I looked for an off-the-shelf mount to attach a 7" monitor and all the necessary "stuff" to my Futaba T8J and have it all well balanced and pleasant to use. Purchased the Tarot monitor mounting bracket, but it is not sturdy enough to hold much more than the monitor alone - - even then you have to be careful as give the monitor a minor bonk could break the front case and it's all mounted to just the neck strap stud. After a couple of tries I gave up and built one:
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The main frame of the mounting bracket or tray is made of 1/4" Lexan polycarbonate, cause I had a sheet of it in the hangar someone gave me. It's hell for stout and will stop a .22 (useful in case someone is shooting at your Phantom, has the proper Drone Hunting License of course, and goes after me instead :shock: ). Plexiglas could be substituted and would be far easier to bend. I used a heat gun to get the Lexan to 280 F or so and then used a sheet metal press brake. Heating was only necessary as my brake is a small one - - Lexan will cold bend nicely. (Note: if using Plexiglas, you'll need to heat it and bend it manually - - easy to do.
The T8J snaps right into the holder, put the base in first against a strip of black foam weather strip lining the bottom, the push the top down and it snaps in snug - no fasteners required. The Lexan is transparent both visually, and importantly, to radio waves.
The monitor tray is made from 1/8" thick Lexan. The wiring is just kluged now, I'll be adding a power switch and cleaning up the wiring. A standard Phantom 2200 battery is used to power monitor and receiver and is held in a nylon pouch (reclaimed Leatherman pouch) for easy removal. The is an extended lip to which the antennas are attached with nylon ties which really makes them a lot more rugged. The picture above shows a single point attach that didn't work well. Went to a two point, shown below, which is more stable and you can release the transmitter and it stays pretty much in place.
I'll do a follow on and add more photos if this post works.
bumper
The main frame of the mounting bracket or tray is made of 1/4" Lexan polycarbonate, cause I had a sheet of it in the hangar someone gave me. It's hell for stout and will stop a .22 (useful in case someone is shooting at your Phantom, has the proper Drone Hunting License of course, and goes after me instead :shock: ). Plexiglas could be substituted and would be far easier to bend. I used a heat gun to get the Lexan to 280 F or so and then used a sheet metal press brake. Heating was only necessary as my brake is a small one - - Lexan will cold bend nicely. (Note: if using Plexiglas, you'll need to heat it and bend it manually - - easy to do.
The T8J snaps right into the holder, put the base in first against a strip of black foam weather strip lining the bottom, the push the top down and it snaps in snug - no fasteners required. The Lexan is transparent both visually, and importantly, to radio waves.
The monitor tray is made from 1/8" thick Lexan. The wiring is just kluged now, I'll be adding a power switch and cleaning up the wiring. A standard Phantom 2200 battery is used to power monitor and receiver and is held in a nylon pouch (reclaimed Leatherman pouch) for easy removal. The is an extended lip to which the antennas are attached with nylon ties which really makes them a lot more rugged. The picture above shows a single point attach that didn't work well. Went to a two point, shown below, which is more stable and you can release the transmitter and it stays pretty much in place.
I'll do a follow on and add more photos if this post works.
bumper
