Great Customer Service from Ergotron with my Samsung Monitor

This post is a bit long (really?  A long post from Cromely?! I’m shocked) so I’ll start with the summary:
To sum up:

• Samsung Mount Design: FAIL
• Ergotron Monitor Arm: WIN
• Ergotron Customer Service: EPIC WIN

Read on to learn about my adventures with a Samsung 24” 2490HM monitor and a VESA compliant monitor arm.  It’s a story of technology, customer service, and making stuff work.  Here are the sections in this post:

1. Introduction to Extended Desktop
2. My Samsung monitor
3. Introduction to VESA
4. Problem with the Samsung 2490HM and Ergotron LX
5. Contacting Ergotron
6. How the Fix Works
7. Wrap Up

Introduction to Extended Desktop

One of the best kept secrets of Windows (besides System Restore) is that fact that Extended Desktop support has been available in the OS since at least Windows 98.  It’s easy to see this on a laptop.  Simply go into your monitor setting and on the screen where you can adjust the resolution, you will likely see two displays, though one may be disabled.

Extended desktop means that I can have two monitors connected to one computer and see different things on different screens.  For example, I can have Tweetdeck and instant messaging apps on one display while I have my email program and web browser open on another screen.  When I move my mouse off the left hand side of one screen, the pointer shows up on the right hand side of the other one.  It’s a fantastic productivity tool, and, let’s face it, having multiple operating displays just looks cool.  Who doesn’t want their desk to look like some sort of command center?

My Samsung monitor

Some months back, I bought a second, bigger monitor for my desk.  I got a decent deal on it at Costco.  It’s the Samsung 2490HM.  I like the size, and for a monitor, the quality is OK.  There’s a band in the middle that appears to be slightly fuzzier than the rest of  the screen, but it works.  I already had an older Samsung 19” monitor attached to an Ergotron monitor arm on the desk.

The monitor arm means I don’t lose physical desk space to the monitor, and that it’s easier to position it exactly where I want it.  I recently picked up a new Ergotron arm for my new Samsung monitor.  That’s when the trouble started.

Introduction to VESA

There’s an industry standard, called VESA, that describes (among other things) where the holes go in the back of a monitor so you can attach arms and other mounts.  The same standard applies to TVs which is why you can get most anyone’s flat panel TV, and any vendor’s wall mount, and, as long the weight is right, they’ll work together. 

Problem with the Samsung 2490HM and Ergotron MX

Unfortunately, the Samsung 2490HM does not appear to be fully VESA compliant.  The holes don’t match up with the Ergotron mount and there is a weird rectangular depression in the monitor that keeps the brackets from fitting.

Because of where the screw holes are, even if the brackets did fit in the depression, the washers for the display will not. And even if the washers fit, the holes are too small for the screws.

 

I don’t know why Samsung would choose such an odd design.  It’s not like they sell their own competing monitor arm.

In fact, my first attempt to fix this issue was to shop for an adapter from Samsung or someone else who might make an appropriate one, but I had not luck.

Contacting Ergotron

I next contacted Ergotron through their website live chat.  While I was doing this, I also Tweeted my frustration.  On the live chat, I spoke with (or typed with) Laura S who was awesome.  She asked about my problem, asked appropriate questions about the issue, and didn’t type down to me. 

She had not heard about the issue before and said she would forward it on to her engineers.  I offered to send pictures of the issue to make it more clear, and she gladly accepted the offer.  She gave me an  email address and I sent over the above images, plus a few more.

A couple days later, I heard back from her that their engineers found a solution involving some spacers, and she promised to send out a kit.  She followed through and sent me the additional hardware, at no cost.

How the Fix Works

There are a few components to the fix.  They include screws, plastic spacers, and a metal plate.

The goal is to attach the monitor to this plate on the arm.

(Yes, that is a Nancy Pearl action figure in the background.  And Rafiki)

First I add the spacers into the holes on the metal brackets that originally came with the arm.

Then I place the black plate in the center of the indentation.  This is important, because ultimately the silver plate on the arm will screw into the black plate in the monitor.

The spacers now mean the long silver brackets don’t need to go in the indentation.  They can firmly attach to the monitor and sit between the silver and black plates.

And it’s fixed all I had to do was attach it to the arm, and now my control center is in place.

Wrap Up

One more thing.  Remember how I mentioned Tweeting about my frustration? While I was in chat with Laura, I got an @ reply from Ergotron offering assistance.  I responded that we seemed to be on track and @Ergotron followed up again a few days later just to make sure.

To sum up:
Samsung Mount Design: FAIL
Ergotron Monitor Arm: WIN
Ergotron Customer Service: EPIC WIN

Next time I need a monitor arm, I'll look at Ergotron first.

PAX 2009 -- A cultural celebration

I spent about 6 hours at the PAX show on 2009-09-05. PAX, or the Penny Arcade Expo, is a computer, roleplaying, and board game convention held in Seattle each year. Next year there will be one in Boston in the Spring, too.

It's more than an opportunity for game companies to show new products and for industry pundits to speak their punditry. It's not a show primarily targeting industry people. It's about the fans.

Even though I no longer play nearly the volume of computer and video games that I used to, and even though it's been years since I threw a 10-sided die in my soak roll (Vampire: The Masquerade FTW!), and even though I only made it to one of the panel discussions, I had a great time.

These are my people.

PAX wasn't just about seeing the toys, it was about celebrating Geek Culture.

The celebration of intelligence, of game, of technology is something we don't see often. At PAX, a nerdy obsession isn't mocked, it's praised. When someone walks around dressed as their favorite cartoon character, people don't cross the street to get away, they ask to pose for pictures.

The show filled the convention center with a weird, bizarre, and positive energy.

Sure there was a little bit of Swine Flu and post convention illnesses, but many of those suffering a PAX-pox will say it was worth it.

I'm only sorry I missed the Jonathan Coulton concert that evening.

Below are some pictures from the show.

One thing that amazed me about the show floor was all the lines. It seemed every booth had people lined up to get into it. More that 60, 000 people attended the three day show and yet the lines were orderly. By way of comparison, 110,000 people attended CES 2009, the largest computer trade show in the country. And CES is a 4-day show instead of 3-days. The scale of attendance at PAX in mind-boggling.

Here are some of the lines.

It wasn't just the booth lines. The one presentation I made it to featured Hal Hapin from the ECA and Adam Sessler from G4 talking about issues facing the computer game industry, including the recession, gaming models, and the ratings system. When they opened it up for questions, dozens of people flocked to the mic.

There were plenty of impressive booths, including one from the folks at Darksiders who opted to make plantiffs' lawyers salivate with a bucking steed.

The Rock Band folks had a great setup for the release of the Beatles version of the game. They set up stages so that not only could you imagine your were on stage in front of your fans, now you could actually be on stage "performing" Beatles music in front of dozens of (sometimes) screaming fans.

Peregrine demonstrated an upcoming product -- a gaming glove. It works like a keyboard so you can program your own keyboard shortcuts into it and activate them with different hand positions.

I also had the chance to try on some gamer/computer glasses at the Gunnar Optiks booth. They did seem to improve the image on a computer screen. Until I can get an HDMI interface to my visual cortex I may have to take a look at that product. I didn't get any pictures there, but the booth folks were nice and friendly.

There were plenty of fake swords about the floor, including Edward waving one about for some reason or other.

And even guys with swords sometimes have to get places.

And if you wanted to get your favorite autographs, they had stations set up for that in main lobby.

This may be the most played video on the 'net from the show, but if you haven't seen it (or even if you have), here is Jonathan Coulton singing a new version of "My Monkey," now called "Wil Wheaton."



It was a great show a great experience. Time to buy my tickets for next year.

New phone time?

Last summer I ditched my personal phone line and went mobile only. My phone is a Samsung A900, and I've been using it for nearly 3 years. I think this is the longest I've gone with the same phone (well, except for that land line phone I got in 1983). The thing still gets great reception and decent battery life. Texting is challenge but doable. And I may be the only person in America who is actually happy with Sprint's service.

And yet, I can't help but wonder if it's time to change.

I like the idea of the Android phone, featuring an OS developed by Google. Google just gave away 4,000 of them at a conference to promote it. The idea of an open platform appeals to me.

But I keep hearing that the hardware is terrible and the batterly life lasts only about 5 minutes. The panelists on Twit.TV routinely critiscize the hardware. Perhaps the next iteration will be a usable platform.

Then of course there's the iPhone. And while it's pretty neat, I don't think I'm an iPhone kind of guy.

The biggest problem I have with the iPhone is the small hard drive. The flash drive may help stretch the battery life a little (apparently not enough). But if I were to get an iPhone, it would be to replace both my regular phone and my iPod. And as it is my 60 GB iPod is too small.

I know I don't have to have everything on there, but I want to.

So once there's a longer battery life on a 100 GB iPhone, I might be interested.

I considered the Blackberry Storm, but the reviews and commentary I've heard all indicate it was a disaster. And besides, there just seems to be something wrong about buying a Blackberry for personal use.

I am looking forward to next month. The Palm Pre comes out on the Sprint network. Early buzz is positive. During the mid- to late-nineties I was a Palm PDA user so in some respects it would be like going home. I will have play with one and to give it some serious thought. By August we should know if the Pre lives up to its hype.

Or perhaps this is all just silly, and I should actaully just stick with my A900. After all, it still works. It's just not a shiny, new toy.

Frayed Wires

In previous years, neighbors complained that I make too much noise. Since I am often up late watching TV, I decided to get some headphones. I can enjoy full clarity of dialog and my overly sensitive neighbors can sleep.

In June of 2005, I switched to a set of wireless headphones so I could still walk around the apartment. There is a wire that connects the base unit to my stereo headphone jack and a power cord that connects it to, well, power. The head phones themselves (Panasonic RP-WF930T) were fairly comfortable and had decent sound quality.



Last night while adjusting something else, I looked at the cord connecting the base unit to my stereo. It had a few issues.












Even in places where it hasn't broken off yet, there are crack in the insulation.



Those of you with a background in electrical engineering are well aware the inside of a wire is not something you are supposed to see during typical household use.

What's weird about it is that the cable wasn't under any stress. There was plenty of slack in it, and it was hanging in the air -- not running across a floor or anything like that. I've seen insulation crumble like this before, but that typically involves wires that are decades old.

Of course the damaged wire is permanently attached to the base unit. The only way I can repair it is to get out that soldering iron. And to do that I first have to purchase a soldering iron.

So now when I move next month, I'll have to take the time to inspect all the cables in my apartment for unusual wear. That should probably also become one of my regular biennial tasks like adjusting my insurance limits or cleaning the bathroom.

So can anyone recommend a good set of wireless headphones that are not likely to burst into flame?

Pimped My Ride

I added an air deflector to my car today. It's that bump on top in front of the moon roof (or is it a sun roof? I always get those two mixed up).

I added it to my 2004 Subaru Forester to make things quieter.

Previously, I couldn't open the moon roof on the highway due to the roar of the wind. I also caught a bunch of sun through the moon roof whether it was opened or closed. The air deflector (part number: F541SSA00) mitigates those problems.

The instructions were a bit a challenge, so I hope this will help anyone else who wants to try installing one. These images are from the directions and from my own installation.

Step 1 -- Read the directions

Step 2 -- Clean the roof





Step 3 -- Open the moon roof





Step 4 -- Attach the metal clips to the moon roof



Attach the nuts loosely. The instructions specify two turns for a reason. If you tighten it more than than, you won't be able to hook the clips to the car in the later steps.

The deflector itself shipped covered with clingey plastic wrap. I left it on while I did the installation to minimize chances I would damage the plastic. I just pulled it back from the area where I was working.

The instruction recomend using a wrench and screwdriver to manage the nuts and bolts. They suggest a fixed size wrench. I tried using an open-end adjustable wrench but it was awkward. I ended up using a pair of vice grips. The vice grips made it easier to hold on to the nut when working at difficult angles. A regular wrench may work if you have an assistant. For a one person job, I suggest the vice grips.






Step 5 -- Position the air deflector on the roof



Just position it on the roof to get an idea of how it fits. This is good time to make sure the rubber gasket is firmly in place on the deflector and hasn't come loose in travel.

Step 6 -- Mark the edges of the air deflector on the room



I'm not sure why you do this. It's easy enough to see where the deflector goes.

Step 7 -- Lift the deflector off the roof



Step 8 -- Clean and add tape





This is wear I made a mistake. I hope it doesn't cause problems on the road.

I put the Subaru tape (Part E in the diagram) flat on the roof at the corners. I realize now when I look at the diagram more closely, it should hve covered the edge where the clips from Step 4 will actually go. The inset with the right angle explains that, but I didn't get it at the time.

Step 9 -- Remove the masking tape



Step 10 -- Place the air deflector flat and evenly on the roof



Step 11 -- Hook the clips to the metal of the roof inside the lip of the moon roof

The images in the directions are pretty poor. They don't include enough detail to show what you hook the clips too.



If you tightened the nuts too tight in step four, you won't be able to hook them in here. So loosen them.

The other challenge here is that the edge of the air deflector is flat, but the roof of the car is actually curved. It may take a bit of work to get the clips to hook on wear they need to.







Make sure the rubber gasket is flat against the roof and not curled up under the air deflector.

Fitting the clips under the metal may take some effort. Once you have the clips in place, tighten the screws and bolts.

Step 12 -- Tighten everything




Step 13 -- Now that everything is attached, make sure you did everything right.



Generally, watch out for the struts that support the small metal wind gard as the front of the open moon roof. You will often have to hold that deflector in its flat, closed position while you do the work. Also, make sure the clips are attached to the metal of the open window frame and not the various struts or other components that make up the window. Test things frequently to make sure the window still opens and closes properly.



You can find more pictures of my installation here.

The whole process took me about an hour, but that including figuring out the directions and going on line to find page 3 of the directions.

I'm pleased with how it came out. It stayed firmly attached at highway speed and didn't vibrate. I really did cut the wind noise. I suppose it may help mileage, too, but I'm not counting on that.

So I'm calling it a success.

Of course while I did the install, I was listening to the car radio and some how managed to kill my battery, but that's another story.