I have not done a whole lot this weekend as I have been under the oppressive forces of a cold. OK, that was a little dramatic. It is time to make the monitor brace. This weekend I got a 96 inch long piece of 1 inch heavy aluminum corner bracing. Since my monitor is going to be a vertical set up, I can not just mount it on a shelf like many builders are doing. After a lot of thinking about it, and spending a lot of time wandering around Home Depot (Oh darn) This is the solution I came up with. I would make a brace similar to the TAITO cabs. They used wood bolted at the bottom and top of the monitor and bolt that to the sides of the cabinet using the bottom bolts as a fulcrum. I will do the same with aluminum as I like the strength and look of it. I cut it into 2 – 25 in and 2 – 20.5 in pieces. I drilled 1/4 in holes in the ends and put it together with 1/4 – 3/4 in long bolts. This was a great place for my son to help. He is always watching and asking if he can help. It would not be cool to just hand him the Sawzall and say here ya go kid, so, he got to put the frame together. I did the final tightening (just for safety sake). I measured the bolt holes on the monitor, put holes at 8 1/8in. in from the edges, and then bolted the monitor on. A little nervous, I grabbed the sides and lifted up the brace. It was totally solid. Now I have to put four carriage bolts through the sides of my cab. Two bolts will be for the bottom of the brace and two more for the top. The hard part right now is trying to figure out what angle I want the monitor at. I have to figure in bezel, and glass height into the angle. I am scared to death about drilling into the side of this thing and I only want to put 4 holes in the side of my cab 1 time. It seems like the more you do, and finally get right, that the fear of some great catastrophe seems to increase.
Feb 202006
