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Displays Thin Monitor - Help, Please!

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by PureSilver, 24 Apr 2011.

  1. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    I'm modifying an old double-gang school desk for my sister, who has just had her room redecorated. She's a bit of a fashion victim, and has decided that French distressed secondhand furniture is what she wants. This is good, because secondhand furniture is cheap, and the distressed effect is probably the easiest and most forgiving paint finish around. We've got ahold of an old infants' school twin desk, an item I'm sure is familiar to everyone on this site. I think it's 1970s item, lidded, and with very polite graffiti (no swear words at all!). It looks a bit like this:

    [​IMG]

    Ours is a slightly more recent version. The key differences are the legs - ours has only two, with horizontal 'feet' at the bottom of each - and the depth of the space under the lids. Ours has a shallow portion to accommodate knees, and deeper portion at the back for books, etc.

    Now, I was just going to extend the legs a foot or so, strip and refinish it - but I've decided it needs a little more updating. My sister wants to keep modern technology in her room unobtrusive and, if at all possible, hidden. Therefore, I want to put a computer monitor, keyboard and mouse in one of the pockets, and possibly either an mITX system or laptop dock in the other. The monitor will be affixed to the underside of one of the lids, so you can just flip it open and start work. The first thing I need is the monitor, and it's here I've run into problems. The lid is plenty big - about (WxH) 27.5" x 15". I could fit a 27" monitor in that footprint, no problems.

    The problem is the depth. The shallower pocket leaves one inch when closed, so I need a monitor that's an inch thick, preferably less. I've seen plenty of ultrathin TVs, and obviously laptop LCDs are a fraction of that, but desktop monitors don't seem to do the same. Does anyone have any ideas? Know any thin monitor makers? Know about repurposing a large laptop screen?

    Thanks in advance!
     
  2. IvanIvanovich

    IvanIvanovich будет глотать вашу душу.

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    i just got a really cheap aoc razor for a temporary monitor and it is very thin at 1.3cm. there are many other thin led lcds out there. while laptop screens would work, you'd need an lcvds converter, which can be a pain to source sometimes.
     
  3. microsoftPerson

    microsoftPerson What's a Dremel?

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    I don't see why one of the new LED backlit monitors they are selling wouldn't fit. The problem I see with that is that most of them don't have VESA mounts so you will have to rig something up.

    Maybe I'm confused about your problem. An inch seems like plenty of space for a monitor or at least the newer ones. I have a ten year old acer that would fit in that depth actually, so I think you just need to look around.
     
  4. SuicideNeil

    SuicideNeil What's a Dremel?

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    How thick is the lid- cant you route a recess into the underside, into which the monitor can sit, partially atleast? Just allow some space around it for ventilation.
     
  5. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. All the Dells (my usual monitor brand) are a minimum of 2" thick. The total depth in the pocket is 1.5", so if a monitor can just be mounted through the desk lid (which is OK with me) then it can be 1.5" thick.

    Some sub-inch thick monitors I can find (qualified - name brand, though I'll check out the AOC, 20" or larger) are the Samsung 2370-series, the HP 2310ei and the LG E2290V. No VESA mounts in any of them - in fact, no rear-mounts at all. They all sit on a pedestal, which I'm guessing is just fine for a monitor that stands upright but probably not much good at holding it horizontally.

    Anyone got other models that fit the bill? Preferably with VESA.

    The lid's only 3/4" as it is. No routing in there.
     
  6. Picarro

    Picarro What's a Dremel?

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    1. Buy thin monitor
    2. Buy loads of duct tape
    3. ???
    4. Profit

    Edit:

    Would it be possible for you to get a monitor with the stand attached to the back (not necessarily VESA mounts) and then just make a new holder for it? I remember doing that with one of the screens I have here on my desk - though it's a good 2 inches thick.
     
    Last edited: 24 Apr 2011
  7. IvanIvanovich

    IvanIvanovich будет глотать вашу душу.

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    get some u channel glue rubber strips inside it and slip the panel into those to hold it on? the led monitors none seem to have vesa mounts on the back of the panel, if they have them they are on the base...
    an led lcd tv that has vesa would work as well (which do seem to exist) provided the computer has hdmi.
     
  8. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    I can definitely do that. I'm just worried about the stresses of these single-vertically-offset mounting points. The U-channel idea is also a good one - thanks!

    Does anyone have any recommendations for a slimline monitor at all? Or does everyone avoid them?
     
  9. Jehla

    Jehla Minimodder

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  10. Picarro

    Picarro What's a Dremel?

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    Normally, ultra thin monitors are very light - how about a ****-load of double sided tape?
     
  11. Picarro

    Picarro What's a Dremel?

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    Oh - sorry for the double posting

    But would it be possible to drill bolts through the entire surface of the table? And then countersink them on the top? You could fill the holes in with some wood-putty afterwards.
     
  12. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    That's pretty much what I'm planning.
     
  13. bluespider42

    bluespider42 Minimodder

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    There is a thin version of the Acer S237HL and has VESA mount, Samsung also did a similar one but I can't find it anywhere.
     
  14. FelixTech

    FelixTech Robot

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    I'm sure you've got something planned to make sure the vertical viewing angle is right. It's been a while since I sat at one of those desks, but don't the lids lean quite far back? You won't want the screen facing into space :lol:

    Get one of those push-click mechanisms and spring load it so when you tap the lid it glides up gracefully! :thumb:
     
  15. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    Thanks. The one I think you're referring to is the S243HLAbmii, which is just 15mm thick and is indeed VESA compatible. On the downside, unfortunately, the monitor's stand contains most of it's hardware, is not removable, and is 19.2cm deep (and the monitor's £250). :sigh: The non-removable base is what makes the otherwise perfect AOCs useless too.

    There is a reasonably priced Viewsonic with VESA that is exactly one and a half inches thick, but has rearward-facing inputs (so unless I want the cables protruding through the desk... :rolleyes:). The ultra-thin LG I mentioned earlier has rearward inputs too (possibly with enough space for right-angle connectors) but has no VESA.

    I find it hard to believe that nobody makes a monitor that fits my requirements. For my benefit, they are:
    • Minimum 1680x1050 resolution, 1980x1020/1200 preferred.
    • Maximum depth 1.5".
    • VESA, or enough leftover depth for custom mounting solution.
    • Priced <£200.

    I'm thinking gas struts from a car bootlid, or similar. Thanks for push-to release idea, I'll have to see how those work. I think they're sprung, whereas struts need to be lifted... Hmmm...
     
    Last edited: 25 Apr 2011
  16. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

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    This might sound like a stupid question, but why can't you mod a monitor out of its case? I can't imagine everything in there needs to be 2-3" thick, with a little creative thinking (and the extra room at the bottom where the thickness isn't quite such an issue) I'm sure you could do something.
     
  17. FelixTech

    FelixTech Robot

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    I was just thinking what a satisfying swooshing a car boot makes when it opens. Why is that noise not more common in technology! :D
     
  18. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    The LGs in particular are ripe for a bit of modding to add a VESA mount, but TBH I'd much rather just fit a monitor with a standard VESA mount in case the screen dies. Plus, unless someone can point me in the direction of a secondhand bargain, this will be a new screen and I'm not sure I want to start voiding warranties with my limited electrical experience.

    My best options so far (all at around £130):
    • LG E2260V. Just half an inch thick, so plenty of room for right-angle connectors. However, no VESA.
    • Asus VE228H. Is the thinnest I've found yet with both downward-facing connectors and VESA - but it's still 2.3" thick.
    • AOC e2243Fw. Half an inch thick, but inputs are in the base. The base can be tilted to provide VESA, but it looks pretty unstable for my use and I think will push the screen well over 1.5".

    My mods, then, in order of increasing severity:
    1. Create a U-channel frame for the LG. Pros: very simple, doesn't void warranty. Cons: Likely to be pretty ugly, unknown strength of the edges of the screen.
    2. Attach a custom VESA mount to the rear of the LG. Pros: Tidier. Cons: Doubtful that the LG's rear casing is designed to take its weight in this fashion. Warranty voided.
    3. Strip base from AOC, add VESA mount to rear of screen, and reroute connections. Pros: Rear of the screen is flat, so I can spread the load well, potentially neat. Cons: A lot of hard work. Buttons for this monitor are touch sensitive and located in the base - nightmare to work on.
    4. Leave the Asus untouched, but modify the desk to give the extra inch of space. This will require a goodly amount of carpentry to open a box in the 'floor' of the desk, which is thin ply. Pros: No warranties voided, neat, Asus is not the only 6cm VESA-equipped screen. Cons: Desk's floor is of unknown structural provenance. Sister will bang knees on modified floor, which will be asymmetric to the other half of the desk.

    Nnngh! :sigh:
     
  19. Cei

    Cei pew pew pew

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    I'd definitely go the route of buying a second hand screen and stripping it out of the casing, and then building the components in to the desk. Yes it's more effort, but you'll likely get something that actually works as intended - and if you make a nice faceplate then you can hide the ugly easily, and it won't look like a monitor just slapped inside.

    Your other options involving VESA are all well and good, but they're also complex and fiddly with unknown results.
     
  20. Cei

    Cei pew pew pew

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