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Here is my prototype of an ePods docking base. It will allow one to just place the ePods on the base to charge, connect to an Active-Sync host or the network. It is obviously very crude. I put this together in about three hours using hot-melt glue and wood scraps. I did this to prove out the concept. I would NOT advise you to show these pictures to your significant other and state that "it be great to have one of these on our coffee table" <g>.
Here is a side view of the setup. The final version will have all the base wiring concealed. Currently, I have the USB port wired directly to a USB-to-PS2 converter. With this I can use a standard keyboard/mouse or connect into my KVM (keyboard-video-mouse) switch.
Here is the ePods off the base. Right now it is definitely a FrankenPod. The final version will have the connector pads flush mounted and the wiring inside the case. There is plenty of room below the battery for the connectors and wiring.
Here is the base by itself. The connectors from left to right are ethernet, serial (2 connectors), USB, and power. My final version will have three 6-pin connectors instead of five 4-pin connectors. The 6-pin connectors were on backorder when I decided to do this project. I wasn't sure if the connectors would add significant noise to the signals passing through them. The ePods works great with the base. All of the devices seem to work just as well as if they were directly connected. The spring loading on the male connectors allow for some minor misalignment in the mounting. I have not tested a phone line through the connector. However, since the ethernet works I'm pretty sure that a modem connection will work also. I purchased all the parts from Digikey. The connectors part numbers are 70ADH-n-g-ND, where n is the number of connectors and g is the gender. For example, a four pin male connector is 70ADH-4-M-ND. The power connector part number is CP-016-ND. The USB-to-PS2 adapter is a StarTech USB2PS2. I'm sure you could adapt other brand of adapters. The rest of the parts should be easy to find.
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