Hi There I have been asked if I can make a robust stand for a Parkinson’s suffer.When he uses his phone with the amount of shaking in his hand no one can hear him as it rubs up on the ear.Getting him to put onto speaker phone is not going well.Would any body done something like this and had success??
Interesting challenge.
I imagine if getting him to use speakerphone is failing, a headset or earbud is out of the question?
The only other thing I can think of off hand would be something similar to a secretaries headset that holds the phone to his head in a normal talking position. ?? But it seems like a regular blue-tooth headset or earbud would be a similar process to put on.
I wonder if there’s a gizmo like a Siri / Alexa device that syncs to your phone like a vehicle system does??
Wow, searching on google wasn’t much help.
2 things come to mind.
A round “puck” attached to the back of the phone might be easier to hold. Probably not much help. Throwing it there so maybe someone else gets an idea from this.
A case that is a little bit thicker and made out of foam (thinking of the scratching) this might not be durable but if it’s cheap enough to make for a phone slipper it could be thrown away when it gets dirty.
Good luck on your quest, keep us updated.
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If there is no interest in one being machined, there are a lot of different styles of phone stand / amplifiers on Thingiverse that can be 3D printed. Some designs would lend themselves nicely to being printed with an open bottom, then weighted with sand or steel/lead shot and epoxy to give it heft.
The specific phone model also comes into play because of the exact location of the speaker on the bottom of the phone.
The best I could come up with is this one from the Google.The head set has a lot of advantages but the amount of shaking may make it hard for him to put it on.He is currently in Hospital having ECT treatment,not nice.
What phone make / model is he currently using right now? Is it in a case that changes the overall dimensions?
The phone is a cheap Nokia,pretty standard size to the others on the market.He only uses to keep in contact with family and friends.No email or you tube
Is it a smart phone - rectangular, flat, front is all screen?
Or is it a flip phone, or bar phone? I can make something to hold the phone that would be heavy with a non-skid neoprene base, but I’d need the dimensions of the phone.
Let me get the exact phone model,That is very kind to offer,the problem is I am in NZ,but with a bit of fiddling I could make one out of wood!!
What about just getting one of those Bluetooth conference call devices?
No worries. If you are interested in this, I can print it and send it empty, with the neoprene sheet for the base, and you can sand/epoxy fill it. Just let me know.
EDIT: If you like this style, but want to cut it in wood, here is the model cut in half. If you can fit a 3" tall piece of wood under your spindle, you can cut it, then cut a mirror and glue them together, maybe with a contrasting piece of wood like 3mm wide, like a racing stripe to hide the fact that it is a seam.
It is actually a STL, so just change the .ZIP to .STL. This is just to see if you can cut it, if you are interested. If you are, you can get me the dimensions of the phone and I can adjust the model.
Phone Holder 002 Base.zip (298.3 KB)
Or, if you want to go in a different direction,let me know.
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Well it all takes a little twist,his wife went and bought a flip phone today thinking this would stop the keys being activated when not in use.Apparently to go on speaker you press OK.It’s only 50 mm wide but he was able to operate it this afternoon but needs a robust stand to put it in to counteract the shaking.
My Mac will not open the Zip file and apple says no app is available to support?
Don’t try to open the .zip archive, download it, then change the file extension to .stl then work w/ it as an STL file (a 3D file format) — you’ll need to import it into Carbide Create Pro or MeshCAM or some other 3D CAM tool.
For Carbide Create Pro see:
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Alexa does have an option for that. I set it up on my mother’s so she could contact me if she couldn’t get to her phone. It works, but can have some bad echoing. It basically will call anybody in your contact list through your phone. Great for emergencies, but not for normal conversations.
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If the family isn’t cooperating, then you are going to waste a lot of time. In the USA, there are scores of places where equipment is provided or modified for such solutions. Most likely this problem has been solved before. I’m imagining that NZ has places with such equipment.
Alright, today when I get home from work (+8 hours or so from now) I’ll modify the dimensions of the base for that phone.
EDIT: And on the subject of using a Bluetooth speaker like @neilferreri suggested - I had a Bluetooth speaker for my late '90s car that clipped to the sun visor that was actually a great little speaker. It had really good noise canceling and good sound for a $45 speaker. They are probably even cheaper now that most cars come with Bluetooth built in. It might be worth a look, as an alternative.
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What great replies,thank you all,the family have tried the standard phone holders etc and not workable,the problem he has with the shaking,you can not have too many operations to answer the phone as you would run out of time by the time the call finished.A simple solid stand or holder he could have on a side table or chair beside him seems to be what is needed.I am amazed that the Parkinson’s society have no recommendations for such a unit.
Thanks Will,we will be up and running shortly.
Actually, STL is an allowed filetype, so no reason to change the name.
I was able to download a bunch of pics and dimensions for that flip phone and was on my way to modifying the base when I was unceremoniously removed from the computer so my wife could take care of some online stuff… 
I may get some time a bit later tonight, but if not, I have what I need to get a new design done with about 2 hours of CAD time for you to check out and critique.
I am thinking of removing the triangular area between the phone slot and speaker slot, moving the phone forward in the holder, so more of the phone is visible, and moving more volume to the rear of the holder to keep the mass of it.
I guess the best way to visualize it is imagine a small bean bag and pushing the phone into the front of it so it is just barely being held on the front of the bean bag and most of the bean bag is behind the phone, out of the way.
Do you want a slot for the USB cable to be plugged in while in the base?
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