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View Full Version : Mounting OTC/Laptops in the car



Skibbe
07-26-2006, 08:28 AM
Anyone have some bright ideas for mounting their OTC 4000 in the car?

I'm tired of it flopping around on the passenger seat during a drag run... I kept missing the Record button last night. I started shoving it between the seats on top of the e-brake handle after the burnout, but pressing that Record button in the corner would cause it to tip before the button reacted.

While we're at it, how about mounting laptops as well?

Speedeuphoria
07-26-2006, 10:53 AM
While we're at it, how about mounting laptops as well?

The best thing I saw was an aditional lcd monitor mounted connected to a laptop mounted else where. It was a nice setup if you only need to watch.

ssheen
07-27-2006, 03:47 PM
I hook my laptop to my scanner and use my software to log continously.

Skibbe
07-27-2006, 04:49 PM
I hook my laptop to my scanner and use my software to log continously.

I downloaded your software on Sunday and played with it some. I couldn't get an OTC4000E to talk to it, hence the use of your competitor's software on Tuesday evening. I think it has something to do with your note about setting the com port and clock using the command line. How do we get to that on WinXP?

I noticed the help files were missing as well. Is that what we get when we register? Or did I corrupt my download of the program?

ssheen
07-28-2006, 12:02 AM
No competitors, all one big happy family. :D

OTC 4000E should not be a problem as that is the same scanner I use. Help files should be in the zip. I did just confirm that. It is datalogger.chm. To set those parameters, right click on the icon and for target have something like this
C:\DataLogger\datalogger.exe com=2 baud=19200

Skibbe
07-28-2006, 08:10 AM
Thanks, I must have had a bad download then. I'll play with it again this weekend.

ssheen
07-28-2006, 12:02 PM
Good Luck.

Oh, I do remember coming across a cool pic of how someone mounted his scanner and what not. I believe it may of been on that other board td, but not sure. I could not find it again.

briceturbosports
07-28-2006, 12:20 PM
check out russ jerome homepage he has his mounted in his omni :thumb:

ssheen
07-28-2006, 03:30 PM
I do believe that is the pic I was refering to. :D

ottawa rogue
07-28-2006, 10:23 PM
one option you might have is to find a police supply store and see if they have any laptop mounts for patrol cars. these are pretty adjustable and would make a decent mount. if you know anyone that works for a city garage, you might be able to get a used one for next to nothing

Skibbe
07-29-2006, 12:18 AM
Duh. Hadn't thought of that.

I happen to work for a local Village in the Engineering Dept, so I'll have to go talk to our fleet manager. I know the squads are on a 2 year cycle, but don't know if the equipment inside just gets transfered to the new cars or not. If nothing else I can take a look at what they're using.

ShadowFromHell
07-29-2006, 02:53 AM
I work at a body shop and we do all the work for a BIG local farm. We had the head guys truck in a few weeks back and he had a really cool mount. It was all custom made for his lap top to set down into a tray, and then had a strap over the front of the keyboard... I think. Grape harvest is coming up thou, after that I will see it again everything gets wrecked during grape harvest. lol

Dustin

ottawa rogue
07-29-2006, 01:27 PM
Duh. Hadn't thought of that.

I happen to work for a local Village in the Engineering Dept, so I'll have to go talk to our fleet manager. I know the squads are on a 2 year cycle, but don't know if the equipment inside just gets transfered to the new cars or not. If nothing else I can take a look at what they're using.

I'm a heavy equipment mechanic for the city of Olathe, Kansas, so i see these things just about every day.
sad part is we just got rid of a few of them about a month ago:o
it's about 50/50 around here, half the time they just reuse the old stuff

fleckster
08-10-2006, 09:56 PM
You guys need to check out how Warren Hall has switched from using the OTC scanner laying in the car to using Bluetooth wireless to display and log data directly to his Palm Pilot.

Boost_Virgin
08-12-2006, 03:43 PM
You guys need to check out how Warren Hall has switched from using the OTC scanner laying in the car to using Bluetooth wireless to display and log data directly to his Palm Pilot.

So where is the link?

Russ Jerome
08-12-2006, 05:29 PM
http://hometown.aol.com/russjerome/images/dcp_0012.jpg

Lightweight aluminum pedestal, velcro on back of scanner
so it goes from one of your TDs to the others. Lengthen
you diagnostic connector from underhood to in cab so
you dont have to run cable out of car anymore. With a
van the top center dash works great for the velcro alone
(right over center vents).

*edited pic....way tooo big*