[LuckyNumbrKevin] wanted an epic monitor array of his own but didn’t really have the desk real estate to pull it off. His solution was to build a three computer monitor mounting rack with a relatively small footprint.
The design started with some virtual test builds using SketchUp. Once he had it dialed in he began transferring measurements for the base onto some plywood. The rest of the parts are built using dimensional lumber. As the project shaped up he wrapped the edges of the plywood with some trim, and gave the piece a good sanding. After a few passes with a dark stain he was ready to mount the monitors he bought from Newegg.
[Kevin] left a comment in the Reddit thread about the parts cost for his design. Including the monitors, this came in under $300. That does not include the Nvidia graphics card which is capable of driving the trio.
I run triple monitors, its actually tricky finding a large enough desk at most home goods stores. In the end i went with wall mounting and in wall wire install, but for apartment owners that’s not really an option…
Why use a wide desk, when you can just build the side monitors to swing out?
MONITORS:
Emachines E211H 21.5” (Craigslist) = $50.00
Emachines E211H 21.5” (Craigslist) = $70.00
Emachines E211H 21.5” (Craigslist) = $60.00
NOT NEWEGG…
If you don’t care about color quality, black levels, resolution, black color & contrast or response rates?
Funnily enough, I too have recently put together a triple monitor mount!
However, mine consists of the wall mounts the monitors came with(they were second hand, and a bargain!) screwed to a wooden board I tore off the side of a set of draws someone threw out, spaced with some scraps of wood I had lying around XD
That said, mine works perfectly well for my needs.
Looks like it would tip forward easily. I wonder if it’s fastened down, or if it required any extra weight in the base.
I don’t understand how the monitors are actually mounted on the wooden plate. Are the monitor fabricated with holes for the screws? (I checked my (different) monitor and it doesn’t have them).
Almost all flat panel monitors have VESA mounting holes in the back housing. These are industry standard screw holes of a specific size and spacing. Most times they are visible, but they may be recessed under a pop-off panel. Some manufacturers though do not include VESA mounting holes to cut manufacturing costs. If your monitor doesn’t have them (either visible on the back, or under a pop-off panel), then yours is a desktop unit only.
Most (all LCD monitors I’ve ever seen) have a VESA mount screw holes in the back. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Display_Mounting_Interface
pretty much all monitors have something like a vesa75 or vesa100 mount when you remove the stand
it is just four M4 threaded holes in a 75×75 or 100x100mm square pattern
Multiple Monitors is a great thing. I actually prefer a dual-monitor setup to one large screen, as it makes it easier to organize the windows. It’s a lot cheaper, too.
ag.
I like his design, the only thing I would have done differently would have painted it with black lacquer to match the desk.
I recently decided to rearrange my desk and use triple monitors. 2 on one computer, 1 on another, linked with Synergy Virtual KvM. I really like Synergy, it works on both Linux and Win machines will let you hook up more than 2 machines. Back to the point.
I looked through all the commercial designs and thought about replicating one. But then I decided KISS, and hung a couple of adjustable shelf brackets to the wall over the desk. I now have a shelf about 8″ off of the desk with under counter lighting to light the desk. The desk top is completely open for keyboard, mouse, and junk. The monitors sit on a shelf with a little ambiance lighting behind them. Another shelf is above that. It holds my speakers, fan, scanner, and a florescent light reflecting off of the ceiling.
I run four monitors side by side on my development system. The only down side is when you have to go from far left to far right it’s a bit like watching a tennis match.
Best way to get cheap monitors is black friday. Staples had 23″ Acer monitors for $99.
23″ is fairly manageable size for most desktops.
Best suggestion though is get them all at the same time. They’re most likely to have matching displays. The first time I bought a triple monitor set up, I bought across two months, in that time the monitor went through a design revision.
Well, that is certainly better than the dual monitor setup I designed with adjustable shit in mind.
Of course, I scrapped it because shortly before starting the project I bought two new LED monitors – with no vesa mounts.
Nice work.