My Unique iPad Mini (gen5) Mavic 2 Controller Mount

[johnmeyer]

I've spent hours looking for a way to attach my new iPad Mini 5 to the Mavic 2 (Pro) controller. I do not like the mounts which place the iPad above the controller, thus blocking not only the controller screen, but also a view of the buttons (I don't like to grope for them).

Without going through all the other designs I rejected, here's a look at my design, created in Fusion 360 and printed on an Ender-3 3D printer. The design is still in progress, but most definitely something that is going to work for me.



The two supports fit into the two handles. I got the idea for the handle inserts from a design where someone used these openings for a lanyard holder. He made a video which shows how they insert into the handle. I incorporated his idea into my design and even kept the lanyard hole, should you want to also use this to attach a neck strap.

Once the part is inserted, it is extremely strong and doesn't wiggle or move. The mounting posts then go through the hole and there are threads on the top (not shown because they broke off due to printing the part hollow rather than solid) to keep it in place.

Here's what the actual iPad mount looks like:
The iPad mini slides in easily and is supported on all four sides. There is just enough room for my hands between the screen and the controller grip.

My plan is to extend the mounting rods upward beyond the handle extensions so I can attach a piece of plastic between the two poles as a sunshade. I have a few other modifications planned that I won't go into now.

Everyone has their own idea of how they want their display mounted, and I know that a lot of people do prefer it above the controller. However, regardless of whether you are one of those or not, I'd be interested in your feedback and suggestions. This is definitely still a work in progress.

I hope to fly with it tomorrow.

[edit]Here's a link to the 3D design:

Mavic 2 iPad Mini 5 Mount

 

[kilomikebravo]

Mighty darn ingenius, John. I for one am impressed and once you get it reprinted with the bolts in solid form, (which you probably have by now,) I'd say you have a real "product."

 

[johnmeyer]

Mighty darn ingenius, John. I for one am impressed and once you get it reprinted with the bolts in solid form, (which you probably have by now,) I'd say you have a real "product."

Thanks!

I'm certainly not planning to sell it, but I will post the design on one of the 3D printer sharing sites.

Today I'm going to print a version with all the stressed portions of the design printed with solid plastic, and with a couple of minor tweaks. I want to get outside and actually fly while using this.

I don't think I'll extend the rods any further and instead, if I want to mount a sunshade, I'll make the shade support a screw-on extension that will screwn on in place of the nut. That will keep the size of this thing really small, so that it fits into the back pack.

 

[mrreddog]

What material are you printing with?? If your using ABS, those shaft areas could be stiffened up greatly with acetone vaporizing...Looks good!

 

[johnmeyer]

What material are you printing with?? If your using ABS, those shaft areas could be stiffened up greatly with acetone vaporizing...Looks good!

I'm still using just PLA. This is an Ender-3 which struggles with ABS or PETG.

I didn't realize that the acetone trick with ABS would add strength. I thought it was mostly for smoothing prints for those who do models rather than functional parts.

I did make an upgrade to the printer so that it should be able to do ABS, so if I don't like the results, or have any problem with sturdiness, I will follow your advice.

 

[mrreddog]

Oh, It makes a huge difference on the strenght of the part, the acetone kind of melts the surface several layerers down, it looks an acts like a injection molded product once done.
But you must enclose your printer to keep even temps, and sometimes it still goes bad with abs.
I wouldnt say i mastered it, but I have gotten prety good at abs, its all I ever printed with for the last 4 years. It takes some challenging techniqes, but it creates strong, useable parts.
With abs, you can also make bigger parts by slicing them into smaller, printable parts, then abs weld them together to make bigger parts.

 

[johnmeyer]

The warping and the smell with ABS put me off using that. Also, I still haven't figured out a way to enclose the Ender-3 without having to completey re-build it (to move the electronics outside the enclosure).

I was instead thinking of using PETG for parts that require "more strength." However, I think PETG is not as rigid as ABS or PLA and therefore might not be the right thing for parts requiring strength (they hold more load before breaking, but deform more when stressed).

I've flown a few test flights with this design and it feels pretty solid. The only issue I have are the vertical supports. I may print a couple more and then intentionally break them to get a feel for whether they are close to breaking in normal operation, or whether they will hold up under normal use and abuse.

[edit] I just edited my initial post to include a link to my 3D design files. Here is that link again:

3D Print Files for Mavic 2 iPad Mini 5 Mount