The IONIQ 5 is a great car (in about every aspect that matters to me), but there is one little thing that is a bit annoying: It only features a single USB data port combined with the need of using a dongle for wireless Android Auto / Apple Carplay. While it is quite simple to solve the technical part with a small USB hub to connect a wireless dongle and an USB stick at the same time, to avoid the mess of cables and devices, and also to have the USB port easily accessible, I designed a little tray that fits into the center console below of the USB data port of the car.
The standard model works with the Android wireless dongle "AAWireless" (that's what I use and can test). Other rather small Android dongles, e.g. the Motorola MA1 should also fit just as easily. For larger dongles and most for Apple Carplay: These dongles appear to be slightly larger so please check the section below to see what the chances are your dongle will fit in the standard compartment (I have the standard version with a similar tested a large USB hard drive before designing the Plus version, and with a bit of origami it all came together nicely). There is also a PLUS model that offers an additional compartment in the bottom for larger USB wireless dongles or USB hubs.
If you build the model and you like it, please consider buying me a coffee. I put a lot of effort and test prints into it (after my personal one was ready and in use) to tweak and document it and get this working for you. It would just be great if that paid off for the filament and parts I needed.... and maybe even a car wash for my IONIQ 5 :-)
Model Details
Two tray versions are available, the Tray (left photos) and the TrayPLUS (right photos). The only difference between the two is the extra space for the Plus version, so all other parts fit both.
The model consists of the following parts:
A Mount Plate to be attached with double-sided tape to the center console. This part provides two rails to slide the tray and allows you to easily take it out if you need to access the devices.
The actual USB Tray which will hold the devices. It is large enough to fit the devices I used, and provides enough space for the USB cables and connectors. Check my comments below if you want or need to use other devices.
The USB TrayPLUS provides an extra compartment at the bottom to hold larger USB dongles. When installed, it visually retains the look of the standard shelf and also allows access to the center console space below the tray.
The Pixel Plate with the Pixel Plate Insert to provide a USB cable inlet somehow fitting the general Pixel design elements of the IONIQ 5. Both can be printed in multi-color on a single extruder printer by adding a filament change at the correct layer. There are two versions for the Pixel Plate, one to be used with a M3 heat-set insert, and a generic one with just a 1mm hole to be used with a generic self-tapping screw.
There is also an alternative Front Plate without the 22mm opening for the socket. So if you choose to not use a socket (which will give you a lot more space on the inside for fitting larger dongles or USB hubs) or you want to use a socket with a different diameter, just take this one. You should be able to easily add a custom opening in your slicer, or just drill it after printing. I made a 1mm center mark on the inside to help you with alignment.
Parts List
For the tray itself you just need some screws:
2 x M4x8 cylinder head screw and nut
1 x Heat-set insert M3x4.0x5.0 and M3x8 cylinder head screw and washer
Alternatively: Any small self-tapping screw; use a little drill bit if needed for the screw to fit without breaking the part
Electrical Parts
There is one important detail you must know about using AAWireless with an USB Hub in the IONIQ 5 (and this is probably also true for other dongles and for Carplay): You must connect the the AAWireless to port 0 of the USB hub. On other ports it will power up but not connect to the car.
Short USB Cable to connect the socket (for the socket above it is a male-2-male version): SUNGUY USB 3.0 Kabel 0.3M
Apple Carplay and Other Wireless Dongles:
Standard Tray
At the moment I do not have any Carplay wireless dongle to test but checked a bit the specs in the web and made a test with a small USB drive sized similarly (10.5 x 4.5 x 1.4 cm; 12cm including USB cable at 90°) ... and after some time playing Origami I found a way to make it fit in the standard tray. For any dongle, if it is
not longer than 12 cm (including USB cable bent 90°)
not much wider than 5 cm (there was still some space in that direction)
not taller then 16 mm
chances are good that you will make it fit. Keep in mind that you will need to use short USB cables. If it is getting tight, maybe some angled USB cables will help you out. Anyways, if you check the pictures I made from wiring everything you will get an idea what you will need and if it is worth a try.
And if you do not want to use a USB hub but only what the tray as a nice compartement for your wireless dongel, the standard tray version should work for you. Use the Front Plate without opening.
Tray PLUS
For those of you who don't want to bother putting everything in the standard compartment, I've designed a version that has an additional compartment on the bottom for the dongle to fit, and this will provide plenty of space for the USB hub and cables in the rest of the tray.
If you want to use other electronics here are some hints:
For the USB Hub and the wireless dongle, at least one of them should fit under the USB socket outlet. The Manhattan USB hub is ~14mm in height, and that fits perfectly (there is ~16mm of space between the bottom of the tray and the installed USB socket outlet.
I only tested the AAWireless, but from the specs the Motorola MA1 should also fit into the standard version. The e.g. CarlinKit dongles (and similarly sized dongles) should also fit, check my comments and wiring section to decide whether to try the standard tray or the PLUS.
The USB Hub should have both of the usb ports to be used (with one of them being port 0!) on the same side so that there is enough clearance for standard USB cables. Of course you can do some trial and error with angled connectors that will help a lot if you have them in the correct configuration.
The USB socket outlet I used is quite short but with a USB cable with a standard straight connector it actually requires the full spacing to the back of the tray. So if you opt for another socket outlet, be sure it fits with a USB cable attached. Or you can also check for USB sockets with a short (!) fixed cable (which will save space), or opt for some angled connector cables. Checking on AliExpress will give you some cheaper options as well. As a reference, check the drawing of the TRU Components socket with USB A Female connector (there is also the datasheet if you follow the link in the parts list).
Use two strips of double-sided adhesive tape and place it on the top of the Mount Plate.
Slide the tray on the Mount Plate and fix it from the inside with just a bit of scotch tape. This will keep everything in place for a perfect alignment when placing it into the center console in the car. Make sure to make it stick just a bit, you will need to slide off the tray after step 4 without being able to remove the scotch tape because the Front Plate is mounted (photo 3).
Attach the front plate, use the two M4 screws to keep the Front Plate in place (no nuts needed at this point). There should be nothing attached to the FrontPlate (photo 4).
Place the assembly into the center console of your IONIQ 5 using the double-sided tape strips on top. The attached Front Plate will help you to align everything perfectly. Make sure the tray is fully slid onto the rails of the Mount Plate during alignment (photo 5).
2. USB Socket
Place the USB socket outlet into the Front Plate, do not forget the sealing ring on the front side. It will prevent the socket from rotating
Fix it from the inside with the M22 screw that came with the socket
Now attach the USB cable. It will be a hard or impossible to attach a straight cable after the Front Plate is mounted to the Tray
3. Front Plate
Put the heat-set insert into the Front Plate (or prepare the alternative Pixel Plate for the type of screw you use with a small drill bit) (photo 1)
Put the angled USB extension cable through the Front Plate and the Pixel Plate (photo 2)
Route the cable through the Pixel Plate Insert; then put the Pixel Plate Insert in Pixel Plate. Make sure it is fully inserted (it will stick out a few millimeters). It is a bit tricky due to the small tolerances and not space for phases in the model. (photo 2)
Now put the Pixel Plate (with the attached Pixel Plate Insert) into the Front Plate. Note that the Front Plate will tighten the snap-fit mechanism between Pixel Plate and Pixel Plate Insert. So there is a good reason to do it in that order.
Use the M3 screw to secure the Pixel Plate to the Front Plate (or use your self-tapping screw)
4. Front Plate
Put the two M4 nuts into the sides of the tray. If they are not held in place, you might want to glue them in or place some scotch tape on top to prevent them from falling out.
Slide the Front Plate into the tray and secure it with the M4 screws.
5. Wiring
There are several ways to wire everything up and get it into the compartment. And you need to see how it works best for you. But as an example, I'll document how I put things in the tray.
5. a) Wiring - AAWireless / MA1
Connect USB-A cable to USB socket (photo 1)
Mount Front Plate to the tray and route the cables through the opening on the left side (photo 2 and 3)
Now take the USB-Hub and connect the socket and the cable that will later connect to the wireless dongle. Make sure to connect the latter to Port 0 of the Hub (here marked with a blue sticker) (photo 1)
Put the USB-Hub into the tray as shown in the picture. Guide the connection cable of the USB-Hub also through the opening on the left side (photo 2 and 3)
Now slide the USB-Hub allt the way to the right side of the tray. The hub will end up under the USB socket (photo 4 and 5)
Connect the wireless dongle (photo 1)
Make a loop with the USB cable and guide it into the opening of the tray (photo 2)
Slide the dongle into the tray (photo 3)
Place the cable into the space between dongle and tray (photo 4)
Connect the USB-Hub to the USB extension cable that runs through the Pixel Plate (photo 1)
Push it carefully into the side of the tray (photo 2)
The final assembly is shown in the photos 3 and 4
5. b) Wiring - Carplay and Other Larger Dongles
I used a small USB-Disk as dongle for testing with the USB-Hub as listed in the parts section. It just had an USB-C connector, but that should be fine for the testing (photo 1)
Place the dongle with the USB cable pointng to the right. The USB-Hub must be placed on top with its cable pointing to the back. The ports of the USB-Hub that you will use are pointing to the middle of the tray. Connect the dongle and the USB cable that later will connect to the USB socket to the USB-Hub. Route the cables as shown in photo 3. The cable of the dongle is placed in the very rear of the tray (make a loop if necessary), the cable to connect the socket in the next step is guided through the opening on the right (photo 2-4)
Take the Front Plate and connect the socket with the cable that was guided through the right opening of the tray in the previous step (photo 1)
Guide the USB extension cable that goes through the Pixel Plate through the opening on the left of the tray (also photo 1)
Use the M4 screws to mount the Front Plate to the tray (photo 2)
Photo 3 shows how the cables connected to the USB-Hub are guided between dongle and USB socket.
Make a small loop and place the cable into the tray (photo 4)
Your assembly should look pretty clean already (photo 1)
Connect the USB-Hub to the USB extension cable (photo 2)
Carefully place the connectors and cable into the tray (photo 3)
Things should look as in the photos 4 and 5
Printing Instruction
I wanted the assembly to be “rock-solid”, and nothing to rattle while driving, and things to hold up for years. So maybe the recommendations below are a bit too conservative, but definitely it works (and doesn't make much of a difference anyways).
I mostly printed the parts in PETG and only opted for PLA for some colors I did not have in PETG. But even though the Mount Plate and Tray definitely benefit from PETG, I believe you are also good to go with PLA for all the parts (as the parts will not be exposed to direct sunshine).
Mount Plate
Material: PETG
Layer Height: 0.2 mm
Perimeters: 5
Infill: 50%
Orientation: Flat surface on print bed
Support: no
Tray
Material: PETG
Layer Height: 0.2 mm
Perimeters: 6
Infill: 50%
Orientation: Front side on print bed
Support: No
Brim: Yes, 5mm on outside! Take this seriously! I generally do not have any issues with bed adhesion and warping. But this part is almost “designed to warp” with a small surface area on the print bed, being quite tall, and being printed with a lot of perimeters. Save yourself some trouble and just use the brim feature.
Front Plate
Material: PETG
Layer Height: 0.2 mm
Perimeters: 2 for the first two layers (for a nicer surface finish), 6 for all others
Solid Layers: 6 (top and bottom)
Infill: 50%
Orientation: Front side on print bed
Support: Yes, on printebed only (for the Pixel Plate area; I feel a bit sorry for that but could not avoid it)
Multicolor: You can print the layers from 1 mm to 2mm in a different color, to make the Pixel pattern and line on the bottom stick out a bit. While I used Galaxy Black for the FrontPlate, these middle layers I printed in Jet Black which gives it quite a nice touch.
Note: If you choose the Front Plate without USB Socket outlet and you plan to drill a hole machting a socket with different diameter, make sure to print that area solid.
Pixel Plate
Material: PLA
Layer Height: 0.2 mm
Perimeters: 4 (and use a cylindic modifier for as many perimeters as you need around the 1mm hole for the self-tapping screw)
Infill: 30%
Orientation: Bottom side on print bed
Support: No
Multicolor: Change the colors for the Pixels at 6.0mm
Ironing: Yes (for all the Pixel top surfaces; use the height modifier feature in the slicer)
Pixel Plate Insert
Material: PLA
Layer Height: 0.2 mm
Perimeters: 4
Infill: 30%
Orientation: Bottom side on print bed
Support: Yes, on printebed only (for the Pixel Plate area; I feel a bit sorry for that but could not avoid it)
Multicolor: Change the colors for the Pixels at 8.2mm
Ironing: Yes (for all the Pixel top surfaces; use the height modifier feature in the slicer)
Pixel
Material: PLA
Note: Just print them solid and glue them to the pixel pattern on the bottom of the Front Plate in case you want a bit more color. Personally I think it is a bit too much, and they are so small to handle, and it is really tedious to glue them and have them perfectly aligned. But as the file is there it is up to you…
DET-Man
