Reinforcing the back of a TV or monitor

[David]

We have (had) a standard 20" Sony TV in our motor home, mounted on the wall.

It has been fine for a number of years but now I notice that the plastic around the VESA mount has broken in one corner and the split is spreading.

In retrospect it might have been sensible to keep the TV off the wall except when in use, to avoid the stress due to bumps and lumps on the road and camp site. However......

My options seem to be:

(1) Remove the back, repair and reinforce.

(2) Replace with new.

In either case the same problem will still be there - if it is mounted on the wall there is more likely stress than if it is in the home on a lounge wall.

So even a new screen might need reinforcing.

[I have noted that I have PC monitors of the desired size with VESA mounts on the back, so a DVB-T2 STB and a computer monitor might be more practical than a new TV.]

On the other hand the original TV is a heavy old bugger and our newest TV (Samsung) seems a lot lighter.

Anyhoo....has anyone had need to reinforce the back of a TV or monitor? I assume that this would have to be done from the inside, but perhaps if using something like fibreglass matting it might be possible from the outside? The big problem is likely to be not covering up the ventilation holes; this doesn't seem to be a problem with PC monitors, only the TV. I assume removing the decoder bits and having them in a separate STB makes the screen a lot less power hungry and much cooler.

Cheers

Dave R

[Lee]

The back itself doesn't usually support the weight, take the back off and look for a pair of metal brackets or a plate that the vesa mount bolts through to.

Probably a good idea to check the integrity of these first :)

[David]

I can see the metal plate flexing out with the broken bit of the back; I assume that it is bonded to the plastic of the back.

The only other option I can visualise would be for there to be a metal chassis for the whole TV which I don't thing is likely these days.

Cheers

Dave R

[DerbyBorn]

Can't you perhaps mount it in a frame so tha tthe heacy screen is suppoerted all around - at least when driving - perhaps a parking location. Not surprised it is breaking.

[Lee]

All the LCDs I've worked on have had a metal chassis of some form, albeit some have not been much more than just the thin metal back of the screen assembly :) If the plate hasn't snapped away from something then, as you say it's likely flexing because it's taking vibrational loads it wasn't designed to. Stiffening the back might help I guess, though it might then crack somewhere else...

Lee

[Lee]

Personally I'd want to mount it as rigidly as possible so that it moves with the mass of the vehicle and not independently. Maybe additional plates in the corners, if it can be done safely?

[Andy Burns]

Maybe a brass bush pressed into a supposedly solid part of the plastic case and the VESA screws go through into it? If it's been bouncing down the road they could have worked loose - epoxy?

[Robin]

I had thought when I read the OP of offering an additional option "(3) sand the back lightly and apply car body filler - avoiding vents" but thought I'd be lowering the tone of the place :)

[Brian Gaff]

I'd have thought even with newer flat screens the main outlay on power would be the light. Some of the early decoder chips were rather power hungry, but then to drive a screen those chips are as well. I'm surprised if the back made of plastic is the only thing holding it up though. ;having a poke at one here suggests to me that the mounting holes are part of some kind of internal structure, just protruding through the much thinner case parts. Obviously designs differ.

I think maybe you are being a bit optimistic to expect ordinary wall mounting to support something subjected to such treatment but I'd have thought the inside of the caravan or motor home might have been the failure point not the mounting on the tv. Brian

[Tim Watts]

+1

I think the OP needs to have some padded clips that restrain and support the TV by its outer frame whilst on the move.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I was thinking the opposite - a bracket which can absorb much of the vibration would prevent it reaching and damaging the TV.

I would not be surprised if the vibration eventually caused internal damage to circuitry too, be it connectors that dislodge, or heavier components that break free, or large circuit boards which flex and crack (although circuit boards have become tiny in newer sets nowadays).

Ironically, the broken case has become a point to absorb the energy, but it's not going to do it safely without failing, whereas a properly designed vibration mount would.

I'm now imagining a mount consisting of a couple of bungie straps stretched tighly between the mid-wall and the ceiling (out a bit from the wall), with the TV attached to the centre of them. Ideally, you want some damping too, but even without dampers, that would reduce the extremes of the G-forces reaching the TV. Washing machine drum suspension springs from the ceiling and drum shock absorbers below to the wall would be another way, although those shock absorbers are probably too tough unless you attach the concrete drum weight to the back of the screen too, and that might significantly change the drive handling!

[Lee]

For vehicular use there are arguments on both sides, except where you can free-float something...

Now clearly that would be the best solution of all, if not exactly pretty to look at :)

Lee

[Capitol]

Interesting that all vehicle mounted displays IME, are solid mounted. My own experience with a soft flexible mounting is poor for a rear view camera. I need to improve the rigidity.

[David]

At that level of engineering, the alternative "remember to remove the TV from the bracket before moving off" probably hits the sweet spot.

Lay it down on the seat cushion during travel and re-mount when parked up.

I think I just need enough remedial work to allow it to be mounted on the wall when not moving.

Put the whole issue down to laziness and "well, it seems all right so far".

Or upgrade to a thinner, lighter TV or monitor with potentially more screen area. The latest Samsung seems amazingly light.

Cheers

Dave R