SPAM Phone Charger

Recently, I've experienced and increase in SPAM. Calls, emails, and texts - it's coming from all directions.

Generally, I find it rather annoying, but on this day (probably a Wednesday), my brain processed and reconstituted a robocall into a stupid yet useful peripheral.

Welcome to my brain:
Unknown number calls phone -> dang spam call -> Hmmm ... I remember eating fried SPAM as a kid -> what if instead of draining battery power, SPAM could charge your phone? -> I bet an inductive charger could fit inside of a SPAM can -> I will not let you sleep soundly until you bring this creation to life!

And that's how I ended up at the grocery store buying a solitary can of SPAM.

12 oz can of SPAM
Inductive Charger
90 degree micro USB cable
Scrap plywood
Wood glue
Screws
Black Leather Dye
Spray Shellac

After popping the top and patiently waiting for the PLOCK (pork block) to submit to gravity, I thoroughly washed the can and then headed to the workshop.

The SPAM can is not deep enough for the intended purpose, so I started by removing a central section from the bottom. This was done with a Dremel - cutoff wheel for material removal and grinding stone for deburring.

For internal padding, I used EVA floor mat foam. The front and back panels required some shaping to fit the contour of the can, which was done on the 1" strip sander [Fig. 2]. Side strips were then glued to the edges of front panel using contact cement [Fig. 3].

Once the foam parts were adhered to the can interior using hot glue, we're left with a slot for the inductive charger and then an open space for your phone [Fig. 4].

Foam Dimensions
Front/Back Panels: 3 3/4" wide x 3" tall
Side Strips: 1/2" wide x 3" tall

Since the charging disc, as well as any phone, will extend below the can, I needed some type of hollowed out base.

The wireless charging sensor within an iPhone seems to be smack in the middle, so final placement of the disc (directly below the top lip of the can) dictates how low within the can/base the phone must descend. After some trial and error, I found that charging didn't initiate until the phone was 1 1/4" below the bottom of the can.

I made the base out of plywood and hardboard. I didn't have any 1/2" ply, so I just cut a layer of 3/4" down to 1/2". The plywood will be hollowed out and the hardboard will be the solid bottom.

Dimensions for all three parts are 2 1/4" x 4"

You could glue the plywood layers together and then drill the holes, but I decided to do it in stages for whatever reason.

After marking in 1 1/8" from each edge, as well as marking center, a 1 1/4" Forstner bit was used for material removal [Fig. 1&2].

A razor knife and chisel were then used to remove enough material from the bottom face for the smaller connector of the power cord [Fig. 3-5].
Note: This hole could be smaller. It really only needs to be large enough for the cable, but you'd have to remember to make it part of the glue up and it would be captive.
I didn't want to commit to the cable being captive and I also didn't want to mess up the fancy blue cable with black leather dye during the finishing process.

This 1/2" layer was then glued to the 3/4" layer - chiseled area facing outwards [Fig. 6].

While the first round of glue dried, I moved onto the lid. I wanted a slot large enough for a phone, but not so large that the charging disc was obviously visible. I have an iPhone 8 and the Warden has an iPhone X, which is larger.

After a bit of measuring, I settled on a layout - 1" from the back edge, 3/8" from the front edge, and 1/2" from the sides [Fig. 2].

Since I didn't want to risk chewing up the lid with a cut off disc, I took my time with a razor knife on a cutting mat. I found the best method to be making light score line and then pressing the blade through multiple points. Trying to slice through lacked control.

One advantage of drilling the base in two stages is that the exiting holes are used as guides for the next layer, so they'll line up perfectly.

Once drilled, I drew some reference lines and removed the remaining material using the oscillating spindle sander [Fig. 3-5].

I also took the time to transfer and drill the holes which will be used to secure the can to the base [Fig. 6&7].

The plywood was then glued to the hardboard bottom - chiseled area facing the hardboard [Fig. 9].

For finish, I used two applications of Fiebing's USMC Black leather dye followed by two coats of spray shellac.

Assembly was quick and easy.

1. Position screws in the can holes.
2. Feed power cord through the base and can.
3. Secure the can to the base via the screws.
4. Plug in charging disc and place into can [failed to capture image].
5. Shim and glue the charging disc as necessary so that it doesn't rattle around.
6. Position and secure lid using hot glue.
Note: I considered contact cement for the lid, but went with hot glue just in case I ever need to get to the charging disc - replacement and/or reuse.

There we go - SPAM which actually benefits your phone. It's pretty ridiculous, but I like it. It's currently on my kitchen counter and makes me giggle every time I see it.

The straight cable which came with the wireless charger wouldn't fit in the can unless I made the base even deeper, so when I went searching for a cable with 90 degree connectors, I just happened to find this "fancy" blue version. I think it goes well with the blue of the can, but a regular black cable would be just as good.

I did experiment with the placement of the pull tab. I had it sticking up at one point, but it just didn't look right and deformed the corner of the lid. Flat looks better IMO - you just have to rotate it toward the back when you want to charge a phone.

Of course this idea could be modified to fit within other food tins or product packaging. Maybe you want to charge your iPad in a box of Lucky Charms ... I know I do.
If smaller inductive chargers are available (I haven't found any in my quick searching) you could even use cylindrical cans - soups, beans, beverages, etc. Perhaps a Cocoa can for the chocolate lover in your life.