4

I need to work from my bed and I bought this monitor arm to hold my laptop (I need to work lying down, I can't sit). The problem is that the clamp won't work well with my nightstand, the setup is too heavy for the nightstand and it keeps falling.

I then found a projector stand with a VESA adapter. My idea now is:

  1. Connect the VESA adapter from the stand directly to the VESA adapter of the monitor arm.

  2. Connect the other tip of the arm to its pole (but don't connect the pole to the base clamp!)

  3. Connect a second monitor arm to the pole, and then finally connect this second arm to the laptop adapter.

Thus, the idea is: instead of having a clamp securing the pole, the pole will be connected to an arm, and this arm's VESA adapter will be connected to the VESA adapter of the projector stand. This will keep the pole "floating" vertically in the air. I can then connect whatever I want to this "floating" pole.

Questions:

  1. Is it ok to connect 2 VESA adapters to each other or will they break? I thought of just using screws and nuts to connect the mounts together

  2. Can the weight break the mount? The stand is supposed to withstand up to 77 lbs.--that's way more than what I would need (never more than 22 lbs., probably around 18 lbs.)

Drawing of the "floating" arm:

Stand and arms

EDIT: Thank you everyone for your answers! I'm a poor student and this is the best setup I could come up within my budget. I got sick and need to stay in bed as much as I can, but I usually work using my computer and now I can't sit down nor stand up for too long. I ordered now the stand from Amazon and will report back when it arrives. For clarification, this here is a more accurate depiction of my setup (apologies again for the paintbrush skills:P the laptop would end up closer to the center, rather than the left side, of the bed. I noticed the inclination of the arm while using it, it starts to incline due to the weight):

enter image description here

Improve this question
11
  • When you say "laying down", what exactly does that mean? Completely flat? Wedge under you? Somewhere in between?
    – UnhandledExcepSean
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 4:19
  • I ask because if you are flat, I don't see how any reticulating arm that doesn't lock the laptop in place would work and if you are on a slant, I would think a laptop tray would be a better option
    – UnhandledExcepSean
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 4:23
  • @UnhandledExcepSean I mean completely laying down:/ I tried the wedge pillow, but it just ended up giving my a wry neck. I can't do much more inclination than a wedge pillow, so that means lying completely flat on the bed. The setup would be: laptop -> arm -> pole -> arm -> floor stand. It's probably gonna be very wobbly... But I don't think there's a better solution. Thanks for asking!
    – flen
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 5:23
  • 1
    @flen The VESA arm mount I bought was nearly identical to this: amazon.com/VIVO-Monitor-Adjustable-Articulating-STAND-V001/dp/… Looking at that picture, you can see the last joint pivots up and down, and there's probably clearance for it to go the whole way. (I have about 5 of these types of arms around... only one isn't able to go downward a full 90 degrees.) Also on mine, I wanted even a bit more extension to the angle beyond the 90 degree mark, so I 3D printed a bracket that clamps on to the VESA mount to allow the bolts to go in just a bit at an angle.
    – Brad
    Commented Nov 16, 2022 at 4:46
  • 1
    @flen Note in that link I posted, the pipe part is just replaced by a big piece of pipe which goes down to the flange mount to the big wooden 'T' on the floor. I think I used some very heavy 12x2s, and it has never budged but is definitely overkill.
    – Brad
    Commented Nov 16, 2022 at 4:48

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
4

Can you mount to VESA monitor mounts together? Yes! All you need is a set of 4 short bolts with matching nuts. I'd suggest some sort of lock washer or lock nut to prevent them from coming lose and crashing down on you. They don't even need to be VESA spec bolts, because the VESA spec says that the monitor will have a captive nut threaded X, so the bolt must match. Since you're providing both the nut & bolt, all you're doing is running the bolt through 2 flat pieces of metal. So long as your nuts & bolts match, you're golden.

Of course, there are all sorts of workability issues.

  • Will it tip?
    • Not if you put a heavy sandbag on the base of the stand.
  • Will you be able to see the screen?
    • Depends on the angle of the laptop and your angle in bed.
    • You may have to jury-rig some sort of contraption to hold the laptop to the mount at the extreme angle you need it.
  • Do you trust this hanging over your head?
    • It will need to be, basically, directly over your head so you can see it looking up.
  • If you're confined to your bed (and I'm sorry to hear that's what sounds like the case here, that must not be much fun), do you trust the person assembling this for you to do it right?

I did note that in answer to a question on the Amazon listing for the mount, one person said that they actually hung the mount from a cabinet above and attached the arms upside down so it seems that the particular mount you've selected should be reasonably solid.

Improve this answer
3
  • 1
    X = M4 for monitors and modest TVs (I believe some big TVs use bigger screws). If M4 parts are hard to come by, 4-40 UNC nuts & bolts would do the same. Washers would be a good idea as the holes are usually slotted.
    – Chris H
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 16:41
  • 1
    Thanks, @ChrisH. "Washers" isn't a bad idea, and made me think of the lock nut/washer I added into the answer.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 16:44
  • Thank you for your detailed answer! It's very helpful. To reply to the problems you listed: 1) in my case it won't tip because I can secure the projector stand's base right under the bed (they fit together! Some luck for a change); 2) I think this will be easy, when I attached the arm to the nightstand it was golden, the only problem was the nightstand; 3) this is a crucial point, I'm afraid the steel pole slides down and hits my nuts... I put the 2nd arm above the 1st one so that the 1st can catch the 2nd if the pole slides. 4) I can get up, but must lie down as much as possible (thanks!)
    – flen
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 22:57
4

I think your design could stand without breaking, but weight is less the concern than leverage from having it extended; my concern would be stability and likelihood to tip over.

Based on your comments, I don't see how it would function the way you have depicted the laptop. Laying flat on a bed and using a laptop is problematic as the screen needs to be directly in front of your face; your depiction makes me think you'd be looking down your nose to see the screen. I don't know of any laptops with mounting points that allow for suspension in a rotated 90 degree orientation, nor any laptop mounts that allow that.

But, you could get a ceiling TV mount (pitched roof ceiling mount is likely the best type for this orientation) that allows for mounting a monitor on the same plane as the bed. A large monitor will more than make up for it being a little farther from your eyes than a laptop would be. Then you can use a HDMI cable from your laptop to the monitor and a wireless keyboard and mouse or other pointing device. You can even get a combination, like the Logitech K400:

Logitech K400 keyboard/trackpad

Image from Amazon for reference.

Improve this answer
4
  • I was going to write my own answer until I saw "a wireless keyboard and mouse". That is the key. Ergonomic of laptops are bad to start with. Add unusual situations like this and they are absolutely horrible. Separate monitor, keyboard and pointing device is much better. I say pointing device because if you go this route, a trackball or separate trackpad will generally be a lot easier than a mouse because a mouse needs a flat surface to move around on - with a trackpad (built in to laptop or separate) or a trackball, the movement is your fingers on the device.
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 15:35
  • Thank you! I also thought of doing what you said, but I'd fall into a similar problem: the projector stand by itself isn't tall enough and I'd have to be twisting my neck to the to look at a monitor at the side of the bed. Unless I can connect the monitor to a monitor arm using a floor stand, I don't have anything else to connect it to (my bed is too shallow for the clamp and the nightstand will fall). I'd then go back to the problem of needing to connect the VESAs (or finding a different floor stand that's good and cheap enough)
    – flen
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 23:38
  • In regard to stability, you're right that it's quite wobbly whenever I type, but I got sort of used to it (what can I do...). There is in fact a laptop adapter that can hold the laptop staring at my face (not at 180° from the ceiling, otherwise the lid will close, but more than 90°), it's the one I listed amazon.ca/VIVO-Motion-Monitor-Articulating-STAND-V102C/dp/… (I also didn't know such a thing existed!). I got this bluetooth keyboard at $20 amazon.com/Arteck-Universal-Bluetooth-Multi-Device-TV-Connected/… recommended!
    – flen
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 23:44
  • My other worries with the bluetooth + monitor setup are: 1) the cost, though I might snatch a black friday/holiday deal; 2) the resolution (I type a lot, I need to see big text, though this might not be different from a laptop screen -- in fact, I have one of those 2 in 1 laptops that can be bended to use as a tablet, might try that soon!); and the GPU power, I'm using an onboard GPU and I don't know if connecting a different monitor can make my underpowered GPU and CPU suffer (maybe not if I shut down the laptop screen? No idea)
    – flen
    Commented Nov 15, 2022 at 23:48

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.