Zenith Aircraft Builders and Flyers
Online Community of Zenith Builders and Flyers
Phone/Tablet Panel Mounts in 2022
There has been some discussion about tablet mounts here on the forum, but the posts I found are fairly old so I'm wondering what mounts people are choosing nowadays and what you like and dislike about them.
I want to add a tablet to my instrument panel and after reading about various mounting options it seems like an articulating arm is preferable to a flush-mount because you can reposition the tablet to minimize glare, so that's the direction I'm leaning. I'm also looking for a permanent fixture, not a suction cup or clamp mount, and I'd like it to fit a reasonable range of tablet sizes so I'm not stuck using the same tablet until the end of time.
Other than those criteria, I'm not sure what else I should consider. Any advice or PIREPs would be appreciated.
Oh, and I might also want a second, smaller mount for my phone, so any advice about that would be great too. Thanks!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bob Simmons on
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I've always been partial to ram mounts or gooseneck mounts like this one;
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00585CLSQ
Mounting and positioning options are fairly easy. The difficult part is finding something that fits any phone or tablet. Those I've seen are a collection of compromises that don't usually work well. That's another reason why I like ram mounts. There's a gazillion different options for them, and they're pretty easy to reconfigure.
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Permalink Reply by John Austin on
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I've used all sorts of mounts over the years, but found that an "AirGizmo" panel dock mount worked perfectly to mount my iFly GPS on the right side of my panel. They make adapters for various tablets besides the iFly. It's a fixed mount, but they have an angle adapter that tilts it toward the pilot. It happens to be the perfect angle for me in the left seat. I posted about it here.
John
N750A
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Permalink Reply by John Burns on
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Or you can make your own custom mount with a bit of aluminum. It is working well for me with about 60 hours on the airframe.
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Permalink Reply by Matt Pope on
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Nice work, John! How did you make it so the arm swings only when you want it to? Any particular type of washers, or do you just adjust the clamping force until it's just right?
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It may not show up well in the picture, but I used nylon washers between all of the pivot pieces and under the screw head and nut. This has allowed me to tension it with the AN3 self locking nuts and have it move with just the right resistance and without any paint sticking. So far (from September through last weekend) I have been able to use it effectively and always put it in a readable position in all kinds of lighting during the first 70 hours.
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Thanks for the details, John - it looks like a simple and effective solution.
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Permalink Reply by Harmen van der Velden on
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Ram mounts are designed for the ball but can be mounted straight to the panel, saves depth.
harmen
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