PC Tech

DIY Multi-Monitor Stand (Part 3)

 Electronics, PC Tech
Feb 222011
 

Wshew!! This was a serious exercise!! My arms are sore and my back is killing me!! Next time I will get bigger pipe wrenches (something larger than 14″) if I ever have to do this again. Without delay, here’s the temporary setup while I move my big desk…


I’m just infatuated with these little HP LP2065 screens! Very bright, small frame, and hand hold slot at the top in the rear. As you can see, the frame flows well over the left side of my temporary desk. Not a problem for this setup! If I was still using the OEM monitor stands, this arrangement just wouldn’t have worked. I’m already starting to LOVE this frame!


From the back before wiring it up and lifting it to my temporary desk. In the future, I’ll probably need to use more than one person to lift this as it is quite heavy when fully assembled. The white wood base is also just a temporary thing. I’m either going to use a large 1/4″ aluminum plate or some MDF. I’d much rather use aluminum but it’s starting to get expensive!


Here you can see the angles involved in getting the screens to align properly. Now there are plenty of examples of pipe-based multi-monitor frame setups that are much simpler than this arrangement but they have no provision for adjusting the angles or distances in the event of a desire for a different viewing angle OR adding different size monitors in the future. I believe it was worth the trouble but I may also be totally wrong! Still, the exercise was worth doing.


Lastly, in this closeup, you can see why the center post needed to be offset and why the additional level is used. This design allows individual adjustments of both the angle of pitch as well as side-to-side. In the long run, this may not be necessary and I may wind-up with a much simpler design but at this point, Ive been quite happy with the result.

I have considered building a “hutch / monitor frame” design where I start with a shelf that runs overhead and then mount the monitors to the bottom of the shelf going down as opposed to starting from the desk and working up. I like the fact that it keeps all monitor hardware off the desk but it also prevents me from sliding the screens around to make adjustments or changes to the hookups. Still, I may explore this idea in the future… In the mean time, I’m really enjoying the newly added screen real estate for a relatively low cost!

DIY Multi-Monitor Stand (Part 2)

 Electronics, PC Tech
Feb 172011
 

So, now that I’ve dealt with the VESA mounting bracket, it’s time to tackle the pesky problem of how to resolve the geometry of the brackets behind the monitors. As I’ve already mentioned, I want to maintain some adjustability both for individual monitors (pitch and yaw) but also have the ability to accommodate a future 24″ center screen. Hell, I may wind-up with all 24″ screens but I just don’t want to bother replacing lateral pipes when it may not be necessary…


So here’s my design concept to answer this problem. To allow the center monitor to be adjustable, it needs it’s own 2 X 90-degree elbow mount so that means that the center pillar will be slightly off-center. I then run the display further to the left on a connection ABOVE the center display. I’ve thought about this a while and see no other way to allow for independent adjustability. Naturally, I’m open to suggestions at this point!

So far, my shopping list looks like this:
14 x 90-degree elbow
3 x pipe flange
2 x cross-fitting (possibly larger core pipe size for main column)
11 x short nipple
1 x large nipple (joining the two cross fittings together)

I’m planning to buy these on Shoppok to save a lot. I have yet to work out how the final base stand will look so I’m still working on that…

DIY Multi-Monitor Stand (Part 1)

 Electronics, PC Tech
Feb 172011
 

First of all, I’d like to acknowledge all of the people that have inspired me to even think of doing this myself…

Persimmon Gauge’s blog post – one of the first articles I found online about DIY monitor stands
DrFish at the TechReport.com forum – first got me thinking of doing this entirely out of 3/4″ pipe
loki_racer at the HardForum – also helped getting the juices flowing
seven9st surfer at Overclock.net’s forum – he may have been one of the first to post a project like this

There are quite a few other projects out there that I’ve seen but these stand out to me as leading the way for my own project. –Also, let’s not forget that I’m not exactly unfamiliar with mounting monitors with 3/4″ pipe… My own post done a few years ago really got me comfortable with custom monitor mounts using galvanized pipe for this sort of work.

Next, let’s understand my personal situation: I presently work in the CAD Drafting / Design field where monitor real estate is king. The more space you have to work with, the more productive you can become. I have been slowly purchasing used 20″ LCD’s from eBay over the last year for this very project. I wanted to get the monitor stands off the desk so that I would have more space for papers, equipment, keyboard, etc. I also prefer non-widescreen displays as I get more screen space vertically. 1600×1200 is a must for a 20″ display. 1920×1200 for a 24″ display. I can get pretty good deals on these screens when you buy them without their original stands –and I’m not going to need them eventually so that works out fine for me! I’d like whatever stand I build to have a certain amount of adjustability as I hope to eventually graduate to 24″ screens (or at least add one or two) and sometimes I like to move the display around a bit for better viewing from different angles. This rules out some of the systems listed above that have not only a fixed spacing but a fixed angle. Ideally I’m looking for a DIY version of a monitor stand based on the design shown below…


With pivoting arms behind the monitor, I will be able to adjust the angle between each display as well as add wider displays in the future without another trip to the hardware store for a few longer pipe sections! I’m hoping to accomplish the pivot joints with a couple of elbows (an old plumber’s trick to create adjustability).

So, in this first article, I’m going to build the custom VESA mounts for my monitors. Since I’m going to be connecting to a 3/4″ pipe flange, it doesn’t do me any good to start with an existing VESA bracket as there isn’t one that would work so I head on down to my local scrap metal shop (National Metals and Surplus)  for a nice thick 1/4″ aluminum plate. I have to do it quickly because if I spend too much time at that place I’ll buy everything there!! Anyways, I lucked out with one of the HP LP2065 monitors I purchased this past year as it came with the metal adapter to mount it to their stock stand. It turned out to be the PERFECT template for building my custom VESA brackets!


Here you can see I’ve already cut and trimmed one of the four brackets I’m planning on building this time. I’ve already gone ahead and marked out the next three on the $6 aluminum plate I just grabbed from the scrap metal yard…


A little bit of time on the disk grinder smooths over the sharp edges and ensures my jagged cuts from the jigsaw are nice and straight. I then round off the corners –just because!


With the 4 mounting holes located from the template, I can draw an “X” and locate the 3/4″ pipe flange and mark their holes for drilling.


Now the drill press goes to work! I’d say what size drill bit I’m using but I just don’t think it matters too much. Size your hole to the fasteners you’re using yourself. I like to make the holes just a slight amount larger so that there is some play in the event that my holes aren’t exactly in the right place.


I countersink the mounting holes for the pipe flange as the fasteners will be behind the plate and directly against the monitor backing. This is why it’s important to use a nice think 1/4″ plate for this job. You’ll have plenty of material to work with when countersinking your holes. Sure, I could have gotten away with a thinner material but better to play it safe!


Here’s the countersink drill bit I use. It’s designed for aluminum so it makes the work MUCH easier to do. Many countersinking bits I’ve used that were designed to work with steel will clog with aluminum fragments. In a pinch, you can do this with a very large drill bit (I have) but you have to be very careful! I’ve had this bit for over 15 years now and I can’t possibly remember where I got it.


Now comes the mounting hardware. In my case, I’m using a nice phillips-head countersunk machine screw with a washer and locknut at the other end. I don’t think you need to use locknuts in most instances but I just happened to have this hardware from my previous automotive installation layout around so I figured I’d use it! Here you can see the head of the machine screw mounting flush against the aluminum plate.


Now with the pipe flange securely fastened, you can see why I needed to use washers. The pipe flange holes are also countersunk! I thought of cleaning up the aluminum plate but then realized that it will NEVER be seen so why bother!


Now mounted to my first 20″ monitor with button-head phillips screws. I managed to find a fairly wide head so I didn’t feel there was too much need for washers here. Note that the VESA standard for screw hardware on many monitors use a fine-threaded metric size. Make sure you take a sample with you when going to the hardware store for longer screws!


One display mounted and ready to go! I can’t wait to get the rest of them done and mounted!


Rinse, lather, repeat… More to come!!

Church Networking Job

 Networking, PC Tech
Sep 162010
 

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Another job I did for a church about a year ago. I just wish I had snapped a shot of the “before” condition! I added the plywood at the top, re-routed all the coax components to a more clean-running setup (and made room for the new parts). I cleaned up all the phone line cabling to the punch-down block and labeled all the current working phone lines, added a modem, router, and gigabit switch. I also installed 2 wireless access points around the building… This actually was a pretty fun job.

You may notice the additional network patch panel at the top right and the cable modem at the bottom right. This was to accommodate a charter school that was making use of our facilities temporarily. They’re no longer at this building but some of their parts are still in place.

Home Networking Job

 Networking, PC Tech
Sep 162010
 

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Just finished another home networking job for a client. Nothing too fancy but I did manage to clean up the “fire hazard” wiring that was running over the floor of their covered patio room (that occasionally would flood when it rained). Now all the equipment is tucked neatly away in a small cabinet at arm’s reach for easy access and maintenance if needed. I ran networking from here to 2 drops within the property as well as phone lines to the feed from the pole and another building on the site. Now all equipment is surge-protected and out of the way. Not too bad for a one-day job!

My Temporary Workshop

 Networking, PC Tech, PC Wiring
May 122010
 

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So I’m remodeling my house. Yeah, I know it’s been several years –and it will probably be a few more before I’m done. Hell, I’m hoping to get it all done before I die at this point! But in the mean time, work has to get done so I’m now working out in the living room adjacent to Candi’s make-shift nail salon. I will say it’s nice to be working together (even if we’re working on totally different stuff at the same time…

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Microsoft Security Essentials vs. NOD32

 PC Tech, Software
Dec 032009
 


So, I’ve been a long-time user of ESET Nod32 for all my personal machines, corporate systems, servers, and client PC’s. I’ve heard many positive reviews for the newly-released antivirus and antimalware platform from Microsoft called Microsoft Security Essentials. My results were a little surprising and a bit disappointing… Read on for my full review.


I started with a clean installation of XP SP3 on an Intel Core2 Duo system with 512 MB of RAM (shared with the on-board video system). All essential updates installed. Here’s a capture of the system in this state.


This next capture is after installing MSE, running a full system scan, rebooting, and waiting for all CPU activity to calm down for about 30 min. Note that the additional footprint for MSE is over 120MB. Considering the sparse amount of free memory in this system, this is a considerable hit to performance.


Here I closed the MSE processes and watched the change in system performance both before and after. This confirms that the 120 MB memory hit was a direct result of running MSE in the background.


This is after uninstaling MSE and rebooting. Strangely, I seemed to have managed to free up another 20 MB in memory somehow but I have no idea how…


Lastly, this is after installing NOD32 and performing the same full scan and letting all CPU activity calm down. It barely registers as a memory hit at all. I’m 40 MB above the system after uninstalling MSE -but I’m still about 20 MB from the original system configuration when I started this test.

CONCLUSION: First of all, I know that this is a VERY limited test. I have seen these results on 3 additional systems but I’m well aware of the fact that this can be a purely anecdotal test result. With that said, being a free Antivirus / Antimalware platform, if you have plenty of RAM and probably running either Vista or Windows7, I see no reason why not dedicate some of the system resources to MSE. But, if you’re still running older XP systems with limited amounts of RAM, I’d stick with the reasonably-priced, low-overhead of NOD32.

I’d love to hear any thoughts you have at this point…

I met Steve Gibson!!

 Life In General, Networking, PC Tech
Jul 092009
 

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I’m such a dork! I used to laugh at those little school girls that would go all crazy for the Jonas Brothers when they saw them –but I’m just the same way! I’m reminded of a great Intel Commercial when I ran into the opportunity to personally meet Steve Gibson of Gibson Research Corporation, the man who coined the term spyware and created the first anti-spyware program, creator of Spinrite and ShieldsUP while I was in Long Beach a few weeks ago. I knew that he had mentioned on his weekly Security Now podcast that he’s been doing most of his coding work while sitting in a Starbucks at UCIrvine. Well that was just a quick 20 min drive for me! Steve was most gracious to me and we talked for a short while as I tried to keep from jumping up and down shouting “I can’t believe I’m actually talking to THE Steve Gibson!!!” Anyways, thank you Steve for being so accessible and contributing so much of your time to the computer security industry.

Oddly enough, I’m not the only one with this attitude… SecureShirts.com even makes a nice black T-shirt that shares my sentiment…

–click on the image for a larger view–

He’s also #66 in TechCult’s Top 100 Web Celebrities.

My custom laptop car mount

 Automotive, Electronics, Life In General, PC Tech
Feb 112007
 

Well after seeing these guys selling their products on eBay, I figured I could do better. First of all, I realized that they were just using normal 3/4″ steel pipe. But I wanted to mount the laptop on the side of the floor and not the bottom. I managed to score some spare thick plexi from the local hardware store since it was sitting outside for a few months and was just a mess (but since I won’t ever be looking through it I didn’t care how messed up it was)…

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My new workstation…

 Life In General, PC Tech, Personal Health
Dec 172006
 

Well my lower back problems no longer keep me from being productive! Thank god I still have my large screen laptop!…

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Since I feel the best when laying on my stomach, I now live, eat, sleep, work, and play in the living room. I have to thank my wife who has been sleeping in the living room with me this whole time. She’s a real trooper. Although it feels like I’m getting better but I won’t know until the MRI get’s done and looked at by a specialist. At this rate, I fully expect to have all my lower back problems solved by the time my kids graduate college! So in the mean time I’m stuck in the living room on my belly for the time being…

We’ve relocated offices!!!

 Life In General, PC Tech
Dec 052006
 

Well as it turns out, I wasn’t the only one missing those 3 hours of time each day lost driving to and from work. Eventhough I was already “planning my escape”, one of the key people at my office was doing the same thing! It was decided that our office would split in two and go from a single office in Van Nuys to an office in Torrance and and office in Acton. Praise be to GOD in heaven!!! Now my drive is a dreamy 30 min from home to desk with little to no traffic most of the time. We actually have windows now –and there’s something worth looking at outside. We have hills, trees, horses strutting by and all. It’s more like a “retreat” than an actual work environment. I got upgraded from CRT screens to LCD finally so when we actually get the building completely setup, I’ll have a LOT more desk space to work with. In the mean time, here’s a shot of my new workstation area…

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A current pic of my “home away from home”…

 Life In General, Office Supplies, PC Tech
May 132006
 

My lava lamp collection is growing! I’ve added a rear-view mirror and a sweet back-scratcher thanks to Pampered Chef stuff that my wife likes for the kitchen. After catching me using her’s several times, she got me my own! It’s also nice to have my entire music collection with me at my side through the work day.

I found the perfect mouse pad!!!

 Life In General, PC Tech
Feb 122005
 


After a log period of searching and a good $4 at Fry’s Electronics, I finally found the perfect mousepad. As you can see from the photo, it’s a “tad” larger than the normal size but I do think it will work just perfectly. Since I work on dual 21″ screens, having a lot of area for my mouse to move about in is key so I think I have finally found a solution!

Sometimes I’m glad I’m not rich…

 Life In General, PC Tech
Feb 122005
 

It’s on nights like tonight that I’m glad I’m not rich. I just spent $40 and came home with TWO wireless-G routers. One from eBay and one from Fry’s electronics. I’ve already tested the one from Fry’s and it works perfectly. I can now surf anywhere in the house with my laptop at a pretty fast speed! I’m sure if I was a rich man I’d had paid easily close to $80 for two wireless routers of this quality but the feeling of knowing I managed to pay about a quarter of that is just great! I think I’d never have worked as hard as I have through the years to get a good buy if I was rich and I get a certain satisfaction from that. I also guess I now wonder how I will be when I >DO< become wealthy. Maybe when I get there, my time will be worth more that trying to save a couple hundred bucks on some minor purchases. Maybe by then I will have more valuable things to spend my time working on…

go away sickness!!! [ug]

 Life In General, PC Tech, Personal Health
Oct 052004
 

Still being tortured with this stupid sinus illness. I haven’t been able to get my prescriptions yet thanx to being new on my healthcare plan. Looks like I’ll be waiting until tonight to get them. Lucky for me there is a 24hr pharmacy in town. Head is just pounding from sinus pain and I have no appetite at all. At least my ear isn’t hurting that much anymore. I think the drive up and down the hill is doing a number on my eardrums though. Still have the ringing in my ears. I think I’m going to cancel my evening plans for tonight and just go home and rest. I hate to do it as it will put a lot of people off but too bad. I have to be healty if I’m going to do anything for anyone in the future! As it turns out, almost the entire office got sick this past week. There was already another guy out when I cam in yesterday afternoon -and the office manager left early feeling not so good.

I ordered a 15″ LCD screen from eBay for $12 that came last night. I guess I didn’t read all the info on the listing. I did see that it said it had a “cracked screen” but it also said “unit is in excellent condition”. I guess I also missed seeing that it was being sold “as-is”. The biggest clue was that it was suggested as a great unit “for parts”. I’m such an idiot. With shipping I think I spent around $35 for a dead monitor. It does have built in speakers and a USB hub. I think I’ll research to see if I can replace the screen for a reasonable price… ‘kinda knew I was taking a risk when I got it though…

I guess I’m just worried that I’ll never be well. I know it’s stupid but I’ve had sinus problems for pretty much my entire adult life -from Chicago, to Florida, to California. No one has been able to help me permanently and drugs just seem to work for the first two doses. I have a $700 air cleaner in my home, AC to keep the temp good without using a lot of the dusty outside air, I am pretty good about blowing my nose and keeping my sinuses clear of most of the crap, but nothing seems to work. Allergy tests in the past were inconclusive. They did find that I was allergic to some forms of plant life but no one could tell me what they were (meaning they weren’t that popular of a species either). I just don’t know what I’m going to do now…

Got my new keyboard!!!

 PC Tech
Sep 232004
 

I guess I’m easily amused but man do I love this new keyboard! –And DUDE! It’s a Dell! I’ve been using the same old Micron keyboard for years (and probably should have cleaned it a couple of times). I’d have replaced it a long time ago but I just never found another that was a solid or predictable when I type. The funny thing is that I usually always work on Dell workstations where I work during the day. I’ve not had a bad experience with their keyboards but the quality does vary from model to model. Here’s a shot of my old keyboard along with my main workstation:

‘kinda out of isn’t it? Everything else is either silver or black. It is only my keyboard that is the remaining beige colored component! Note that all the beige components on my computer have already been replaced with black ones. You can read about it here:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=802939

I’ve also replaced the mouse with a cordless knock-off of the high-end Logitech model. Now that Logitech has a new one out, I want that one! Will it ever end?

Here’s a shot of my new keyboard:

All I can say is WOW! I plugged it in (PS/2) and no extra software installed. Every single one of the buttons worked! Even the media player controls -heck there’s even a button to launch the windows calculator!!! Typing was a very quited endeavor -a stark contrast from the clickity clack of my old Micron keyboard. I sure won’t be missing it.

It sure is nice when everything just WORKS! -rare too. This morning I returned the last of the software I was using on that side job for the auto shop. It means that the job is over from my standpoint (for no $$ at all). I’m releived and a little wiser too. I’m still going to play around with remote desktop management and VPN setups but I’m not going to make any promises until I’ve got it all working at my own shop first!

come one eBay stuff!!!

 Life In General, PC Tech
Sep 172004
 

Just got a few eBay items and I can’t to get them! Got a new keyboard (with a volume knob on it). I might finally replace my VERY old keyboard that I’ve used for years. I don’t know if I’ll like the feel of the keys but that will have to be something I see when it get’s here. I also got an SGI 3-button mouse! Now Ican replace my old SGI mouse with a new one and leave PS/2 components out completely! I also found an SGI keyboard but I don’t think I’m going for it ATM…

Last on my list to get is a mini USB wireless mouse for my laptop. I’m getting sick of managing that small wire on the mini mouse I currently use so we’ll just have to see what I can manage to find…

I’m starting to feel a little better about my health. I think getting some more sleep may be a part of it…naaaw! Anyways, I’ve been able to keep focused more at work and not even need to catch a quick nap while sitting on the toilet anymore (which is way better on my neck and back)! Looks like I may have to return that Compaq laptop if I can’t figure out why SP2 won’t cooperate with the system. I can’t even get a look at the BSD message as it immediately reboots so I’m hoping I can pause it the next time it happens. Looks like I’m going to be rebuilding their old system just so they can do basic school work while we figure out this problem. I am sooo glad this isn’t my full-time business when things like this happen. The problem with laptops is that you just never know when you’re going to have a problem or a walk in the park working on them…

…And I wasn’t ignoring you on AIM yesterday. I was called away from my desk and missed your messages. Sorry ’bout that. I’m normally good about changing my status when I leave!