RE-Reworking My Small System... AGAIN

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Yep... I know.:laugh: I want to set the laptop up next to my rack, but I want to have it setup from the outset. Right now, I carry it with me, but I don't set it up. No place to set it up. I rationalized that it would only take a short time to set it up if I needed it. Thankfully, I've never needed it, because a SHORT time (even 5 minutes) isn't that short to a restless audience. Backups are best when they can be activated by the click of a button, like I can do with my Large System.:)
Could always join us and use a "hot backup" like an iPad to give you time to get a laptop functioning. Takes up a lot less space.
 
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Could always join us and use a "hot backup" like an iPad to give you time to get a laptop functioning. Takes up a lot less space.

Yes... That's what I'll use my tablet and the Bluetooth receiver for... But that is just a stop-gap measure. Maybe a cool stand like the one in the picture (from another thread) would work...

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.... That looks like I could set it in the space I have and position it so it rotates toward me??? Something to consider.
 
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Yes... That's what I'll use my tablet and the Bluetooth receiver for... But that is just a stop-gap measure. Maybe a cool stand like the one in the picture (from another thread) would work...

View attachment 34754

.... That looks like I could set it in the space I have and position it so it rotates toward me??? Something to consider.
That assumes you could find all those professional looking stickers to put on it ...
 
That assumes you could find all those professional looking stickers to put on it ...
Yep... I got no stickers on mine... Figured those were for REAL DJ's, not semi-professionals/armatures like myself.:laugh:

.... But it got me thinking... Maybe not as cool looking, but something like this could work...
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... Adds a little more setup time than just getting a bigger table top, but A LOT cheaper.
 
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^^^^ While I don't currently have one of those, I DO have one similar to this...

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... AND I have the laptop mounting pad that goes with it. Unfortunately, the pole I'd need to mount it on is the pole I have my desktop monitors mounted on, with two more of the same style monitor arms. I need a second pole and a desktop mounting clamp.:laugh:
 
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Here's a pic of my laptop mounting robotic arm...

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... Wish I had a pole to attach it to, so I could try it out.[emoji23]... Not gonna dismantle my office desk setup just to get the pole... Maybe I can come up with another solution???[emoji23]
 
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Here's something funny... Remember when I was working on monitor mounts for my Large System, and it came down to two that actually worked??? It's OK if you don't remember.:laugh: Here is a pic I posted with the two choices...

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I ended up using the one on the right made of square steel tubing. The one on the left is a round pole... and what is it I need in order to mount my robotic laptop mounting arm???... YEP... A round pole!:laugh:... Now, can you imagine if I cut that round pole off ...

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... and attached the laptop mounting arm to it, then attached the base plate to the side of my rack???... The knob at the top of the pole allows the pole to be separated from the base, so the pole and attached robotic arm could be very easily attached and detached from the base. There's a PERFECT spot on the side of the rack to mount it, where it has already been structurally reinforced with 1"X2" wood. All that it would take is to drill four holes in the base for the mounting pole, and four matching holes in the case (and bolt it in with four bolts & nuts).

If I don't like it, the only damage is the four holes in the side of the rack (and the cut off pole, but that was made from an old aluminum outdoor umbrella pole and I have many more of them in my garage.:laugh:)... So should I do it????
 
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... Now, can you imagine if I cut that round pole off ...
1531428229467-png.34764

... So should I do it????
ANYBODY OUT THERE????... OK... I did it anyway[emoji23]...
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... Needs a little more sanding and some paint, but I think this thing will work. I didn't use the pole that had been attached to the base. I cut a new one from the part of the pole that narrows (to fit inside another pole) because the wider part of the pole was just a little tight. The robotic arm fits on this one perfectly, however, the plastic cap did not fit (too big). So I had to grind it and sand it down a little to get it to fit. Took a little time and patience, but I got it. Now I just need to get it painted, then I can attach it to the rack. I think this is gonna work, and if so, it will be a super-easy to set up laptop stand, and it won't matter what table I use... 30", 36", 48", won't matter.:djsmug:
 
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Build your own table

That's very likely gonna happen... but not for a while. It's too hot right now to be working out in the garage. Even the little bit of time I spent working out there on the mount for my laptop stand robotic arm was pretty miserable.[emoji4] I need to do some painting out there today if I get around to it, but that should only take 10-15 minutes. A table... we're talkin' about some hours! Maybe in late September-October?[emoji1]
 
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Gettin' pretty excited about putting this Small System together. I'm ready to start hooking up the new Rolls mixer. Well... I would be ready if I had all the cables I need. I checked the tracking on Amazon to see when the cables I ordered would arrive, and it said they were delivered YESTERDAY by USPS... said they were left in my mailbox. DIDN'T HAPPEN![emoji37] I was standing out there yesterday when the mailman delivered my Rolls mixer (not from Amazon) and a CD (from Amazon), and some other mail... He handed them directly to me, so NOTHING was placed in the mailbox yesterday. I went out this morning and checked, just in case, but it was empty. So I contacted Amazon and they said it may have been mistakenly marked as delivered, and to wait until tomorrow to see if it arrives, then contact them again if it hasn't. That's fine, but I won't be able to hook everything up until the cables come.[emoji37]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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A few days ago, I ordered a 2U vented hinged access panel for the back of my rack. Checked the tracking on it and all it says it was shipped by UPS ground, with an expected delivery date of July 18. Without that panel I have a BIG hole in the back of my rack![emoji1] Is it CRAZY to want the back of your rack to look... finished???... I've seen plenty of DJ setups with the backs of their racks completely open. You could see the backs of the gear inside and their rats-nest of wires... Almost made me nauseous.[emoji1] I'm OCD, so everything HAS to be NEAT, almost to the extreme. But is having the back of the rack open as bad as I think it is? If you have a facade to block it from view, does it really matter what the back looks like???... It matters to me![emoji1] You'll never catch me using a rack with a messy back-side.[emoji1]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Back to the laptop stand/robotic arm today... With the pole mount made, I think I'm gonna test it before I drill any holes in the rack. The robotic arm with the laptop pad is pretty heavy even without a laptop on it, so it's probably a good idea to see what happens when this thing is mounted on a vertical surface. So I have the old vented steel rack panel (that had the marine style inlet in it) that I removed from the System. I'm gonna mount the base on the vented panel and screw it back on the rear of the rack. I did a little pre-fitting, and it looks like it would actually work if mounted back there, but until I can actually try it out with the laptop PC sitting on the stand, I really have no idea if this thing is even going to work. Making stuff like this is fun, but it's a lot more fun when it works![emoji1]
 
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OK... I tested the laptop stand/robotic arm and mounting pole attached to my old vented rack panel, and guess what???... IT WORKED!!!...YAY!!!!:djparty:...

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.... Keep in mind, this is just a temporary test installation, with the base mounted over the hole where the marine style electrical inlet used to sit, but it actually works pretty good... And the best part... it cost me NOTHING!!!:laugh:... Still have to paint the pole and the base to get them looking sharp, but I think I'm gonna call this a winner!:djsmug:
 
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So what might it look like with my Floating Facade???...

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... The facade's just sitting on the floor and leaning against the table for this pic, but I guess that's the next thing to work on; making the bracket to attach the Floating Facade to my table frame.
 
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Decisions, decisions... I have a couple of different backup options. Of course, I have my iPad Mini that I'll connect via Bluetooth, for a quick and temporary get-by, until I can get my main system back up. If the main system isn't gonna come back up, then I need a backup option I can use for an extended period of time... could even be for an entire event (3-4 hours perhaps). A laptop is the obvious choice, but my Surface Pro could be an option too...

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... I guess it's a matter of which one is easiest to work with. Either one could be connected to the controller with a USB cable. The Surface Pro only has 128GB of disk space, so it would probably need an external drive for music storage/access. My laptop only has a 1TB drive though, which isn't large enough to hold my entire library. So I'd probably use an external drive with it too. The difference in screen sizes (10" versus 15.6") could be an issue, but if I'm using my controller and Traktor, I'm really only using the screen to find tracks in my library. With either option, I'd want an external mouse and keyboard. I can quickly switch the little USB Nano Receiver for the Gearhead mouse and keyboard combo to the backup computer pretty easily. I dunno???... Hard to decide.[emoji1] I guess I need to use each option for a few hours and then maybe I can decide.[emoji4]
 
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