Shown here is a monster screen gantry, with a 22" screen mounted to a gantry with a 1.5m (5 foot) maximum reach.
The gantry is self balancing so you just shift the screen to position and leave it there, no mean feat with a 5kg screen!
The screen is mounted in an aluminum surround for the modern, minimalist look.
What you need:
Screen, any LCD should do the trick, most have mounting hardware integrated on the back now which would save a bit of time
Screen cables, standard cables won't have the reach, so get some extensions
Various bits of wood/metal (how I have made it is by no means the only way) I used 12mm MDF sheet, 12mm aluminium plate, and 38mm aluminium pipe
Hardware (bolts, nuts, wingnuts) as required
Steel cable, this is very important, other things won't cut it, and will just stretch or break
Paint
Skills you need:
Beginner design skills, this instructable shows you how to calculate the balance lengths, the rest is just getting them to fit together
Medium engineering skills, drilling, tapping, turning, and sheetmetal work were all used in this build
Tools required
Sockets/spanners etc
Drill and drill bits
Taps
Tin snips
Woodworking equipment; I used a cnc router but a jigsaw or tablesaw will get you there just as well, but with a little less design flair
Lathe; optional but helpful for making up pulleys
CNC mill; again optional, but makes the mounts for the screen, and the main pole a lot easier.
Paintbrush
It is possible to make up for a lack of skills or tools by adjusting the design, just take care to think it all through, as the most expensive bit is the most at risk too!
Warnings:
Screens are heavy (mine would happily remove toes if it fell), so test your gantry before putting anything valuable under it
Some screens will require mains voltage to run out along the gantry, take special care to ensure the cable cannot be pinched or damaged by the moving parts
The gantry is self balancing so you just shift the screen to position and leave it there, no mean feat with a 5kg screen!
The screen is mounted in an aluminum surround for the modern, minimalist look.
What you need:
Screen, any LCD should do the trick, most have mounting hardware integrated on the back now which would save a bit of time
Screen cables, standard cables won't have the reach, so get some extensions
Various bits of wood/metal (how I have made it is by no means the only way) I used 12mm MDF sheet, 12mm aluminium plate, and 38mm aluminium pipe
Hardware (bolts, nuts, wingnuts) as required
Steel cable, this is very important, other things won't cut it, and will just stretch or break
Paint
Skills you need:
Beginner design skills, this instructable shows you how to calculate the balance lengths, the rest is just getting them to fit together
Medium engineering skills, drilling, tapping, turning, and sheetmetal work were all used in this build
Tools required
Sockets/spanners etc
Drill and drill bits
Taps
Tin snips
Woodworking equipment; I used a cnc router but a jigsaw or tablesaw will get you there just as well, but with a little less design flair
Lathe; optional but helpful for making up pulleys
CNC mill; again optional, but makes the mounts for the screen, and the main pole a lot easier.
Paintbrush
It is possible to make up for a lack of skills or tools by adjusting the design, just take care to think it all through, as the most expensive bit is the most at risk too!
Warnings:
Screens are heavy (mine would happily remove toes if it fell), so test your gantry before putting anything valuable under it
Some screens will require mains voltage to run out along the gantry, take special care to ensure the cable cannot be pinched or damaged by the moving parts
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1: Screen Preparation
Screens do not come with a mounting point at the top, but this project needs one! It must be bolted through running horizontally, and parallel to the screen. It also must provide enough friction to allow tilting of the screen.
Most screens will have a series of holes in the back you can bolt into. Attach a plate to these, and screw some plates which locate the screen pivot in the correct position. Although I made a complete surround for my LCD panel, I still screwed plate to the back to get the requisite pivot point. You can see this in the bottom of the second picture; the part shown in the top half will come later...
Most screens will have a series of holes in the back you can bolt into. Attach a plate to these, and screw some plates which locate the screen pivot in the correct position. Although I made a complete surround for my LCD panel, I still screwed plate to the back to get the requisite pivot point. You can see this in the bottom of the second picture; the part shown in the top half will come later...
Visit Our Store »
Go Pro Today »
Better still, when shutting down your PC it can move into a parked positin close to the wall and when you boot-up it moves into the last position you had it in.
Parts: Arduino Uno, 2 geared DC brushless motors, motor controllers (2 H-bridges) and 12 volts DC from your PC's power supply.
I don't know if that could be a commercial product but I'm sure someone would want one.
I just have one confusion, Where is the end of the wire lead to? One end is attached to the secondary arm, but what about the other? Counter weight, spring, anchor?
I had also given thought to designing an overhead system much like an overhead crane you see in factories handling heavy materials or the apparatus used xray rooms to position the camera head.
Couple that with a remote and some articulation for the upside down gantry, e.g. gripper or hook, and the patient could manipulate objects anywhere in the room.
A bit of rudimentary sensing technology might come in handy to keep the patient from inadvertently being hit by the arm should they lose control or make an inappropriate move when the arm is in close proximity.
It could be beefed up and used to lift the patient from the bed into a wheel chair instead of using one of those roll around hydraulic lifts most use now or simply fetch an item from across the room.
Next would be the exoskeleton! :>}