Done! (... mostly. :)

Great. I have a couple of server racks, but they're out in the garage and not in my office. Most of the stuff in my office is actually wall-mounted, and I use a driving/flight sim cockpit for my desk.

Kaz Redclaw

Yeah, I know, me neither.

Chad, I can't even use straight keyboards any more...

Phil Stracchino

Yup, I've tried them, and they're an improvement, but still the problem I have is that once the arc strikes the mask dims so much all I can see is the arc and maybe a half inch around it, and that's not enough to see what I'm doing. I've wondered many times whether one could build a mask/helmet that used dual CCD cameras behind 100% UV filters, and displayed them on an LCD display inside the mask. It ought to be able to let you adjust brightness to clearly see the work while clipping the arc to the maximum brightness of the LCD. As long as I can SEE what I'm doing, getting the practice in is just a matter of time. My problem is seeing what I'm doing. No point even buying a welder until I find a mask that lets me see what I'm doing.

Phil Stracchino

OK, so long as you've thought it through. I'd feel bad if I didn't say anything and you had problems down the road.

Ditto the mouse pad- the mouse being up on the main surface puts it level with the arm of my office chair, so my arm and wrist are straight, well-supported and comfortable.

Doc Nickel

Both good points, but neither are an issue. I'm generally a "hunt and peck" typist, so there's little worry about carpal tunnel. And, it's worth noting, that I've been using a desk in virtually this identical configuration for 20 years- in the build thread, there's a shot of the original desk I dismantled. It's the same corner style with a recessed keyboard tray, and I quite like the ergonomics.

Doc Nickel

Doc, this is nice work oiverall. I hate to be *that guy*, but I see some issues with the keyboard tray that might cause you some problems. The keyboard tray is small and you're going to tend to pull your wrists in and bend them sharply when you type. Also, the mouse really needs to sit down level with the keyboard rather than up on the desk itself. I'm an architect by trade. Ergonomics are really important when you work at a desk. If I worked with that setup I'd be in physical therapy in a couple of weeks - been there, done that. If you can rework that area to get more room for your wrists and the mouse it'll be a *lot* better for you.

Actually, no, I don't need to attach or swap drives, and at least for the time being, I already have plenty of storage. Those four drives you see- a 1TB, two 2TB and a 3TB is all- are really only about half full at the moment, and I could distill about a third of that out as either duplicates or unneeded. Basically I was just considering a physical consolidation- one enclosure rather than four. Technically I could get away with just a 6TB drive/enclosure.

Doc Nickel

On the welding helmet, there's electronic ones that are mostly clear prior to the arc starting, and will instantly darken once it does. Won't help in the "lack of skill" department, but they're a godsend for day-to-day welding, especially TIG.

Doc Nickel

As far as your question about drive enclosures goes, the answer is "Yes, but there are likely better options". You mentioned earlier in the thread the warts for your drive caddies; it sounds like you both want 1.) A significant ability to temporarily attach drives for access and 2.) Significantly increased base storage. USB-3 external multi-bay enclosures do exist, but they tend to be on the cheap side of manufacturing, and it's rare for them to support exchanging a drive without offlining all of them. However, two other options tend to do better on that count: eSATA and SAS. Both kinds of enclosures can still take the same SATA drives, though SAS can also take modern flavors of SCSI. Personally, I'd recommend getting a cheap SAS RAID card with one external SFF-8088 SAS connector (or more, if you like), a backup for if it ever fries, and a SAS "Expander Enclosure" like what https://www.pc-pitstop.com/sas-expanders-enclosures has. Between the bay count and the hotswap, you can increase storage _and_ obsolete the warts.

I need to get off my arse and do my own desk rebuild. I've only been thinking about it for about ten years. But I first need to finalize how I'm doing it, AND I'm handicapped by being short a power tool or two, a real workshop, and welding equipment. And, ahem, welding skills. I've yet to find a welding mask with which I can actually see a damned thing except the arc once the arc strikes. Honestly I'd love to be able to just scratch-build one with no prior constraints...

Phil Stracchino

If you don't buy grand kids I'll take it. It'll give me an excuse to take the Excursion to Alaska. But I'm probably optimistic about who is going first.

Very nice.

Cult of Dust

Niiiice. :D

Major Matt Mason

Sweet desk! I'm envious even with the rack-monster I have.

Catsnightmare