Computer Armoire' ideas?

Jeff Horton

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The Heart of Dixie
I hate my office arrangement and the furniture. Have been thinking about it for a long time how to improve it and make it look good. I have been toying with the idea of a Armoire' for the computer and the peripherals.

My original though was like a TV cabinet with doors I could close. Of course they would never... well rarely be closed. So maybe something similar with no doors? I am really just tossing around ideas in my head and thought I would seek some input.

I love the idea of everything close together and easy to get too. I need to house dual monitors. I am considering replacing them with LCD's, but they are big 19" tube type monitors. I have a two printers. One fairly large Laser printer. I am thinking that they and the CPU should be under the keyboard which would be on a slide out table. Just push it is in and then I have access to the printers and CPU.

I need some storage overhead for reference books and a few CD's. That part of the cabinet is pretty straight forward. Just thinking a file drawer would be nice but I have a lot to put underneath as it is. Oh, and I need a place for my scanner too. It can be stored vertically. It has stand for that, so maybe it could be on a slide out shelf?

Just looking for thoughts and ideas. Won't be building it anytime soon I don't image but i need to start working on the design. And I am totally open to other ideas too. Just need something better than I have now.
 
Jeff,

Here are some old photos of a computer unit I built a few years ago. Its proved a really good design - I've sold quite a few of them and I'm sat at the prototype in my dining room right now!

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Cheers
Duncan
 
Thanks. Thats very much along the lines of what I am thinking. I would add more shelves and dividers. More personalized to suit my needs. I would want the doors to fold all the way around to the sides because of where I have to use it.

Now a question. Do you find you kick your toes? I had not though about this but looking at the photos I realize there is not room to slide down in the chair and stretch out. I tend to slouch down when reading and thinking about about a problem, so that might be an issue.

Again, thanks, that gives me some ideas to work with.
 
Jeff. I stretch out my legs all the time. I have no use at all for those compact type of desks with printers and CPUs that go underneath in the leg area.

Also I use my computer all the time. all the time. So I really don't see the point in slide out keyboard/mouse trays. To me, the rest of the desk needs to be fully accessible all the time WITHOUT moving the keyboard.

If you have a Windows' PC, then odds are you have 2 or 3 fans continually humming. why not box that sucker up (put some insulation inside the doors, and a vent plus extra silent cooling fan) and get rid of the sound. how often do you really need to access the reset button + cdrom drive? If you have a remote USB hub then that takes care of usb memory sticks also.

Unless you print ALL the time, your printers do not need to be immediately there. If they are networkable, you can even put them across the room in a cabinet. Even if they are directly attached, USB cables can go pretty far compared to the old Parallel printer cables. Oh yeah, Laser printers probably need ventilation as well.

Do NOT build anything special for those big honking 19" tubes. Your next monitors WILL be LCDs you might as well build for that. I bought a 19" LCD at work last year for about $300, and I bet that price is even lower now. For that matter, consider the cost of what you are building - lumber, hardware, etc. If you need to buy your lumber then that will cost you a chunk - consider merging in the cost of LCD monitors.

I don't have a plan close at hand, but I've heard that you can get a roll-top desk plan where the underside of the rolltop is basically clear, to let you use it to hide your monitors/kbd. That's one option. Dunno if the sides would feel claustrophobic with a dual monitor setup though.

Try to design it with a power-bar built in, and position that so you can get at the main switch without too many contortions. You may want to be able to switch that off at times.

Oh and do you also need room for a DSL model + router ?
 
That interesting too. Hadn't though about something that big but..... I have the space and it could be made in a Mission style that would match the house.

Thanks.
 
Jeff. I stretch out my legs all the time. I have no use at all for those compact type of desks with printers and CPUs that go underneath in the leg area.

Also I use my computer all the time. all the time. So I really don't see the point in slide out keyboard/mouse trays. To me, the rest of the desk needs to be fully accessible all the time WITHOUT moving the keyboard.

If you have a Windows' PC, then odds are you have 2 or 3 fans continually humming. why not box that sucker up (put some insulation inside the doors, and a vent plus extra silent cooling fan) and get rid of the sound. how often do you really need to access the reset button + cdrom drive? If you have a remote USB hub then that takes care of usb memory sticks also.

Unless you print ALL the time, your printers do not need to be immediately there. If they are networkable, you can even put them across the room in a cabinet. Even if they are directly attached, USB cables can go pretty far compared to the old Parallel printer cables. Oh yeah, Laser printers probably need ventilation as well.

Do NOT build anything special for those big honking 19" tubes. Your next monitors WILL be LCDs you might as well build for that. I bought a 19" LCD at work last year for about $300, and I bet that price is even lower now. For that matter, consider the cost of what you are building - lumber, hardware, etc. If you need to buy your lumber then that will cost you a chunk - consider merging in the cost of LCD monitors.

I don't have a plan close at hand, but I've heard that you can get a roll-top desk plan where the underside of the rolltop is basically clear, to let you use it to hide your monitors/kbd. That's one option. Dunno if the sides would feel claustrophobic with a dual monitor setup though.

Try to design it with a power-bar built in, and position that so you can get at the main switch without too many contortions. You may want to be able to switch that off at times.

Oh and do you also need room for a DSL model + router ?


I have to agree with all Art said. Jeff, with with the number of posts you have here, I assume you spend a fair amount of time on the computer. Try this. Put a large box under your desk so that you have only 10-12" of space under the desktop for your legs.

Maybe build it so the doors actually go all the way to the floor? That way you could open the bottom doors and have full leg room underneath.

I would make sure you have some way to hide the wires. Also, some way to easily access the computer to plug something in if necessary...joe
 
Jeff. I stretch out my legs all the time. I have no use at all for those compact type of desks with printers and CPUs that go underneath in the leg area.

Also I use my computer all the time. all the time. So I really don't see the point in slide out keyboard/mouse trays. To me, the rest of the desk needs to be fully accessible all the time WITHOUT moving the keyboard...
Same here on all points. I do have a subwoofer under my desk at home, but it's far enough back that it's not in the way, and if I stretch out, I can use it as a footrest.

And like Art, I've never been fond of the slide-out keyboards and/or mice. It's just not very often that I don't want the keyboard to be front and center.

BTW Tod, that was a fortunate kid. Nice work. :thumb:
 
I am still just tossing this around. I like the 'Tod' version a lot. Not what I had in mind originally but it has some advantages too. Maybe a little large though. But the style could be made fit our house perfectly.

I have no problem with a pull out keyboard. My current station is a corner unit with a pull out and it works for me. It stays our more than in but it's nice to slide it out of the way.

I have a sub woofer, the CPU case underneath and of course a TON of cables. I would like to see those or rather not see those. Hide them in the cabinet. One of these things I have to much of now is desk space. I tend to let things pile up on my desk and I hate that. Not enough to keep it clean though. :eek:
 
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