring that's built into the phone case. I'll probably space it up about 5mm. The other mod will be required to mount on my son's bigger handlebars. **UPDATE 9/13/2021**: I added a 1 1/8" handlebar coupler in STL and F3D formats. My son's YZ125 has the bigger handlebars. I also tried out 0.7mmx6mmx100mm springs. They give a nice, bit softer feel, but still seem to grip the phones well. Those can also be found on Ebay here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/154510606323?var=454584963381 I bought the 0.6mm springs also, but I liked the feel of the 0.7mm and the 0.8mm so I have not used them yet.