On my day off yesterday I hacked together a little "magic" wireless charging table. What's the "Magic?" You mount the Wireless Charger under the surface of the table so that you can put your phone on top of the table and still have it charge wirelessly.
Here is what you need:
-This ikea wireless charger:
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/livboj-wireless-charger-black-90447058/ (LIVEBOJ) ($5)
-This ikea small table:
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/lack-side-table-black-20011408/ (LACK) ($10)
- A USB-C Wall charger and cable (You can buy this -
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/koppla-1-port-usb-charger-white-90412285/ and this
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/lillhult-usb-type-c-to-usb-cord-40409619/ from ikea for one-stop shopping).
All 4 ikea parts cost $26+taxes
A brief note about wireless charging:
Many modern phones offer wireless charging (iPhone since iPhone 8, Pixel 3,4, Samsung Galaxy since S9/Note 9) - it's not as fast as wired charging, but if you put your phone on the charging pad you don't need to plug it in. You also don't need to directly contact the charger (although the phone needs to be properly aligned) so you can mount it inside the desk to give you the illusion that the desk itself is charging the phone.
A brief note about why this ikea table specifically:
IKEA's Lack and Linnmon series are cheaply made. Instead of being of solid chipboard they have thin wood veneers on top, bottom and sides; a chipboard frame that's 1-2in long, and hollow space between the top and bottom veneers that's filled with carboard to help give it some structure. Because of this, you can mount the wireless charger just below the surface of the tabletop veneer and it won't have a huge impact on wireless performance.
What to do:
- Cut a hole in the bottom of the table, about 2" from any side. (I used a circular hole-cutter for my drill, but you can drill a small hole and use a small saw). The hold needs to be big enough for you to insert the charging pad.
- Using a drill, drill a hole from the side of the table into the spot where the pad will go. The width of the hole needs to be wide enough to accommodate the head of the USB-C cable (the smaller end).
- Thread the cable through the drilled hole into the area where the pad will go.
- Attach the charging pad to the cable, and tape if (from the bottom) to the surface of the table (you may have to move the cardboard out of the way
- If you'd like, you can tape or fasten the veneer you cut out from the bottom of the table back to the bottom to cover the hole. You can also use glue or something else to hold the cable in place so it doesn't get pulled out of the pad
- Plug in the pad into an outlet, and put your phone down on top of the spot where the pad it. Voila - you're magically charging.
I hope to get some video/pics up soon and will link to them.