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Do I get the award for the simplest mount?
Basically what I've done here is take the self-adhesive metal plate tomtom supply for securing their gps 'mice' to the car. It holds my Advantage just beautifully. I thought it might swing around a bit on its axis because the plate is so small but if you sit the end of the advantage that has two magnets (either side of the keyboard connector) it seems to hold in place pretty rigidly. I've tried a few twists and turns as well as emergency stops and not lost it yet. It might be the case that the screen would flop off the keyboard at a very rapid deceleration but it hasn't happened yet. I leave the cover on for convenience and to cushion its fall if that does happen.
So far it seems pretty secure but use at your own risk.
Cost approx GBP£5 (USD$10) plus tax, postage etc and ultimate convenience. No sucker bases, swing arms etc and it sits right where its needed for power etc.
I had mine left over from a previous tomtom installation but similar plates are apparently still available as spares e.g. from here.
I'm not sure mine is magnetic, by the way, it may just be metal.
The same I thought...but I sold TomTom gps years ago...
inframan said:
Do I get the award for the simplest mount?
Basically what I've done here is take the self-adhesive metal plate tomtom supply for securing their gps 'mice' to the car. It holds my Advantage just beautifully. I thought it might swing around a bit on its axis because the plate is so small but if you sit the end of the advantage that has two magnets (either side of the keyboard connector) it seems to hold in place pretty rigidly. I've tried a few twists and turns as well as emergency stops and not lost it yet. It might be the case that the screen would flop off the keyboard at a very rapid deceleration but it hasn't happened yet. I leave the cover on for convenience and to cushion its fall if that does happen.
So far it seems pretty secure but use at your own risk.
Cost approx GBP£5 (USD$10) plus tax, postage etc and ultimate convenience. No sucker bases, swing arms etc and it sits right where its needed for power etc.
I had mine left over from a previous tomtom installation but similar plates are apparently still available as spares e.g. from here.
I'm not sure mine is magnetic, by the way, it may just be metal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great idea. So in theory, any magnetic adhesive strip should serve in the car. Hmmm....
Maybe these
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Magnetic-Stri...yZ123866QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Or cheaper ones!
inframan said:
Do I get the award for the simplest mount?
Basically what I've done here is take the self-adhesive metal plate tomtom supply for securing their gps 'mice' to the car. It holds my Advantage just beautifully. I thought it might swing around a bit on its axis because the plate is so small but if you sit the end of the advantage that has two magnets (either side of the keyboard connector) it seems to hold in place pretty rigidly. I've tried a few twists and turns as well as emergency stops and not lost it yet. It might be the case that the screen would flop off the keyboard at a very rapid deceleration but it hasn't happened yet. I leave the cover on for convenience and to cushion its fall if that does happen.
So far it seems pretty secure but use at your own risk.
Cost approx GBP£5 (USD$10) plus tax, postage etc and ultimate convenience. No sucker bases, swing arms etc and it sits right where its needed for power etc.
I had mine left over from a previous tomtom installation but similar plates are apparently still available as spares e.g. from here.
I'm not sure mine is magnetic, by the way, it may just be metal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is great! Can't believe I didn't think of it. DUH! Great job on reporting this.
I'm thinking of going to the hardware store and getting a small L shaped metal "plate" and put velcro on the back of it. Should hold things nicely.
Like the way you kept the case on it. I would have done exactly the same thing. Not only does it help but I would be too lazy to remove it all the time when I got into my vehicle.
magnetic adhesive strip
Actually I tried magnetic adhesive strip, but it is quite weak ... Found out a normal metal ruler is better magnetic adhesive, as the keyboard is quite a strong magnet
@topic
Its really a good idea... I might try it...
Im using this one
it's fantastic and very solid
After a bit of searching I made a dock for my Nexus S and thought I'd show the results here.
I found out about polymer clay in this post (the thanks button is disabled for some reason...).
And I used the resistor values listed here, as some other threads showed they also worked with the Nexus S: Fun with resistors (home/car dock mode + more)
I ordered a Sparkfun microUSB breakout board, bought some resistors at a local electronics shop and four blocks of black Fimo clay at a nearby arts shop. I had the other supplies on hand:
-Soldering iron, solder, etc.
-Shrink wrap in various sizes.
-Hot glue.
-Aluminium plate.
-USB cable.
-Narrow and slightly rounded file.
-Box cutter or exacto knife.
I made the cable first (and did not take pictures at that time) and ensured that part worked before tackling the clay portion of the project.
I soldered one end of the resistor on the breakout board and the other directly on a stripped portion of the ground cable. The data wires remain functional as I am using a wall charger that properly shorts the D+ and D- wires to enable AC mode. I secured everything to the board with hot glue and finished off with shrink wrap.
This was my first time working with Fimo and it went well. I wrapped my phone in cellophane for a test fit along with the modified cable. The cable however isn't rated for the baking temperature so this was only temporary.
After baking, it turned out that I had misplaced the portion meant to hold the cable, so I snapped it off and made another with some left-over clay. The cured material can handle rebaking with no issues.
A bit of rework on the attachment point with a knife, test fit again, glue the board and file a notch for the buttons.
The phone slides in and out smoothly. I'm quite satisfied with the results.
Update: dock still works great. I've made one mod though: I took an old mouse pad, tore off the cloth on the top, cut a shape matching the dock's bottom, and hot glued the two together. This anti-skid pad means I can turn off the alarm or answer a call (which the phone answers in speakerphone mode right away) without inadvertently moving my phone on the nightstand.
Goodbye,
Darkshado
Wow really cool, and might have to try it.
Sent from my Nexus S 4G
nice work! I still have mine intact and it suffered some serious banging. Love your design too! Cheers.
a video of the process would be awesome for us noobs
Thanks for the feedback!
daudster: sorry, but its too late for a video. The good news is that there are plenty of good soldering tutorials out there.
This post by Fallon also has nice pictures that are very close to what I've done myself.
I started with the cable.
My "donor" USB cable was a standard compliant color coded affair. (Red Vcc, Black Ground, Green D+, White D-)
Checking with a multimeter to be safe is a very good idea.
Given the gauge of your typical USB cable wires and the breakout board's holes I suggest you presolder your wires.
Holding the stripped end of your wires with a sufficiently massive pair of pliers will make a nice heat sink to prevent melting the insulation when soldering.
Instead of doing like Fallon and placing the resistor above the breakout board, I soldered one pin on the board, the other on a stripped section of the ground cable "downhill" from the board. If you want to do it like this, make sure that you don't short your resistor with the ground cable. Then cover with shrink wrap.
Lousy ASCII art diagram below:
(Breakout board on the left)
ID--------R------\
GND--======---====
Depending on your exact design, this may not be necessary, but I opted to secure the small gauge wires to the board with hot glue, prior to covering with a larger diameter length of shrink wrap. While this cable's solidity might not be commercial grade, tugging on the cable by mistake would not risk as much damage.
Also a departure from Fallon's post is that I am using a Samsung OEM wall charger that shorts the Data wires in the charger itself, enabling AC mode, so no need to do it on the breakout board. My cable is confirmed working on the computer with both ADB and USB Mass Storage file transfer.
Test as you go to make sure none of your solders introduced unwanted short-circuits. (Fail to do this is and you could very well KILL your precious Nexus S or computer.)
Now, the Fimo part.
This was my first time ever working with Fimo and it turned out to be easy. As you work the material you heat it a little (friction) and it becomes a bit tacky to the touch so I worked on a small sheet of aluminium foil, wax paper might be better yet.
The aluminium plate is used for curing, as its much easier to handle with oven mitts and solid enough for this purpose.
Roll three blocks of Fimo in a sheet about 6-8 mm (¼") thick. With a blade, cut the excess on each side to end up with a properly sized rectangle for the back and bottom of the dock. These leftover bits will serve to support the back as well as the breakout board.
I kept my back flat, you may want to have it curved like the Samsung OEM one. Your choice, I chose flat because its easier to make and to simplify reuse with minimal modification when I'll change phones down the road.
The notch in the bottom for the buttons may be done before or after curing. Before, your fingers, a pen, coffee stirrer sticks or popsicle sticks all work. After, a rounded file or sandpaper.
My first breakout board support was misaligned so I had to break it off. For this reason I suggest you consider doing it in a second curing. This way your test fits are going to be much more accurate.
Most cables aren't rated for high enough temperatures to follow the Fimo in the oven for its curing. That's what lead me to making a support with a notch and using hot glue to finish the job. It's also flexible enough in case your alignment isn't perfect.
Goodbye,
Darkshado
Realy nice work
a quick sanding and molding would of gone miles to make it look normal!
i think that i'm going to try this!
thanks:good:
I know this post is quite useless. I just wanted to vent out my frustration.
I just got off the phone with a B&N rep after 20 minutes of talking--because the rep kept beating around the bush and kept placing me on hold--and was told that I needed to callback on Monday to get the tracking no. for my 2nd--yup, this happened twice before--USB cable replacement. Yup, it broke again like the first one I got included with the NC--SIMPLY BECAUSE OF IT'S POOR QUALITY.
In generic micro USB cables, you would notice that most of them are made of rubber material, especially the one covering the tiny metal tip that you insert on the device's USB port, which makes them quite durable. Even if you bend it intentionally multiple times, the metal tip will not be affected that much. Only downside is, it doesn't fast charge the NC. In my experience, it takes a day and a half (about 36 hours) to be able to charge the NC fully. And yup, my NC is now turned off for a week (and counting).
The NC's stock USB cable however is made out of a gloss plastic material, probably to give way to the LED? light indicator? Downside is, it gets cracked/chipped off easily whether it was done unintentionally or not, because of the plastic material not being 'hard' enough, and that's where most NC owners like me are getting pissed off.
You have to be very careful whenever you charge the NC--you need to make sure that it's on a flat surface, not on a surface where it can sink itself say for example, a foam bed, so that the cable will not 'sink' with it in and put pressure on the metal tip, finally chipping off the plastic coating.
Do you guys know of any alternative that can fast-charge the NC like it's stock USB cable? Does anyone have the ability to modify the NC's stock USB cable to coat it with rubber or something to make it more durable?
I'm sure there are others who are experiencing these things. Hope we can gather around and start a discussion about getting a permanent fix. Maybe rally at a local B&N store or something, I dunno.
Well, a cheap and quick bit would be to wrap it with electrical tape. If you have an electronics store or Radio shack carrying it, there is also something called shrink tubing. this is a rubberish tube that when carefully heated with a heat gun (not a blow dryer) or a lighter, will shrink down around wires, or plastic.
But, I am rather annoyed with this serious design flaw as well. Would be nice if B&N either recalled these cables with a properly designed one, or get a 3rd party available to handle that.
I was thinking of reinforcing the plug end of the cable by encasing it in a big wad of epoxy putty.
epoxy putty usually cures to something a bit too brittle for what this really needs. As the OP said, the plastic on the plugs are really way too brittle for what it's meant for. other than those things, the other option I can think of is some of that latex dip sold in some hardware stores, or sex shops. wrap the metal bit in tape, then give it a few dips, let it cure, then carefully cut the tape off. instant rubberized plug. could even carefully cut an indicator window for the charge light.
heat shrink tubing sounds best. will try that. you can get it from home depot or lowes. get the multiple size package. it is really best to use a heat gun. if you dont know what your doing and use a lighter you will burn right through the heat shrink.
It sounds like you might be looking for Sugru. It hardens to a rubbery flexible consistency. There's also a how to floating around the web on making your own using caulk and ...baking soda? I think?
For that matter, a flexible clear caulk might do the trick.
I was thinking that RTV silicone (downside is long cure time) or maybe hot melt glue would be worth a try. Either one would be translucent enough to see the LED color. The Sugru looks interesting, although opaque like heat shrink tubing.
You could probably use something like Scotch Coat (more or less liquid electrical tape..) or plasti-dip perhaps?
*I'm still waiting on my NC to arrive. So, I'm not sure exactly which portion of the connector you're talking about. If it's the entire outside portion that is typically metal... this is normally a chasis ground which equalizes the chasis potential between the NC and whatever it's plugged into..., and really shouldn't be coated with anything
I ordered this off Amazon with the intent of fixing several things in my house. I was going to use the clear for the tip of the charger.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027JIEPU
I think the shame of it is that all they had to do was use a strain relief sleeve like one of there:
Using the shrink tubing-
1. make sure you get a size large enough to get around the connection end.
2. Measure out a length. you want at least from the bottom of the N light to about 1/2 inch past the nub where the cord goes into the connector.
3. Slip the tube into place
4. Using a heat gun or lighter, carefully shrink the tube into place (NOTE: with a lighter, keep the flame moving, don't let it linger too long or you'll melt something)
5. If the resulting reinforcement doesn't seem enough, feel free to add another layer or 2.
WHAT DOES THIS ACCOMPLISH?
Well, most of the failure pictures I have seen, as well as the failed cord of my own, it seems the plastic is too friable (meaning it cracks really easy) to handle the stresses put on it at that end. Most of the cracks and fractures take place below the N, towards the cable side of the connection.
By adding this, it not only adds a semi flexible reinforcement around where it likes to crack up, it also stiffens and immobilizes a stretch of the cable, relieving a little of the stress that can happen in that part.
While other things might do the trick, and even electrical tape could do, this tubing is about the best option I've seen so far.
Srilania said:
While other things might do the trick, and even electrical tape could do, this tubing is about the best option I've seen so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heat shrink tubing isn't a bad idea. I don't know how readily available it is in consumer stores and stuff... but I know I've used the Heat shrink tubing with the glue inside on quite a few connectors (higher end coaxial/heliax connectors tend to come with it). It's a bit thicker and more durable than typical heat shrink tubing, and the glue holds it solidly in place.
I used scotch tape. ugly, but it works.
Heat Shrink tubing shouldn't be too hard to find, most any electrical / hardware store should carry it, even Wal-mart will have it from time to time in the automotive section.
A better option may be plastidip. It gives a thick rubnery coating.
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
After having a Nook Color for less than 6 months, mine just broke this morning! I would do without the LED indicator for a durable rubber casing.
Imbroglio said:
I was thinking of reinforcing the plug end of the cable by encasing it in a big wad of epoxy putty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Epoxy works very well actually, but you need to put it on the inside, not the outside. Split open the plastic cover. Clean it up so it fits back together cleanly. Mix up a batch of translucent 5 Minute epoxy and completely fill the cavity with epoxy. Fit it back around the cable and secure it with a clip or clamp of your choice. A small binder clip works perfectly. After about 5 or ten minutes you can remove the clip and use an exacto knife to clean up the excess. Clamp it up again and
let it cure for 12 hours or so. Works well for me.
Triple wall heat shrink is just what you need. A heat gun (not a lighter, it won't work well) is the way to go. A hair dryer most likely won't have the heat needed.
I use the stuff in my home business and have tons of it...if you need some let me know!
I bent the male end that plugs into the nook unit... I Pressed the male end against a counter in my kitchen so it was bent back into place, put a few spots of super glue (the kind you get at the dollar store) and waited overnight for it to dry. good as new, no more wiggle or bend in my usb end.
So lately I've been trying to figure out a way to get my tablet mounted at the optimum position for GPS usage without obstructing anything. In my van I have the Arkon seat bolt tablet mount, which is perfect because it keeps the tablet lower in the dash area so it's not blocking my view or baking in the sun, and it's also a solid mount point. I'd have no where else to mount it in the van aside from the window if it wasn't for this mount, and I absolutely don't like window mounting anything bigger than a cell phone. So in that instance, things work out great. Recently I put that Arkon mount in my car, which is a Hyundai Elantra. I thought since the distance from the seat bolt to the mount area would be less, I'd have more (if anything, too much) "neck" to work with. It turned out to be the opposite. My Elantra is stick shift, so when I had the tablet mounted in the most convenient spot that reached, I was all but punching the screen when I went to 3rd/5th gear. The only other alternative was to have it sitting over in the passenger area, which works for me but it adds as a huge inconvenience to any passengers in that seat since their left knee is where the tablet is. As a result I decided to put the Arkon seat bolt mount back in the van and work on something else for the car.
I have an empty space under my head unit for random storage, etc. I began to wonder if I could somehow utilize that space for incorporating a mount there. It would be the perfect height because it's higher up from the gear shift and it would definitely be optimum viewing for GPS usage. Originally I made the perfectly sized wooden block that had a slight slight slope to it so it would wedge itself in place. I then epoxy'd a BluRex Amazon case to it that I wasn't too happy with and was no longer using. This proved to be an awesome 10 minute mount, but it also gave me zero adjustability. I began to think was going to be important since last time we were on a road trip when the road I was on was going to be 3 hours long my wife watched a movie, so I knew I'd want a way to move it around for best viewing in multiple scenarios.
Here's two pictures from that build:
http://i.imgur.com/dsfQx.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/guw86.jpg
I began to give it more thought. I knew that the empty space under my head unit was going to be the mount point, but I just had to figure out how. I searched through multiple mounts, particularly from Arkon. In the end I bought this mount on eBay for about 20 bucks. It came with a suction cup which I knew wouldn't work for my uses. My plan was to cut the arm off, drill a hole into a wooden block, then fill it with epoxy and shove the arm in. The block of wood in question would be a piece that I cut to perfectly fit the open slot under my deck with a slight slant to it, that way as I pushed it in, it wedged itself in place (much like the last mount)
When I got this mount from eBay I began to wonder if I even needed to cut the arm off. Fortunately the height of the suction cup base was ALMOST the height of the opening in my dash. I figured all I had to do was wedge that in place and I wouldn't have to do the whole sha-bang with the wooden block and epoxy. I ended up cutting off the suction cup since it was useless in my case. The bottom of the plastic suction cup area had some flat ridges, so I figured I'd use double sided tape instead of epoxy to adhere it to a flat piece of wood. The flat piece of wood was to bump the thickness up just enough to replace the need for that wooden wedge.
http://i.imgur.com/yHOLR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/l9mRO.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/O4Gin.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KFJad.jpg
In the last picture you can see that I flipped things around. Originally I had the arm facing downward, but when I had the tablet mounted, 5th gear was still a problem as the gear shift would nearly hit the tablet. I knew if I flipped it upside down the arm would be facing upward, giving me some height... so I re-did the tape and put it on the other side. Since I mounted it more to the right (to ensure there was a super low chance of the steering wheel ever obstructing view, even if I was leaning far to the left while driving) I sensed a small amount of uneven stability since there was nothing keeping the left side tight against the roof of the opening. A small wooden wedge later and we were golden.
http://i.imgur.com/t7v4P.jpg
I ended up painting that wooden piece black to blend it in a little bit. I also noticed while driving that some roads had a degree of ripple to them, which would cause the tablet to sway back and forth. It didn't obstruct my view-ability of the screen at all, but if I was in an area where the tablet was casting a glare from the screen it became more obvious. On a hunch I pulled out two quarters and slid them under the arm mount, which is where I thought I was seeing a degree of flexing. Surprisingly it helped quite a bit and that area no longer has any flex. Not bad.
http://i.imgur.com/gzcV0.jpg
Final product:
http://i.imgur.com/LoUZT.jpg
Hopefully those of you out there who are finding some tablet mounts are *almost* perfect but not a home run can utilize some sort of DIY ideas like I did to make it work. I now have a solid mount for both vehicles, so no more worries about where the tablet will sit, etc. No complaints there. :good:
Great mod! I too have a compartment like that when I replaced my factory double din to a single din radio. To compensate, I had to put in a CD holder type opening, much like your area. I just have slots for CD cases. In my case, it wouldn't work out too well because my opening is held by epoxy and because of the texas heat, loses it's adhesiveness big time and alas, too weak for N7.
I have since bought a Kropsson Aero, which can hold both my tablet and Sensation. I do wish someone made a mount that can fit like the Aero can. Oh well, sorry to detract, just wanted to give you some kudos in getting a mount that works for you! :good:
I'm curious on how the epoxy is failing you. Is it not gripping like it should? A little side story - I epoxy'd a cracked side skirt in my first car, and when I got tires one day the hydraulic lift bowed the sides out pretty dramatically. (this wasn't a body kit - just lower siding from the factory. Here's a picture of a car nearly identical to what I had). It took the weight of my car for 30 seconds on that lift before the pressure was enough that it broke the epoxy bond. We may not have Texas heat, but here in Pennsylvania we have some crazy cold winters and some pretty muggy summers... I would think the differentiation wouldn't be good for epoxy when it's outdoors and hitting rain/snow/mud/hot/cold throughout the years.
I'm curious if the surface you epoxy'd wasn't really that optimal for epoxy. I say that based on my own experience recently, as I thought for sure epoxy would bond to anything, and for the most part it does, but take a look back at the first pictures of the BluRex/wooden block mod I did. I epoxy'd those two things together. After I took it out of the car and didn't use it, I wanted to see if I could somehow separate the two. I figured if anything the epoxy would separate from the wood and the epoxy would have just stayed gripping to wood particles from the block. But it was the opposite - the epoxy let go of the semi rubberized BluRex case, pretty cleanly too. It took a good amount of force, don't get me wrong, but once done it was a pretty clean break. I'm basing this entirely on assumption as I don't know what you were bonding together, but I wanted to throw out those FYI's as part of my epoxy experience.
So, that Aero can widen itself enough for a Nexus 7? I Googled around and I keep seeing screenshots of it with iPhones and Galaxy 3's... not tablets. That's wild if it does. Does your's mount based on suction cup? Or did you do some sort of additional mod?
JaSauders said:
I'm curious on how the epoxy is failing you. Is it not gripping like it should? A little side story - I epoxy'd a cracked side skirt in my first car, and when I got tires one day the hydraulic lift bowed the sides out pretty dramatically. (this wasn't a body kit - just lower siding from the factory. Here's a picture of a car nearly identical to what I had). It took the weight of my car for 30 seconds on that lift before the pressure was enough that it broke the epoxy bond. We may not have Texas heat, but here in Pennsylvania we have some crazy cold winters and some pretty muggy summers... I would think the differentiation wouldn't be good for epoxy when it's outdoors and hitting rain/snow/mud/hot/cold throughout the years.
I'm curious if the surface you epoxy'd wasn't really that optimal for epoxy. I say that based on my own experience recently, as I thought for sure epoxy would bond to anything, and for the most part it does, but take a look back at the first pictures of the BluRex/wooden block mod I did. I epoxy'd those two things together. After I took it out of the car and didn't use it, I wanted to see if I could somehow separate the two. I figured if anything the epoxy would separate from the wood and the epoxy would have just stayed gripping to wood particles from the block. But it was the opposite - the epoxy let go of the semi rubberized BluRex case, pretty cleanly too. It took a good amount of force, don't get me wrong, but once done it was a pretty clean break. I'm basing this entirely on assumption as I don't know what you were bonding together, but I wanted to throw out those FYI's as part of my epoxy experience.
So, that Aero can widen itself enough for a Nexus 7? I Googled around and I keep seeing screenshots of it with iPhones and Galaxy 3's... not tablets. That's wild if it does. Does your's mount based on suction cup? Or did you do some sort of additional mod?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just got the Aero in actually. It doesn't fit the N7 with my Seidio Case installed. So it's a fail on my end. It fits my Sensation fine, but thats a given lol.
As for the surface areas, I think you are correct that maybe the surface I am trying to apoxy to (on the car) does not play well/adhere with the epoxy I put on. No biggie though. I wanted something off the dash anyways. I may just get the exogear/kropsson mounts eventually...
EDIT: semi DIY modding LOL...
Just getting back, regarding the Kropsson Aero. Because of the Seidio case making the N7 bigger than expected to fit in the Kropsson Aero, I decided to cut down the foam pads on the sides. Now the N7 fits! The said arms are maxed out, but I will try it in the car after work. I took pics, but my work computer is borking at the card reader. But I'll try to upload them at home if I have time ( I have a 4 yr old to contend with lol).
I did almost the same thing, except the empty space is above my stereo instead of below. I just drilled some holes in the top of it and fashioned a plastic mount that bolts in and connects to part of an Arkon mount. If I want to remove the mount, I can just unbolt the Arkon part from the part that's bolted to the double din kit and you barely notice the rest of it.
I did something similar with my GNex car dock so it wasn't on my window. I placed a adapter plate (see link below) so I could use the suction cup on some interior plastic below my stereo. It holds pretty snug, not sure if it would be enough to support a tablet though.
http://www.amazon.com/AP020-Adapter-Circular-Adhesive-Console/dp/B001DAT0XE/ref=pd_sim_cps_10
xxgoosexx said:
I did something similar with my GNex car dock so it wasn't on my window. I placed a adapter plate (see link below) so I could use the suction cup on some interior plastic below my stereo. It holds pretty snug, not sure if it would be enough to support a tablet though.
http://www.amazon.com/AP020-Adapter-Circular-Adhesive-Console/dp/B001DAT0XE/ref=pd_sim_cps_10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have that same disk that came with my tomtom gps that I never used. But it works! I have it installed and holds the arkon mount fine without issues.
ydoucare said:
I did almost the same thing, except the empty space is above my stereo instead of below. I just drilled some holes in the top of it and fashioned a plastic mount that bolts in and connects to part of an Arkon mount. If I want to remove the mount, I can just unbolt the Arkon part from the part that's bolted to the double din kit and you barely notice the rest of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice! Do you have any pictures of the actual mounting point where the bolts are? I'm super curious how you accomplished this. :good:
JaSauders said:
Nice! Do you have any pictures of the actual mounting point where the bolts are? I'm super curious how you accomplished this. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't, I'll try to grab one and post it here.
[REVIEW] LooKbad - "Airholder" and "Handy" hands free holders for Android Tablets
NOTE: I'm a Nexus 10 owner with no affiliation with LooKbad Limited
Airholder:
Pros
- Hands free tablet viewing is both relaxing and comfortable even after several hours reading or watching videos
- The Airholder is made of high quality materials and appears to be of much better construction than alternate products
- Allows for endless adjustments providing almost any viewing angle you could want when sitting up or fully reclined
- The MultiCase accommodates both microUSB and Pogo plug charging cables
- When not in use folds into a compact non-obtrusive form factor
Cons
- The included USB connections do not support OTG devices (e.g. USB hubs, SD card readers ... etc)
- Support arm needs to be anchored (wood, cement or dry wall)
Detailed review:
Using a Nexus 10 in bed while fully reclined can be uncomfortable in less than 40+ minutes (a single TV show). Even a dock sitting on your chest can be a pain as it is difficult to maintain optimum viewing angles.
After researching several alternative hands free holders, ranging from music stands to converted desk lamps, I discovered the best ones were mostly made for the iPad.
That is until I stumbled upon the "Airholder" by LooKbad Limited. Their web site says the Airholder supports "iPad/Android/Windows Tablet". Although the devices is fairly expensive ($118 USD after applying a $10 discount code), I had the need and enough spare cash to take a chance, so I bought both the Airholder and added a "Handy". It did not hurt that their web site had pictures which displayed the AirHolder and a Nexus 10.
Shipping from Hong Kong was on the high side at $38 USD but I ordered on a Friday and it was delivered on the following Tuesday (Canada). There was no additional duty charges but your mileage may vary.
After the unboxing my first impressions were that the arm, joints and swivels are very well made and will likely be durable over the long haul. Different than the iPad Airholder version, that snaps on like a hard shell cover, the "MultiCase" is a generic tablet holder adjustable for tablets from 5.5" to 11". The MultiCase locks into the AirHolder and has an additional lock-switch for extra safety. Of note is that 7 inch tablets can be held in both portrait and landscape positions while 10 inch tablets (e.g. Nexus 10) can only be held in the landscape position.
After adjusting the MultiCase to accommodate the Nexus 10, I realized that this holder would not prevent the Nexus 10 from sliding sideways if the holder tipped unexpectedly. That initially worried me but after using this product for a while the concern was unfounded. In fact the lack of tight fit proved to have a number of benefits.
First, a TPU case on the Nexus 10 could be left on and it looks like the MultiCase could even accommodate a flip cover. The other benifit is that you could make slight adjustments like tilt left/right/forward/back without changing the MultiCase's overall position. Unless you have the Airholder you cannot fathom how useful that can be.
LooKbad has recommendations on the position you should mount the Airholder and I highly recommend you heed their recommendations. As I did not want to make mistakes and drill unnecessary holes in my bed room wall, I initially mounted the Airholder on a 2x4 piece of wood then temporarily proped it up, to give it a test run for few nights. I'm glad I took that approach as I ended up finding that I preferred the mount 3 inches higher than LooKbad's recommendation just so I had additional elbow room.
The Airholder includes USB connectors with the wires hidden inside the main arm and includes a male to male USB cable. I envisioned attaching a powered USB hub to one end and get the benefits of both OTG Devices and changing from the one USB connection. Nice idea but I discovered that the Airholder USB connections do not support OTG USB devices, just power for charging. Still nice but OTG support would have been even better.
Adjusting to your preferred position whether sitting up or fully reclined is very easy. The arms and their adjustable joints are well thought out. After making your adjustments you can lock the position in and it is secure enough that touching the tablet surface does not cause distracting jiggling.
At night, when the lights are off, it is both cool and a little disconcerting having your tablet appear to float in the air. I particularly liked being able to position the tablet so that I could look straight out to the center of the screen no matter how I laid in bed. Something that was not as easy when resting a dock on your chest. Also no more juggling a tablet and a cup of tea while reading an ebook. There is a lot to be said for hands free reading.
After two weeks using the Airholder I feel I got my money's worth. Sure I could have taken a chance and saved money but I got what I wanted with a product that will likely be used with my next generation tablet.
Handy:
Pros
- Convenient for attaching to kitchen cabinets, desktops, music stands ... etc
- Utilizes the Airholder's "MultiCase" so two different tablet mounts did not need to be purchased
Cons
- The Handy is very short so in all but mounting to a kitchen cabinet you'll likely need an additional component (e.g. music stand) to position the tablet for easy viewing
Detailed review:
At $16 USD the "Handy" was a through-in item when the Airholder was purchased. Adding the "Handy" meant no additional shipping charges. Unfortunately I had not thought things through so did not fully realize that the very short arm would mean that I could not get the tablet close enough for my tired old eyes to read text. This is my issue not LooKbad's.
The Handy works great in the kitchen where cabinets have a natural position for viewing. So far I have not settled on how I will use the Handy day-to-day, but have jury rigged a short rod to a camera tripod while I contemplate a music boom mike stand purchase.
So far the camera tripod has been very successful as its stable and can be adjusted in multiple ways (swivel, height, tilt). In fact I suspect it is more stable than any cheap music stand. Manoeuvring the tripod with Handy/tablet attached, to a viewing position for my easy chair, works surprisingly well. Although it doesn't have a high WAF (wife acceptance factor).
Of note is that when attaching the Handy to any smooth round surface the downward torque caused by the weight of the MultiCase and tablet is significant so the grip tends to slip. I ended up positioning the Handy with the Handy's arm already pointed straight downward. I only mention this as it meant I had to adjust the height of the camera tripod a few inches higher.
I am not disappointed that I spent the additional $16 for the Handy and do use it daily with my easy chair and occasionally in the kitchen.
Independent review of the Airholder.
AirHolder on Youtube:
The basic functions of an AirHolder
A tip on using the AirHolder
AirHolder as your furniture