The TV Wall Mount, Desk & Hidden PC
by duncanwilkinson in Workshop > Home Theater
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The TV Wall Mount, Desk & Hidden PC
My girlfriend needed a desk and also something to stand her TV on. Following on from my first attempt at a TV wall (https://www.instructables.com/id/The-Hard-Rock-TV-wall-mount/) I thought I'd see if I could make a new improved one that would do both jobs for her.
Rather than repeat myself in this Instructable, I'll just include where the new TV wall differs from the the first.
Rather than repeat myself in this Instructable, I'll just include where the new TV wall differs from the the first.
Building the Frame
For this project, the frame had to be built in place as none of the walls, ceiling or floor were quite at right angles to each other. I used the same basic idea as before - An outer frame screwed to the wall to stop it from moving, but with the bottom of the frame resting on something solid to take the weight (this time the floor).
The horizontal braces were fitted to match the width of the TV bracket, and small recesses were cut into the bottom of the frame's sides so that it would fit around the skirting board and be flush to the wall.
As this TV wall was to have a drop down desk, I first bought the piece of pine which would be the desks surface and made the frame the correct width to house it. You could of course do it the other way round, but I wasn't looking for any extra work!
The horizontal braces were fitted to match the width of the TV bracket, and small recesses were cut into the bottom of the frame's sides so that it would fit around the skirting board and be flush to the wall.
As this TV wall was to have a drop down desk, I first bought the piece of pine which would be the desks surface and made the frame the correct width to house it. You could of course do it the other way round, but I wasn't looking for any extra work!
Boxing in the Frame & Fitting the Desk
Three more horizontal braces were fitted and the frame was boxed with hardboard as before - two to support the hardboard facia you see below the TV bracket and one to be the back support of the desk.
The desk is solid pine and is attached to the horizontal support using two flush-closing hinges. The horizontal support for the desk is fitted further back inside the frame, so that when the desk is in its upright position, it is flush to the front.
To support the desk when it was down, two small curtain-wire eyes were screwed into the top surface of the desk, and two to the downward edge of the upper horizontal support. I used braided steel wire for the supports as the pine desk is pretty heavy.
I also put an extension lead behind the TV bracket so that there would just be one plug coming out of the side of the frame, and I hid an amplified aerial behind the hardboard panel below the bracket for improved reception (sorry for the lack of photo).
The desk is solid pine and is attached to the horizontal support using two flush-closing hinges. The horizontal support for the desk is fitted further back inside the frame, so that when the desk is in its upright position, it is flush to the front.
To support the desk when it was down, two small curtain-wire eyes were screwed into the top surface of the desk, and two to the downward edge of the upper horizontal support. I used braided steel wire for the supports as the pine desk is pretty heavy.
I also put an extension lead behind the TV bracket so that there would just be one plug coming out of the side of the frame, and I hid an amplified aerial behind the hardboard panel below the bracket for improved reception (sorry for the lack of photo).
The 2 Inch Thick PC!
Now that the TV could be hung and the fold-down desk had been made, I also wanted to add some sort of PC so that we could watch movies on the TV. As the desk was only to be down when in use, I didn't want the hassle of having to re cable a laptop each time. The only sensible thing was to make a very slimline PC and hide it behind the bottom panel of the frame....
Working in IT and being a geek when time allows, I luckily I had some parts from an old Media Centre PC and a few I had hoarded over the years. After putting together a rough machine I then had to flatten everything out as much as I could. Luckily, everything fired up on my first go.
Working in IT and being a geek when time allows, I luckily I had some parts from an old Media Centre PC and a few I had hoarded over the years. After putting together a rough machine I then had to flatten everything out as much as I could. Luckily, everything fired up on my first go.
Casing the PC
As a conventional PC case would be far too thick, I needed to find something I could mount the machine in so that it would fit within the frame. Luckily a folding wallpaper pasting table was perfect for the job - and also on sale!
After cutting the pasting table to be the same size as the bottom panel of the frame, I set about fitting the PC into it. As the pc was going to be dropped inside the wall, all the fans had holes cut into the lid so that air could still circulate. I also fitted a large wireless aerial and made sure all the connections ran up to what would be the top edge of the case.
After cutting the pasting table to be the same size as the bottom panel of the frame, I set about fitting the PC into it. As the pc was going to be dropped inside the wall, all the fans had holes cut into the lid so that air could still circulate. I also fitted a large wireless aerial and made sure all the connections ran up to what would be the top edge of the case.
Covering the Frame
The TV wall had to match the colour scheme of the room, so this time it was going to be wallpapered.
As any future wiring changes could easly be made with the desk simply dropped down, the panels could be screwed in and the wallpaper could be wrapped around the front and sides giving a very clean look. The underside of the desk was also wallpapered so it would all match when it was not in use.
As any future wiring changes could easly be made with the desk simply dropped down, the panels could be screwed in and the wallpaper could be wrapped around the front and sides giving a very clean look. The underside of the desk was also wallpapered so it would all match when it was not in use.
Adding the PC
The PC was slid behind the bottom panel and connected up. One final horizontal support was added for the PC monitor to sit on. In a final stroke of luck, a spare Dell monitor that I had was also under 2 inches thick so the desk can still be folded up and down without needing to remove it. It also has a USB hub built in on the side so the keyboard and mouse can be easily plugged in.
The wires were then cable-tied to the inside of the frame, the PC was plugged into the hidden extension lead behind the TV bracket and a USB remote control was added so that the PC can be controlled with the desk up.
Job done!
The wires were then cable-tied to the inside of the frame, the PC was plugged into the hidden extension lead behind the TV bracket and a USB remote control was added so that the PC can be controlled with the desk up.
Job done!