Creating a JK Wrangler Wireless Charging Station DIY Is Dead Simple

Wrangler wireless charging station requires a phone charger, a USB power plug and wood.

Wireless charging is becoming a popular option in new vehicles, but the Jeep JK Wrangler wasn’t offered with this handy feature. Fortunately, “RedNRoll” put together a simple do-it-yourself write-up showing how to easily add a wireless charger to your Wrangler, using all basic items that most people have laying around their house as well as a standard wireless charging station.

JK Wrangler Wireless Charger Introduction

When the OP first introduced his do-it-yourself JK Wrangler wireless charging station, he started by explaining how he got into this project to begin with.

My wife had a BLU Vivo XL phone where after only owning it for 3 months, the thing stopped charging through the USB connection. She reads online, that this seems to be a common problem with this phone. She decides since she’s in a pinch, to go out and purchase a wireless charger to get her by while she works through BLU Manufacture Warranty Hell. Seeing as though I’m the techy one in the family, I ask her…..”Are you sure that phone supports Qi wireless charging?” She responds to me, “well I read on a forum where some other guy had the exact same problem with this same phone and that’s what he did, was purchase a wireless charger to fix it.” I say…OK. So she runs out to Walmart and for $32 purchases a Samsung Wireless Charging base.

She takes it out of the box, plugs it in…..no charging??? Hmmm?? Bad Charger??? Well, let me try my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, I’m pretty certain that supports Qi charging. Yep….WOW!! Works great. That’s pretty awesome, I really like this thing. Well, let me look up the specs on your BLU Vivo XL phone…Wireless Charging capability=NO. Sorry, your new BLU phone doesn’t support wireless charging but I really like this charger for my S7. In fact, I’ld like to get 4 of them for everywhere I typically set my phone down at. Bedroom nightstand, Home desk, Work desk, and inside my Jeep. Hmmm?? At $32 each, that’s $128….much more than I would like to spend to charge my phone.

I go on ebay and there’s a bunch of “Open Box Returns” of these Samsung wireless chargers being sold for $7-$8. Must be a lot of people like my wife buying these and later realizing it doesn’t work with their phone. So I buy (4) of them from ebay and tell her to go return this one to Walmart, since I can buy 4 at the price you paid for this one and I’m not in a dire need like yourself.

I always had trouble trying to figure out where to set my phone down in our JKs, since there’s really not that much in the way of flat surfaces aside from under the parking brake lever, which sucks. Most of the time I would just set it in the passenger seat, but that doesn’t work too well when the wife is riding with me. I find the change pocket in the center console is a good area, nearby the power outlets to try out the charger. It works great, except I don’t have a flat surface to set the charger on where the charger is constantly moving around on top of the pocket edges, and my phone in return is falling on the floor every time I make a sharp turn.

The original design is above and the newer, fast-charging design is below.

The Simple Build

After that thorough rundown of how this project came to be, the OP walks us through the process of making his wireless phone charger for the Wrangler. Rather than copy and paste each step, we have summarized it below.

Basically, the OP used Play-Doh to make a mold of the inner area of the change holder in the center console. He then used that Play-Doh mold as a template to cut the same shape out of wood. He then contoured the wood and painted it with Plasti-Dip, which is rubbery and helps the wood stay in place. He then used spray adhesive to hold the Samsumg charger to the piece of wood.

To power the wireless charger in his Wrangler, the OP plugged a USB adapter into the power point (cigarette lighter to some), running a cord from the plug to the charger. That is the entire process.

A while later, the OP upgraded to a fast charger that angles the phone towards the driver for better viewing while on the move. This would be ideal for someone who uses their phone for navigation in their Jeep Wrangler.

If you are interested in making a wireless charger for your Jeep Wrangler, click here to check out the original thread or to ask questions.

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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