Build a MOTORIZED monitor lift (on a budget!)

Hello, I'm Matt and in this video we are going to be building a mechanism that allows you
to do this...
If that's not cool I don't know what is!
Now this isn't just for the cool-factor.
Yes, it's like something out of Thunderbirds, but it's also incredibly practical.
For example, this is my work desk and where I film all of my videos (pretty much), and
usually I've had to disconnect my monitors, keyboard, and mouse, and move them out of
the way and then set up my lights and stuff.
But having a switch that can make the monitor just disappear is just fantastic, and you
can even put a platform back on top giving you even more desk real estate.
So without further ado, let's get building it.
Keep in mind that as this is a budget build we'll be using cheap commonly available parts
to keep the cost low, and you can find purchasing links to them all in the description.
So the first thing we'll need to work on is the base that houses most of the lift mechanism.
Its construction is quite simple, consisting of two long planks screwed to a set of end
pieces, with boards attached to the top and bottom to keep things square.
To the inside of this base in the middle we can now mount a motor that will move the platform
up and down.
This particular motor has as a high torque at a relatively low RPM, giving it plenty
of strength to raise and lower the platform at a suitable speed.
We now need a variety of pulleys and wheels.
The first one can be fitted onto the motor itself, and can be held in place with the
included grub screws and a bit of threadlock.
With that done, we now need to attach the smooth free-running idler pulleys to some
large right angle brackets using some nuts and bolts.
These need to have some threadlock or superglue added so that they won't loosen over time,
after which they can be bolted to the base just opposite the motor.
You'll see what they're for in just a minute.
So now we need a plank of wood, on which the monitors will later sit.
This can be clamped to the base, flush along all the edges, and the middle at each end
can be marked and then drilled through, going right into the boards underneath.
With that done, we now need two bearings that have an internal hole, or bore, measuring
12mm.
We need to use a spade bit to expand the holes in the boards to match the size of the bearings,
so that they can slide freely through, even if a little stiffly.
To give them something to rest on however, we'll need to bolt three flanged screws in
place from underneath so that their heads slightly overlap the edge.
The bearings should now rest securely onto these screws, and be perfectly level.
To keep them from popping out again, we can simply use three self tapping screws to lock
them in place.
These bearings will support the mechanism that will raise the monitors up and down,
but before we work on it I'd just like to say a few words about the sponsor of this
video - Audioblocks.
They are one of the largest stock music websites in the industry, hosting hundreds and thousands
of music tracks and sound effects.
They're currently offering completely unlimited access to their whole library for just $99
per year, and this month they are launching a collection featuring new fantasy and sci-fi
inspired tracks.
I regularly use their music in my own videos - in fact, all the music used in this very
video is straight from their library, so if you like what you hear go to audioblocks.com/future,
or follow the link in the description, to get signed up and start downloading!
A free 7 day trial is available too, and you get to keep all the tracks you download even
if you cancel.
I've put links to a few of my favorites in the description.
So with that, back to the build.
We now need two lengths of 12mm diameter threaded bar.
These will support the monitor platform itself, which is why we're going with quite a large
diameter for the extra strength.
The first thing to do is trim them down so that they are just slightly shorter than the
desk itself.
To keep the thread intact a nut needs to be first added so that it restores the thread
when it gets removed.
Once this has been done for both of them we need a pair of locking nuts.
These are quite stiff to thread onto the bars, so wrap each bar in a strip of wet paper towel
and then clamp them with a work bench, after which a spanner can be used to thread on the
nuts.
These nuts support the entire weight of the platform and monitors, and thanks to the bearing
the whole thing should spin freely.
The next thing to add is a pulley to each bar.
These have a 12mm central hole, and can be locked to the bars using their included grub
screws, though if you experience slipping you may need to add another M12 nut underneath
for some extra support.
Now we need a timing belt for the pulleys, which should be easy to get hold of as they're
used commonly in 3D printers and CNC devices.
It can simply be threaded over the bars, and then through the motor mechanism like so.
Where they meet in the middle they can simply be cut with a slight overlap, ready to be
joined together.
There is no perfect way of doing this, so if you can think of a better way of doing
it feel free to use your own method.
The first way I tried was to burn the rubber so that it crumbled away from the inner tension
threads, and with these exposed on both ends I thatched them together as one and then used
some glue to permanently bond them.
This wasn't a bad plan but the glue I used wasn't strong enough so it was able to be
broken without too much effort.
So instead, I ended up using some fishing line to sew the two pieces together, which
was much stronger and didn't cause any problems with the pulley system despite the overlap.
So with the belt now in place it's time to work on the platform itself, and for it to
glide freely up and down, guided by the threaded bars, we need two pairs of pronged captive
T nuts.
Each pair need to be mounted onto a block with a hole down the centre, which needs to
be slightly countersunk on one side.
Four holes need to be drilled into this for the prongs to fit into, so that the nuts can
be pulled in place with a clamp.
With just one added you can see that it wobbles quite a bit on the bar, but after adding another
nut to the other side, this is greatly reduced.
Now we can get our platform, and widen the holes we made earlier so that it can slide
freely onto the threaded bars.
The blocks can now be screwed to its underside, which allows the platform to be supported
by the bars instead, and when you manually pull the belt it will begin to descend.
Looking good, but holey moley its a bit wobbly...
To solve this, we need to get some right angle aluminium bars and screw them to the corners
of the base so that they act like guides.
To help the stability even more, we can also glue in place a cross piece, which in my case
is just a thin piece of aluminium.
As you might have noticed, the tops of the aluminium angles have groves cut into them
- these are purely for supporting the extra shelf you saw earlier.
This extra shelf needs to have the underside at the corners sanded down to make it easier
to slide in place, and also two screws added at each end so that it can rest inside the
groves.
Now as we want the lift itself to stop automatically at the top and the bottom, we need some push
switches that break the circuit when pressed, basically acting like limit switches.
These can be mounted to slotted pieces of wood, which allows them to be adjusted up
and down to fine tune the stop points later.
These little buttons can be activated by a little piece of wood attached to the lift
platform with a right angle bracket.
The motor and buttons now need to be wired up to a 3 position power switch, and you can
find a guide and a schematic for this in the description.
Once it's wired up and connected to a power brick, flipping the switch will send power
to the motor, which raises the platform.
Once it hits the topmost button, it breaks the circuit and the lift immediately comes
to a stop.
Flipping the switch the other way will reverse the polarity and the lift will begin to descend.
Again, once it hits the bottom switch the lift stops moving.
This whole process is remarkably smooth, and it supports a surprising amount of weight.
Now all that's left to do is place it behind the desk, and use some screws on the front
aluminium bars to lock the whole thing in place.
This makes the platform itself exceptionally solid, and it feels like it's actually part
of the desk itself, not bad at all considering it's such a simple DIY build.
The switch can now be clamped to a piece of wood and mounted underneath the desk with
a right angle bracket.
Now with the flip of a switch, your monitor can raise up and you'll have pretty much the
coolest desk in your neighbourhood.
So that's it for this video!
I hope you enjoyed watching it as much as I enjoyed making it, and don't forget to check
out audioblocks if that kind of thing catches your interest.
Now if you're wanting another video of mine to watch then why not check out this one,
in which we make some really nice looking mushroom lights.
Other than that, I'm Matt, you've been watching DIY Perks, and I hope I see you next time.
Good-bye for now!

Build a MOTORIZED monitor lift (on a budget!)

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