I did several conceptual designs, but used this one as I had all the materials so total cost ZERO.
features: easy to remove, light, easy to make, iPod can rotate out of the way so you can see down scope directly.
Materials used: 16 ga Aluminum Plate, 3 bolts various sizes c/w nuts and washers, a cap off a medicine container and a plastic pipe bracket I had laying around (I actually bought it and another at a thrift store for $0.15 total because they appeared to be the right size for my scope) and a plastic piece that I used as a spacer.
Functionally it appears to work quite well, but the wide angle of the iPod lens appears to see too much of the internals of the scope and not enough through the scope. Also it appears that iPod angle and alignment are critical as the crosshairs appear to move as the iPod moves thus indicating a possible parallax problem. Better indexing of the iPod to scope and tighter bolts should alleviate if not eliminate the parallax problem. I need to work on the adjustment in better light as the iPod is useless in typical night time room lighting and the resolution of an iPod 4g is something like 640 x 256.
In the final version I will be using a self adhesive Velcro sheet to hold the iPod to the mount. The prickly side will be on the mount and the furry side on the iPod Case. To remove the mount you just remove one of the bolts holding the pipe bracket to the mount and the pipe bracket then can be opened up enough to slide off the scope. I will also paint the mount black so it does not show up so much. I will also cut down the pivot bolt to the correct length (currently it is way too long).
I will have to research more details from the various designs that the manufactures use to see if I can overcome the problems and if the makers use special software with their mounts or if the problem is just my 5 year old brand new iPod (recently replaced by apple for free).
