I hate windhield suction-cup mounts and didn't want to rely on adhesives to attach anything to the dash. And drilling directly into the the dash was out of the question for me. So, I decided that the clipboard panel was easily replaceable and OK to modify for a better purpose. That purpose is a powered mount for my dashboard gadgets. Those include my Garmin Nuvi, Uniden radar detector, and new Scangauge 3.
I completed this project many weeks ago, but just got around to sharing the idea and photos. Here's how I put it together...
The mount is based on an imported accessory for motorcycles intended to attach to the handlebar clamps and provide a "fake" handlebar that sits above for the purpose of mounting electronics (smartphones, navigators, radar detectors, etc).
First, I drilled two holes in the clipboard panel and mounted the "Motowolf" handlebar accessory. And then I drilled a 1 inch hole for snapping in a wire pass-through (the kind made for desks and other furniture).
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Next, I adhesive-mounted a triple 12V accessory (cigarette lighter) outlet dongle onto the bottom side of the clipboard panel.
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After that, I installed some handlebar mounts made by Arkon that use the Garmin 17mm ball to attach to a Nuvi navigator, but also can attach to a standard AMPS plate for other devices.
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Finally, I plugged in the power adapters for the gadgets, and then dressed and tied down the cables.
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Here's the final result during the day with power off.
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And here it is at night with the engine running.
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