I'm new to the GPS arena, and boy is it slick! :approve:
I got a Dell X50v package deal which included an extended battery and a Bluetooth GPS kit with a car mount. The Dell mount consists of a windshield suction cup pedestal and a PDA "sling" that looks like the bottom third of a cheap case.
Dell provides nothing to help with the wires, which go all over the place, and nothing to hold the BT GPS receiver, which slides all over my dash. Right away I started looking for a better solution.
As I did more research on mounts, I developed these goals:
Quick and easy placement and removal of the PDA in the mount.
It needs to provide power to both the PDA and the GPS receiver.
The mount should be as small and unobtrusive as possible when not in use.
The PDA should mount as high on the dash as possible to minimize the need to look away from the road.
The mount should not block important controls on the dash or the view out the windshield.
The wires need to be neat and out of the way.
I want to be able to use my windshield sun shade.
The Seidio G2100S mount looked like it would meet most of my requirements - it's fairly short because it doesn't have a speaker, it looks clean, and it simplifys the wiring a bunch. The only problem is that it will not take the PDA with the fat extended battery (or the case).
The Arkon CM720 mount has more wires hanging off of it, and is much bigger due to the included speaker. The X50v is already loud enough without the outside speaker IMHO. Still, the Arkon unit appears to be well made, and I would have ordered one last week if it had just accommodated the extended battery.
Getting creative (and desperate), I toyed with the idea of using Velcro to help hold the PDA in the Arkon mount. The tech support guy at Arkon said people do that, even one guy who goes off road in a Jeep, so this is pretty secure. Arkon has about eleven different pedestals you can use with that mount, so there is a lot of flexibility. With that in mind, I took my Dell supplied mount out to my car help me find the best location for a CM720.
While I had the original Dell mount out with the sling part off, I took a closer look at it. It came with this tiny zip lock bag stuck on the end, with a white rectangle inside. The assembly instructions didn't mention anything about this mysterious bag, and it seemed to be very securely glued to the end of the pedestal. Well, on closer examination, it turned out that it was just held on by a powerful magnet! The white part peeled off revealing the adhesive, and I applied the stick-on metal rectangle to the back of my Sena case. The magnet in the Dell pedestal was powerful enough to hold the PDA securely in place while driving, and is much cleaner looking than Velcro.
At this point, I decided to see how many of my objectives could be met without buying a new mount.
I got some stick-on Velcro tabs at Home Depot and applied one part to the dash near the windshield, and the other to the bottom of the Dell BT GPS receiver. That works great to keep it from sliding across the dash when I turn.
Here is what the back of the PDA case and the GPS receiver look like:
So far, so good. I improved the situation with the wires by using some small black cable ties. I started by running the GPS charger cable from the Velcro spot by the windshield, securing it along the pedestal arm with cable ties. From there it drops, then loops back up to the Dell "Y" connector. The other cables are attached to it with cable ties. This serves two purposes, it suspends the connector just below where it will connect to the PDA, and it binds the collection of plugs securely together.
Here is how the connection looks with the PDA in place.
And the view from the drivers seat.
So far I have achieved goals one through five for less than $3. I'm going to look around at third party car and PDA chargers for the X50v to see if I can clean up the wiring some more. I will also try eliminate the cigarette lighter plug, and either hard wire power or put a small jack on the dash close to the mount.
I'm also looking for a pedestal to replace the Dell suction cup and flex arm, maybe something like the Arkon CM058. Does anyone know where to find the kind of magnet Dell used?
I use the Arkon 720 mounted on the left hand side of the steering wheel with the power cord over the terring wheel hub to the cig lighter for power. No blocked view and easy to get to.
I'll try and post a pic sometime later.
Of course, your set up is a whole lot more economical! Again, nicely done.
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I have heard good things about the Arkon CM720 mount. With assurances from Arkon that I could return it if I couldn't make it work with the extended battery, I ordered one. I also got an Arkon CM048 pedestal.
The quality on the Arkon mount is good, and the wiring is a huge improvement over the bulky Dell cables. I particularly like the accessory (lighter) right angle plug and thinner coiled cable. On the down side, the USB plug used for power to the PDA and the plugs for the satellite receiver didn't fit all the way into their sockets.
My modified Dell mount (see first post) provided the perfect position for the PDA, just below my line of sight out the windshield. It was close enough to see easily, and didn't require me to look away from the road. The problem with the Arkon CM720 for me is that the mount is way too thick to fit where I want it. The additional thickness of the mount and pedestal brought it too close to the steering wheel. As you can see, the wire for the X50v power plug is resting against the wiper control stalk.
The photo above is of the naked Axim in the mount, and here is how it looks with the fat Dell extended battery and my Sena case:
The grip on the naked PDA was fine, but as you can see, the arms are useless with the extended battery and case. I would have to use Velcro strips or the like to hold the PDA in place.
Going back to the drawing board, I could see that the CM048 pedestal would provide an almost ideal position if I could get the PDA attached to it. Since it has a flat surface and an adapter that clips onto it, I decided to do some surgery. I cut the magnetic plate off the Dell supplied mount and, after cutting a hole in the adapter to fit the magnet, attached it with ABS cement to the adapter.
One last change, I reversed part of the CM048 to raise the magnetic mount. Here is what it looks like in place on the dash:
Phase three will be to replace those bulky Dell cables with something more like the Arkon cables.
Last edited by Victor.S; 09-27-05 at 02:27 PM.
Reason: spelling
That's really looking good. Keep the pics coming. Have you yet had any concerns about the Axim coming loose from the magnet over bumps? What about vibration--do you get much when driving?
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That's really looking good. Keep the pics coming. Have you yet had any concerns about the Axim coming loose from the magnet over bumps? What about vibration--do you get much when driving?
For what its worth, I applied the magnets to the back of my X50v (over the battery cover), and stick it onto a magnetic mount also. I work in the construction industry, and go from jobsite to jobsite all day. These are generally pretty rough terrain, lots of ruts and holes. I've never had the Axim come loose, or even move. As a matter of fact, on my old X30, I had to reapply the magnet with some superglue, and the magnet on the mount is so strong it would actually pull the magnet on the Axim off, breaking the glue seal. Serious holding power.
I like this setup because I can put the Axim up with no case, and just pull it off with no fuss. YMMV.
That's really looking good. Keep the pics coming. Have you yet had any concerns about the Axim coming loose from the magnet over bumps? What about vibration--do you get much when driving?
It doesn't move at all on the magnetic surface, and the Arkon CM048 pedestal is very well designed to minimize shaking. I drive a mildly lowered sports car, and the suspension is fairly stiff, but I'm sure I can't match the ruts and holes on Kalel666's job sites. The thing just holds like crazy.
Actually, I worry more that the pedestal might come off the dash, it's just held on by a triangle of 3M sticky stuff. I got the accidental damage coverage from Dell, but I still think I'll put a screw or two through the mounting holes into the dash before next summer.
Thanks for the idea. I couldn't fit my x50v with extended battery in sena case on the Akron universal vent mount. I just happened to have some neodymium magnets laying about so I removed the akron holder and left the vent mount. I stuck 4 on the back of my axim and 4 on the mount using some double sided tapes. Put some black electrical tape to make it less conspicuous. Works great.
Neodynium magnets are those super strong rare-earth magnets. I buy mine from K & J Magnetics for various craft projects. These magnets are strong!! I used the 3/8" diameter, 1/16" thick N38 grade discs. Four pairs arranged in square pattern, so I can easily position it portrait or landscape, requires significant force (I estimate 20lb force) to dismount.
Unbelievable Victor. I just received my Akron CM720 mount last Monday. I have the same exact Axim setup with extended battery and Sena case. I was disappointed that the Akron mount would not hold my Axim in the Sena case. Like you, I've been looking to use the magnet from my old Dell mount (the suction cup broke off my Dell mount, so it's useless). I understand you went away from the CM720 mount because of the spacing. Can you think of any reason why the magnet approach would not work with the powered mount?
Thanks for the idea. I couldn't fit my x50v with extended battery in sena case on the Akron universal vent mount. I just happened to have some neodymium magnets laying about so I removed the akron holder and left the vent mount. I stuck 4 on the back of my axim and 4 on the mount using some double sided tapes. Put some black electrical tape to make it less conspicuous. Works great.
Neodynium magnets are those super strong rare-earth magnets. I buy mine from K & J Magnetics for various craft projects. These magnets are strong!! I used the 3/8" diameter, 1/16" thick N38 grade discs. Four pairs arranged in square pattern, so I can easily position it portrait or landscape, requires significant force (I estimate 20lb force) to dismount.
Thanks so much for that link! I got some ordinary magnets from Home Depot, but they were useless compared to the magnet in the Dell mount. Now I not only know what the good magnets are called, but where to get them on-line! They have a tremendous variety of sizes and pull strengths. If the Arkon mount had fit where I wanted it, I would definitely order some of those neodymium magnets to stick on the mount, and leave the metal plate in the case. I wouldn't put the magnets on the Sena case because it would attract every paper clip on my desk. :)
Originally Posted by urisela
does none of you guys use the PDA on a landscape position while used as a GPS monitor???
My setup will work fine with the PDA in landscape, and most of the commercial mounts are designed to allow you to rotate it to landscape mode too. But I've tried it, and I can't see why anyone would find that better than portrait for GPS navigation.
On the other hand, if I wanted to watch a movie while driving, that would be just the ticket!
Originally Posted by gator612
Unbelievable Victor. I just received my Akron CM720 mount last Monday. I have the same exact Axim setup with extended battery and Sena case. I was disappointed that the Akron mount would not hold my Axim in the Sena case. Like you, I've been looking to use the magnet from my old Dell mount (the suction cup broke off my Dell mount, so it's useless). I understand you went away from the CM720 mount because of the spacing. Can you think of any reason why the magnet approach would not work with the powered mount?
-Keith
Keith, like I said in my response to yjchung, magnets look to me like the cleanest solution by far. Order some magnets J. K. Magnetics, and use the stick on metal plate from Dell on the back of the case. I would order a DX01 and a DX02 and see which one is the right strength for this application. Then post some photos, and let us know how it works for you!
Keith, like I said in my response to yjchung, magnets look to me like the cleanest solution by far. Order some magnets J. K. Magnetics, and use the stick on metal plate from Dell on the back of the case. I would order a DX01 and a DX02 and see which one is the right strength for this application. Then post some photos, and let us know how it works for you!
Sounds good. Exactly how strong are those magnets? I have a 6GB CF Microdrive in my Axim. Anyone know how well a microdrive is shielded? I'm concerned about strong magnetic fields near the microdrive.
Sounds good. Exactly how strong are those magnets? I have a 6GB CF Microdrive in my Axim. Anyone know how well a microdrive is shielded? I'm concerned about strong magnetic fields near the microdrive.
The "pull force" table is here, and the magnetic characteristics including gauss is here. The strength table shows that for a 1" round magnet you get 5.4 lbs of pull from
one 1/8" thick, ranging up to 45.5 lbs for a magnet 1/2" thick. Amazing!
On the microdrive, you should check the manufacturer's web site, perhaps they provide that information.
Originally Posted by Scrappy125
Looks good Victor,
Nice car BTW. :approve: I've got an'02
I see your post count on ClubRSX is way ahead of mine!
On the microdrive, you should check the manufacturer's web site, perhaps they provide that information.
It's the Hitachi microdrive. They have specs and several white papers on the web, but nothing on electro-magnetic shielding.
FYI I did learn that Hitachi has a G-force (zero-G-force) detection circuit that will shut down and park the HDD in 140ms. So in theory (I have not tried this) you can drop your microdrive a distance of 4" or more and the HDD would be protected! See this white paper for details. Not sure if this circuitry is in the 4GB or 6GB drives, but for sure it's in their 8GB drives.
Keep any kind of magnets away from your hard drives let alone one of these rare-earth magnets. These magnets put out incredible manetic fields.. it will definitely damage your data. You can use one of the bigger ones to erase magnetic tapes such as VHS or MiniDV.
These magnets are strong.. a regular fridge magnet would not stick to my axim but a tiny 1/8" x 1/8" x 1/16" (it's so small, it fits into the headphone jack) magnet would attach itself to the back of the axim. Can't imagine what a bigger one would do to your data.
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Improve the Dell mount - a DIY (Long)
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