Mounting a Laptop Computer in an RV or Auto
Dave and Helen Damouth www.damouth.org
29 June 2003
Finding a way to conveniently, safely, and securely mount a laptop computer at the driver's or passenger's position in a motor vehicle has been a challenge for many of us. After searching for solutions on the Internet, I settled on a Jotto desk. This company builds several different styles and sizes, suitable for almost any vehicle from a huge truck or Class A motorhome to a small car like my VW Passat. They offer very flexible and adaptable mounting arrangements, adjustable height, and an articulated swiveling arm which can be locked in any position - convenient for use by navigator, or can be pivoted around for easy map viewing by driver. For the Passat and my large (15" display) laptop, I purchased a Jotto model 425-5167ACD. See the Jotto web site for the complete product line. You can buy at list price directly from the factory, or may be able to find modest discounts from other retailers - do a web search. For certain vehicles that are commonly used in large fleets, Jotto offers special mounts that attach to the seat mounts and require no additional holes.
The model I bought has a "universal" mount for my VW Passat. I attached it to the passenger side of the center tunnel with two big sheet metal screws that were provided with the mount. It works fine - and since the screws go through the floor carpeting, there will be no holes visible if I ever remove it. This mount pivots to any angle and could also have been attached flat on the floor.
I've included photos of the Jotto desk as installed in my Passat.
Note that this laptop has a 15" screen, which is very nice in my big Dodge RAM, but is somewhat overwhelming in this small vehicle. A 12" screen would be more practical for the Passat.
The first picture shows the bare desk, swung to the side so you can see the mounting post. The support base is screwed to the side of the center console just above where it meets the floor. The vertical post can be removed completely. Or I can lift the horizontal arm and desk off the vertical post and leave the post in place. It's right against the console, so it doesn't interfere with the passenger.
The second photo shows the computer as it might be used while on the road with a passenger. In this center position, it is just clear of the path of the passenger air bag. It obscures the radio and air conditioner controls - but I have the basic radio controls duplicated on the steering wheels, and the A/C is automatic. Perhaps more importantly, it partially blocks the center air outlets. Don't know yet whether that will be a problem. But I suspect that we will travel with the display folded down most of the time, which gives access to everything. The desk is positioned just high enough to give me comfortable access to the shift lever.
The third photo shows the computer positioned as I might use it when I'm driving by myself without a passenger.
The computer sits on non-skid shockmount pads on the desk, and is secured by two thin black plastic coated steel cables which pass over the keyboard. These are spring-tensioned with a lever under the desk, can be quickly released to remove the computer, and can be positioned so as not to interfere with any controls. It seems very secure. You can also buy the desk without the cable assembly, and use heavy-duty adhesive Velcro patches to hold the computer to the desk. I chose the cables because I felt that the Velcro on the bottom of the computer might interfere with other uses.
The desk can be tilted at any angle front-to-back, for convenient keyboard use and can be swiveled 360 degrees in the horizontal plane. The horizontal support arm is jointed in the middle and also swivels around the vertical post. The vertical post can be adjusted in height. All of the adjustments are made by loosening a locking screw - which has a convenient ratcheting hand lever on the end of the screw so it can be adjusted in a confined space. At the moment, I leave most of these adjustment locking screws just snug enough so that I can move the desk fairly easily by hand, (to swing it out of the way of the dashboard controls, for example, but it doesn't move on its own in normal driving. The whole thing is quite rigid. There is surprisingly little vibration while driving.
Here's an illustration from the installation manual, which shows the overall structure quite well.
In the center position, the computer and the desk are just a couple of inches from the dashboard, and in a panic stop or frontal crash, the whole thing would slide forward a bit and rest safely against a smooth dash area, which should be harmless to both computer and dash. In this center position, it wouldn't interfere with airbag deployment. When driving by myself, airbag deployment isn't an issue, since I believe that the passenger-side airbags (front and side-curtain) are disabled when there is no passenger in the seat.
I'm quite impressed by the amount of thought that went into this design. It can be adjusted to almost any conceivable position, is easy to readjust without tools, and could be mounted to a wide variety of surfaces at amost any angle. This is model 425-5167ACD. Several other models are available