Save AU$80 with the DIY iPod Touch Dock

• Author: reemixx
• Filed under: Apple, Gadgets & Toys
• Date: Oct 19,2007

So, I got a nice new shiny iPod Touch, right? Naturally, I ‘need’ some accessories for it. I was going to buy a universal dock. Then I saw the price tag… What?! 80 bucks?! Are you #$&!$?@ kidding me?!

Well, thanks, Apple. I love the iPod Touch but it was expensive enough.

Luckily, Apple provides you with the two main items you need to construct your own homemade dock for your iPod Touch; the dock adapter and the USB cable. Just get yourself a small cardboard box (if you don’t want to wreck your iPod box), some double-sided tape, scissors, and LOTS of electrical or duct tape, then follow these instructions. Piece of cake!

Mine looks a little rough around the edges, mainly because I painted the cardboard box with chalkboard paint (well, hey, it was all I could find). However, the entire dock was made for $0, so I’m not complaining at all. Just make sure that if you use a different box or container, it’s strong and sturdy enough, and not too light. It also needs to be tall enough so that the cable doesn’t effectively lift it up off the table surface, or bend too far at a right angle which could damage the cable. The cool thing about the dock being hollow underneath is that you can shove all the excess cable in there and tape it up if it’s too long.

The finished product. Yes, I know, the paint job sucks, but it works juuuust fine!

The under side. I used a LOT of electrical tape to stick the cable to the dock adapter, which was a bit tricky to get it at the correct angle (I wanted it to slope backwards slightly, like the docks that you can buy). Good strong duct tape would have worked a bit better than the electrical tape. Still, it doesn’t show any signs of coming apart any time soon.

For the cable hole, I just cut a small vertical slit on the bottom edge, and then punched out a small hole at the top of the slit with a leather punch (it’s just as easy to use something else, though; a pencil would do). Pull each side apart, slither the cable in, and done!

Tada! Complete with iPod Touch. It actually sits in there better than I thought it would, and is just as easy to take out again, just like the dock you can buy from the Apple Store.

I even found a good use for the little plastic stand that comes with the iPod Touch. :)