iPad Mini: mounts and GPS boosting

[rwtucker]

A couple of you have mentioned outboard Li-Ion batteries with USB ports to solve a battery run time problem. I have these packs at home and in my cars for emergency purposes but I would encourage a second thought about taking them along in your aircraft. Having seen high energy density Li-Ion fires (mostly videos but a couple that we created intentionally), you do not want to be at 5,000 ft. AGL if a 3,000 mAH outboard battery goes critical. Yes, the cells in your iPad and iPhone are of the same general construction but they were developed under different QC standards and with the expectation that they would be operated at high altitudes. Even so, they pose some risk to your safety. When it comes to these cute little 5V outboard packs that are ubiquitous on the market, you do not know anything about their design and manufacturing quality and you do not know if they have built in charge limiting and thermal runaway protection or, if they do, how good it is. These devices could also have an internal flaw in the form of a small air pocket that would not be a factor on the ground but might cause enough pressure to breach an insulation layer at 10,000 MSL. I pack an emergency supply in my aircraft but it is a regulated 5V pack driven by NiMh cells. They can be nasty as well if shorted but the risk of internal shortages or thermal runaway is negligible.

[Chris B]

I'm a bit worried about sinking screws into my dash -- God only knows what's back there that the screw could be poking into. A small thing, but the potential consequences are big. What's the recommended way to attach the RAM mount without chewing up what's behind the panel?

As noted in this 2014 thread (link) referenced in the 2016 post noted above, the RAM mount takes advantage of an existing Allen-head cap screw on the DA40 instrument panel, combined with some good-quality double-sided tape. Simply replace the existing screw with an equivalent about 10 mm longer.

The tape holds the mount in place. The screw simply prevents the tape from slowly releasing. After years of heavy use this is holding up very well, but the entire mount would be trivial to remove without a trace.

As noted in the 2014 thread, I showed this to a FSDO inspector, who liked the installation. No issues.

Chris

[BlueYonder]

Chris, this is the solution. RAM now makes a mount that's a small diamond/rhomboid shape, which fits perfectly in that space. The hole in one of the diamond's pointy ends fits perfectly over the screw hole that holds the upper left corner of the dash face in place. The lower left edge of the mount actually rests on the air vent bezel as well, giving a little extra support. Some double-stick tape to keep the whole thing together, and there you are.

I'm sorry to lose the view of the plane's nameplate, which is about half-covered by this installation, but so it goes.

[arksat]

Hi Sara,

I have exactly the same setup as Chris has. (actually he installed this solution to my plane)
As for the N-number plate, I used PlaqueMaker.com (http://www.plaquemaker.com/) to order a custom N-number plate and put it on the top of lighting switches. The quality is pretty good and I love it

[Colin]

What is the part number for that RAM piece and did you use the existing screw or get something longer?

I think my suction cup solution looks sort of second-rate now.

[BlueYonder]

Colin, it's this one: <https://www.amazon.com/RAM-MOUNT-BASE-B ... B00KI0I0S6>

My A&P installed it for me during my annual last month. He did have to find a longer screw to get it through the base and into the dash front, but that was the only one required. He glued the rest in place. Seems real solid.

[Colin]

Thanks, ordered. I'll bother my A&P as soon as I get back to the West coast.

[carym]

Thanks, ordered. I'll bother my A&P as soon as I get back to the West coast.

Colin,
I didn't even bother my A&P. I just bought a couple of screws of the appropriate length at the hardware store and attached the ram mount with these two screws. I didn't use any glue or any other stabilizing system and it worked perfectly for me. My A&P didn't really have any problem with it since there were no permanent changes made (and I removed it and put back the old screws when the plane went back to the factory).

[beetlebug]

I thought I'd throw my iPad mount solution into the mix. I had the A&P mount this. They used small metal collars in the screw holes to re-enforce it. I also had them install a Stratus USB port in the panel (bottom right).

For a USB cable I use a coiled cable from Audi. It's the perfect length to reach the iPad with zero slack and zero stretching.

This solution works for me but I can imagine for some it could make the cockpit a bit tight. I think taller folks might smash their knees into the mount as it is. Using a longer RAM mount arm there gives pretty good flexibility in moving the mount around.

I have a GTX345R now that I use for weather, traffic and GPS on the iPad. Extremely happy with this setup.

[Tim H]

I went low tech with the "MyClip iPad Kneeboard". Fully adjustable so it works with any tablet. Very happy with it.