Just sharing our home charging station setup for anyone out there looking for ideas. I am 100% open to suggestions and criticisms of how I could improve/do better/fix something wrong.
Goals
Here's the setup
The UMC is plugged up high, coils on a platform overhead, then drops back down and dangles against a wall pad. The cable is held in place with a magnet.
When I need to charge, I just pull on the charging handle and the cable detaches. When finished, I let the charging handle rest on the wall pad and then reattach the cable magnets.
I installed a plywood platform in between garage door rails to hold the cable coil. The platform hides the cables from view. The cables are held together with quick release clips. I used a plastic conduit (liquid-tight) as a "strain relief" and also to protect the cable from the sharp edges of the plywood.
The magnet is attached to the cable via tape. Not elegant, but it works so far. I am open to a better solution. The magnet latches on to a piece of metal I screwed in to the wall.
Things I've learned
Goals
- super easy to use: I do not want to deal with coiling cables. I want to be able to plug and unplug with one hand.
- allow access: cables must be off the floor and allow pedestrian access through the garage i.e. loading something on the trunk
- easy to detach: I want to bring the UMC with me on long road trips, so the setup has to be non permanent
Here's the setup
The UMC is plugged up high, coils on a platform overhead, then drops back down and dangles against a wall pad. The cable is held in place with a magnet.
When I need to charge, I just pull on the charging handle and the cable detaches. When finished, I let the charging handle rest on the wall pad and then reattach the cable magnets.
I installed a plywood platform in between garage door rails to hold the cable coil. The platform hides the cables from view. The cables are held together with quick release clips. I used a plastic conduit (liquid-tight) as a "strain relief" and also to protect the cable from the sharp edges of the plywood.
The magnet is attached to the cable via tape. Not elegant, but it works so far. I am open to a better solution. The magnet latches on to a piece of metal I screwed in to the wall.
Things I've learned
- magnet has to be fairly strong, and the metal should be substantial. The cables are heavy.
- I tried using retractable cable holders for VR headsets but the springs were too weak. Retractable cables would have affected pedestrian access anyway, so I'm glad I went with the magnet solution.
- I think I want a "holster" instead of a wall pad. Plugging in is a one step operation, but stowing the charger requires guiding the handle carefully towards the wall pad and then latching the magnet. It can be done with one hand, but it's not as easy. I am looking for ideas for a better "holster" design.
