Laptop Table or Mount

M

Mike...

New member
Hello All.

I am looking for a nice-looking solution to support a laptop over at the Admiral's seat. Ideally it would be something that could be folded down out of the way when the laptop was stowed away in it's carry bag.

I have looked at Ram mounts, and they seem a bit unattractive.

Maybe some sort of fold-down table that could be bolted to the cabin wall next to her seat and flipped up as needed?

Any ideas?
---
mike
 
I just completed a labtop mount on my 22, the mount consists of a couple of drawer sliders and a peice of starboard. Location is out of the way when not in use under the raised portion for the entry to the v-berth. Very happy with the install and a simply project to complete. :thup
 
dutch123":1nkr3dq2 said:
I just completed a labtop mount on my 22, the mount consists of a couple of drawer sliders and a peice of starboard. Location is out of the way when not in use under the raised portion for the entry to the v-berth. Very happy with the install and a simply project to complete. :thup
Click to expand...

Photos, please!

Warren
 
Sorry, I just put the boat in storage so won't be able to post photos right now. I got the drawer sliders from home depot, they are made for a computer desk black in color and are height adjustable, come with the mounting hardware and are easy to install. Highly recommend this install it really helps get the laptop out of the way and makes use of empty space when stowed.
 
Depending on the type of laptop, an alternative way to do this is to mount the bottom of the laptop to the bottom of the electronic shelf so that the screen will fold down. Then use the computer's display settings to rotate the image 180 degrees. This approach, combined with a wireless keyboard and mouse, provides for a very clean installation.
 
rogerbum":13vziwky said:
Depending on the type of laptop, an alternative way to do this is to mount the bottom of the laptop to the bottom of the electronic shelf so that the screen will fold down. Then use the computer's display settings to rotate the image 180 degrees. This approach, combined with a wireless keyboard and mouse, provides for a very clean installation.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, we took that shelf out. The screen folding down from above is an interesting idea though. :)
---
mike
 
Wow! That link wins the prize for the geekiest post ever on this forum! Da Nag! Warren! The gauntlet has been thrown!

smittypaddler":nyb9rzx0 said:
This summer I built what looks like a serving tray for my laptop. It sits on the port-side seat, across from the helm. My only complaint after use, it blocks access to the port-side mooring cleat out the window. You can see photos and drawings here:

http://smittypaddler.com/cds/cdm/perlvrml/Platform.htm
Click to expand...
 
Pat,
Jeez, the guy was trying to offer a solution, I'm not sure I get you post calling out the post the most geekiest. Here's one of yours that I especially liked. See below

"Things seem to be conspiring to keep us from getting off to Friday Harbor.

First, the socket for the trailer lights on the Titan was inacessible because the whole deal had been bent down below the bumper, probably as a result of hauling the BS, but who knows. A visit to Model Garage, and they got that fixed.

Now, although there is 13.6 volts at the socket on the circuits for the lights and turn signals (the only ones I checked), when I insert the trailer plug, none of the lights work. The trailer is hooked up, and I have used the trailer frame as ground for my tests, so I don't think it is anything a simple as a ground wire, bu there is a white wire hanging loose out of the trailer harness".

No lights = no we go, and this is driving me crazy, so any help would be greatly appreciated..."

People that live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
D.D.
 
D.D., I could be wrong, but I think Pat's post was meant to be a fun poke Smitty.

Smitty, when I replied above, I didn't scroll down down far enough at your link to see your 3D model and your perl code to create that model. Um, wow!

My guess is that you would consider "Geek" a compliment, yes? :)
---
mike
 
Mike,
No, but guess I didn't get it. My apologies to Pat if that was the case. Was the tray table solution part of the joke? I didn't think that it was. What I thought was posts like that might intimidate newcomers from posting solutions as they might not want to be made fun of so publicly. For me I would have used a pm as to not broadcast an inside joke to the whole forum. I think to try an get new people involved on the site lets us see more new ideas. Some times people might read different things into jokes hidden in posts not knowing who friends with who. Just a thought.
D.D.
 
I too saw all the perl code that was written to create the 3-D model of the dovetail box and I too thought "Wow, the ultimate geek solution" (meant in the most complimentary way). :lol:
 
journey on":iprgq92d said:
Slightly off the subject, but how do you get a laptop to invert the picture? What would be the procedure for one running windows?

Boris
Click to expand...

I looked in the control panel, display settings and there is button for display rotation right/left 90degrees and 190 degrees. When I tried it, I found that I would have to change display characteristics (settings of size, etc) which I was not willing to fool with. I think it depends on your graphics card, as these were "ATI" settings (the mfr of the card in my laptop). Try it. It will revert to the old setting in 15 seconds, so no harm no foul (I hope).

Charlie
 
Not elegant but we just use the old laptop in the V-Berth approach. If its choppy put a couple of pillows behind it. It does solve another problem that the ram mounts or a solid mount will not which is decreasing shock to the computer. I'm not sure your HDD is going to like the solid mount approach over the long term. If its a problem I guess you could switch to a SSD.

Since its a long reach to the computer we just use a bluetooth mouse to adjust the chart display while underway.

Boris if you have a tab called Tablet PC settings when you go to my computer you can adjust your display orientation there as well.

Eric
 
Umm, how can I explain this properly without a photo. The laptop mount I was trying to explain rests neither on the admiral seat nor in the v-berth, the drawer sliders attach just under the entry to the v-berth on the raised portion of the center console so when extended can be used from either the helm or the admirals position. With the laptop mounted in this position it does not restrict access to any area. Hope this helps and i'll try to get to the boat this weekend and take some photos if it's still not clear.
 
I just set a netbook on top of the center dash (if you go under this area you get to the V-berth). This method works great for an 8 inch netbook, but not my bigger MacBook Pro. Netbooks are cheap so I don't feel too badly having it bounce around. The screen isn't nearly as large or bright as a MacBook Pro, but it would work in an emergency or as a confirmation if I doubted the Raymarine.

Having messed about with several electronic charting systems (cheap ones anyway, I'm not going to spend Coastal Explorer or Nobeltec money...), I still prefer an MFD over a laptop for navigation on the boat. Planning is much better on a computer, however.
 
I previously used the center dash to run my laptop and nobeltec as well but with the size of the screen my view out the center window was always restricted. Mounting the laptop in the way I mentioned earlier helps alot with visibility and also makes it easier to open the center window. One other thing it helps with is keeping the laptop alittle further from the center window when its open to reduce the possibility of damage from water spray.
 
Back
Top