CallMeJoe
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- William
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2020
- Threads
- 8
- Messages
- 78
- Reaction score
- 135
- Location
- Boyceville, Wi.
- Vehicle(s)
- JTR
- Occupation
- Retired
- Thread starter
- #1
I have been putzing with a cleaner way to install a switch panel AND phone/tablet mounts AND clean up my usb charging cable rat nest. I think I'm getting pretty close here.
I started with the MLC-6 kit and really like the way it mounts and functions. I've found the only downside to be the fact that there's no relay trigger to ignition off, so one needs to remember to turn accessories off. I might add a relay into the battery feed to the MLC control box but for now am just running it as it came out of the box. I replaced the #6 (left) switch with a usb charging port to power my phone and tablet. For wiring it to power, I simply unplugged the switch, installed the usb outlet in the switch hole and plugged in both the hot and ground spade connectors that were plugged into the switch. It's easy as it gets, but the Achilles heel is that there doesn't seem to be much power output from the usb charger. I am going to run dedicated hot/ground wires for that down to the back of the utility (cigarette lighter) plug where I pulled power for my cb and gmrs. We'll see if that provides more power from the usb port.
For device mounting, I drilled both sides of the switch panel and installed 67 designs 20mm ball mounts, then attached short arms to them. The right side is a phone mount (magnetic) from 67 designs. The left arm terminates in a 67 designs adapter for my Ram mount tablet holder. Rather than depend on the ball to hold the weight of the tablet, I just rest the arm on the dash. It's proven solid and secure. I'm running GAIA topo on the tablet and am really happy with the performance and accuracy. By comparison, I ran a test last weekend with the tablet running GAIA and the phone running google maps, patched to my 7" screen with uconnect. At one point, google had me 200 yards out in lake Superior! The tablet running GAIA was within a few feet of my actual location all the time.
Here's a few photos of the install:
As I said, there's work yet to do but I am happy with the results. So far, the 67 designs hardware is solid. The magnetic phone mount is holding my moto3 phone with no falling off. I prefer the mag mount as I can grab the phone and take a photo quickly. The ram mount I selected for my tablet is super solid and, being spring loaded, is fast for mount/dismount. The MLC-6 is perfect for me and I am more than happy with its ease of install and use.
I started with the MLC-6 kit and really like the way it mounts and functions. I've found the only downside to be the fact that there's no relay trigger to ignition off, so one needs to remember to turn accessories off. I might add a relay into the battery feed to the MLC control box but for now am just running it as it came out of the box. I replaced the #6 (left) switch with a usb charging port to power my phone and tablet. For wiring it to power, I simply unplugged the switch, installed the usb outlet in the switch hole and plugged in both the hot and ground spade connectors that were plugged into the switch. It's easy as it gets, but the Achilles heel is that there doesn't seem to be much power output from the usb charger. I am going to run dedicated hot/ground wires for that down to the back of the utility (cigarette lighter) plug where I pulled power for my cb and gmrs. We'll see if that provides more power from the usb port.
For device mounting, I drilled both sides of the switch panel and installed 67 designs 20mm ball mounts, then attached short arms to them. The right side is a phone mount (magnetic) from 67 designs. The left arm terminates in a 67 designs adapter for my Ram mount tablet holder. Rather than depend on the ball to hold the weight of the tablet, I just rest the arm on the dash. It's proven solid and secure. I'm running GAIA topo on the tablet and am really happy with the performance and accuracy. By comparison, I ran a test last weekend with the tablet running GAIA and the phone running google maps, patched to my 7" screen with uconnect. At one point, google had me 200 yards out in lake Superior! The tablet running GAIA was within a few feet of my actual location all the time.
Here's a few photos of the install:
As I said, there's work yet to do but I am happy with the results. So far, the 67 designs hardware is solid. The magnetic phone mount is holding my moto3 phone with no falling off. I prefer the mag mount as I can grab the phone and take a photo quickly. The ram mount I selected for my tablet is super solid and, being spring loaded, is fast for mount/dismount. The MLC-6 is perfect for me and I am more than happy with its ease of install and use.
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