Once the plywood tray top was bolted onto the PVC drain fitting, I test assembled the whole unit and tried it out in the truck. I used countersunk bolts to attach the tray to the drain fitting, that way the heads of the bolts wouldn't be sticking up. It wouldn't have mattered much, since I could have always flipped the board over, but I wanted the best looking side up. I almost drilled the air hole on the wrong side of the board (as can be seen by the circle drawn on the upper left of the board). I forgot that I had the laptop upside-down when I measured the position of the cooling fan intake. I drilled out a hole where the laptop cooling fan will be for improved air-flow. then I placed it in the center of the plywood and transferred the hole locations and drilled them out to match the the holes in the fitting. I drilled four holes in the PVC drain fitting. I cut a piece of 1/4 inch thick plywood to 11 by 13 and rounded off all the corners. I also wanted to measure the position of the cooling fan, so I could cut a hole in the tray for air flow. My laptop is 11 inches deep by 13 inches wide. I needed to measure up the dimensions of my laptop to know how large to make the plywood tray. It fit great, and it looked like I had just the right clearance. Next I test-fitted the arm in the cup-holder. I also removed the metal grate from the top of the drain fitting. Once I had all the pieces of the arm cut, I dry-fitted the parts together to see how it looked. Dimensions for your particular vehicle will probably be different. I just wanted it to clear the shift lever and armrest. These measurements are pretty arbitrary, but I didn't want to cantilever the laptop out any further than I had to. I cut 2 pieces at 2 inches long, and one piece at 3 inches long to go in the middle of the arm (see drawing in earlier step). Next I cut up the length of PVC pipe to make the short pieces I'd need to connect the parts together. So I got out my sander and sanded down the outside of the coupler until it would slip all the way down to the bottom of the cup-holder. However, the cup-holder must have a slight taper to it, because the coupler jams part-way down. The 2 inch PVC coupler is an almost exact fit into the top of the cup-holder. It's a lot more convenient than trying to balance it on my lap or the armrest.
I use it while stopped, usually at sales. Before you all start writing me and saying how unsafe it is to use the computer while driving, don't panic. Please Visit my web site for more information on this and my other projects. This instructable will show you how I did it. I figured out a quick and easy way to build a laptop tray for my Tacoma that only cost a little over $30! That's 1/10 of what the commercially made units cost! And it only took me an afternoon to build it. I always thought there had to be a better way.
Laptop stands car install#
The commercially made units also bolt to the floor and take time and tools to install and remove. Ouch! I suppose I could make one like the commercially made units, but they are made of metal, and I'm not much of a metal-worker. Several models I have looked at cost close to $300. The commercially made units are pricey though. I've always wanted a built-in laptop / notebook computer tray for my truck. I have a broadband access card for the laptop, so I can get online from anywhere. I usually carry a laptop computer with me when I travel to keep in touch, and to check what things are worth before buying them at estate sales, yard sales or bidding in auctions. There's lots of cargo room in the back for the stuff I buy. I also go to a lot of estate sales and auctions in it.
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