Comments on: How can i attach a laptop to a treamdill?

Question: How can i attach a laptop to a treamdill?

PlayWithFire — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:49:55 -0800

Does anyone know of a product, or a DIY method to attach a laptop to a treamdill? It has to be portable.

I am looking for a way to watch videos on a treadmill at the gym. I think my video player would be a low end laptop, and now is just the problem of attaching it to the treadmill.
If this was at home, it would be just a matter of buidling a tall shelf, but because i'll be taking the laptop to the gym, i need something that will attach to the treadmill.
Surf Shelf seems like a good start, but i think it places the laptop too low, meaning that you would always look down, and mess up the posture while running.

By: Corky

Corky — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:09:39 -0800

Check out this for inspiration... Walkstation by Details and Adjustable height tables

By: PlayWithFire

PlayWithFire — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:22:02 -0800

Walkstation won't work.
I'd love to just use an adjustable height table, but this is for a treadmill at the gym, not at home, so this has to be a portable solution. I am sure i could probably hack something up with $20 worth of parts from home depot, but i am sure someone's done this before, and i'd love to see it.

By: toomuchpete

toomuchpete — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:46:21 -0800

GorillaPod + something + iPod Video?

Or maybe find a way to attach a netbook to a gorillapod?

By: cdmwebs

cdmwebs — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:53:22 -0800

Man, I had this same idea with a twist. I was going to make the treadmill my charging station. In other words, I could use the laptop sitting until the battery was drained and to charge it back up I'd have to get on the treadmill.

I was thinking of some type of fabricated shelf/tray and a couple of gussets to keep it level. Just $10 in parts from Home Depot. Then maybe a bungee across the keyboard area as an extra precaution. I would not enjoy watching my Macbook Pro crash to the ground - healthy or not!

I'll be watching this thread for sure!

By: damn dirty ape

damn dirty ape — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:11:35 -0800

A zune with a horizontal stand is surprisingly stable. I wouldnt bring a laptop to the gym and I would not try balancing it on a piece of equipment.

By: damn dirty ape

damn dirty ape — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:13:48 -0800

Or you can remove the treadmill from the equation and just use an iWear.

By: PlayWithFire

PlayWithFire — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:37:46 -0800

PMP such as Zune of iPod won't do the trick, the screen is way too small. I have a PSP, but it's a pain to encode videos for it. Plus, this will give me an excuse to buy a portable laptop (i am thinking MSI Wind)

By: chairface

chairface — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 11:56:27 -0800

Bungee cord. I saw a guy at the gym do this. He just puts the laptop on the console and wraps the bungee around both, near the hinge. He was actually doing some word processing while using the elliptical.

By: wongcorgi

wongcorgi — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:24:16 -0800

I have a treadmill at home, and it works fine with my laptop, no additional accessories needed. I just set it on the magazine tray.

The only caveat is that your laptop lid needs to be able to open almost 180 degress. My Macbook Pro will not.

By: indyz

indyz — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:38:55 -0800

RAM Mount? The components are mix-and-match, so you could take the appropriate sized tray and match it up with a clamp end that would fit on the equipment, something like the RAM-B-108-234-6U shown on the page I linked to.

By: PlayWithFire

PlayWithFire — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:51:34 -0800

Bungee cords don't seem safe enough

The treadmill doesn't have a magazine holder, but i am sure i could buy a universal one. I'll look into it

RAM Mount seems like overkill, but thanks for the link, i've been thinking about mounting the laptop in the car as well.

By: -harlequin-

-harlequin- — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 17:10:11 -0800

You could also consider getting video glasses. They've come a long way over the last few years in terms of price and non-suckiness (though the biggest improvement is price).