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?
Skateboard. Poof done.
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.
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.
It doesn’t necessarily have to topple. I have my ~10kg TV on a similar stand and even though the main vertical element is off center, it’s super stable.
My main concern is that OP’s approach is with two - potentially different size/weight) monitors, with movable arms, which does mean the center of weight moves around a lot with every change.
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?
Resolution is a pretty standard 1080p@90Hz for most devices. For your purpose I guess a single fixed monitor setup would be ideal, as multimonitor setups mean you can’t get both screens in your view, and it increases latency too.
general latency in single monitor mode is pretty okay though, around 12-16ms on most models I tried. Not as good as a dedicated monitor, but it’s a solution. A lot of people use these glasses with slabtops (generally macbooks with the display torn off), handhelds (Switch, Steam Deck, etc.), and other on the go devices.
Most of Xreal’s models don’t have cameras. And you’re not forced to use their software, by default 99% of these devices works as a simple DisplayPort device + USB hub for the attached accessories (microphone, speaker, camera).
