One charging station to rule all them all

Even though our household is just two-person-and-one-cat big, our kitchen desk was often messed up with USB-cables and chargers for our phones, tablets and camera batteries. So I decided to do my first IKEA hack — a KVISSLE + OSTBIT charging station — to make a bit less messy.

This is the end result:

IKEA items used:

• KVISSLE – Cable management box

• OSTBIT – Plate holder, bamboo

• FIXA – 114-piece cable management set

Optional:

• ISBERGET – Tablet stand
• GRUNDTAL – Container, stainless steel

Non-IKEA Material:

• 6-Port USB Wall Charger
• Velcro Tape
• Double sided tape
• Surface Mounted Socket Outlet
• Europe style surface mounting switch with LED indicator
• Power cord with plug

Alternative options from IKEA:

• KOPPLA – 5 outlet power strip & 2 USB ports
• KOPPLA – 3-port USB charger

Tools:

• Mini saw
• Carpet knife
• Screwdriver
• Glue

Steps to construction charging station:

Since the OSTBIT Plate holder was a bit wider than the lid for KVISSLE, and it was possible to dissemble OSTBIT, I used a small saw to make OSTBIT about 18 mm narrower.

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I used small pieces of velcro tape to attach OSTBIT to the lid for KVISSLE, leaving then a possibility to remove it if needed.

My first attempt looked like this, with just an the USB-charger attached to the side wall of KVISSLE velcro tape, plugged into an extension cord. The USB-cables were then pulled through the hole in the lid. After a day I realized this was not the optimal solution, as it wasn’t very easy to unplug the USB-cables.

So, I bought a surface mounted socket outlet and a switch with a led indicator, and used a power cord and a plug I had lying around, to do the needed connections. I mounted the outlet and switch with a double-sided tape.

I used Velcro tape to attach two camera battery chargers to the outside.

…and the USB-charger to the inside.

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Related: Charge while you sleep with a hidden bedside wireless charging pad

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I glued some cardboard to the underside of the KVISSLE cork lid, to make it stiffer.

Then I used a carpet knife to cut the cork lid, so that the USB-charger can be used without opening the lid.

I used some cable ties and cable clips to attach some cables to the back of the box.

And this is the final result of my charging station:

But then I also used 3 GRUNDTAL, Containers with a magnetic back, to use as easily accessible storage for USB-cables or in-ear headphones.

~ by Stefan Sahlander

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