Alpine A110 mount for CarPlay/Android Auto device

Who is this for?

This is a way to securely mount a portable CarPlay/Android Auto device above the existing infotainment screen in an Alpine A110 car. Print it out, stick a backing plate to your device, screw in a mounting plate to existing bolt holes in the car and slot the parts together. I printed mine in ABS and in ASA. It might work in PETG or PLA but I haven't tried.

Why do this?

I have a 2018 Alpine A110 Premiere Edition. It's a nice car but the infotainment system is dated and doesn't support CarPlay, though it has a nice vehicle data view with charts and graphs. Note that more recent models of this car have got CarPlay natively, so this affects earlier vehicles.

I use Google Maps and Apple Maps while driving. I used to keep my phone in view on a mount but this was distracting, so I decided instead to try a portable CarPlay / Android Auto unit. I wanted a sturdy, high quality result that is reversible in case I ever sell the car. I found a well-reviewed unit, which feels premium, has a nice 60fps responsive display and supports “screen only” mode so you can keep all the audio routed via Bluetooth, which means the hardware controls still work.

The unit I purchased has a pretty strong magnetic clip which is almost good, except that it can rotate in place and it rattles around while you drive, which I cannot stand to hear. Additionally all of the mounting options that come with them are ugly and generic — huge plastic suction mounts that look totally out of place. I decided to design my own mounting system that optimises for placement, rigidity and which is easy to remove without leaving a trace.

Designing a better clip/mount

I designed a composite part in CAD that bolts in behind the screen and whose components rigidly dovetail together. There are some other mounts on the market which use the two bolts that are behind the infotainment screen — you just unscrew them and keep them safe, drop in a bracket and then screw in some slightly longer bolts to install it. Based off this idea, I came up with my own design which fits in the space and which is easy to print and easy to assemble.

I iterated the design with various lengths and shapes of arms, angles and dovetails before finding an optimal solution. Initially I used tabs which dovetailed into the slots and which accepted M6 nuts and bolts which allowed me to play with angles and lengths. I also tried heat-set inserts, camera-threads and ball-mounts — all of which were sub-optimal for my needs. Ultimately I found a simple design that just works.

Which CarPlay / Android Auto device did I use?

I designed this mount to work with a product from MINIX which I got from Amazon UK. It will likely work with lots of other devices too, so long as they have a flat back that you can stick the dovetail to. The one I ordered has the following metadata:

- Product title: “MINIX [2025 Fully Laminated Screen] 60fps Portable Wireless Carplay Car Stereo 8.9 Inch 1920 * 720 HD Touchscreen for Carplay & Android Auto Car Stereo Receiver Supports Steering Wheel Controls” - Manufacturer: Minix Technology Limited - Item model number: CP89-HD - ASIN: B0D7VFX659 - Product dimensions: 9.91 x 22.35 x 2.03 cm; 1.02 kg This device has a curved back, it is flat in the X axis but has a curve in the Y axis. This is no problem at all, because the mount plate I designed sticks on just fine.

Convinced enough to give it a try?

In addition to having a CarPlay device and an Alpine A110, these are the parts required to assemble:

- 3M VHB tape (a high bond foam tape which is very sticky on both sides) - 3x M6 Thin Hexagon Nuts (I got mine from Accu with part number HFN-M6-M2) - 3x M6 x 8mm full thread socket cap head screws (I got mine from Accu with part number SSCF-M6-8-A2) - 2x M5 x 30mm bolts to replace the ones in the A110 (these are a bit longer than the ones that came with the car, so they fit through the model). There's one build plate, which I've successfully tested on my X1C with 0.4mm hardened steel nozzle and textured PEI build plate. I printed with the enclosure fully closed at normal speeds. I haven't had any issues with warping and the parts are dimensionally accurate.

Remixes/derivatives

I'm all about open-source design. I designed it in OnShape and the files are available if you want to modify this, remix it or whatever

- Check out the OnShape files   One idea I had was to design it so that no bolts are required, or to slightly decrease the tolerance on the dovetail for a tighter fit. You can try different mount designs, thicknesses or whatever. Do tag me though and let me see if you come up with something new.