I was finally left alone in the house today and decided to do everything I normally can't do. Like make a hell of a lot of noise sawing and hammering at 2am in the morning lol!!
I ordered an Ergotron LX HD arm from amazon today. I had given up on this desk because it was too big orginally. It was a 5 foot by 30 inch beast on top of a 4 foot by 24 inch desk. Couldn't even get to my closet! So I took a saw to that sucker and cut it down to 40 inches instead of 5 feet. It took about 2-3 hours to cut, drill, cut again, and bolt everything in.
It's 3/4 inch plywood with a nicer thinner piece glued on top. 2X4'S sit on top of the desk under it and clamp over the back of the desk's top. The drafting table top has two 2x4's glue to the bottom with holes drilled in them and bolts attach it to the boards coming from the desk. Then two more holes at the top of the glued 2x4 with two boards to support it. Oh, and 3 aluminum bars support the cintiq itself on bottom side.
If that doesn't make any sense, I'll take more pics later XD
Not sure if I'll keep this or not since I ordered that Ergotron arm. I really wanted to see how it felt and worked just for the heck of it :P
Total cost of this was around.... $65 roughly.
Edit: Made a sketchup model with dimensions. Also....I started laughing when I looked at the bottom view....it looked just like the star trek enterprise lol! So I made a silly poster :D
------------------------------2/7/2019 After a full day / night of use -------------------------------------------------- Pros: The thing I like most so far is the small 5 inch wide area of my keypad on the left and the height of the cintiq itself. With the default cintiq 21ux stand, I always felt like I had to stretch my arm upwards and it got uncomfortable after an hour or two of use. With this desk though, there's none of that feeling. So for just drawing as my task, it's great.
Cons: My keyboard! Having the keyboard above or even at the top of the cintiq is bad news. It's uncomfortable to type like that for any length of time. I thought I could just move the keyboard over the screen when I'm not using the cintiq, but it tends to get pretty hot in the area where it's covered up. Not burn your hand hot, but a lot more than normal. I could just turn it off, sure, but last time I turned if off there was that blue color problem. So I keep it on 90% of the time.
The mouse feels awkward to use at the upward angle and keeps sliding down, which drives me a lil nuts because it moves me cursor to the bottom screen. This could be fixed if the desk was tilted back to be flatter though. Right now, it's kind of a constant annoyance.
Solutions? I think I'd like the keyboard under the cintiq, but not where my elbow would be moving around and not in front it either. And maybe the mouse on the same "plane" as the keyboard in a small tray. I know ergotron makes a keyboard tray thing for that. Might look into getting one or making one as I just got my ergtron LX HD arm in the mail today.
The HX was stiffer and held the Cintiq a little more solidly. But my desk is pretty deep and I couldn't pull the Cintiq clear to the edge and tip it down at a shallow angle (e.g., almost flat). The LX held it slightly less solidly but has a longer reach and more degrees of freedom. So I stuck with the LX. I actually still have my HX (screwed up and didn't return it in time) that I need to sell. It's brand new. If anyone reads this and wants it, DM me. I think you'll be happy with either one if you have a shallower desk than me. But the LX gives you more options and the tiny bit of wiggle isn't really a factor.
I actually ended up sampling two different models at home: 45-384-026 LX HD Sit-Stand Desk Mount LC
I actually considered the HX, but then I saw that it doesn't raise up quite as much as the LX does. Ergotron has the measurements on their site for each one. I made a lil comparison chart with it :P I do like that the HX supports a lot more weight, but i'm a tall guy and could use that extra 8.5" of lift on the LX :D Otherwise, I'd totally take you up on that HX offer. Heck, I still might. Just need to see how the LX works out first.
I actually considered the HX, but then I saw that it doesn't raise up quite as much as the LX does.
Those are screencaps from Kissyfur, a little known cartoon from 1986. The beaver's name is Toot ^^ He's one of my favorite characters in the show. Here's the intro and credits.. I actually bought a homemade DVD set of it ^^
Those are screencaps from Kissyfur, a little known cartoon from 1986. The beaver's name is Toot ^^ H
It's a SADES keypad, the non-mechanical one. They're super cheap and all over amazon under different brands and names :P I liked this one because it had a decent spacebar, and you can change the LED colors.
It's a SADES keypad, the non-mechanical one ( https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GBTD3XX/ref=ppx_y
I got it off ebay for about $280 :P Some animation studio was getting rid of it...and oh boy...you can tell it's been used lol. I still need to replace the screen cover on it. It's a great device for drawing on though ^^ *Wonders what squirrel's setup looks like now*
I got it off ebay for about $280 :P Some animation studio was getting rid of it...and oh boy...you c
^.^ No probs! You can make those bottom pieces whatever length your desk needs, mine was just 2 feet in depth. Couldn't remember the thickness of those aluminium bars, but they're easily found at Lowes. I cut them with a hacksaw, drilled holes in them, and screwed them into the wood. Also wrapped electrical tape around either end where the cintiq makes contact with them.
^.^ No probs! You can make those bottom pieces whatever length your desk needs, mine was just 2 feet
Oh yeah? I wish you luck with it! Post pics when you do ^^ If I had to do it over again, I would've made the table part too. That way it wouldn't taken up less space. But at least there's lots of room for the mess of cables that comes with a desktop pc ^^
Oh yeah? I wish you luck with it! Post pics when you do ^^ If I had to do it over again, I would've
Heh, I'm mostly glad to have gotten the thing done, but it's not without it's problems :P I edited the description above. Just got my ergotron arm today though! Gonna try it out next XD
Heh, I'm mostly glad to have gotten the thing done, but it's not without it's problems :P I edited t
The 21 UX isn't too expensive (got mine for $250) and I think the new 16 inch goes for $600-$700. If you do get one, I highly recommend getting an ergotron arm...they are awesome sauce! I made a lil keypad shelf for mine ^^
