I Have Embarassing Screen Drop!

[jeshyr]

My new wonderful monitor arrived on Friday, after some mix-ups with the shipping company un-helpfully shipping it back to the seller instead of to me. But it's here now! The box is enormous - you could fit a pair of five year olds in there with room for the cat, I'm pretty sure. Anekin has officially decided it's Exciting.

I got somebody to help me attach the new monitor to my existing mounting system (see picture, right), only to discover disappointingly that it appeared just a touch too heavy for the gas lift in the articulated arm.

Upon checking the specifications for each, I discovered that the monitor arm will support a max weight of 9kg and monitor is 9.7kg. So what to do now? As you can see from the picture, my monitor mount is unusual and has been put together especially for me.

Components in the monitor arm are a bolt-tightened piece attached to the metal frame of my hospital bed. This piece makes a solid base for the upright silver pole whose inner diameter is the same as that used in standard business through-desk mounting holes. The black articulated arm is the bolt-through version of the Spacedec Acrobat Articulated Arm - this is the part with the advertised 9kg limit.

Fully articulated monitor arms are not a common thing, I discovered. I guess most people don't move their monitors around nearly as much as I do, as they can move themselves instead. And the one I already have was expensive - nearly AU$300 to purchase.

I'm at rather a loss about what to do now ... is it possible to replace the gas cylinder with something slightly heavier duty so it deals with the new monitor or will I need a full new mounting system? So close and yet so far ... the existing system takes about 5 seconds to "drop" the monitor to the fully down position, so it's very close to being able to carry the weight. I don't want to risk it breaking and dropping my Very Expensive New Monitor on me though. That would not be good for me OR for the monitor.

Some quick searching doesn't locate much that looks appropriate in the way of replacement articulated arms ... but for reference of self and others, here's what I've found:

• The MX Desk Mount LCD Arm from the same company may do the job but the picture shows the screen tilted upwards rather than downwards as I need so I'm not sure if the tilt angle would be sufficient. They were helpful when I bought the first arm though so I'll phone them and see if they have suggestions.


• The SAA2718 HD Monitor Arm would probably do the job and seems highly recommended but it's made in the USA and I can't find any places selling it in Australia. The price is OK but adding shipping to it would be painful.


• The Wishbone Plus from Colebrookson Saunders looks very promising but they're too posh to publish their prices which probably means I'm too poor to afford them (especially right after buying the monitor itself) - they're in Melbourne though so I'll phone them on Monday and see if they have suggestions.

So that's where I am today with monitors. Any suggestions, ideas, general sympathy, or cookies will be gratefully accepted! If you know any engineering students who need projects, I'll give you the cookies :)

Cheers,
Ricky

Comments

[exor674]

I say attach it to something solid, but that's probably totally not practical for you so *hug*

[jeshyr]

I could in theory get a ceiling mount which would be simpler and probably cheaper although I'd have to get permission from the office of housing to mount it into the ceiling, but then when I moved my bed I would be fucked basically. I really want it to be a mount that bolts onto the bed!

r

[(Anonymous)]

Nothing worse than a floppy screen that just won't stay up! ;D

[(Anonymous)]

Guh, that was from Dion...rofl.

[acelightning]

i could probably fix it if i were there :-(

i'd start by phoning the manufacturer of the one you've got now, and asking them whether it's possible to replace the gas lift tube with a stronger one. if not, i might be able to rig a counterweight or brace or something - it's a little hard for me to tell from the pictures exactly how it goes together.

and if you buy the alternate one, and discover that it tilts further "up" than it does "down", just turn the mounting head upside down.

(i have wanted to build you a custom monitor mount for years!)

*hugs*

[jeshyr]

Most of them, as far as I can tell, use gravity as well as the gas hydraulics so you can't just turn it upside down - I tried that with the current one which doesn't tilt down as far as I'd like. They're not even close to vertically symetrical, on closer checks, for a start the gas lift would be on the wrong side if I turned it upside down. :(

Good idea though!

r

[acelightning]

i was thinking about just taking the bit that attaches to the back of the monitor, removing that from the arm, and inverting it. it might need some holes drilled in it to match up with the holes for the bolts on the end of the arm. it's a bit hard to describe without pointing and hand-waving :-(

[siliconshaman]

Suggestion, check out your local auto shop. Gas cylinders like that are common in the suspension systems of mopeds and scooters, so you might be able to find an upgrade...certainly they'd be able to rejig the arm for you, and it'd probably work out cheaper than buying a whole new arm, even assuming you could find one.

[jeshyr]

I wasn't sure where one finds gas cylinders so now I have a place to start. Thank you thank you thank you!

Once I can find a person who'll think outside the box long enough to grok what I need they are usually unbelievably helpful in getting the aim accomplished for me, even if that means designing a new system or something. It gives me faith in humankind :)

r

[cedar51.livejournal.com]

hugnzzzzzzzz

looks complicated but of course totally useful for your needs...

[jeshyr]

It is complicated, that's why it's hard :( And I can't see any practical way to avoid the complications which SUCKS.

r

[mikz.livejournal.com]

A thought occurred to me about this in the shower this morning: if your monitor is 9.75kg and the stand is only supposed to support 9kg, is it possible to move the hinge between the arm and the monitor so it's 0.75÷9.75 its length from the end of the arm? High school mechanics and all that?

And it occurred to me just now that it's your birthday over there, and I hope it's a really happy one. ::hugz::

[mikz.livejournal.com]

Is there maybe 750 grams of nonessential frills on the monitor you could get rid of?

iPad & Jessie/Lynn

[6p00e009961bab8833 [typepad.com]]

Hi there,

Thanks for approving my trackback on the iPad thing (Indigo Jo Blogs). I found your article on FWD/Forward, although I had also found you through Googling for writings by Lynn.

I don't know if you heard, but Kay Gilderdale was acquitted last Monday (25th Jan) of the attempted murder of Lynn. She had already pleaded guilty to assisting a suicide and got a 1yr suspended sentence. There was a lot of press coverage and opinionising, particularly as the acquittal came about a week after a mother who gave her son a fatal heroin overdose while he was in a coma following a fall from an ambulance was found guilty of murder and got life (minimum, 9 years).

I never knew Lynn, but after reading some of the press coverage I found a video on YouTube which was an extract from a documentary on ME from 1993. It was presented by Dr Anne Macintyre and featured Lynn who was by that time bed-bound and unable to speak or eat. (It's under the YouTube account 'hoofbags'.) It was so upsetting to think that she remained in that condition (although her mental condition improved as they treated her adrenal failure) for longer than she had been able-bodied, and was never able to go anywhere except hospital, until she ended her life. I've never been this deeply affected by a news story, certainly not since the 2004 tsunami.

Do you know Rellacafa, by the way? I've been reading her blog and following her tweets for a while after I found her by chance on YouTube. She has RSD which causes her an awful lot of pain. After hearing about Lynn and all she went through, and reading her "carousel of pain" blog entry which got published in two newspapers here, I started to really worry for her although she's not in anything like the same condition (i.e. not bed-bound).

I've posted a couple of entries on the case on my blog, if you're interested.

Sorry for rambling.

Regards,

Matt Smith

--

http://www.blogistan.co.uk/blog/

Re: iPad & Jessie/Lynn

[6p00e009961bab8833 [typepad.com]]

Just for convenience, the beginning part of the Macintyre documentary is here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69tipYwj8kw), and the last nine or so minutes (featuring Lynn and a male victim who had more or less recovered) is here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJmis85FM4s).