Saturday, January 11, 2020

Multimodal Monitor Tree Prototype

I wanted a mobile base for my monitors so that they could be positioned at various work levels, from couch to desk, to countertop. Casters and legs splayed in a squashed "X" to fit into awkward spots better. The hardware consists of an articulating dual arm wall mount monitor stand. I purchased it off amazon for 75 bucks and it can handle my 32" monitors.
Proof of concept in pine ensues
in 'ketchup
the legs are 60" in length, offset-lap-jointed at 24", leaving 36" long ends. It's not square, but 96deg or so. the longer arms of the X aim forward because the monitors shift the center of mass forward. I wanted an increased splay angle facing forwards because they will be reaching under my desk and i figured that'd interfere less with my feet.

the legs are then bridled into the base of the post using careful scribing and sawing

I cut some teeth into the beam that a crude wooden pawl in the collar could engage with
1x4 pine is a little whippy with this setup, but it's holding up pretty good
Here you see the aft end, where the laptop fits into a wooden sleeve. USB ports are exposed. speakers are just sitting on a shelf on the legs. They could tuck in behind the laptop sleeve pretty easily i think. Gotta tidy up all that wiring fo sure
Well this is all kind of strange, but the rig more or less works. I like the availability of these monitors to multiple locations in my house. there are times I want to work while standing, or just watch a movie from the couch. or just have some nice photos cycling through my album while i make dinner.

Addendum

Added some webbing to the feet and a ratcheted lifting system like so: