I need a shelf to hold 3 CRT monitors above my existing desk. It needs to extend about 36" from a normal house wall and hold the weight of the monitors. Is that enough to go on? The monitors are 2 19" and 1 21 inch. I guess they weigh about 40 lbs each. It would be a pain to access below or behind the current desk. I appreciate your help as always, : -)
I would guess you are doing color critical graphic work (photographs?) If not the suggestion to move to LCD's would be good.
If you want CRT's (some of the newer LCDs really do have great color capabilities) then I suggest looking at some of the larger TV supply sources and find a wall mount for TV's
Another possibility is to build small tables to hold the monitors on the desk.
For that weight support cables into the ceiling or up from the floor is necessary to hold the shelf.
Agreed. However, the CO$T of such a change-out would be very high.
If they are in good, working order, replacing them simply to achieve weight savings would be extravagant and possibly wasteful.
If they are heavy CRTs, a good design is particularly important from a safety standpoint. Good luck!
Decent LCDs can be had now for a couple hundred bucks and would pay for themselves in energy usage many times over their life span.
Not really. But you do need to bolt into a stud. I have a TV that heavy hanging from a stud wall in my exercise room right now. It is on a commercial fixture designed for that use.
first, look into a SVGA switch so you can switch between ONE monitor. If you must have three monitors (Why heavy CRT's?) then you'll need some badass carriage bolts and some heavy duty supports.
Sounds to me like you need to rething your setup... I have multiple computers at home and use a single monitor, keyboard and mouse via a KVM switch. maybe that would be helpful.
Heat will also be an issue with that many crt's next to each other if they're on simultaneously.
I did a very similar setup for a non linear video editing workstation. It's been holding three 21" CRTs for at least 8 years not without issue.
What I did:
Get four of the heavy duty double slotted shelf standards and attach them to the wall solidly. I attached them to a wall which was composed of a double layer of 5/8" type X sheetrock with 16 1/4" toggle bolts.
Take four of the 12" long (longest I could find) shelf brackets and cut four pieces of oak 1x2 about 24" long. Attach these 1x2s on top of the shelf brackets (allow clearance for them to connect to the rails) through the holes of the bracket using long machine screws and "T" nuts.
Attach these brackets to the rails on the wall and place two standard
12" deep shelf boards across them. At the front of the shelf about an inch back drill a 3/16 hole through both the shelf and the oak 1x2.Enlarge the hole in the 1x2 to 1/4" and install a 3/16 "T" nut from the bottom. Get four 3/16 turnbuckles. Remove the right hand threaded eye bolts from the turnbuckles and install with washers through the shelf and 1x2 into the "T" nuts. Trim off excess length.
Remove the left hand threaded eye bolt from the turnbuckle and pry the eyes open just enough to fit them through the eye bolts in the shelves and squeeze closed again.
Get four of the smaller 8" shelf brackets, four lengths of 3/16 all thread (~36" ea), four of the 3/16 coupling nuts for the all thread and eight 3/16 hex nuts. On one end of each piece of all thread install a hex nut followed by a coupling nut and tighten together to lock in place at the end of the all thread.
Feed the all thread through the back hole of the 8" shelf brackets. Position the 8" shelf brackets on the rails above the big shelf, high enough up to clear the monitors you intend to put on them. Swing the all thread to the front and align with the turnbuckles. Trim off any excess length on the all thread and then thread into the turnbuckles. Adjust the turnbuckles until they lift up slightly on the front of the lower shelf.
Install regular 8" shelves on the upper brackets and install more above on the rails if desired. Place the monitors on the lower shelf.
This "suspension bridge" shelf will support your three monitors nicely as well as monitor speakers at the ends in the case of a video workstation. The shelves above will hold tapes, CDs, DVDs, manuals, etc. It's also a lot less complicated to build than to describe. Painting the hardware to match the shelves works nicely too.
Pete C.
Ditto the KVM switch, and note that many now also switch USB, and audio connections. Assuming you initially have one monitor per comp.
J
I think your missing the fact that a lot of systems these days have multiple monitors either for more "desktop space", a panoramic gaming view and different workspace and toolbar areas for CAD, graphics or video. A KVM switch certainly makes sense if it's just for intermittent management of multiple computers.
Pete C.
Remember, the main force is not down, but OUT (from the wall). The weight of the load puts rotational torque on the shelf. The shelf will try to move OUTWARD not down. Assuming the anchors you choose won't bend, if you attach the shelf such that it cannot be pulled outward or rotate on its connection, the shelf will prevail.
Visualize a failed shelf; the disconnect damage is not some anchor sliceing down the wall like a ripped sheet. The anchor mechanism pulled out of the wall!
I once put up book shelves on living room wall that were anchored to the studs. I made the shelves of oak, with mitered decor. edge, and 3 shaped brackets under each shelf. I screwed metal mending plates onto the back of each bracket so that they were fastened to the bracket and the shelf and had one hole at top to use for bolting to the studs. Brackets were spaced to fit the spacing of the studs. Used lag bolts to fasten to the studs, and they didn't show with books on the shelves.
36" depth is a whole nother story - you would need some legs. How about replacing the desktop or just laying a new counter on top of it?I did but I can't get rid of the old ones so I'm going to connect an extra video card and use the old ones as duals. I'm addicted to the extra screen space.
I'm going to try to post a link to a drawing, if I can. I really appreciate the help. The problem of heat hadn't occurred me. It should have because it is already pretty hot in this small room and next summer it will be worse. I was thinking about bolting a 1x8 into the studs and putting a heavy duty hinge between the shelf and the 1x8 and putting legs on the shelf, maybe with a support going at a 45 degree angle from the leg to the shelf for support. I bet that sounds wrong but maybe after you see the drawing. Maybe I can use the monitors just when needed to save on heat. The flat screens have got to be cooler, no? They sure seem so. One of the suggestions, I will need to draw out too because it is a little complicated for my beginning skills. If I don't get back it's because I decided to forget about it because of the heat issue, and thanks again for your input. : -)
Yes, I have dual monitors (laptop plus LCD) in panoramic mode. Wouldn't go any other way (though I'm having trouble with my Linux desktop).
Another alternative is VNC (Virtual Network Connection).
Not necessarily. Chains hooked to screw-eyes into the top plate of the wall should hold any reasonable weight.
A 21 inch monitor weighs a lot more than 40 pounds.
I have used a 19 inch CRT (before replacing with LCD). It seemed to weigh around 75-80 pounds.
you have three monitors from a dual video card? That's interesting, you may be able to consider remote control software like VNC (freeware) or a KVM switch in order to save yourself a third of the weight and heat.
Projectors are cheap nowadays.
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