But for routine use, an iPad Mini works fine for 7 – 8 hrs….
And, if necessary, a single lightning cable isn’t exactly obtrusive.
Yes, but there is a million Ipad mounts out there. Everybody and their dog is making Ipad mounts (and wallets and screen protectors, etc).
The reason I posted the original one is that is illustrates a huge change of FAA policy.
Previously, everybody had to pretend the mount is “temporary”. One could
)))I believe one UK avionics shop even got an EASA STC for the last option!
And exactly the same applies to any handheld GPS. I don’t think an Ipad is any different on terms of FAA thinking. This opens the way to permanent mounts for say a Garmin 795.
Maybe this should be in the “does certification enhance safety” thread… Fantastic example that in these instances, it doesn’t. It is crazy that the installation of a device mount and a set of wires to replace velcro and a POS in the universal power socket cigarette lighter socket requires certification.
2greens1red wrote:
But for routine use, an iPad Mini works fine for 7 – 8 hrs….
Not if the screen is on all the time, and definitely not if a moving map is displayed. More like 2-4 hours, depending on light level and what you use.
I reckon that an iPad, if powered, and in an enclosed sealed unventilated aperture like that, whilst running a nav app at the same time, would fry, overheat and close down in fairly short order.
That’s actually a really good point.
I can easily make any tablet (of reasonable power; not the android ones like my T705 which runs nicely but can take 30 secs to render a PDF visual approach chart) shut down in sunlight if it is being charged and the screen brightness is reasonably high – as it usually has to be in a plane with big windows. Note also that all these tablets need to draw at least 1 amp if the screen brightness is reasonably high i.e. they dissipate at least 5 watts.
In use, it is obvious that one could solve this just by removing heat from the back of it. This can be perfectly done with airflow, by positioning the tablet near a vent. Or it could be done, in the permanent holder in the OP, by having a thermal pad – example – and a heatsink surface of some sort behind it. That should be easy to arrange in an aircraft, unless something behind the panel is generating a lot of heat too (unlikely on the RHS).
flybymike wrote:
I reckon that an iPad, if powered, and in an enclosed sealed unventilated aperture like that, whilst running a nav app at the same time, would fry, overheat and close down in fairly short order.
Looking on their website, the mount includes cooling channels and a tapered 5/8" connection to enable connection to the avionics cooling fan / plenum… But the issue I see with a panel mount like is that it is designed for one model of iPad….so when the next model comes out, with different connections or even dimensions you’re stuffed…
This is what I’ll be mounting in my panel when I redo it. I want two of them – one I can use for IR/plate work, the other just for VFR for situational awareness or backup.
I find my RAM mount vibrates slightly (it clamps to the tube behind the yoke as most seem to do). It naturally has lots of couplings which hold the i-pad in front of the yoke.
Is there a product available which clamps into the gap at the front of the yoke which is revealed when you peel the Piper badge off? This will lead to much shorter mountings and less vibration.
If I can buy something like this it will save me having to make it.
Thanks -
