Ring Table

PowerBook Strap: TiStrap V1 TiStrap V2 TiStrap V3
Other Projects: Coat Mods Coat Hanger DeLorean
And while we're here... Kittens

Last Updated 4-05-08

Design:

• Dimensions:
  • 11' outer diameter
  • 4'6" inner diameter
• 180 degree uppper shelf
• Inverted KVM switch mounted under upper shelf
• Phones mounted above monitors to free up desk space
• A/V and computer speakers mounted under upper shelf and angled toward the user
• 88 outlets powered by two dedicated 20 amp circuits, plus 6 outlets on the UPS
• Outlets are in blocks of two and four, providing enough space for power adaptors and simpler plugs
• Printers are on a vibration-isolated mount (ie: a cart) to free up desk space and eliminate vibrations while printing
• Cable storage rack for holding currently unused cables for easy access and identification
• Semicircle of six japanese lanterns on a motion sensor to provide illumination

Notable Equipment:

• Two 24" Sony Widescreen CRTs, each running at their maximums of 2304x1440 via an NVidia Quadro FX 2000.
• Sempron 3000+ tower system with dedicated stereo speakers and subwoofer
• 2005 15" Powerbook with a dedicated secondary 21" monitor
• Amiga 500
• A/V system consisting of TiVo, iPod, A/V receiver, DVD player, VCRs, 20" Sony TV, and surround sound speaker setup with subwoofer (the game systems are in the other room, hooked up to the big TV)
• Solder station
• Snack area
• Slide-out mini-fridge mounted underneath the table
• Misc equipment including a 2.4 GHz RF spectrum analyzer, gigabit ethernet, 802.11g access point, Vonage VOIP router, Wacom tablets, Spaceball, Belkin Nostromo, nice Sony universal remote to replace the other dozen remotes, various pieces of long-range 2.4 GHz wireless equipment lying around, etc.
• Lots of toys, including Invader Zim, Transformers, Robotech, etc.

Shelf-As-Table

Once I moved from Vermont to Massachusetts, I no longer had room for the full sized ring table. I was able to use the two short legs, two of the tall legs and the top shelf to construct a smaller table. The tall legs are mounted on the back edge, while the short legs are mounted at angles to improve stability. A short piece of 2x4 acts as a center leg at the back of the table where the two shelf pieces join up, and some extra metal ties and bolts keep the joint from flexing too much.

I replaced the top shelf itself with a simply corner shelf arrangement that sits on top of the tall legs and is secured to the wall, and is mostly filled with toys, as are various secondary shelves. The right side of the table now serves as an electronics workstation, while much of the remaining space is used for computers and A/V gear. The custom power strips have been replaced with two conventional power strips and two UPS units.

Much of the equipment on the table has been changed as well:

• One 30" Dell 3007 replaces the two 24" Sony CRTs
• A 20" LCD HDTV replaces the 20" Sony CRT
• A MacBook Pro replaces the Powerbook
• A new Core 2 Duo-equipped Shuttle mini x100 replaces the old, larger Sempron 3000+ based Shuttle PC.
• A small LCD is connected to the old Shuttle, although that is rarely used anymore.
• The KVM switch is gone, as are the land-line phones, the latter due to switching entirely to cell phones.
• Much of the A/V gear has been upgraded, including replacing the TiVo with a TiVo HD, and a new A/V receiver, DVD player and printer. The less-used gear, such as the Amiga, its monitors and the S-VHS VCR are stored in the closet.
• The cable rack is dismantled due to space; commonly used cables are in a shelving unit, while the rest are stored in boxes in the closet. Speaking of which, this closet is completely full.

Shelf as Table

Table

---

Basic table layout with Maxim, the builder	Table constructed with a Powerbook for scale, before secondary supports were added	Another view of the table
Fully Assembled and Loaded	Four Screens	A view from above
GIR guarding the telephones and KVM switch mounted under top shelf	20-outlet custom power strip with extra brick slots	Vibration-Isolated Printer Stand
Most of the cabling...	Semicircle of Lights	Fully Loaded in the Sun

Cable Storage Rack

---

Cable Storage Rack, V2, Closed	Cable Storage Rack, V2, Connectors from above	Cable Storage Rack, V2, Opened
Cable Storage Rack, V2, Latch	Cable Storage Rack, V3	Cable Storage Rack, V3: Back