Lots of (valid) questions about the heat generated by the power supplies. I honestly considered adding a small PC fan to vent the underside of this, but they don't create as much heat as I expected. I think it has something to do with the fact that all 4 of them are rarely charging at the same time, plus the open area in the back allows venting. We haven't had any issues over the last 4 weeks that these have been in use.
Came here to ask about heat management, but thought chromebooks might not take too much heat. Also love the 'scrap' aspect of this project as someone who is looking at some rough scrap to make some garage shelves and a spice rack for the cabinet this weekend. Keep up the good work and stay safe!
Yea, the only time laptop power supplies generate a ton of heat anyway is if you're charging from empty and the power supply has a smaller casing than necessary to get rid of the heat it generates efficiently (and Chromebooks probably aren't that demanding power-wise anyhow), though you probably will experience an issue long term, even with the small amount of heat it does generate and the hot glue, but since you're probably not planning on moving the charging station any time soon, that really doesn't matter. It won't get hot enough to outright melt the glue, it'll just eventually lose most of its adhesion through the thermal cycling and you might have to tack it again later when you eventually notice. Whoop di doo.
I work in a school and we do basically the same thing with chromebook chargers, they're all just packed into a relatively small space with no active ventilation. It's been over a year with over 400 chargers and I think maybe one has failed. If anything, the charging stations with fans built into them usually end up being more of a hassle because the bearings in the fans start going after running nonstop for months and they get really loud. of course, ymmv, I've never stuck a thermometer in these things or anything
Mate, such as in the old days, 6 years ago I used to watch and create all I saw here with my dad. He passed away but your videos are still the same. Thanks for the amazing content.
That's fantastic Bob, and I love the retro feel of "just Bob in his workshop, shooting this all himself" - I was wondering how much back catalogue of content you had before you'd be putting out the solo stuff!
This video is a lifesaver thank you so much for making it. I am a small business owner and a pastor. I have 2 phones, 2 Tablets, and a laptop to keep charged and this charging station makes my life so much easier. Thanks s bunch
I took industrial technology this second semester which is basically wood shop. Watching these videos before that class was helpful because I already knew everything. Keep up the great work!
One of the reasons I started to follow your channel and to be inspired by you is the retro music which you composed. Not that it gave your videos a distinct quality but it also gave some mystical atmosphere... Hope you will return to it more. It is your "signature move".
Your kids have no idea how fortunate they are in life to have a dad who can whip up custom made pieces of computer furniture and the like. But they will grow up and then one day they will realize. Nice job.
You need to come up with some sort of grommet for the brass plate; over time -- and it won't be that long -- the wires will chafe down to bare conductor (you can also hot-glue them in place, right before, or over the opening).
Brilliant. Great seeing so many making use of whats around rather than always getting things in. Can be very liberating and get the creative mind going! In regards to the brass holes, maybe 3D print a plastic collar to prevent the cables cutting against/exposing the wires?
A nice addition would be extensions for the USB C cables built into a backboard (instead of the brass rod) that is lined up with the position of the port on the chrome books. That way, you could just slide them in and they'd connect and charge. It would eliminate any wires hanging out of the front and using extensions would also allow for the chargers to be removed and used elsewhere. Great video as always!
I just love this build. Think of schools, workstation charging at night before you take it out to customers, library and others. Look so great, and help in a good way
You should do all the videos this way. I like that camera is not moving on gimbal - it's easy to see everything. And also it's great to reuse material! Do that often please :)
Love it Bob. My favorite projects at work are always when the boss sets me loose "its gotta look something like this, use scrap and make it up as you go along"
I built a charging station for my family a while back, just a place to collect all the phones and headphones and everything. It’s something similar to your station, but I’m glad too see you having roughly the same idea. I used a usb charging station hub that had six usb-ports. Heat have never been an issue. THANK you for great stuff. I also really like how you share when things don’t turn out the way you planned. It is more inspiring than looking at people that figure out everything beforehand to show off a perfect project. 👍👋
A powered USB HUB would work and would reduce all the cords underneath and you would only have one cord coming out the back. That is what I use to charge everything. Great vid as usual Bob!
I was inspired by another of your videos two years ago to make a walnut charging station for all of the phones in our house. This project came out very nicely, and I really like the combination of walnut and brass. Stay healthy!
I think the success you've gleaned from your efforts is laudable, and well-earned-and your largesse is especially great-but I have to admit that it was nice to journey back to the one-man-show era of your channel.
Looks great. The only change I'd make is make the slots the same width as the notebooks, then fit the USB-c charger plugs into the base. That way you slide the notebooks into the slot and it automatically plugs in. No trailing wires
This is absolutely beautiful. Walnut is my favorite wood and I love the use of brass as an accent. I can see myself buying something like this, even though we only have two laptops and don’t have a need.
I was just telling Alyssa how we need to be able to use what we already have to be able to create what we need! And what do ya know 10 minutes later this video comes out and My son says, “ hey daddy, you just told that to sissy!!” 😂😂😂 thank you Bob for helping drive home the lesson of the day 😉
that's very convenient ! How about some projects indoors, like mini-optimization projects. Like You're walking through rooms / kitchen / bathroom, and realize, that You can optimize some things or organize some space in a better way? I think , that You can offer some really brilliant ideas!
Keep up the good work 👍🏻 Custom holders for gear and other life hacks are my favourite kind of projects. Also to watch. Getting organised is the best stress relief 🙂
It was quick but I liked how you worked out how much space to leave between the uprights: Squish them all together, measure the gap left and divide that by the number of uprights. I like it because it doesn't matter if your uprights are different widths.
Finally got around to watching this video, straight after watching a classic ILTMS with the foldable guitar stand and both use Brass. It actually looks like the same piece of scrap brass plate 3 years later 😀
Thanks, Bob. Really awesome. I made something similar but never thought about adding metal in the manner in which you did. The copper was a beautiful touch. 👍
I wasn’t inspired by this video, per se, but by your other videos to go out in my garage and throw together a raised garden bed for growing potatoes. I used scrap wood that I found on the side of a mountain road, and nails&screws from the dollar store that I had laying around. It would have been a free build if I had remembered that I have bags of dirt under my deck from the previous resident, but oh well! My craftsmanship is shoddy but I’m chalking that up to building outside in the strong winds with pieces of junk.
I feel you so much, I have also four kids and I won't but them to risk of having this nasty disease, not before we know more about the long time consequences. Keep on going and stay safe!
Hey Bob, I like to make stuff too, but I don't have a big shop. I like to make electician work. And I love it to finish a project, for example wall sockets oder chargings devices, with stuff I have laying around in the basement, Have a nice day. Hauke
I don’t think you realized how many parents are facing this dilemma at home. This was very helpful. I was thinking horizontal and your vertical one was a better idea as it requires less material.
Seeing all the makers, doing projects with stuff they have laying around the place, just makes me think of Iron Man, when Obadiah says "Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!"
Looks great. I think you should consider putting some ventilating holes on the sides, 4 big charges working at the same time might produce a considerable amount of heat and reduce their lifetime
Bob, I'm 100% gonna make one of those. My kids are just a bit younger than yours and aren't on laptops yet, but we've needed a storage/charging solution for their Kindle Fire/ipads. I have some extra cedar laying around from some Adirondack chairs I built and some dowel cutoff that should work. Unfortunately, I will need to order a 4 port usb charger with a cable that can live underneath. It would also be handy if I could find a way to hang two pairs of over the ear headphones on it. Thanks for the idea!!
Cool project. I’d add some sort of grommets or rubber to the hole where the charging cables come out. The wire rubbing on the metal will strip the insulation off over time creating a shock/fire hazard.
Awesome project! I'm a german beginner in carpentry so i'd prefer to watch german videos to stay in familiar terminology but your builds just always look awesome. Most German youtube do projects that are really well thought out and well build but just look like crap in the end. Keep it up!
Great build! Only thing that makes me uncomfortable is those bare wires right on the sharp brass edge. Might never be a problem, but it hurts still😁! Keep up the good work! -Arttu
Some people expressed worry about the potential heat generation. If you do this yourself, consider not only heat generation itself, but also what that does to the glue. Even lower heat than used in a hot glue gun could lead to the glue softening, the chargers falling off over time and the glue getting to places where it was not supppsed to go - like the surface this storage center is standing on. If you do this yourself, make sure your charger doesn't run too hot beforehand or use a different method of attachment.
Another great build Bob. The only thing I would have done differently is, I would have routed the charging cables from the back in order to give the front a much cleaner look. Secure the USB-C to a piece of wood or something so that you could just dock the chromebooks. Other than that, this is great.
Bob, another design for this build would be to flip the Chromebook around and hot glue the USB C cable in where the brass rod is. then treat it like a docking system. this way there aren't any cables seen from the front. and it charges when not in use. I would recommend using some kind of felt so it wouldn't scratch the Chromebook. but overall I like the design.
Cool project Bob, one suggestion, after you can get out (or order from Amazon) you can consolidate the cord situation via a multiport charging station under the box. Smaller than a power strip, lighter than for charging blocks (generates almost no heat), and works just as well with only one cord coming out the back. We have there all over the house for my kids phones/pads/macbooks/etc. Great project video, super cool look.
Lots of (valid) questions about the heat generated by the power supplies. I honestly considered adding a small PC fan to vent the underside of this, but they don't create as much heat as I expected. I think it has something to do with the fact that all 4 of them are rarely charging at the same time, plus the open area in the back allows venting. We haven't had any issues over the last 4 weeks that these have been in use.
Great information, thank you! Keep up the good work. Love your channel and videos.
Thanks for sharing! We need to create a charging station for our nonphone devices and this could work.
Came here to ask about heat management, but thought chromebooks might not take too much heat.
Also love the 'scrap' aspect of this project as someone who is looking at some rough scrap to make some garage shelves and a spice rack for the cabinet this weekend.
Keep up the good work and stay safe!
Yea, the only time laptop power supplies generate a ton of heat anyway is if you're charging from empty and the power supply has a smaller casing than necessary to get rid of the heat it generates efficiently (and Chromebooks probably aren't that demanding power-wise anyhow), though you probably will experience an issue long term, even with the small amount of heat it does generate and the hot glue, but since you're probably not planning on moving the charging station any time soon, that really doesn't matter. It won't get hot enough to outright melt the glue, it'll just eventually lose most of its adhesion through the thermal cycling and you might have to tack it again later when you eventually notice. Whoop di doo.
I work in a school and we do basically the same thing with chromebook chargers, they're all just packed into a relatively small space with no active ventilation. It's been over a year with over 400 chargers and I think maybe one has failed. If anything, the charging stations with fans built into them usually end up being more of a hassle because the bearings in the fans start going after running nonstop for months and they get really loud. of course, ymmv, I've never stuck a thermometer in these things or anything
Mate, such as in the old days, 6 years ago I used to watch and create all I saw here with my dad. He passed away but your videos are still the same. Thanks for the amazing content.
May your dad RIP.❤
Rip
RIP
Projects that solve niche problems are my favorite!
Ronald Finger hello u make good vids
Ronald Thumb hello u make good vids
That's fantastic Bob, and I love the retro feel of "just Bob in his workshop, shooting this all himself" - I was wondering how much back catalogue of content you had before you'd be putting out the solo stuff!
This is absolutely the content I love to see from this channel, "I want to make a thing and I'm going to make what I have work for the project."
You are obviously a devoted father. Stay safe and I wish you and your family the very best.
Love the throwback ILTMS music at the beginning. Very Bob filming himself :)
This video is a lifesaver thank you so much for making it. I am a small business owner and a pastor. I have 2 phones, 2 Tablets, and a laptop to keep charged and this charging station makes my life so much easier. Thanks s bunch
I took industrial technology this second semester which is basically wood shop. Watching these videos before that class was helpful because I already knew everything. Keep up the great work!
Hey, its another Roberts!
@@alderkliffkeep1169 This is getting out of hand! Now there are two of them!
@@alderkliffkeep1169 Great last name!
@@einflinkeswiesel2695 I love your beard master. How do you have time for it when you're always cleaning up after Anakin?
@@Legbookformer I bet his answer will be Dollar Shave Club
One of the reasons I started to follow your channel and to be inspired by you is the retro music which you composed. Not that it gave your videos a distinct quality but it also gave some mystical atmosphere... Hope you will return to it more. It is your "signature move".
Necessity is the mother of invention! Nice job. Thanks Bob.
Your kids have no idea how fortunate they are in life to have a dad who can whip up custom made pieces of computer furniture and the like. But they will grow up and then one day they will realize. Nice job.
This was literally on my TODO list for this weekend. Thank you!
I've been watching for a really long time and as much as I love Josh and Anthony it's cool to see you filming by yourself again like the old days
You need to come up with some sort of grommet for the brass plate; over time -- and it won't be that long -- the wires will chafe down to bare conductor (you can also hot-glue them in place, right before, or over the opening).
Great idea. Walnut is such a beautiful wood anyway but the brass adds a lot to it. I want to try working with brass sometime. Thanks!
Nice to have some of the old days style every now and then
Brilliant. Great seeing so many making use of whats around rather than always getting things in. Can be very liberating and get the creative mind going!
In regards to the brass holes, maybe 3D print a plastic collar to prevent the cables cutting against/exposing the wires?
A nice addition would be extensions for the USB C cables built into a backboard (instead of the brass rod) that is lined up with the position of the port on the chrome books. That way, you could just slide them in and they'd connect and charge. It would eliminate any wires hanging out of the front and using extensions would also allow for the chargers to be removed and used elsewhere. Great video as always!
This video is a testament to how good you are at making videos on your own
I just love this build. Think of schools, workstation charging at night before you take it out to customers, library and others. Look so great, and help in a good way
Schools use carts with laptops in them.
You should do all the videos this way. I like that camera is not moving on gimbal - it's easy to see everything. And also it's great to reuse material! Do that often please :)
I love the use of the different colored LEGO decals for identifying who the computer belongs to.
I really love these quick practical solutions to storage and/or charging solutions 💖
Glad you like them!
I'm less than a minute in and I hear the old music from wayyy back when. A lovely touch! 😄
Love how your kids are always at the forefront. Nice job Bob.
Love it Bob. My favorite projects at work are always when the boss sets me loose "its gotta look something like this, use scrap and make it up as you go along"
I built a charging station for my family a while back, just a place to collect all the phones and headphones and everything. It’s something similar to your station, but I’m glad too see you having roughly the same idea. I used a usb charging station hub that had six usb-ports. Heat have never been an issue. THANK you for great stuff. I also really like how you share when things don’t turn out the way you planned. It is more inspiring than looking at people that figure out everything beforehand to show off a perfect project. 👍👋
I love how the Chromebooks are already personalized per child. As someone who also covers things in stickers/decals, I highly appreciate 👏
A powered USB HUB would work and would reduce all the cords underneath and you would only have one cord coming out the back.
That is what I use to charge everything.
Great vid as usual Bob!
Thanks for sharing Bob! A nice project for some leftover material.
Walnut and brass is always a good combination. Very clever and nice job!
I was inspired by another of your videos two years ago to make a walnut charging station for all of the phones in our house. This project came out very nicely, and I really like the combination of walnut and brass. Stay healthy!
I think the success you've gleaned from your efforts is laudable, and well-earned-and your largesse is especially great-but I have to admit that it was nice to journey back to the one-man-show era of your channel.
Looks great. The only change I'd make is make the slots the same width as the notebooks, then fit the USB-c charger plugs into the base. That way you slide the notebooks into the slot and it automatically plugs in. No trailing wires
This is absolutely beautiful. Walnut is my favorite wood and I love the use of brass as an accent. I can see myself buying something like this, even though we only have two laptops and don’t have a need.
I was just telling Alyssa how we need to be able to use what we already have to be able to create what we need! And what do ya know 10 minutes later this video comes out and My son says, “ hey daddy, you just told that to sissy!!” 😂😂😂 thank you Bob for helping drive home the lesson of the day 😉
Really slick, you've even got space to use a label printer and put the names on the edges, or maybe on the brass section!
You can always add the initials on the brass plate so they know who’s is who’s and you also know who didn’t put theirs away. Looks great Bob
Drill 2 holes and filing, this was a great chance to show off the Bridgeport 😉
Beautiful! And I love this "old" style of camera (on tripod), it make us focus on what you are doing.
that's very convenient ! How about some projects indoors, like mini-optimization projects. Like You're walking through rooms / kitchen / bathroom, and realize, that You can optimize some things or organize some space in a better way? I think , that You can offer some really brilliant ideas!
Keep up the good work 👍🏻 Custom holders for gear and other life hacks are my favourite kind of projects. Also to watch. Getting organised is the best stress relief 🙂
Loving the old style music as well. 👍
Love the brass rod and plate...great touch.
I totally like this and will make it for my family right after my bed project. Thanks for this.
Man, awesome! Very nice look that walnut!
It was quick but I liked how you worked out how much space to leave between the uprights:
Squish them all together, measure the gap left and divide that by the number of uprights.
I like it because it doesn't matter if your uprights are different widths.
Finally got around to watching this video, straight after watching a classic ILTMS with the foldable guitar stand and both use Brass. It actually looks like the same piece of scrap brass plate 3 years later 😀
I like this idea. Time to start picking out scraps.
Very Cool Charging Station , Sir !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks, Bob. Really awesome. I made something similar but never thought about adding metal in the manner in which you did. The copper was a beautiful touch. 👍
Looks awesome! I'm sure your kids are really proud of their dad!
Hi,
Great job.
It is useful, nice design, compact.
Thanks for sharing.
Keep it safe.
Willy from Belgium.
😷😷😷
I wasn’t inspired by this video, per se, but by your other videos to go out in my garage and throw together a raised garden bed for growing potatoes. I used scrap wood that I found on the side of a mountain road, and nails&screws from the dollar store that I had laying around. It would have been a free build if I had remembered that I have bags of dirt under my deck from the previous resident, but oh well! My craftsmanship is shoddy but I’m chalking that up to building outside in the strong winds with pieces of junk.
best dad ever!!!
I feel you so much, I have also four kids and I won't but them to risk of having this nasty disease, not before we know more about the long time consequences. Keep on going and stay safe!
Hey Bob, I like to make stuff too, but I don't have a big shop. I like to make electician work. And I love it to finish a project, for example wall sockets oder chargings devices, with stuff I have laying around in the basement, Have a nice day. Hauke
This is amazing. Anything you want, you create and it never seems like much of a challenge. Great job!
Looks great, nice detail adding the brass. The edge banding really worked well.
I don’t think you realized how many parents are facing this dilemma at home. This was very helpful. I was thinking horizontal and your vertical one was a better idea as it requires less material.
Seeing all the makers, doing projects with stuff they have laying around the place, just makes me think of Iron Man, when Obadiah says "Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With a box of scraps!"
Looks great. I think you should consider putting some ventilating holes on the sides, 4 big charges working at the same time might produce a considerable amount of heat and reduce their lifetime
It was cool to see your creative thought process at each step of the project.
I am so going to make this for my crew's IPads at work. Another great video keep up the great work.
Awesome! Thank you!
Oh that music off the top!! I missed it so much without even realizing it!
I love watching people build things your my favorite
That's very kind, thank you!
Really cool project Bob. I dig it. A cool idea would’ve been to put some felt on the floor of each divider so the laptops don’t scratch over time.
Fantastic design. Great project. Thanks for sharing.
The music everything started with! Throwback thursday :)
Bob, I'm 100% gonna make one of those. My kids are just a bit younger than yours and aren't on laptops yet, but we've needed a storage/charging solution for their Kindle Fire/ipads. I have some extra cedar laying around from some Adirondack chairs I built and some dowel cutoff that should work. Unfortunately, I will need to order a 4 port usb charger with a cable that can live underneath. It would also be handy if I could find a way to hang two pairs of over the ear headphones on it. Thanks for the idea!!
I like the look of the brass, good job
Cool project. I’d add some sort of grommets or rubber to the hole where the charging cables come out. The wire rubbing on the metal will strip the insulation off over time creating a shock/fire hazard.
Nicely done. Stayed home. Be safe.
So wonderful
I had to watch and answer questions on this for wood shop quarantine homeschool!
Thanks for making videos during the quarantine
Our pleasure!
That music brought me back to 2014 when all of this was orange groves and there were no beards. FIRST!
When’s the next no instructions?
Awesome project! I'm a german beginner in carpentry so i'd prefer to watch german videos to stay in familiar terminology but your builds just always look awesome. Most German youtube do projects that are really well thought out and well build but just look like crap in the end. Keep it up!
I like the idea with that piece of brass.👍
theres a charging station ive been wanting to make for a while, and this gave me the shove I needed! thank you!
Great build!
Only thing that makes me uncomfortable is those bare wires right on the sharp brass edge. Might never be a problem, but it hurts still😁!
Keep up the good work!
-Arttu
Well it's not bare wire, but I agree the charging cable shouldn't be resting on that edge. Filed down or not.
@@45Lotos
I ment a wire without any outer protection against the brass, but you got the point!
I’d at least run a bead of hot glue along the edge so it’s not resting directly on it.
If the cable is falling out the small hole just make something with a 3D printer something like a plug!!
thanks I love your videos
Abraham Herzog Or tie a zip tie around it behind the brass plate :)
Is always great to see you taking charge
Thanks for the video. Keep safe and stay well.
I built a similar charging station using a shoe box.
Inspired by this video
Bob, I so appreciate your videos. Thank you for another fun build!
ah the good ole days of just Bob and a camera!
Nice solution Bob, thank you for posting this.
Love the brass detailing
Some people expressed worry about the potential heat generation. If you do this yourself, consider not only heat generation itself, but also what that does to the glue.
Even lower heat than used in a hot glue gun could lead to the glue softening, the chargers falling off over time and the glue getting to places where it was not supppsed to go - like the surface this storage center is standing on. If you do this yourself, make sure your charger doesn't run too hot beforehand or use a different method of attachment.
Iltms consistently comes up with great designs I love that
Now's a good time to think of some new bits videos, Bob.
That came out great! Looking nice and neat! 👍👌👏
*
cool, start production I will be the first buyer*👍👍👍👍😉
Looks amazing Bob!
Another great build Bob. The only thing I would have done differently is, I would have routed the charging cables from the back in order to give the front a much cleaner look. Secure the USB-C to a piece of wood or something so that you could just dock the chromebooks. Other than that, this is great.
Bob, another design for this build would be to flip the Chromebook around and hot glue the USB C cable in where the brass rod is. then treat it like a docking system. this way there aren't any cables seen from the front. and it charges when not in use. I would recommend using some kind of felt so it wouldn't scratch the Chromebook. but overall I like the design.
Cool project Bob, one suggestion, after you can get out (or order from Amazon) you can consolidate the cord situation via a multiport charging station under the box. Smaller than a power strip, lighter than for charging blocks (generates almost no heat), and works just as well with only one cord coming out the back. We have there all over the house for my kids phones/pads/macbooks/etc. Great project video, super cool look.
What you just did is how I do about 90% of my projects. LOL I like it though. I might make this project an exception, and use your "plan." :)