My current project has been remodeling my workroom where I keep my radio equipment. I’ve mentioned it here before. The last step has been making a desk where I can use all my radio equipment ergonomically.
The butcher block look counter was the only thing I kept from the old desk. Things I learned from the old one have made this one better. Plywood instead of particle board. More attention to height and depth to avoid excessive reaching or craning the neck to see a monitor.
It was always a pain to crawl under the old desk to hook things up. This time, it’s all on wheels. The casters, rated at 300 lbs. each, cost a hundred dollars, but are worth every penny. There’s also a hidden shelf in back where there are power outlets and the DC power distribution and networking wiring can be hidden. Don’t let the wires hanging down in the pictures fool you, they’ll be dressed away neatly when it’s all done.
The monitor sits up at eye-level and the keyboard sits under an overhang where it can be pulled out at any time. But the last thing to be worked out was where to put the computer CPU. Today, I made a shelf for it underneath. It works great. Another one will eventually go at the other end, if needed.
There’s still more to be done. Some more finishing could be done below. There is more equipment that might get placed in the shelves eventually. And there is some antenna work to get done outdoors. I have a rotor sent out to be repaired and need to get at least an 80 meter dipole up in the air. Anyone want to climb some trees for me?
You have just designed a control console for a CT or MRI Scanner. 2 or 3 tower CPU’s tucked away underneath and power/communications ganged in the back. Seimens and GE charge roughly $10,000 for a similar piece of furniture.
Or an extra large version of a little rolling computer desk with an entertainment center attached on top.
Exactly! Except, if I had built one for an MRI, I would have ordered some commercial racks consoles and it WOULD HAVE cost $10K!
Computer desks are one thing I had considered. They are also expensive, although not quite as much as the commercial ones, and not really designed for Ham Radio. I wouldn’t have hesitated to start with one, if I found a used one. Most of the low-end consumer ones are so cheaply built, they are not worth the trouble, though. I may add one in the room for some other purposes later.
You may have a second career building custom desks. Computer desks are not designed in anticipation of supporting a lot of weight.
The room looks nice. The “dark wall – light wall” concept is good, although I would have picked different colors. If the dark green wall bothers you too much, try putting up a couple of posters. Maybe a cork bulletin board, too. Third career – interior decorating for ham studios.
Mark, Siemens makes the cameras that scan the addresses and/or bar codes for the computer to read in the letter-sorting machines. An aeronautics company makes the scanning system for the package-sorting machine that is basically a giant version of a check-out scanner. I don’t know if they cost $10K a machine, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it was close.
You’ve read my mind about the wall and posters/cork board.
Cork board has been in the plans, just put off until a little extra money is on hand.
Posters, well, there’s that Ham Radio World Map I’ve been saving…
I also have a number of certificates, awards for various Ham Radio things that may go up as well. Some of them are already in frames.
The color was a last-minute impulse change from some other colors I had picked. I probably should have stuck with the originals. It’s not that I don’t like the green, it just is so dark it shows up every flaw.