PC Mount

BernieD · Nov 30, 2007

I just installed a RAM PC mount/bracket by the dashboard of our coach. The RAM mounts are like a buffet of selecting those components that work with your space. There are stands (attach to seat or drill thru floor), arms, PC holders, etc. I had heard about the system on the Travel Supreme e-group where an install similar to mine was described. I used the ball mount base (drilled thru the bottom of the cup holder), the adjustable arm (ball mounts at both ends of the arm to permit movement in any direction), the laptop base (adjustable to fit laptops up to 17", RAM's claim) and a bracket to keep the screen/lid from moving. The whole package came to just over $100 including tax and shipping. The system was purchased from:

www.custommounts.com
800-789-0087
Direct Extension - 101
Email: [email protected]

and I have no connection with the company other than as a customer.

We haven't been on the road yet, so can't give a detailed report, that'll have to wait till January. While I am very satisfied with the installed unit, it was a bear to put together. The instructions did not cover a number of issues in the assembly of the PC tray (the hard part) or the lid base and I felt you needed 5 arms to put it together. But as I said, once together and installed, seems great.

Pictures of the parts and the installed package are attached

Tom · Nov 30, 2007

Congratulations Bernie. You'll be pleased with the RAM mount. I have on on a RAM pedestal (courtesy of Russ) that replaced the coffee table I was using. Safer and more flexible for my use.

Jeff · Nov 30, 2007

Bernie:

Is there a reason for the base being so thick? It looks thicker than your PC.

Tom · Nov 30, 2007

Jeff,

If you're talking about the tray immediately beneath the PC, it's an adjustable tray that has springs on the inside to allow it to adjust for the width of the PC and to hold the clamps firm against the side of the PC. It's not pretty, but it works very well.

Jeff · Nov 30, 2007

Tom:

I see.

Thanks

BernieD · Dec 1, 2007

Jeff Cousins said:
Bernie:

Is there a reason for the base being so thick? It looks thicker than your PC.

Jeff

Tom beat me to it, giving you the reason.

Tom · Dec 1, 2007

Bernie,

I'm just glad we had the same answer ;D

I really do like the new mount. When I first saw one in someone's coach it looked somewhat ugly. But, having used one, my perspective has changed considerably. Chris also likes the fact that she doesn't have to climb over the coffee table to get into or out of the driver's seat.

Whiskyecho · Dec 6, 2007

BernieD said:
..The whole package came to just over $100 including tax and shipping..

Or, for about $20 and a little imagination, one could "build" their laptop pedestals. I've made 2 - for my F150 and for my Roadtrek. They're rotatable so that the view can be dedicated to either side (or in the middle so both can view) - they're collapse-able so they can be taken down and stored (tho I like to leave them in place - as another place to put "stuff").....bill :

Tom · Dec 6, 2007

Nice job Bill, on both counts. Another forum member did something similar and posted photos here somewhere.

The one in your motorhome would have the same disadvantage for us as our prior coffee table solution, i.e. difficult for the driver to get in and out. I located ours further forward and to the right of the console. My wife does 95% of the driving, so this works fine for me as the navigator.

Whiskyecho · Dec 6, 2007

Except that the table can be rotated 90? to allow for "walk-thru".

Or, for those with elephantitis, the table/laptop can simply be pulled "up" and then replaced.....bill

Tom · Dec 6, 2007

Lifting the PC and table off and on every time one wants to get by doesn't sound very practical. I know my driver wouldn't put up with that.

Tom · Dec 6, 2007

Looks like George Mullen's laptop stand was posted in our old location. Here's the photos from my archive.

BernieD · Dec 6, 2007

Bill

One issue I had was that I wanted the laptop as far forward and as high as possible so that I could glance at it without taking my eyes off the road. I also had to be concerned about not blocking the drawers in the console and, if and when I replace my laptop, that the PC base will accommodate the 17" screen model that I want. The RAM mount also gives me a very secure base to hold the laptop.

BruceinFL · Dec 6, 2007

Whiskyecho said:
Or, for about $20 and a little imagination, one could "build" their laptop pedestals. I've made 2 - for my F150 and for my Roadtrek. They're rotatable so that the view can be dedicated to either side (or in the middle so both can view) - they're collapse-able so they can be taken down and stored (tho I like to leave them in place - as another place to put "stuff").....bill :

Bill,
Is that PVC that you used? What about the screw in attachment to the floor and laptop table, is that metal or PVC?

Whiskyecho · Dec 6, 2007

BernieD said:
Bill

..so that I could glance at it without taking my eyes off the road..

Until such time as our Rigs have a "heads-up" capability in the drivers windshield that ain't gonna happen (I post that "tongue-in-cheek", of course ;D).

Whatever works for whomever is the correct way to go.....bill

Tom · Dec 6, 2007

Whiskyecho said:
Until such time as our Rigs have a "heads-up" capability in the drivers windshield ....

Might not be that far away Bill. The cost of a HUD function would be a fraction of what it once was in the avionics world. It might even prevent some accidents. Something at the back of my mind keeps saying that someone has already implemented this for on-road vehicles. Maybe it was a prototype.

Whiskyecho · Dec 6, 2007

BruceinFL said:
Bill,
Is that PVC that you used? What about the screw in attachment to the floor and laptop table, is that metal or PVC?

Bruce:

I used 1 1/2" sched 40 PVC for my truck and then 2" for the Roadtrek. The "attachments" are galvanized Floor Plates that have female threads (and 4 screw holes). Here's a pic of the set-up and the individual pieces (nothing is "glued" to make for easy install and take-down).....Bill:

Whiskyecho · Dec 6, 2007

Tom said:
..It might even prevent some accidents..

I'm not really sure that a HUD would be a good thing in an automobile - I'm thinking that it would be a big distraction (for the driver) and that it might even contribute to accidents. (now if we're talking about a navigator in a Rally car - maybe).

One can "get away with it" while flying because of the fact that there's (usually) nobody else in the immediate vicinity and a certain amount of "sloppiness" isn't as critical at altitude (compared to driving on the road) - I read somewhere that it takes only 2 seconds of inattentiveness to create a situation that could lead to an accident (& I believe that) - with a HUD (for GPS display) I'd venture that a driver would tend to view the display for a longer period than that (and, should the driver go for 2 seconds or less, he's not gonna gain any decision-making information). Being in the drivers "line-of-sight" is a non-issue because if the driver is focused on the GPS display he, pure and simple, isn't gonna see the other side of it.

Personally I shoot a glance at the laptops display for that 2 seconds, or less (a smaller display would be useless to these old eyes - hence no portable unit). If I've got GPS questions I do 1 of 2 things - either ask my co-pilot for info (or to zoom-in or out - or) - or - pull off the road and look for myself.

No, I can't see a benefit of having GPS in a HUD.....bill

Tom · Dec 6, 2007

You may well be right Bill. My recollection of HUDs (it's approx 40 years out of date) was that the display was focused to infinity so the pilot didn't need to refocus on it. But, as I say, I'm way out of date and I've never been in the cockpit.

When my driver has a GPS question, she just asks the navigator ;D Personally, I think that looking at a GPS screen while driving is a recipe for an accident. If I need GPS while driving, I prefer to use the voice prompts.

Tom · Dec 6, 2007

I guess I didn't dream it ....

Here's a video of HUD in a Cadillac. Here's an ad for a company making HUD for any vehicle windshield.

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