[aprssig] vehicle laptop mount for APRS rig

[Jim Lux]

At 10:00 AM 7/18/2006, you wrote:
>-----------------------------
>
>Message: 4
>Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 11:13:15 -0500
>From: Jason Winningham <jdw at eng.uah.edu>
>Subject: [aprssig] vehicle laptop mount for APRS rig
>To: TAPR APRS Mailing List <aprssig at lists.tapr.org>
>Message-ID: <5f751c85c48a7af593ae7a82e62cf3d9 at eng.uah.edu>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
>Can anyone recommend a vehicle laptop mount?
>
>I find myself going mobile with the laptop more and more, and it's
>fairly unmanageable.
>
>I'd also be interested in hearing about success with display mounts,
>especially touchscreens, for mobile computing rigs.
>
>-Jason
>kg4wsv

Aside from the mechanical and power aspects, you also need to consider 
thermal effects. Most notebook computers are desigend to be operated in an 
"office environment", meaning not too far from 20C.  Put it in a car at 0C 
or 40C, and things might not work out too well. In lots of places, it's 
pretty easy to get the interior temperature of the car up above 50C (122F), 
and if the sun is shining on the case, it will get even hotter.

A panasonic toughbook has been tested for -20 to 140F operational, -60 to 
160F non-op

A macbook is specified to operate at 35C.
Sony Vaios say Operating range: 0 to 35C (32 to 95F)
Dells are speced at 0 to 40C..

And, although it may say you can run that hot, bear in mind that the 
expected life is roughly halved for every 10C

Jim Lux, W6RMK