Wireless charging experiment:
For whatever reason, my 02 LE doesn't come with that third cupholder the 03 models have. The flat spot has always just been the instinctive place I toss my phone. Its within reach, visible and it doesn't slide or bounce out of that spot. I've always wanted to give wireless charging a shot, so here's what I did.
Picked up a tri coil Qi wireless charger from amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07176HT5T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Bought a 104F thermal cut off switch
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PK6892Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Generic 12v USB phone charger
Generic wire harness plug
Auto/Cancel power seat switch from salvaged LE R50
Wireless coil attached to plastic insert by jb weld
Wireless coil fed by modified micro USB wire with thermal cut off switch spliced in.
Modified micro USB wire connected to generic wire harness plug
The other side of the wire harness plug is tapped into the 12v power socket on the dash in a parallel fashion.
Blank plate on the dash has been swapped with the Auto/Cancel power seat switch. (acetone removed some of the seat graphic)
Auto/cancel breaks the circuit.
My experience with it has been decent so far. I'm using an iPhone Se 2020 edition with a silicone case and the phone is still able to charge. The phone has never had a chance to overheat since the thermal cutoff switch steps in really early. I had apparently made a miscalculation from Celsius for Fahrenheit. I thought initially, it would kill the circuit around 130F. Dry days with temps in the 30 (f) the charger seems to continuously charge unless I'm parked and idling a bunch. It will continuously charge in the 40s (F) on rainy days. It appears the heat is more from the engine/drivetrain and exhaust than from the wireless charging circuit. I can run maps continuously on the phone and the charger seems to be able to keep up with that. Being that winter is coming upon us, I'll leave the thermal cutoff switch in for now, and think about getting a different in the spring.