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I was bored today, and after using my notebook in the car yesterday for navigational purposes, I started browsing the internet for some sort of ideal solution to let my computer sit on the seat, but be held in place so it didn't go flying anytime I stopped or turned sharply. My solution prior to now had been to wrap the seatbelt around the screen. Not only was I uneasy about that because I was afraid a sharp enough turn might cause the screen to jerk in a not-so-nice way, but it also obstructed my view of on-screen maps, which, when in motion, needed to be easy to see in as short a time as possible.
So I found other things on the internet for over $100, and they did what I wanted, but also lots more than I wanted. And for the love of god, they cost over $100! I saw another guy had made a dash-mounted notebook rack, and the way he made that gave me some thoughts.
I had some cut pieces of modular shelving left over from when we reorganized our closets this past summer, as well as a cart on wheels that was years old, and didn't stay together anymore. Taking those, and a few hours and some patience, I finally developed what I think is a pretty slick solution. It compensates for the slope in the bucket of the seat to keep the PC level. All I need to do to secure my computer is secure the "rack" to the seat by affixing a bungee to each end, and wrapping it around the rear of the seat. The raised sides on the other parts of the rack keep the PC from sliding forward or towards the door, and the rubber feet on the bottom of the computer fall into the holes in the grid, which keeps it from flying towards me, while still making all the buttons accessible. The open grid in the shelving also leaves the back USB ports accessible for the GPS antenna, and on the side, I was able to cut a heavier shelf in such a fashion that the CD drive can open and pop through the grid, without compromising the integrity of the side support system.
I'm not usually good at these things, but I have to admit, I'm pretty damn impressed with my finished product!!!
Oh, and the cost? Well, one could probably make something similar for less than $20. All that is used is shelving and - god's gift to mankind - plastic zip ties.
Some pics:
The rack in the seat:
The bungee that holds it in place:
Notebook PC in place:
Some other rack shots that show you how it is assembled:
The DVD/CD drive can still be accessed without removing the computer from the rack:
The back USB port can still be accessed to allow the GPS antenna to be connected:
As always, I apologize for the ever-so-shitty quality of my camera in low-light conditions. I'll try to get some better pics in the daytime tomorrow.
So I found other things on the internet for over $100, and they did what I wanted, but also lots more than I wanted. And for the love of god, they cost over $100! I saw another guy had made a dash-mounted notebook rack, and the way he made that gave me some thoughts.
I had some cut pieces of modular shelving left over from when we reorganized our closets this past summer, as well as a cart on wheels that was years old, and didn't stay together anymore. Taking those, and a few hours and some patience, I finally developed what I think is a pretty slick solution. It compensates for the slope in the bucket of the seat to keep the PC level. All I need to do to secure my computer is secure the "rack" to the seat by affixing a bungee to each end, and wrapping it around the rear of the seat. The raised sides on the other parts of the rack keep the PC from sliding forward or towards the door, and the rubber feet on the bottom of the computer fall into the holes in the grid, which keeps it from flying towards me, while still making all the buttons accessible. The open grid in the shelving also leaves the back USB ports accessible for the GPS antenna, and on the side, I was able to cut a heavier shelf in such a fashion that the CD drive can open and pop through the grid, without compromising the integrity of the side support system.
I'm not usually good at these things, but I have to admit, I'm pretty damn impressed with my finished product!!!
Oh, and the cost? Well, one could probably make something similar for less than $20. All that is used is shelving and - god's gift to mankind - plastic zip ties.
Some pics:
The rack in the seat:
The bungee that holds it in place:
Notebook PC in place:
Some other rack shots that show you how it is assembled:
The DVD/CD drive can still be accessed without removing the computer from the rack:
The back USB port can still be accessed to allow the GPS antenna to be connected:
As always, I apologize for the ever-so-shitty quality of my camera in low-light conditions. I'll try to get some better pics in the daytime tomorrow.
The Original
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