Anybody have a computer center they are proud of? – I’m ready to build something better, and I think this could be something to get a bit of business with –
I’m looking around – two printers, remote hard drive, time capsule, Ipod dock, satellite modem, UPS, power strip, the digital video is setting on the kitchen counter charging, my still camera setting in a case behind this monitor, dictionary, thesaurus, half a dozen manuals, printer cartridges, CD’s, flash drives, paper, labels, cans of cleaners, not to mention the phone/answering machine/fax setting off to the side – the cell phone/s charge in a different spot, but should be part of this organization –
so – who has some answers to cleaning up and organizing? – tips, tricks? I can design a station that deals with things as they stand, but what about change – something I would have built 3 years ago wouldn’t fit some of the stuff I have now –
I’m thinking about ‘modules’ – and making anything on the floor roll on casters – cleaning up the charging stuff I don’t have any good ideas –
I solicit anybodies ideas –
Replies
About 25 years ago I built a unit out of 3/4 birch plywood that we still use. I built it for knock-down (a trick before all of the KD hardware was available) but it's remained in one place in its corner of the family room since I first put it together.
Not as tricky now as it used to be with the big tubes. Used to be you needed it to be fairly deep and you could easily put an overhead shelf above the tube -- now you could just do shelves all the way up.
You do need shelves for media storage and books. You need a place for the printer, where it can be accessed easily but isn't taking up desk space. You need a plug strip or two, and cable chases, but now everything's USB (if not Bluetooth) so you don't need space for the stiff half-inch printer cable.
Actually deep is still best. The monitor should be as far away as possible, and still be seen clearly enough to read. It causes less damage to the eyes that way.
Yeah, but you don't need to handle 25-inch-deep monitors anymore.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Last thing I read on workspace ergonomics was saying 40 to 48-inches from the face to the screen. Hard to do, even with a flat monitor. I managed to get the monitor at work to 38-inches, and it is lots easier on the eyes back there.
You just need to grow longer arms.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Cable management is the real kicker.
Every device will have a USB/Firewire cable AND a power cable. Speakers might have three wires coming off them.
Here is my solution for a desk that sits against a wall
What I did was take a 48" long power strip and mounted it 1/2" above the back of the desk. I use this 1/2" space to run cables under and behind the desk. Over this I built a shelf. The shelf has a 1" gap to the wall (It's attached to the wall instead of the desk). In front, there is a hinged piece that has a gap of 1/2" to the desk surface to run cords through. The hinged piece swings forward revealing a couple of powered USB hubs mounted to the underside of the shelf.
With this setup, all wires hang go straight back to under the cover. The extra length drapes over the back. If you have something you pull back and forth, you can weight the cable to keep it dropping down the back. Small items, like Palm docks, cordless phone chargers, an speakers sit on the top shelf and have their wires tuked under the shelf. You will still need USB and power access on the desk for an occasional memory stick or power supply for a laptop. You might want to mount something to the sides by your knees for this - easy to get to but unobtrusive.
If the desk isn't against the wal, a simple piece of plywood would act as the wall to hide wired from people looking at the back of the desk.
Tu stultus es
Rebuilding my home in Cypress, CA
Also a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
Edited 4/20/2009 10:03 pm by xxPaulCPxx
I trying to visualize your set up - your shelf is attached to the wall above the height of the monitor? and you drop the cords to a power strip behind a screen that hinges?'cable management' - you have identified a/the major issue"there's enough for everyone"
The shelf is about 6" over the desk - it looks like it's part of the desk. The desk is pretty deep, so there is room for that and still plenty of desktop space.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
manuals and thesaurus & dictionary are online so put them on a shelf out of sight.
Get wireless printers or one that you can connect to the router to get them away from your desk.
dual or triple monitors....
access to the back of the cpu .... must be 20 wires connected back there
2 printers ?.........remote one
if you're buying a new computer, you want one with front face access for multiple usb and wi-fi and card readers
bring your microphone and headphone jacks to the front also
and your speaker system
U-shaped set-ups get confining.... i prefer L-shaped set-ups with the main station in the corner, try to keep the cpu off the wall and with free access to the back so you can manage the wires
make plans for networking your computers and your periferals.. some things wireless, somethings cabledMike Hussein Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
I agree on the 'L' configuration - I've had a lot of trouble with multible usb cords/extension carping out after a month or three, but I'd like to get a durable one and bring it out and up to a shelf that could hold all the stuff that plugs in - the mac is nice with the usb at each end of the keyboard for downloading photos - I'll probably do a rough mock up of the shelving module to work out the design, then I predict the mock up will be in place for years - how many of those do I have around? eh - wouldn't take much to be an improvement - thanks - "there's enough for everyone"
"manuals and thesaurus & dictionary are online..."ya, I suppose, but Pogues mac manuals aren't - and for some reason I feel more comfortable with my paperback dictionary and thesaurus - nice break from screen viewing, maybe? - anyway - good call on the remote printers - it's kinda that way - they are in their own tower, but they are close just because there is nowhere else - if they were on castors, it would be good enough - rainy day today, I spent all of it spring cleaning - getting behind all this stuff and getting the dust bunnies out of the snake nest of cables - - well, it's time to improve - "there's enough for everyone"
I've done several computer desks and learn something new with each one. The biggest aggravation is that the technology changes so fast that today's primo design isn't so great within a year or so. - lol
I built my desk 10 years ago to accomodate two printers, a Belkin switched power surge protector/plug strip with the plugs in back, a 19" CRT momitor, and a very large tower. Here are three others. I really like some of the features, and am lukewarm about some others. All were really interesting to design and build, however.
We just replaced the two printers with an HP printer/scanner/copier/fax, that big old honking power supply disappeared a few years ago, and I just got a 19" flat screen monitor. This desk is on it's way out. - lol
My design process includes:
- identifying the components that the customer needs (or plans to get)
- identifying which components actually have to be on the desk, and which components can be hidden somehow.
- discussing the customers preferences for "handedness". (Do they want the printer on their left, or right. How about the phone, speakers, webcam?)
- do they want a pull out keyboard/mouse shelf?
- what are their storage requirements (drawers, printer paper storage, hanging files, etc?
When I have all of this, I can begin doing configuration sketches which will eventually lead to a design.
As much as possible, I try to keep all of the wiring inside the desk. My best designs only have a plug strip power cord, an internet cable, and a phone line coming into the desk. Everything else is hidden.
Two of my desks had pull out "drawers" for the printer. They looked great, but replacing the printer can be a problem since the "drawer" is only so big.
very good - right now I'm at a drawered table not too unlike your second picture - the monitor (actually the comp - I've got an Apple) set in the middle and surrounded by clutter - the printers are off in their own rack to the left - which is not all bad - the rack just needs to move more easily for service and cleaning - there's a window with a view to my left, so I sit angled with another little end table to the left, creating an 'L' shaped work space/buffet tray - lots of wasted space under the table and lots of stuff sitting on the table that doesn't need to be there - could be up or over or under - and way too many cords snaking around - thanks - "there's enough for everyone"
That table was for a laptop and since there wasn't a printer involved, it was pretty simple to build. The right hand drawer is only about half the length of the left drawer and there is a shelf behind it for the DSL modem. A plug strip is attached to the inside of the back apron rail.That table is now used for a TV stand. - lol
Having just had someone break into my place and steal my new TV and a few odds and ends, I would suggest building it out of 3/16" steel plate with a pull down locking lid also of steel plate...
If different people use it, make the keyboard area and the monitor separately adjustable. I have spent a lot of time at the keyboard, and I like my keyboard a few inches lower than the standard height. When I worked in a "cube farm", management insisted on a standard height for all computer desks - for ergonomic correctness - and many people did all sorts of things like stacking boxes and placing their keyboard on them to get them down lower.
Another question.
How to get rid of the noise from the cpu, without cutting off the needed cooling air ?
Get a new computer. Seriously, noise is a hard problem. Many newer computers use a lot less power, so don't require the huge amount of air (and noise) to cool them. Given a choice between different cases, smaller will usually be better for noise because the power supply will be smaller and the cooling to go with it will likewise be smaller. We've been buying Dell Optiplex small form factor units at the office for several years, they seem to be consistently quiet.
Hi DocOtter,
Get a new computer. Seriously, noise is a hard problem. Many newer computers use a lot less power, so don't require the huge amount of air (and noise) to cool them. Given a choice between different cases, smaller will usually be better for noise because the power supply will be smaller and the cooling to go with it will likewise be smaller. We've been buying Dell Optiplex small form factor units at the office for several years, they seem to be consistently quiet.
Fan noise is more often related to economics......cheap fans are "LOUD"....$$$ fans often move more air, last longer and are near silent.....you get what you pay for.
Concerning power......overall power requirements are down but full blown full out computing pulls as much or more than ever. The design factor has changed but not the use factor.
Pedro the Mule - Shhhh they might hear me and take me away...
Edited 4/21/2009 12:39 pm ET by PedroTheMule
Very often the noise is from the CPU fan or video chip fan, not the power supply fan. You can buy replacement CPU/chip fans that are much quieter than the originals. I installed a Silverado brand fan on the CPU in one of our boxes and that made it a lot quieter.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Hi DanH,
Very often the noise is from the CPU fan or video chip fan, not the power supply fan. You can buy replacement CPU/chip fans that are much quieter than the originals. I installed a Silverado brand fan on the CPU in one of our boxes and that made it a lot quieter.
Exactly what I was suggesting to him. I run into a lot of systems that don't even have a case fan and some don't have P/S fans....of course those are low end which generally precludes a VidCard fan...thus a CPU fan is all that's left.....some, if available, have the variable speed controls set to high only in the BIOS so they make racket 24/7.
Pedro the Mule - silence is quiet
Usually the CPU cooler is just a pretty basic unit. There is a whole industry that revolves around better and quieter cooling units.
Usually, a cooler with a larger fan running at lower RPM does the trick, and can be had for around $40.
Case fans can be replaced with larger units, and you can put an RPM limiter on those fans as well to turn tham down a bit. Unless you are doing heavy gaming, your system could/should be near silent.
Tu stultus esRebuilding my home in Cypress, CAAlso a CRX fanatic!
Look, just send me to my drawer. This whole talking-to-you thing is like double punishment.
Edited 4/21/2009 12:34 am by xxPaulCPxx
In their "reader's gallery section, Fine Woodworking has pics of lots of interesting stuff. Sometimes it's interesting because of the beautiful wood, sometimes because of the intricate detail.
Probably three years ago, they had a pic of a very intuitive design for a computer center.
When it was all closed up, it looked exactly like pantry cabinets. The top half opened like an entertainment center -- bifold doors that swung all the way back to "hide" against the upper outside panels.
The bottom half opened up into a right-angle desk.
I have thought about it ever since, and never been able to come up with how you could have two desktops that fold up into the same space -- while maintaining enough strength for me to feel good about it.
But maybe your design abilities are better........
Maybe a hutch-style case, with a removable panel that provides access to a wire recess. I'm thinking of something where you could take the top 2/3s or 1/2 off so you wouldn't have to disturb the gadgetry on the shelf in front of it to hook up a new member of the family.
With that said, I've got an office suite that I don't use much except for storage and to practice for the World Paper Piling Championship.
I don't even use desktops anymore, and I see that trend going forward with laptops becoming so cheap and the introduction of netbooks. I'd not encourage you to build this year's version of the tv armoire only to discover that flat panels have come to town and your creation is now viewed as "that thing taking up all that space".
Picked up one of these for my laptop and I really like it. I can cart it wherever I am in the office, or house for that matter. Office chair one day, working from the couch the next, etc. Perhaps you could incorporate something similar, where it serves as a desk in your cabinet, but can also slide/roll out to somewhere else in the room. Much like a rolling cutting station in the kitchen can come out when needed and be stored under the countertop and look like another cabinet when it's not.
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Make it a standing work station, on a thick foot pad - I'm loving mine, and for ten hours most days, too.
Much better access to things than just arm's-length, 'cuz I'm already up.
Forrest
Something to be said for that. Many folks at the Mayo Clinic now have stand-up workstations with treadmills under them -- the health benefits are substantial.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith