been playing a bit. I set out to build an adjustable arm for my ham radio and netbook.
Had thought earlier about building a platform with a base in the passenger seat footwell but I did not want to lose the ability to have somebody sitting there. Could have bolted something to the transmission tunnel, I suppose, but instead I decided to take advantage of another project I've started. I'm building a unistrut-based cargo tie down and maybe drawer / bed system in the back. (I'll describe this elsewhere.) I love Unistrut, grown up Legos for gear heads... For now, I already put in a front unistrut rail in the middle seat footwells and I thought it would be very easy to use that. I also have some Manfrotto infinitely adjustable arms for photography and decided to use one of those. Now if you have never seen one, they are amazing. Can adjust in any direction, quick disconnects, and remarkably sturdy. IIRC they'll support close to 10 lbs in just about position. The design is beautifully clever, with the one knob you can freeze all the loose ends as desired. The clamp is particularly versatile and will handle round tubes, flat surfaces and in this case a square tube. If you're into photography, they are an amazing piece of hardware for camera and light supports.
The arm looks like this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=325440&Q=&is=REG&A=details
Not inexpensive but a great piece of hardware for any number or uses. I also use mine for a webcam among other things.
So this build didn't cost me a dime but of course I already had the Unistrut hardware and the arm.
Some advantages
- no space used in passenger footwell
- infinitely adjustable in all directions, rotations, height etc.
- surprisingly rigid given how cantilevered I am and didn't require complicated bracing
- can handle a variety of devices. I have a platform I salvaged from a book holder stand that I'll use for my netbook. Basically it can be used for maps, phone, lights, speakers, camera, whatever. Sadly, probably a bit too light for an M60, but should handle an M16 fine I think...
- quick disconnect.
- can be used in the back too if needed by flipping it over.
- the tower bit can be as high as you want.
- It does not intrude at all on the passenger seating space and that seat is still movable as before
- the electronic gizmo can be turned around and used by your navigator/passenger
Some disadvantages.
- I kept the tower relatively low cuz I didn't want a fairly hard end just next to my head in case I'd flop and my head would whip around. Still there is some hard hardware not too far from my body. I may put a padded cap on the end.
- the assembly as it is now is plenty strong for my ham radio. There will be some very minor flexing on the bumps but inconsequential. For a much heavier laptop it may start to move around a bit more. I'll see. For a video camera facing forward to record a trail run, it may vibrate too much if the ride gets bumpy. But I can easily add some more bracing as needed, the beauty of Unistrut. For now I kept it simple.
- Unistrut is very strong but it's steel and much heavier than aluminum.
Some pics:
Had thought earlier about building a platform with a base in the passenger seat footwell but I did not want to lose the ability to have somebody sitting there. Could have bolted something to the transmission tunnel, I suppose, but instead I decided to take advantage of another project I've started. I'm building a unistrut-based cargo tie down and maybe drawer / bed system in the back. (I'll describe this elsewhere.) I love Unistrut, grown up Legos for gear heads... For now, I already put in a front unistrut rail in the middle seat footwells and I thought it would be very easy to use that. I also have some Manfrotto infinitely adjustable arms for photography and decided to use one of those. Now if you have never seen one, they are amazing. Can adjust in any direction, quick disconnects, and remarkably sturdy. IIRC they'll support close to 10 lbs in just about position. The design is beautifully clever, with the one knob you can freeze all the loose ends as desired. The clamp is particularly versatile and will handle round tubes, flat surfaces and in this case a square tube. If you're into photography, they are an amazing piece of hardware for camera and light supports.
The arm looks like this:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=325440&Q=&is=REG&A=details
Not inexpensive but a great piece of hardware for any number or uses. I also use mine for a webcam among other things.
So this build didn't cost me a dime but of course I already had the Unistrut hardware and the arm.
Some advantages
- no space used in passenger footwell
- infinitely adjustable in all directions, rotations, height etc.
- surprisingly rigid given how cantilevered I am and didn't require complicated bracing
- can handle a variety of devices. I have a platform I salvaged from a book holder stand that I'll use for my netbook. Basically it can be used for maps, phone, lights, speakers, camera, whatever. Sadly, probably a bit too light for an M60, but should handle an M16 fine I think...
- quick disconnect.
- can be used in the back too if needed by flipping it over.
- the tower bit can be as high as you want.
- It does not intrude at all on the passenger seating space and that seat is still movable as before
- the electronic gizmo can be turned around and used by your navigator/passenger
Some disadvantages.
- I kept the tower relatively low cuz I didn't want a fairly hard end just next to my head in case I'd flop and my head would whip around. Still there is some hard hardware not too far from my body. I may put a padded cap on the end.
- the assembly as it is now is plenty strong for my ham radio. There will be some very minor flexing on the bumps but inconsequential. For a much heavier laptop it may start to move around a bit more. I'll see. For a video camera facing forward to record a trail run, it may vibrate too much if the ride gets bumpy. But I can easily add some more bracing as needed, the beauty of Unistrut. For now I kept it simple.
- Unistrut is very strong but it's steel and much heavier than aluminum.
Some pics:
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Although the one in Beno's truck was close.