Thread: Scion xB '06, in-dash Atom 330, Lilliput 889GL; details, pictures, links. Index: pg 1

Mount Up!, Part 5

I've been writing about the steel mount Josh and I built for his Scion xB's 17-inch Elo touchscreen LCD panel. The discussion gets going in Post #333, and pictures are in Post #335. Now that it's complete and installed, we see some ways we could have built the mount differently, and the ideas may help others who go this same route. The first batch of ideas was in Post #340; here's another helping:

1. After fabricating the tubing parts, I'd protect the insides of the tubes, too. I'd flush the tubes with a good solvent to get the oils out, and then flush with rust-eating paint. I simply forgot to do that on this mount. Rust-eating paint encapsulates rust and prevents it from having a foothold on the inside of the tubes from which it can spread to the outside. It bonds with the corrosion and forms a protective barrier that prevents further corrosion. Even just flushing with Rust-O-Leum paint is pretty good, although it's less effective if the tube is very corroded on the inside. There are several kinds of rust-eating paint available, including my favorite,Permatex Extend, which is available in bottles or spray cans (the bottle is a far better deal). This or similar products are available at Lowe's, Home Depot and hardware stores, and online.
   
   
2. I'd allow more time in our schedule for the paint to dry; the texture paint takes 24 hours to dry completely, and we only had a few hours from final paint to installation. While installing, we dinged up the finish pretty badly, and had to do some repaint work. That's okay for a first installation, and the damage isn't visible, but I like all this stuff to look absolutely OEM. Or better.
   
   
3. I'd use the epoxy paint we really wanted; we couldn't find it in satin finish, so we went with the texture paint. Next time, I'd use the gloss epoxy and overcoat it with the texture paint on the hinge parts.
   
   
4. I'd go for a soft finish. On the exposed parts below the hinge, I'd seriously consider brushing on a couple coats of PlastiDip plastic dip for tool handles. It requires 30 minutes between coats and a minimum of 4 hours drying time before use. That plastic coating -- which has a satin finish -- would make the parts very resistant to damage, and a little softer if the passenger bumped into them. This page lists stores and some of the online retailers that carry it. I've bought it at Home Depot (although they don't list it online) and seen it in Harbor Freight and hardware stores; cornerhardware.com also has it online.
   
   I've read here on MP3Car that SEM Trim and Bumper Paint or Dupli-Color Flexible Bumper Coating (from Sherwin-Williams) might provide a soft finish, too. They're available in a range of colors; if I went that way, I'd use charcoal gray to match the rest of the interior.
   
   
5. I'd change the way I installed the plastic modesty panel around the crossbrace. I cut a hole for the brace in the modesty panel, and then slotted the panel so I could install it after we bolted the mount in. If I were doing it again, I'd simply cut a hole in the panel -- without the slot -- and push the crossbrace through the hole before installing the mount. Then I'd bolt the crossbrace in and button it all up by clipping the modesty panel in place. It's okay like it is, but the just-a-hole technique would be even cleaner-looking. The trick would be getting the hole in exacly the right place.
   
   
6. I'd take dMand's advice and make it tougher for thieves to steal the monitor. I'd use tamper-proof fasteners to attach the screen to the mount plate -- probably tamper-proof Torx bolts -- and I'd make the hinge pin locknuts harder to remove. I like this idea so much that we plan to add tamper-proof fasteners to the mount we just built.

Originally Posted by rdholtz

Mount Up!, Part 5\

Wow, I knew about the Permatex, but never thought to apply plastic dip on top of the final paint. I need to take my shifter and mount out and redo it now, thanks!

Originally Posted by GizmoQ

Wow, I knew about the Permatex, but never thought to apply plastic dip on top of the final paint. I need to take my shifter and mount out and redo it now, thanks!

Well, you're the one who got me started thinking about it. You said this about our mount:

Originally Posted by GizmoQ

Just make sure you put several coats of paint on it when you're done. Mine was showing spots of rust within the first 6 months. I eventually ended up taking it out sandblasting it again, rustproofing, and then painted with 4 coats of Rustoleum. (It didn't help that it was in a convertible.)

I realized that maybe some of that corrosion you experienced could have started inside the tubing. That got me to thinking about the Permatex Extend. When I went out to the garage to look for mine -- to make sure I had the name right -- I spotted the PastiDip next to it. And that got me to thinking I'd use a PlastiDip finish next time.

I've only used it with a brush once. I had to thin it a little (you can use toluene, naptha or xylene), but I had opened the can and used it previously, so it may have thickened. Try it first as it comes from the can; if you have to thin it, go easy on the solvent -- you want the coats to be heavy.

Originally Posted by NSFW

rdholtz, have you tried wiring up an external power switch, or something like W3bma5t3ter's power-on module?

WraithJ says he's done it on an EeePC (see Post #355,above). I've made no physical modifications to the EeePC, other than boosting it to 2GB of memory

Considering the EeePC's very low power usage -- 12V @ 3W maximum draw -- I haven't sensed any great need for an external power switch; I just close the lid and let it go to standby. This little pup will run XP for four hours on its internal battery alone; it will sit in standby for several days before it would need to get juice from the car battery; even then, the drain would be minimal.

I haven't installed the M2-ATX DC-DC power supply, yet, so there's no auto-battery backup for it. I shut it down if I'm going to leave the vehicle unused for a long time, but, normally -- if I'm going to leave it unused for a day or two -- I've just let it run on standby.

There's another factor here: I enjoy working on the EeePC, so I rarely leave it in the car right now. While the football playoffs were on yesterday, I brought it in and used Centrafuse and an external DVD player to rip a huge number of CDs to my music folder while I watched some football and used the other laptop. The EeePC doesn't spend a lot of time alone. (No, I don't lay it on the pillow to sleep with me. )

For me, the most useful application in the power-control realm might be ShutControl. I have no experience with it, yet, but I'm going to explore it.

Originally Posted by MeeM

I've heard that the touchscreen overlay makes the Eee's LCD difficult to read in the sunlight.

One of the guys at our store in Atlanta modified his Acer Aspire One with fido's touchscreen overlay, and he didn't see any significant loss of visibility. Still, I suspect an added layer of anything will affect it, so it's a matter of degree. I haven't ordered the touchscreen yet, but it would have to dim it a great deal to make it unworkable, and that seems unlikely.

Originally Posted by WraithJ

(sorry to thread jack rdholtz )

When I'm participating in the discussion, and even referring to your comments, I don't see how that can qualify as threadjacking. You're on topic, so fire away.