Couch-borne HOTAS?

[Schmobius]

CAPITA! That's the name of those IKEA legs. Thank you.

I know that you can get the shelves in different lengths, but the width changes on the longer ones. I have to make some measurements and probably will look at another keyboard that has a trackpad built in that I can permanently attach.

Need to get my ideas down on paper to see if it is feasible and if it will be stable enough for my needs.

I will point out that the screws that come with the legs are a little long for the Ekby Laiva shelf. They don't go all the way through, but there are bumps on the other side from the screws showing where they almost push through, on my monitor stand. So be careful if you go that route.

[Loriath]

I will point out that the screws that come with the legs are a little long for the Ekby Laiva shelf. They don't go all the way through, but there are bumps on the other side from the screws showing where they almost push through, on my monitor stand. So be careful if you go that route.

I will, and thanks. Ikea is about 45 minutes from here, but the local hardware/lumber store should have everything I need. I may have to go to Ikea for those legs so I can stop using a cardboard shelf as my Monitor stand and make something that looks half ways decent.

[Schmobius]

I will point out that the screws that come with the legs are a little long for the Ekby Laiva shelf. They don't go all the way through, but there are bumps on the other side from the screws showing where they almost push through, on my monitor stand. So be careful if you go that route.

I will, and thanks. Ikea is about 45 minutes from here, but the local hardware/lumber store should have everything I need. I may have to go to Ikea for those legs so I can stop using a cardboard shelf as my Monitor stand and make something that looks half ways decent.

Well, if you're wondering what it will look like, this is the post I created mine from: http://lifehacker.com/5872323/diy-ikea-monitor-stand-for-12

[Schmobius]

Phase 2 construction is half-complete. I have one new arm rest! Some of the leaning over involved is KILLING my neck, so I'm going a bit slow. Once I finish the second one, and probably take another break, I'll be uploading photos to imgur, and putting a link here again.

I posted a link earlier to where I got the basic plans for the arm rest before, but my pictures will have a bit more detail on the sewing part, since I felt that was left very vague there. (I actually ended up talking to a friend who's in to cosplaying, and therefore a lot of sewing, just what on earth I was supposed to do with the corners. She didn't have a better way to do the whole thing without a LOT of stitching, or a sewing machine, but she at least explained what the guide I was using glossed over.)

Consider this a thread bump, with more to follow. I hope giving some step-by-step descriptions and pictures helps some of you adapt this to your own home cockpit projects, or at least gets the gears turning on even different ideas.

[Schmobius]

Alright, I have pictures with some instructions for arm rests up. I combined everything into one big post on imgur, and posted it public there, as some of them may find it useful too: https://imgur.com/gallery/MwLUT

[Loriath]

Alright, I have pictures with some instructions for arm rests up. I combined everything into one big post on imgur, and posted it public there, as some of them may find it useful too: [url]https://imgur.com/gallery/MwLUT[/url]

Awesome. The end result is great. I have something similar in mind but I need to work out how to attach it to my chair first. Then how to ensure it doesn't take up 3 times the space of the chair when I don't want it attached.

Can't wait for the next stage.

[Schmobius]

Alright, I have pictures with some instructions for arm rests up. I combined everything into one big post on imgur, and posted it public there, as some of them may find it useful too: [url]https://imgur.com/gallery/MwLUT[/url]

Awesome. The end result is great. I have something similar in mind but I need to work out how to attach it to my chair first. Then how to ensure it doesn't take up 3 times the space of the chair when I don't want it attached.

Can't wait for the next stage.

Thank you.

A lot of what I've seen with chairs is more like putting VESA mounts on armrests and such. Unless you have a really wide(and deep-cushioned) living room chair in mind, where mounting it kind of opposite how I have it on the couch, with the shelves turned inward would work. In a perfect world, my sticks wouldn't be set as wide as they are, but turning the shelves inward would make the seat too narrow, and going with more of a "T" shape on them and splitting the difference would probably require a brace on both sides. I considered doing that, and using the really thin metal L brackets one can probably find at the hardware store instead of the wall-mount brackets for the shelves, but I was trying to stay a bit simple too.

Depending on how your chair is set up, especially with the armrests, it may be possible to take my design and bolt it onto armrests. Not sure if it would be too tall at that point though.

[Schmobius]

Starting to brain storm a bit on the keyboard situation... wondering if there's a way to find something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ERGOTRON-Lx-Keyboard-Arm-Wall-Mount-CM3363-Keyboard-MOUNT-NEW-/111741499317, but MUCH cheaper, and ends in a C-clamp to hook on the shelf in front of the throttle, and have it swing in front of me, and off to the side. Most of what I'm seeing is either in combination with a monitor mount, or a wall mount, and all if it is ridiculously expensive.

If I thought it could handle the weight and downward pressure, I would think about just getting a desk-mount microphone boom, and hang another shelf from it. I imagine most of the expense in these things is because of mechanisms that allow them to stay in place, but also move on the fly with little effort. I'm wondering if there's something that requires tightening down screws to look in place for everything but the swing-away motion that would be much more affordable.

[Loriath]

I have no idea about that one, but the keyboard arm I used to have was EXTREMELY heavy. Might be way too much for your need.

[Schmobius]

I have no idea about that one, but the keyboard arm I used to have was EXTREMELY heavy. Might be way too much for your need.

Sounds like it. I'm still mulling over putting pins into a microphone stand to lock it in place, or trying to build something out of wood. I have no worries at all about holding my keyboard, just not sure about the downward force of me typing on it.