Triple Monitor Mount
Welcome! I know I dropped off the face of the earth, but I am back now and thought I would show something a bit different.
I recently bought three 20" Acer monitors and have been enjoying the benefits of Ultra wide screen gaming... like close to FIVE FEET of desktop real-estate! So keeping with the theme of always trying something new, I got to wondering what would happen if I turned the monitors vertical.
This is more of a working thread, instead of an "its all done-here is how" type since I am still currently tweaking it.
First we start with the difference between the Landscape vs the Portrait arrangement:
Notice how much less side view in the portrait, but the gains in height make up for it.
On a side note, this is still a work in progress in regards to bezel management. There are 2 monitors with V shaped bottom bezels which make the gap between the right and center monitors larger then the center and left. New monitor is on the way to fix that.
The construction of the mount is basically 2"x2" with 1/4" inner wall thickness square aluminum channel. It is a bit over kill, but I guess that is just how I roll. The square tubes are bolted together with 3/8" bolts. You can get a 6' section of this tubing for $55.54 at McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com - part # 88875K753)
The square tubes are bolted together with 3/8" bolts through aluminum angle iron pieces.
The center monitor:
Here you see the center monitor mounted, and the area for the left monitor clamped into the vise.
The left monitor:
Added the left monitor, with still enough overhang to clamp in the vise. In this pictures you get a better view of the thickness of the Aluminum square tubing. Its beastly.
The right monitor:
Both sides of the mount stick out enough so that you can adjust how you want to mount it to your wall.
One mount to rule them all:
Here is where a picture is worth a thousand words. Granted I didn't use the word count to see if I typed 1000 words so far, but you get the idea. In order to not get anything to pivot, you need at least 2 points to secure each section of square tubing. I basically drilled a 3/8 hole in each side of the alumn angle, and the tube and bolted it together. I then used a 4/40 screw (I had so many laying around from other projects) to lock it in place by drilling it, and tapping.
For me, the biggest advantage of said construction, is the ability to work with the monitors. If I need to move the monitors around, I can simply unscrew the angles that bolt to the monitors off the rail, and slide the rail where I want it-C clamp it- try it out, and then I can drill & tap it where I want it. (or just clamp)
I mounted it to the 2 walls by taking some angle iron and bolted it to the studs, and this just sits on top of the angle iron while drilled and tapped the square tube from the bottom. Nothing spectacular. To service it, I unscrew one side, and pivot the entire structure basically like a hinge but I have to prop it up, or hold it up.
Traditional (not expanded) desktop:
Expanded desktop:
*NOTE: ALL MONITORS MUST FACE THE SAME DIRECTION*
For those of you with the capabilities of expanding your screen as one large one, you can enjoy some wicked gaming experiences!
Counterstrike:
Left 4 Dead 2:
Taking it back a bit:
Yes, I still don't mind roughing up a few cyberdemons...
I hope this has helped anyone who was "always thinking about it" but never actually started. If you have some basic shop tools, and some imagination, this is WELL withing your grasp. This is not THE way to do it, this is just A way to do it. I favor strength, modularity, serviceability, and the ability to adapt to my ever evolving computer experiences. Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to post your own pictures!
post edited by nateman_doo - 2010/10/08 07:23:53