Toast's Desk Remodel

[ToastBucket]

So I want to "remodel" my desk. Here's what it looks like now.

Essentially I want to have one screen where I can play all my systems (N64, Genesis, SNES, NES, and Xbox 360) and use my computer. The computer will be on the floor next to the desk, the Xbox will be on the top shelf, and the N64, etc. will be vertically mounted on the walls of the desk.

As you can see, my desk has a lot of vertical space, but not very much horizontal space. I want to make as much use of the vertical space as I can. So what I have in mind is to have a computer monitor mounted upside down from the bottom of that shelf that is about 2/3rds of the way up. Then I want to have a VGA switchbox hooked up to that (3 or 4 inputs). My computer will be hooked up to one of the inputs, my xbox to another, then I want to hook up a Composite->VGA Adapter as the third input to the VGA switch box. Then I want to have a composite switch box hooked up to all the systems. The switch box's output will go into the VGA/Composite adapter. For the switchbox, I was thinking of using this, but I'm not sure yet. Any reason why this wouldn't work/suggestions on what adapter/switchbox I should use?

ALSO: Since the monitor is upside down, I can change the orientation in the settings of the monitor, right? It's a pretty high quality Dell monitor.

 

[Bush]

I think on Dell monitors you can flip. At least on mine and the ones at school.

 

[XCVG]

You might be able to flip the orientation- check first. An alternative would be to build or modify a mount that would orient it right-side-up.

Cool idea, I'll be watching this.

 

[vskid3]

If it can't rotate, this program might enable it.

 

[XCVG]

It would be useless for his XBOX 360 and other consoles, though.

 

[vskid3]

Oh, didn't read the whole thing, I thought it was a laptop. Does it have a wall mount you could hang it from?

 

[ToastBucket]

So my monitor is a Dell 1905FP. I just looked through it's settings and it doesn't have 180* flipping but it has 90* rotation :/ It can come off of its stand with a little clip. I tried unscrewing the little mount on the stand to rotate the mount, but I realized that I'd have to cut little tabs in the plastic for the metal tabs on the mount to go into, and I don't want to do that without my dad's permission, since it's technically his. I'll wait until he comes home from England to ask him.

He has an HP 2207h which I think does 360* rotation. I'm very jealous of it and he never uses, but he won't let me have it He didn't even pay for it. The place he used to work for bought it for him.

So it looks like I'll either have to get the OK from my dad to cut into the mount of the 1905FP, build a new bracket (which could look better, or could look worse. I like the stock stand because the monitor can slide up and down on it and rotate around. If I were to build my own, it wouldprobably be quite limited.), or get a new monitor, which is highly unlikely since I can't afford one.

If I end up modifying the stock stand on the 1905, I'll have to find some way of mounting it upside down, as there aren't mounting holes or anything already in there. The bottom looks to be made of pretty thick metal so it'll probably be hard to screw holes into it. Any ideas? I don't really like the idea of metal brackets holding it up there because it'll look tacky.

 

[samjc3]

For the record, my HP w2207 does full 360, Im pretty sure. I'll check when I get home.

 

[zeturi]

Does it have any wall mounting holes on the back of the screen?

 

[ToastBucket]

I think it does, but it doesn't do me any good because, if you look at the picture of my desk, it's a really weird corner shape. I could have it mounted on a flat piece of wood that goes across that, but I don't really like that.

 

[ToastBucket]

So I've decided to just make my own mount. I got the composite>vga converter and hooked it up. Got a temporary setup going here:

I'm not very impressed with the quality of the conversion box, but I got what I paid for. $30 isn't going to get me perfect quality anyway, it's not unplayable. In fact it's very playable. Round objects are just a little pixely.

 

[zeturi]

Minipad... :drool:

 

[ToastBucket]

Just got it a few days ago