I’m basically trying to recreate this, minus the absolutely insane pricetag. Desk mounted versions exist for literally one-twentieth the cost, but for some reason that three foot pole and wheels causes the price to explode.
So… this is for sure a DIY project. My thought is to buy a desk mounted stand, and remount the arms to a makeshift floor pole… Like the 5-wheel base of an office chair with an iron plumbing pipe shoved into the middle. Not sure if that’d give the stability I need, but that’s why I’m trying to run it by folks with a mind for this kind of thing :p
Use case: my computer desk my living room couch. Right now the monitors are on a coffee table. Keyboard goes on lap, mouse goes onto a makeshift mousepad frame to my right. Works great, except the screens are just hanging out in the middle of the room when not in use. Wife’s comfy spot is on the other side of the couch where she watches the TV on the other side of the room: when we both want to watch something on the tv, the monitors become an annoyance, so being able to easily wheel them to the side of the couch and back is the goal.
Either that or something like a swivel-arm, but the weight of two monitors would be a lot for something like that.
Any ideas?
a swivel-arm, but the weight of two monitors would be a lot for something like that
I’m still wanting to build a rolling desk myself and have some components already, but you might want this: Humanscale M10. It’s pricey but it’s the heaviest-load arm on the consumer market. It can take 48lb, and if that’s overkill, they have cheaper arms that will carry less. You might find some of the cheaper brands will do what you need without the cost, but I don’t have experience with them.
Skip their expensive crossbar adapter though, you can use any much cheaper VESA bracket adapter, you just need the arm itself to be solidly constructed.
The real issue for the design you have in mind though is center of gravity. You’re stuck with attaching it to something very heavy and wide. I’m still in the early stages of fixing that problem myself. My solution is likely to involve significant amounts of V slot aluminum profile.
Look at overbed tables. They are pretty wide, giving more stability. I’m seeing cheapos on Amazon for $50-60. You should be able to mount a dual monitor stand to one, provided your monitors aren’t too huge.
IKEA also have a decent one.
Looks like a small rolling table, desk, or nightstand would make a fine base. With a monitor stand like that you will probably want a flat horizontal surface to clamp onto. Perhaps there is another type of stand that would be more suited to pole mounting
Oof, I really wouldn’t.
The main issue is weight distribution. You’re looking at a very imbalanced fulcrum here, with the foot (which is usually mounted to the desk, therefore providing more stability) needing to be super heavy to counter the weight of the monitors.
Even a lightweight monitor - say, a ~2kg one (my 34" Samsung ultrawide OLED, which has its PSU completely separate), would put enough weight on it that any kind of movement would risk tipping this entire structure over.
The reason why it’s so expensive is because 1, it’s a very niche product and 2, because it’s so risky to use on anything larger than a dual 17" setup.
If you want to DIY, of course you can go with a pole on a rolling stand and then buy individual pole mount arms for the monitors… but you’ll need to make the base super heavy. we’re talking at least 15-20kg, a big concrete block with some lead blocks embedded, or using the base as a weight rack for workouts, to prevent tipping.
Alternatively, have you considered replacing your monitors with AR glasses? Something like the Rokid/Xreal/Viture brands’ offerings. They can do both fixed monitor (the entire glass display is a single monitor so it’s always in front of you), as well as virtual monitor (one to five monitors arranged in a virtual space anchored to the glasses’ position but not orientation so you can look away from them). We’re talking a $300-400 expense for a much more portable experience with no DIY.
Alternatively, have you considered replacing your monitors with AR glasses?
Oh man, there’s a whole world that I know absolutely nothing about. My immediate concern is resolution and latency - I use my computer for gaming mostly, would these have a look and feel on screen similar to a decent monitor?
Second concern… I’d kinda hate to even support that product line. The concept is good for what I’m asking about, but these things are a security and privacy nightmare in general. Mine would never leave the home, but even just buying a pair would feel like making a deal with a serial voyeurism sex offender. Is there a brand that doesn’t have the sketchy camera?
Yeah, the mechanical part of this is easy enough, but unless you make the stand out of wolfram and ridiculously big, it’s gonna topple.
I think fixing it on a linear bearing is the only way.
