Tripped over my own cables and broke a monitor arm after 2 years

I was grabbing coffee at my desk in my basement office and caught my foot on a loose power strip cord. The whole monitor came down and snapped the VESA plate clean off. Had to rig it with a plywood backplate and zip ties for a week before I found a used arm on Facebook for $15. Anyone else have a cheap fix that held up better than the original?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_patricia1mo ago

and honestly the zip tie fix is a rite of passage for anyone with a messy desk. i had a monitor arm break the same way a few years back, the plastic clip that holds the gas spring just snapped one day. ended up using a thick metal coat hanger and some electrical tape to hold it in place for like six months before i finally replaced it. worked way better than the original cheap plastic crap honestly. the coat hanger was stiff enough to keep the monitor from sagging and i just bent it around the back of the desk mount. sometimes the ghetto fixes are more reliable than what you buy.

charlesb421mo ago

Man, I feel that. My own ghetto fix was a stack of old textbooks under my monitor for two weeks after I snapped the stand trying to adjust it with one hand while holding a coffee in the other. Works fine as long as you don't bump the desk.