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#4140754 - 06/29/15 12:19 PM Need help designing a vertical dual-monitor height adjustable stand  
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doveman Offline
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I'm trying to design a height-adjustable dual monitor stand for my Dad and would appreciate advice from anyone with DIY skills or who can advise about the strength of the materials I'm planning to use, so that I can avoid making something that falls apart! I'd welcome any other input/suggestions as well. The upper monitor is a 27" Benq and the lower monitor a 22" Dell.

What I'm planning is using two lengths of aluminium tubing, secured to a wooden base with angle brackets, then screwing some drawer runners to the inside edges of the tubing. Then I'll use another, smaller, piece of tubing with the other parts of the runners attached, so that it slides up and down between the fixed tubing. The main monitor will be attached to a VESA bracket, which in turn is screwed to a block of wood or metal plate, which is bolted onto the tubing.

Tubing: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aluminium-Square-Box-Tube-Various-Sizes-/251963663381
Angle brackets: http://www.screwfix.com/p/angle-braces-self-colour-19-x-19-x-1-2mm-pack-of-50/67412
Drawer Runners: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SOFT-CLOSE-RUN...%3D291108229942

I knocked up something in Rhino, which will hopefully convey what I have in mind.

This shows the main monitor in the lowered position, approx. 115mm above the desk. The runners attached to the fixed tubing are shown in purple and the ones attached to the movable tubing in green. The fixed tubing lengths are 500mm and the runners probably only need to be 450mm but I drew them as 500mm in this picture, so they stick up above the tubing more than they will in the finished build. The runners will be mounted so that the monitor stops approx 115mm above the desk (I may raise this position a bit, maybe 170mm) and being soft-close will hopefully help avoid shock to the monitor if someone accidentally lets go whilst adjusting the height.

I may need to make the raised position higher than the approx. 315mm I've provisionally planned but hopefully that will suffice, as it allows me to buy a 1000mm length and just cut it in half for the two fixed supports. If I need to make them longer, say 600-700mm, I'll need to buy a 1500mm length which will leave wastage and I'll probably need longer runners as well, which all increases the cost.

I thought of using 60x60x2mm for the fixed tubing and 30x30x2mm for the movable tubing. The runners are only 13mm wide, so I might be able to reduce the diameter of the tubing if that won't undermine the strength/stability. Obviously the bigger the size the more expensive, so if I can use something smaller like 40x40x2mm for the fixed supports and 20x20x2mm for the movable tubing that all helps to keep the cost down.


This shows how the lower monitor will lie flat on the wooden base when the main monitor is in the lowered position.


This shows the raised position. Below the main monitor there's a piece of wood or metal shown in green that is attached in the middle to the movable tubing and which will support the lower monitor. The movable tubing extends a bit below this shelf to allow for a hole through which some sort of "pin" can be inserted, which will then go into a hole in a metal plate that spans the two fixed tubing supports at the back, to hold the main monitor in the raised position. The main reason I need to make the fixed tubing lengths a bigger size than the movable tubing is so that the bolt near the top of the movable pole holding the main monitor doesn't hit this metal plate when sliding the fixed tubing up and down.

I'll obviously have to think of a way to make the "pin" secure so that it can't accidentally fall out, perhaps by threading the hole in the metal plate so that the "pin" screws into that. I could also fit further metal plates behind the two pieces of fixed tubing at various points, if that's necessary to strengthen the structure.


This shows the lower monitor in position. This is also mounted on a VESA bracket which is screwed to a fairly thin piece of wood roughly the same size as the monitor, which rests against the shelf underneath the main monitor. I want to find some sort of hook or pole (think clothes hook) which I can attach to the shelf and then have a hole in each top corner of the wood the lower monitor is attached to, so that it hooks on to make it more secure. I was thinking of cuttting a notch in the wooden base for the lower monitor to sit in, which will stop the bottom edge moving. If I did that and kept the main monitor at the height shown, the lower monitor would no longer reach the shelf, so I'd have to make the wood that the lower monitor is attached to higher than the monitor so that it reaches the shelf and that would look a bit messy, so I'll probably try and avoid cutting the notch, unless I end up using a lower height for the main monitor. Having said that, if I did end up with some wood above the lower monitor I could use it to mount some switches or encoders and an arduino, so it wouldn't be empty space and might actually be quite useful.


The main question is what size tubing I'd need to use. Obviously 20x20x2mm is a lot cheaper than 60x60x3mm but I need something that will support the weight of two monitors (although it won't be holding the entire weight of the lower monitor, as the bottom edge of that will be resting on the wooden base). As I intend to attach the fixed tubing to the wooden base with angle brackets on all four sides, there will need to be room inside the tubing for the screws to not clash with each other. Likewise with the movable tubing, as the rails on either side of it will have screw holes that are in line with each other, so there'll need to be room for screws to come in from both sides without clashing and I need to be sure the rails will stay attached to the tubing as well. If necessary I could get steel tubing but aluminium is cheaper.

So if anyone has experience with the materials I'm planning to use, or any suggestions/advice please offer up your wisdom as I'm keen to get on with this to try and get it done for my Dad's birthday but I don't want to waste money buying stuff that's going to be totally unsuitable.

Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#4140756 - 06/29/15 12:31 PM Re: Need help designing a vertical dual-monitor height adjustable stand [Re: doveman]  
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What exactly are you trying to do? If I understand you correctly, you want the top monitor to be able to go up-down and the bottom monitor will be able to lie flat and angle upwards when the top monitor is raised.... but why not make both monitors in a fixed position?


- Ice
#4140763 - 06/29/15 12:41 PM Re: Need help designing a vertical dual-monitor height adjustable stand [Re: doveman]  
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doveman Offline
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The thing is the main monitor needs to be fairly low normally, as my Dad needs it like that for general use (he currently has the bottom edge 115mm above the desk as that's where the non-height adjustable Benq stand puts it but I think a bit higher, like 170mm will be better for him) and it will only be raised up for when he's flight simming.

The lower monitor will be for the instruments and the upper monitor just showing the view out the window, so it will be fairly high and no good for general use, whilst the lower monitor will also be unsuitably positioned for general use, so I have to create something that will easily let him switch between single-monitor mode and dual-monitor flight sim mode.

#4140824 - 06/29/15 02:13 PM Re: Need help designing a vertical dual-monitor height adjustable stand [Re: doveman]  
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Well, if the top monitor is now at the "ideal height" of 115-170mm, won't raising it up just make it uncomfortable to use? Won't the higher setup mean his eye level would probably be the bezels of the monitors?

My main monitor's center point is just slightly below eye level but I had the same problem as you... my solution was to create my own table with a "cutout" for my lower monitor. Just a suggestion.


- Ice
#4140921 - 06/29/15 05:06 PM Re: Need help designing a vertical dual-monitor height adjustable stand [Re: doveman]  
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doveman Offline
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170mm might be an OK height for general use where he's mostly looking down at the lower half of the screen whilst typing (with my 24" it's OK at that height as I'm also focused on that area most of the time but it would be uncomfortable if I was spending a lot of time looking at the top third and it's obviously even more the case with a 27". His eyesight also isn't great and he has to use varifocals, so it's probably easier for him to have the monitor a bit lower, so that he can read the top of the screen easier, even if it means that the lower half of the screen isn't ideally placed.

For flight simming though, the lower half of the main monitor will be showing the view out of the window towards the horizon and he'll be sitting up straighter when holding the joystick than he would when typing, so he'll want to have the lower half of the screen aligned with his eyeline so he can look straight ahead towards the horizon and glance down at the instruments monitor.

Sitting up straight my eye level is about 470mm above my desk and currently the centre of my monitor is at about 390mm. If I raised the monitor 200mm that would put the lower bezel at 370mm, about level with my chin, with the lower half of the screen between my chin and the top of my head. With the larger 27" then it would need to start a bit lower to keep the whole of the lower half of the screen in easy view. I think I'm in the right ballpark at 315mm but I need to double-check my Dad's seat and desk height to be sure where his eye-level is in relation to the desk.

It probably would be easier if I could build a table with a cutout but my Dad has a rather expensive desk and he wouldn't appreciate me cutting holes in it, so I have to come up with a different solution. I have a feeling that having the lower monitor in a cutout would make it too low for my Dad to easily read anyway and having both monitors higher up will make it easier for him to see both.

#4141003 - 06/29/15 07:22 PM Re: Need help designing a vertical dual-monitor height adjustable stand [Re: doveman]  
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I see. Sorry to derail your thread with my questions. smile

Okay, back on topic --- I must say I'm a bit confused with how you want to setup your... setup. From what I can understand, you want two tubings, one inside the other, and this will be your locking mechanism, correct? From your drawings, on the Top view, I understand the big green bit at the bottom is the monitor, the green-and-purple pairs are runners, but what are the two big white boxes? What is that red square in the middle? And what is that green tube (?) that is running through the red square?

I do agree that runners seems like a good idea, the problem is how to lock the monitor in place. One thing I could think of is to have a metal tube attached to the monitor mount (and moves up and down with the monitor) and have a smaller, metal rod inside it that is attached to the base. Drill a hole in the metal tube, glue/solder/weld a nut over it, and then use this to press against the inner rod and hold the monitor in place.


- Ice
#4141078 - 06/29/15 10:42 PM Re: Need help designing a vertical dual-monitor height adjustable stand [Re: doveman]  
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doveman Offline
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It's cool, questions prompt me to think about things that might not have occurred to me smile

I can see my drawing was a bit confusing. That big green bit at the bottom of the Top view is actually the shelf underneath the main monitor to support the lower monitor. The monitor is actually transparent which made it hard to see what was what on that zoomed in shot. I've taken another more zoomed shot of the Top view where you can see the monitor is spaced off the red movable tubing somewhat by the wooden block (cyan) that goes between the tubing and the VESA bracket, whilst the shelf is attached directly to the tubing, so sits further back.

It was a bit confusing to use green for the shelf as well as the inside rails, so I've changed the shelf to yellow and also made the outer fixed lengths of tubing orange so they stand out better.



Hopefully this is clearer. So there's the two fixed lengths of tubing (orange) which have one part of the runners attached (purple) and sit either side of the movable tubing (red) which has the other part of the runners attached (green). The monitor's attached to a VESA bracket, which is screwed to a piece of wood (cyan) which is bolted through the movable tubing from front to back.



The runners will be positioned so that the monitor sits in the lowered position with the runners fully closed. For the raised position, my idea was to have a hole through the red tubing front to back, just below the yellow shelf and then spanning the back of the two fixed lengths of tubing at the appropriate position I'd fix a metal plate with a matching hole in it (which you can see in the "Back" view), so when the red tubing is moved up to the raised position, these holes would align and some sort of rod could be inserted to hold the tubing in position.

I don't think I entirely understand your suggestion. I get having the metal tube attached to the movable red tubing, with a metal rod inside it that's fixed to the wooden base and doesn't move. Are you then suggesting that I glue a nut over a hole I drill in the metal tube so that I can use the nut's thread to screw a bolt into that, which will go into the hole and press against the metal rod? I can't see how that would provide sufficient friction to hold the monitor up. The metal tube and rod would also have to be in front of the monitor (it won't be possible to reach around the back and you wouldn't be able to see what you were doing even if it was), with the metal tube attached to the red movable tubing below the shelf and that would prevent me laying the other monitor flat on the wooden base when it's not in use. Besides which, the metal rod could only extend from the wooden base to where the shelf is in the lowered position, so once the main monitor is raised the metal rod would just be sitting down there forlornly by itself and not anywhere near the metal tube, which is attached to and will have moved up with the red movable tubing.

In an earlier revision I planned to have a rod going from left to right through the first outer fixed support, into the movable red tubing and then into the second outer fixed support but that was before I thought of using runners. I guess it might be possible to drill a hole through all the runners but that might mess them up, so it's probably best to avoid doing that.

Last edited by doveman; 06/29/15 10:46 PM.
#4141214 - 06/30/15 09:40 AM Re: Need help designing a vertical dual-monitor height adjustable stand [Re: doveman]  
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You got my suggestion right. Metal tube attached to your red movable tubing, metal tube has a hole in it with a nut in place. A metal rod would be inside it that extends from the base up to whatever length you want. The metal rod doesn't even have to be bolted onto the base, although I would probably drill a hole in the base just so that the rod rests securely on that.

This is basically how drip stands used in hospitals are designed... those things that holds IV drips and other fluids. I've had this support 2-3 3 liter irrigation bags for urology patients; I can't imagine a monitor to be heavier than that.

The tightening knob would be in the back, yes. Isn't that how your current design works anyway? If you get a big-enough knob, then you wouldn't have to fiddle much. You can "find" it just by reaching for it.... refer to your 2nd picture in your last post. On the back view, your red tubing has a circle at the bottom. If you site the tightening knob there, then you can just raise the monitor and you can see where it is, reach behind (or in front) of your stand, and tighten it as necessary.

Obviously I'm unclear as to how the lower monitor is supposed to be propped up into position....


- Ice
#4150217 - 07/24/15 02:57 PM Re: Need help designing a vertical dual-monitor height adjustable stand [Re: doveman]  
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doveman Offline
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Whilst your idea may well work, it seems rather more complicated than just having a post that goes through the movable tubing and into a plate fixed across the back of the two lengths of fixed tubing, although I think I'll adopt your idea to glue/solder/weld a nut to the back of the plate, as that will give the post something to screw into to hold it in place, assuming I can find something threaded of suitable length to serve as the post.

I had a chance to play around with my Dad's monitor the other day and I think about 37cm above the desk will be the best height for the raised position. I put the monitor on a box file like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Office-Spri...ywords=box+file and my Dad agrees it's better at that height for normal use than having it just sit on the desk. I didn't get a chance to measure that height yet but it's probably around 19cm.

I need to check the distance between the bottom of the monitor and the VESA mount, as the height of the latter will determine how long I need the fixed tubing pieces to be. It's probably going to be around 60cm, so the 500mm tubing won't be enough and I'll have to get the 1000mm and cut it down to the required size myself, which will cost more and leave wastage but it's not particularly expensive, it would just have been easier if I didn't need to cut it myself, as I'm sure the suppliers have the tools to cut it more cleanly. I don't know whether I should pay extra for the 3mm or 4mm thick stuff or if the standard 2mm stuff will be strong enough. I'll probably get the 50x50 as that should provide adequate space inside for the screws not to collide with each other, particularly those on the four angle brackets (one each side) holding the tubing to the wooden base.

The idea for the lower monitor is to have it mounted on a thin-ish piece of wood and have a couple of holes in the wood where it can be clipped onto hooks that are attached to the movable tubing, so that they sit just below the main monitor. I'm not really sure how I'm going to do this, as there's obviously some distance between the front edge of the monitor, where the hooks should be and the movable tubing, so I'll need to use some sort of spacer to get the hooks in the right position.

I suppose I might be able to fix a piece of wood between the main monitor's VESA mount and the movable tubing, that extends down to below the monitor and attach the hooks to that. I'll just have to experiment I guess and see if I can come up with something workable.


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