We have a new bed computer setup, my parent/carrer assembled a new, larger over bed table for me and I now have my computer set up on that. As we are well enough now to engage in a larger selection of hobbies, I set up my midi controller so that I can practise playing and perhaps compose some music.
I tried to attach another picture of what it looks like from in bed, but tumblr keeps saying "oops it looks like there was an error trying to upload that image", I tried twice. I don't think it is actually an upload failure, it likely tripped their automated filters for some reason - I wish tubmlr would just straight up admit it when they are engaging in censorship instead of pretending it's a technical failure.
where did you get/how did you acquire your computer mount? was it super expensive or not so much? what do you like and not like about yours?
I can’t get out of bed and using my computer is really uncomfortable, so I’m thinking about it.
[I don’t know what country you’re in] do you know if US insurance might cover mounts like that?
No pressure to answer !! You’re not the only one we’re asking :) Hope your April is going ok
We were using a TV on a generic TV ceiling mount above the bed with a long HDMI cable going to the PC as a monitor and bluetooth keyboard + trackball
the PC itself remained connected to two normal monitors at a desk with the TV duplicating the first monitor (you can do this in windows settings, you just need a video card with enough outputs).
If you go that route, you will probably need to get somebody to install the mount and put the TV on the mount for you. I was unable to do it myself. I needed to awkwardly press the power button on the PC with the end of my walking stick if I couldn't get up and it was shut down, so I tended to just leave it on. The idea of this setup was to give me the flexibility to sit at the desk when I was able and lie in bed when I needed to lie down.
Sitting at the desk didn't happen, I just never ended up being able to.
The mount I think was just under $80 and another $10 for a long cable to connect the screen to the PC. It's paying somebody to install it for you that is the expensive part. If you already have a screen you intend to use make sure to check that the VESA bracket sizes of your monitor/TV and any mount you are considering buying match.
The major downside of this is that if you need to change anything later, you will have to get an abled person with DIY skills to do it for you, that was the main thing I didn't like about it.
If I had used a more expensive display with better control of brightness and contrast and maybe an eye saver mode, I think this would have worked.
I have since switched to having a normal PC monitor sitting on an over bed table and the PC sitting on the floor next to it, as the TV wasn't the easiest on the eyes and the particular TV I had's brightness could not be turned down really dim like most PC monitors can be. For this option I recommend that you get an over bed table that can be height adjusted and set the table to be higher than the bed and use a monitor stand that allows you to angle the monitor downwards. This way you can still lie flat on your back. This option is probably cheaper as height adjustable over bed tables are fairly affordable.
My one is on wheels and can be pushed aside when I'm not using the computer.
I hope this helps
Edited to add: I live in New Zealand and know nothing about US health insurance. Apart from disability benefits which are enough to survive, I get no help from the government at all. I acquired everything I have for my disability by buying it on credit and then figuring out how to pay it off "somehow" later. I am managing for now, but it is not the best situation.
This post is about Desktop Computers. We do not have much experience with laptops, as we have not found them to be good for us for a number of reasons which I might make a separate post about.
I have placed the rest below a cut, as this is quite long.
Our Current Setup
We have a desk with two monitors and a keyboard and mouse and very comfortable office chair. DO NOT buy gaming chairs as we have found they are awful for back support and cause pain. This setup is rarely used.
Our video card has two Display Port outputs and two HDMI outputs. We use one of the HDMI outputs to drive a TV that is placed at the end of the bed off a long HDMI cable. The first monitor of the desk setup is duplicated onto the TV. You can set this up in windows settings, you do not need to buy any special hardware. You just need enough outputs on your video card. We use an NvIdia RTX 4060. A Logitech keys to go 2 keyboard (Bluetooth) and a Microsoft Bluetooth Mouse is used to control the PC from bed. This keyboard uses two CR2035 batteries, so if you take this option you should keep a supply of these batteries on hand, I have found the batteries last between 6 months to a year depending on how much typing we are doing, heavy coding sessions with a lot of typing naturally drain the batteries more quickly. A tamper-proof screwdriver is required to change the batteries. The Logi Options utility will show the battery level of the keyboard as will the windows Bluetooth settings. The mouse uses a single AA battery. I use Energizer E2 Lithium batteries for the mouse, the mouse is still going after 2 years on one of these batteries.
The above set up with the TV and wireless kb/mouse is used the most.
We are looking at ways to refine this set up as the TV being so far away is a problem with our bad eyes. For now, I am going to move the TV onto a bed table so it can be closer.
Long term, when I can get someone to install it for me. I am going to mount the TV on a ceiling mount so that it hangs over the bed in exactly the position we need for computer use.
We have found it best for the TV to be higher than the bed as this angle makes it possible to fully lie down and still see the screen, which means that I do not have to expend the energy needed to hold my head up for an extended period of time (this is one of the problems with using laptops for us).
We have found that this setup works really well for us as it is able to accommodate different levels of ability at different times.
