[Tfug] 1U keyboard+monitor drawer

[Zack Williams]

On Fri, Nov 30, 2012 at 1:51 PM, Bexley Hall <bexley401 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Or, is this the sort of kit for which they're going to
> charge an arm, leg and half your manhood??  (presumably
> due to low sales volumes and big data center budgets!)

I went looking for a kit a few years ago, and wasn't able to find
anything that allowed me to add my own keyboard/monitor.   I ended up
getting a used 1U with keyboard and mouse off of Craigslist for
relatively cheap ($50? $75? Something like that) which has served me
well.    Like most things that are "datacenter" related, the used
market is full of gently used products at a small fraction of the
original price.

I think the reason that they sell them as all-in-one units is that
most of the time, the monitor has to fit the width/depth of 1U (most
17" and some 4x3 ratio 19" monitors would probably fit), and to flip
it up you need a spring/hinge contraption in the back that has the
right amount of torque for the weight of the monitor so that it will
keep it in place at the angle it's adjusted to.

That said, on my unit at least, the monitor is held in with a standard
4-hole VESA mount, and could probably be swapped out when it breaks.
Same for the keyboard, assuming I can find a replacement with a
suitable width.  I do wish it had a cable management arm, but
nothing's perfect. :)

- Zack