· At what angle(s) can I mount it in the dash? (Entry last updated on September 20th, 2004)The ideal mounting angle range is from 0 to 16 degrees, inclusive. This means you can mount it flat or at any angle tilting backwards up to 16 degrees. This covers most modern cars very well.
The mounting angle is important for a couple reasons:
The disk drive's shock-mount tray is meant to work best within that range. If you mount it outside that range, you might have problems with the shock absorbers not working properly if your car hits a bump, which could cause problems with the disk drive or display cables, or might cause the disk tray to bump against the back of the display board.
Also, the disk drives themselves (off the shelf laptop disks) are meant to operate within that range. Outside that range of angles, the disks will have a different load on their spindle bearings, which might shorten the life of the disk drives.
Some users have mounted it at steeper angles (including vertical) and reported that it seems to work fine that way. You're welcome to try this, but it's at your own risk. Definitely be prepared to check the shock mounts and other internal components regularly, to make sure that nothing is getting damaged because of it.
|