Portable DVD Player Car Mount
by shepnstein in Workshop > Home Theater
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Portable DVD Player Car Mount
I got a portable DVD player to entertain my son on long car trips (I highly recommend the Sony, btw). I have not found any car mounting system that meets my needs. There are soft cases that mount to the back of the front seat with straps, but they are hard to mount. There are mounts that use a tray supported by bungee cords between the headrests, but they wear out and are flimsy. So, having found nothing that suits my needs, I set out on making one that is easy to build, easy to install and remove, and cheap.
Supplies Needed:
¾” PVC Pipe
(3) ¾” PVC elbows
(1) PVC “T”
(2) Elastic Straps
Drill with drill bits
Something to cut the PVC pipe
The mount will hold the DVD player horizontally, using the car headrest to hold it in place. I built mine to hold the DVD player to the side instead of directly behind the seat so that my child could not reach the DVD player from his car seat or kick it.
DISCLAIMER: I haven't crash-tested this mounting system. I can't be held responsible for what happens in a wreck. My guess is, if you hit something hard enough the thing will go flying...but if that's the case you've probably got bigger things to worry about.
UPDATE: It's 2021 now, and these things aren't needed anymore because, smartphones.
But, if you are inclined to make one, just cut a piece of plywood to the right shape instead of fooling with PVC. Don't know why I didn't think of that before
Supplies Needed:
¾” PVC Pipe
(3) ¾” PVC elbows
(1) PVC “T”
(2) Elastic Straps
Drill with drill bits
Something to cut the PVC pipe
The mount will hold the DVD player horizontally, using the car headrest to hold it in place. I built mine to hold the DVD player to the side instead of directly behind the seat so that my child could not reach the DVD player from his car seat or kick it.
DISCLAIMER: I haven't crash-tested this mounting system. I can't be held responsible for what happens in a wreck. My guess is, if you hit something hard enough the thing will go flying...but if that's the case you've probably got bigger things to worry about.
UPDATE: It's 2021 now, and these things aren't needed anymore because, smartphones.
But, if you are inclined to make one, just cut a piece of plywood to the right shape instead of fooling with PVC. Don't know why I didn't think of that before
Built a Platform
This isn’t rocket science here. Using 3 PVC elbow,1 PVC “T”, and some PVC pipe, build a platform that is slightly smaller than the DVD Player. The player will rest on the platform.
Built the Mount
Remove the headrest. If you don’t know how, read your owners manual.
Cut a piece of PVC pipe long enough to be a suitable base for your DVD player. It must be longer than the distance between both prongs that hold the headrest in the seat, but not so long that it flexes easily.
Drill 2 holes in the PVC stem that the prongs of the headrest will go through. No measuring needed here- just mark the holes by lining it up with the headrest prongs.
Install
Put the headrest prongs through the PVC stem. Attach the base to the stem via the PVC “T”. Use 2 elastic Velcro straps to hold the DVD player in place on the base (oops, only 1 strap is pictured here).
To remove, you can just yank the platform off the stem piece and leave the stem piece in place. Easy!