Mounting Electronics

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Bwana

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I need to mount an iPad, a cell phone and a Spot X. Any brand recommendations? I'm looking for a sturdy mount that can handle off road bumps and vibrations.
 
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K12

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Bulletproof Mounting Solutions has great stuff. I have a 7" tablet, switch (for all my lights/air compressor, etc.), and a backup camera for thr HQ19. Never had a problem with anything slipping or falling even on washboard roads.

 
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El-Dracho

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I have been using almost only RAM mount solutions for such applications for years. RAM X-Grip for the cell phone or a special mount inclusve power supply for my Galaxy Tab etc. Plus the usual mounting options (balls, arms, extensions, etc.). Am very happy with the parts, they are robust and also handle vibrations and stuff like that on corrugated routes well.

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RAM_1.JPG

RAM_phone.JPG
 
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bgenlvtex

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I have 67 Designs and Bulletpoint, both work very well the Bulletpoint thumbscrew wrench is a vastly superior tool but also built by the ChiComs. If 67 Designs had a base for new generation Ram trucks I would only be able to speak to their quality, not Bulletpoint.

Whatever you choose, don't mount shit in front of an airbag, a tablet or phone at 800fps is undesirable. I see stuff mounted in front of airbags in Jeeps all the time
 

El-Dracho

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Whatever you choose, don't mount shit in front of an airbag, a tablet or phone at 800fps is undesirable. I see stuff mounted in front of airbags in Jeeps all the time
Very good point (in case you have airbags)! And just to add, I often see stuff mounted in front of the hazard warning switch what should also absolutely not be done.
 
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rho

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Whatever you choose, don't mount shit in front of an airbag, a tablet or phone at 800fps is undesirable. I see stuff mounted in front of airbags in Jeeps all the time
This is a fantistic point a lot of folks miss, I feel. The passenger side of jeeps tends to attract stuff right over the airbag...
 
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bgenlvtex

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This is a fantistic point a lot of folks miss, I feel. The passenger side of jeeps tends to attract stuff right over the airbag...
You run out of real estate quickly inside any vehicle, but Jeeps in particular.

I just don't think that most people realize that entire flat panel above the jockey box dismounts when an airbag deploys.

Peoples solution is to turn off the passenger airbag which serves the purpose of not turning a tablet into a projectile, but obviously negates the protection afforded by the bag itself. Also, it is likely that if you disconnect your battery, or it runs down, the default selection for the bag when you power back up is "on", so even if you did turn it off, it may not still be off.
 
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smritte

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X2 on Ram mounts. Been running those solutions forever.

Speaking of air bags, Years ago, I had a customer come in with a small car, dual airbags. She was sporting a "hat pin" collection on a dash pad. The passenger air bag was covered. The driver air bag had them stuck into the air bag cover. I spoke with her on this and she bit off my head. "That's ridiculous, I've never heard that". She said, I was (for what ever reason) was trying to scare her. She complained to my manager and never returned.

I was one of the only tech's will all the air bag certs. I was the guy who had to dispose of them. The explosive device had to be detonated first. people don't understand the power behind those. In one of my early classes I was shown pictures of injuries caused by people playing with them. I saw a hospital pic of a guys mangled legs. He put one under a metal bucket and detonated it to to launch himself. The lower half of his body accelerated faster than his upper half, breaking his legs. Literally mangled.
I mount nothing in front of those.
 

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I use an Xgrip for my tablet, which is primary for navigation. My cell phone is held with a magnet on the third can. It can do backup nav if needed, and still be reasonable to look at.

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M Rose

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I love my Lido Mounts. They offer both vehicle specific mounts as well as universal mounts for everything from cell phones to gps devices to amateur radio.
 
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smritte

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I built mine because $200. LOL I encourage everyone to learn to fabricate
Same here.
My wife would say "why don't you just buy what you need instead of trying to build it?"
1. No one makes exactly what I need and I wont settle.
2. Making it yourself is so much more fun.
 

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Looks awesome and I generally agree.

I am an undocumented engineer with a degree in CAD (cardboard aided design), but some stuff isn't worth the time and effort, others very much is.
I will tell you making that thing was the easy part. Screwing it down to the useless "dash tray" was almost impossible, and I have at least $30,000 in tools. What I really needed was a hammer to break out the windshield...ahahahahahahahhaha
Zim
 
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freak4life

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This is what I use, works really well and they have great customer service.
 
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Prerunner1982

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I have run Ram Xgrip for my phone and while it was ok I didn't like the two-handed operation. I used the same mount to try and hold the control head for my HF ham radio and it would rotate, which was undesirable.
For my phone and 10" tablet I now run Schoch Magnetic flush mounts on homemade brackets, and they have held great. I use one for my phone mounted off the sunvisor clip near the rearview mirror and use two for the tablet. I also like the low profile when not in use.
 
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Advtres

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I use Expedition Essentials accessory mount, my hubby liked it so much I got one for his Silverado.
Pretty straight forward to install, holds the iPad, my iPhone, GoPro and mic. Everything is super stable, the ram mounts attach directly to it and it has the added USB ports (2).

 
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Bwana

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Thanks for all the great suggestions. I have owned a RAM mount before and was very happy with it. Has anyone used Mob Armor? They are used in side by sides , seems to be a really heavy duty iPad mount. I'll probably get a RAM. The hard part is finding a way to mount it so it doesn't bounce when I charging down bumpy forestry roads.