When I started my captain’s chair project, I knew there would be changes along the way. I got the arms mounted and attached the keyboard halves and mouse in position, and tested it.

About a week later, I had to charge the left half.

Another week, charge the left half.

Then, both halves.

Eventually the mouse.

Now “weekly charging” is a hassle as I wrangle up portable chargers or plug them all into the wall. I needed an easier way…

The Fix: Just Run the Cables

Sometimes the best solution is the obvious, simple one: run charging cables along the chair arms so everything charges in place. No more hunting for a cable or unplugging something else.

Bill of Materials

Under the right armrest. Still waiting for SmallRig to call about my sponsorship.

Under the right armrest. Still waiting for SmallRig to call about my sponsorship.

note
Fair warning: I probably over-did it on the cable spec. Everything here is rated for 100W Power Delivery, and the actual draw from a split keyboard and a mouse is nowhere near that. But 100W was the easy number to search for on Amazon — it meant everything I picked up would handle Power Delivery without having to cross-reference device specs. Overkill, sure, but no compatibility surprises.

One thing worth calling out separately: the 180° adapters at the connection points. The curve of the chair arm means a straight cable wants to stick out at an awkward angle or bend hard at the plug. The U-shape adapters let the cable hug the arm naturally without extra slack or stress on the connector.

The 180° adapter in action.

The 180° adapter in action.

The setup terminates in a single USB-C connection, so the power source is flexible — wall outlet, battery pack, whatever’s convenient. The 10’ extension cable is there for when I want to run it to a wall outlet. For now, I just keep a battery pack in my lap while everything charges.

What’s Still Left

Cable management. The cables work, the charging works — but the routing is still exposed. I’ll tackle hiding or organizing them in a future pass.

I also want to find a spot to mount the battery pack on the chair itself. It doesn’t need to be big — just enough to top off a split keyboard and a mouse — and once it’s mounted, the chair is completely untethered from the wall.

But for now: the charging problem is solved.

← Back to Blog Question about this build? Ask me →