Ipad Mount, The Simple Alternative To Tv

TearDragger

TearDragger

Junior Ranger
Donating Member
For our new 560 Ultra, we decided not to go with the TV option, but instead, leverage what our 8 year old already uses when a "show" is in order. We already have an iPad - why not leverage it!? We did get the stereo option, and with Bluetooth we have complete stereo audio for our movies.

RAM Ball mounts seemed to be the easiest why to manage the mounting situation, and it lets you easily store it in the cabinet when not in use.

We manage content by downloading old or new movies from our TV cable provider's app, Amazon Prime, etc. when home. If there is cell coverage, I have a MiFi I use and PRESTO! Live TV streaming from our home TV cable provider's app.

TV isn't something we promote or use much, but on a rainy night, or when we're all just too tired to sit up late at the campfire we can always watch an old western or a little Yogi and BooBoo when in Jelleystone!

Here's a few pictures.

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Good idea! However, I want to have a TV in my RV. I used Mount-It MI-310B to mount my Samsung UN55H6350 TV. No complaint at all. Fits the TV without any issues. Easy to install and I think there is an added bonus. I hid the cable inside part of the wall mount. There is the rounded tubular section on both the top and bottom parts that you can hide the cable that goes to a cable box.
 
I'm tired of trying to balance an iPad on a pillow and my lap.

Has anyone tried a Ram ball ceiling mount? The back cabinets are a little far away for a 10" tablet screen and aging eyes. I felt around for a solid wood frame backing in the ceiling but could get decent meat only adjacent to the fan, and it's probably not wide enough to use all the screw holes for the Ram's 2.5" base, which would be prudent.

If a ceiling mount (which would be ideal) isn't possible, I think I've discovered the next best up-close location for a ball mount, which may be just below and aft of the driver's side light, above the door. (Our CI build photos show that the passenger side appears to have more wires running in the routed groove on the outside; the groove is possibly also set a little deeper into the ply. Don't want to hit any of those with screws.) See attached photo, and the orange X marks the spot where I think I could attach the base with little risk of penetrating something crucial on the outside.

Ram also makes an 8" Long Arm (RAM® Double Socket Arm) which would bring the tablet a lot closer to the person sitting on the passenger side of the trailer.

There are 3/8" screws which attach the factory cup holder to the side wall. If I go ahead with this side-mount, I'll use these as the maximum screw length permissible for attaching the base, and not penetrating the aluminum skin. I believe that using all 6 of these 3/8" screws with the Ram's 2.5" dia base, into solid (1/2"?) plywood, would be more than sufficient to support a 2 lb tablet extended down and to the side on a 45 deg.

Their double ball extension ( RAM® Double Ball Adapter) would allow you configure a quadruple articulated support and bring it even closer to the passenger side viewer. Provided that the vertical base attachment will still support it. If I went that route, I might also back up the base attachment screws with some 3M tape, for insurance.

Ram make tablet holders specific to just about every tablet, and they are lightweight. The holder for the iPad Air is only 6 oz. So if you are extending the mount horizontally out from the side, then overall weight would be a consideration. Downward from the ceiling, or the back cabinet, probably not a big deal.

Ram makes good stuff. I use their 1" ball B-series for my GPS, both in the TV and on the motorcycle, and it's solid. But I didn't know their product line was so extensive. However, I would need to bump it up to their 1.5" C-series components to support the weight of a tablet, whether I use it in a vertical or horizontal application.

Perhaps CI could add a ball mount as a build accessory, and it would eliminate any aftermarket guessing about suitable mounting locations inside the cabin.
 

Attachments

I decided to not try a ceiling mount, for the a/m reasons, and went with a wall mount using some of the Ram components for which I gave links above, including the EZ Roll'r iPad holder and the long arm. The EZ Roll'r requires that you remove the tablet from any case you may already have it in, unlike Teardragger's config, at the top of this thread.

The 1.5" ball C-series is definitely the way you want to go for a side-mount, even though the considerable heft of the Ram components themselves far outstrip the weight of the iPad itself. The whole unit can swing out of the way in two directions, or be easily detached from the base mount. From the photos it doesn't appear to be a good viewing position for anyone on the left, but it actually is. It's just that one person is slightly closer to the screen. Because of the slotted construction of the arm, the positions that you can put it in, and the orientation of the screen are not infinite, and you have play around with both to get it exactly where you want. Don't think I would need to do the articulated double-ball extension (to bring it lower and closer the the other person), though the robustness of the setup would certainly support the extra weight and resultant torque on the mounting screws.

My screws extended beyond the base and into the plywood by about 7/16" and didn't dimple or penetrate the outer skin. And there were no apparent penetrations of the exterior trailer wiring either, by staying below and aft of the light. YMMV depending on model and year of manufacture and any changes over time there may have been with CI's assembly of these things. I used my unit's build photos as a guide.

Photos attached below, as I can't seem to embed them in the text like I used to.
 

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We also are in the “didn’t get a TV in the 560 because iPad” crew.

This year I bought one of these cheap Amazon sourced mounts and tried to use the included adhesive to mount the “base” to the cabinet walls. It didn’t work. I don’t know if it was the weight of the iPad Pro or the varnish of the cabinets disagreeing with the adhesive or both. Anyway, I screwed the base to the upper middle cabinet drawer (where many folks have an A/C). It’s not super pretty but it sure works conveniently. The cabinet drawer now requires a bit more care in accessing bc the weight of the mount pulls it down fast, but it is also our least-accessed cabinet. So it’s a bit of a wash.

AERZETIX Wall Hanging Tablet... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087WL6FSM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
 
I just wish there was a tablet about the size of the ipad pro without the ipad pro price....

I've seen a couple of tablet mounts...I think this is actually the best overall idea I've seen.
 
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