Sat Nav dashboard mount

The windscreen mount for the TomTom SatNav in Shelley's Land Rover Defender works just fine but it is not very tidy and I just don't like anything on the glass, if it can be avoided.

I think it looks nicer to have accessories built-in, or at least as near to as is possible, when retro-fitting things.

To that end I have designed a dash mount for the TomTom Via 53 5" that Shelley has in her Land Rover Defender.

It was modelled in Fusion 360 and printed using PLA on our Ultimaker 2+.

First prototype

It is deliberately designed in several parts so that the different bits can be made to fit without having to keep printing the whole thing. I can get the fit to the dash and to the Sat Nav separately. That also means that if we ever change Sat Nav, I would only have to redesign the front clips not the dashboard mount.

First prototype printing

I always worry about tall prints. There's just so many opportunities for the print to go wrong. I was pleased that the prototype finished first time. I printed it on end, with a raft and full supports.

When in the car, the stress on this piece will be front to back rather than side to side. Which is why I wanted the layers to run front to back because they tend to be stronger than the inter-layer bond.

Adjusted version

Second version

The first version fitted but was a bit tight and the holes needed some minor adjustment to line up with the dash. The second version had a complete corner cut out to avoid encroaching on the, already poor, vents.

The speakers and the power cable come out the back of the TomTom, so the holder had to cater for that. The power button is in the top right hand corner which, as it happens, is very convenient for where I wanted the holder to fit.

It's held on to the dash using a longer screw that secures the air vent.

I am very pleased with the end result.

==
Note 2 April 2018:
The lower bar cracked at the thinnest point when I put too much strain on it while trying to squeeze an additional wire behind it.
The following download is a revised version with a thicker lower bar to withstand some minor abuse and some other adjustments to better fit the Tom Tom.

Downloads:
SatNav dashboard mount for Land Rover Defender (STL files in a ZIP file)
SatNav dashboard mount (Fusion 360)
Licence attribution - small business exception


==