Davej said:
I am thinking of using some sort of hanging external monitor
with my laptop so that I can hunch a bit less. What ideas have
been proposed as the ideal setup for proper posture for all-day
computer users?
If the reader can build stuff...
I have been designing and building my own computer areas for
somewhere around 20 years. You are right-on when thinking about
hanging instead of standing a monitor.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27532210@N04/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27532210 N04/ (sign removed)
That is the main part of my most advanced ergonomics monitor hang.
Hopefully my writing will do it justice... The whole thing sort of
looks like an old (US) football goalpost. The monitor hangs from a
crosswise 2 x 4, narrow side up. The main assembly of the monitor
hang looks like an upside down T. a narrow round aluminum tube
sticks straight up from a a crosswise square aluminum tube. That
lower juncture uses some very large washers and HDPE plastic for
lubrication, and allows the square crosswise part to pivot/rotate.
At both ends of that crosswise aluminum tube, the 26 inch LCD
monitor hangs from thin nylon ropes (new lightweight monitor
design helps greatly with this setup). Hanging the monitor on
ropes allows it to tilt forwards and backwards to any angle. Now,
back up to the vertical part of the upside down T, the part that
connects to the crosswise 2 x 4. You can barely see the part that
holds the vertical aluminum tube to the crosswise 2 x 4, but it
functions like a complex device. It is a single piece of 1/8 inch
thick aluminum flat bar, about 1 1/2 inches wide by about 6 inches
long. That is all it is. It is bent in half at slightly less than
90°. It has a large hole on one side (hidden from view) where the
round aluminum tube slides through it. So all you do is stick the
aluminum tube through that hole and hang the assembly on the
crosswise 2 x 4. No fasteners are required. The monitor can be
raised with a single hand, and lowered with two. The vertical
position on the 2 x 4 is infinitely adjustable. The horizontal
position on the 2 x 4 is also infinitely adjustable. Leverage at
the circular point where the tube goes through the flat bar keeps
the the aluminum tube from sliding downwards (aluminum sticks to
aluminum). That same force keeps the assembly snug against the 2 x
4 so that it does not sway.
On one side of the goalpost is a desk with a chair. The uprights
include small jutting shelves to hold various stuff. In between
the uprights is a bed. Right now I am sitting at the desk, later
when playing Supreme Commander 2 for hours I will be lying down.
Cordless keyboard and mouse are very useful.
Good luck and have fun.
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