So, in order to keep the blog during the trip I needed to bring my
MacBook with me, but I am a little wary of carrying it loose in any of the cases, even with it packed in the sleeve. The solution, build a custom mount in the top case that will keep it safe and secure, and keep it charged. So, here's what I did.
The first thing was that there was not a switched lead running to the
powerlet sockets, and I wanted to make sure there was a way to cut the power to the charging circuit so the battery didn't drain. I wired a switch into the lead for the rear
powerlet and mounted it into the panel just above the sockets:
From there I ran a jumper form the
powerlet to the
topcase:
The jack runs underneath the back rest and into the
topcase:
This solved the power problem, but I still had to devise a way to mount the
MacBook in the
topcase. I have always found the
topcase a difficult space to pack, and the upper space is especially awkward, so it made sense to use that space for the computer and some other light things. The solution was to build a door inside like this:
When the latch on the top is undone it opens:
The door itself is made of hardboard covered with black fabric. There is a foam bed under the
MacBook to help with shock absorption and allow the elastic straps something to compress the computer into. On the left side the car adapter is strapped down with a bungee cord:
The door is hinged with cabinet hinges attached to a hardboard support in the lid of the
topcase:
During the trip the computer will be kept in a an
InCase sleeve for further protection, but I left it out of the photos for better illustration. All told the addition cost somewhere around $100. Not bad to insure my ability to keep you all up to date on the trip...
