[Mobile Monitor: The Final Chapter!] The Result of Covering the Back of My Laptop in "MagSafe Rings"... The Final Form of an Ex-Engineer Who Abandoned Tripods
Previousrecap: I succeeded in combining a mobile monitor weighing only 260g with my laptop into a "single board" using a 100-yen shop holder. However, when I actually used it, a fatal ergonomic bug emerged: "It's deathly hard to see unless the screen tilts toward me in a 'V' shape." To tilt the top monitor, I ordered a "CloudValley MagSafe-compatible smartphone stand" that allows for angle adjustment, and I waited for its arrival while enduring neck pain.
■ Sunday noon, the chime of destiny rings
"When will it come, when will it come?" I waited for that moment, reloading the delivery service's tracking webpage like it was my mortal enemy.
Then, around noon on Sunday, the chime of destiny finally rang. As soon as I saw the delivery completion email notification slide onto my smartphone, I bolted out of my room and headed straight for the mailbox. I immediately opened the cardboard box that had arrived and picked up the actual product.
"...Oh, this looks quite sturdy."
The feel is solid. It has enough rigidity that a mobile monitor (260g), which is only slightly heavier than a smartphone, is no problem at all. No, it feels reliable enough to support even heavier things with ease.
As I learned from the "reverse thinking" of the previous time, I attached this tough stand to the mobile monitor side. Then, I snapped it onto the metal ring for MagSafe that I had stuck to the back of my laptop (ThinkBook).
...It's perfect!!!
In terms of strength, it has plenty to spare. The hinge is fixed so firmly that it's almost too stiff, and there isn't the slightest sign of the monitor leaning back under its own weight. Of course, the angle adjustment, which was the biggest issue—"bending the screen into a 'V' shape to tilt it toward me"—is also exactly as I wanted.
"With this, the ideal upper-and-lower dual mobile environment is finally complete..."
Just as I was feeling satisfied, staring at this stand with so much extra strength, the engineer sensor in my brain started making beeping noises.
"If it can be mounted this securely, maybe it's not just top and bottom..."could it also work for left and right?"
There was no need to test it. It's a hack that is 100% physically possible. The moment I realized that, I couldn't sit still, and I jumped on a train heading to Shibuya.
■ Emergency scramble to Shibuya Daiso and an unexpected trap
My destination was a huge Daiso store in Shibuya. I remembered seeing metal ring stickers for MagSafe in their smartphone section in the past. I plotted to buy not just one, but four of them at once, and cover the back of my PC in metal rings.
However, the gadget section of 100-yen shops has an incredibly fast product turnover. Unfortunately, the ring I was looking for had vanished from the shelves without a trace.
But I am not one to give up here. I took out my smartphone right in the middle of the Daiso store, opened the Amazon app on the spot, and immediately ordered a "6-pack of MagSafe rings" (a set of 3 black and 3 silver). Of course, there was a highly logical design specification behind the large quantity and the color variation.
■ Left and right attachment is also free. The birth of the freakish "MagSafe Multi-Port"
Yes, by attaching the holder to the mobile monitor side, it became possible to mount monitors not only "above" the laptop, but also "to the right" and "to the left."to the right" and "to the left."
In the first place, my initial purpose for introducing this mobile monitor was to use it in a "vertical orientation" that requires less eye movement. Recently, many libraries have open desks without even partition dividers, so the distance to the next seat is quite close. In such an environment, when I was looking at a horizontally placed dual monitor, my neck would inevitably turn toward the next seat, and I experienced a painful specification bug where I felt awkward because I was mistaken for "peeking at the screen of the student next to me."
However, in cafes or shared offices with large booths and plenty of space, a side-by-side dual monitor setup can sometimes be more productive.
"In that case, why not just make it so I can attach it anywhere—top (horizontal), right (vertical), or left (vertical)—depending on the environment of the day?"
Using the rings I received, I 'modded' the backs of my two laptops.
Main machine, ThinkBook (silver body): Attached silver rings to three spots on the back: 'top,' 'right,' and 'left.'
Lightweight sub-machine, VAIO (black body): Attached black rings to two spots on the back: 'right' and 'left.' (*Since the VAIO's screen hinge isn't very strong, I only supported left/right mounting to prevent it from tipping over under its own weight.)
With this, I have completed a 'docking system that allows me to switch between three mounting patterns in an instant with just a snap of magnets,' depending on my mood or the size of my workspace that day. When attaching to the side, there is absolutely no strain (no backward pulling force) on the laptop hinge. It is, quite simply, perfect.
■ Parting ways with the tripod stand, and...
Returning home, the final piece of luggage—'carrying a tripod stand'—finally vanished from my mobile monitor setup.
In the corner of my room, the 3,000-yen tripod stand that is no longer needed sleeps quietly. For some reason, it looked a bit lonely. 'It's okay. Your turn will come again. That's just how it goes when environments change.' As I said it to myself, I felt strongly convinced of these words.
Now, three silver rings are stuck all over the back of my ThinkBook, and two black rings are on my VAIO. I often see MacBooks decorated with stylish stickers, butI have yet to see anyone else with a PC whose back is 'covered in MagSafe rings' like mine.
If you happen to see someone in a library or cafe in Tokyo with a laptop covered in suspicious metal rings, please watch over them warmly. It might be me, or it might be you, having fallen into the same rabbit hole after reading this article.
📢 [Major Announcement] The culmination of my gadget obsession has finally been deployed to the production environment!
Just four months after quitting my job. Having struggled with numerous physical bugs and raced through everything from 100-yen shops to Amazon and reverse-engineered ideas, this mobile monitor setup has become the most dramatically and beautifully evolved gadget since I left my job.
And...! I have compiled the entire history of trial and error with this monitor, along with the records of all the 'supreme gadgets' I've painstakingly tested and optimized since I was old enough to know better, into an e-book that I have deployed (published) to theAmazon Kindle Store today!
'The Struggles of a Veteran Engineer Drowning in the Gadget Rabbit Hole'
For Kindle Unlimited subscribers: You can read it right now for [completely free (0 yen)]!
For non-subscribers: It is now on sale for 298 yen!
Of course, every cent of the precious sales from your purchases... will be used carefully, down to the last yen, as 'debugging funds' to self-fund the testing of my next gadgets! (lol)
A record of the endless rabbit hole of optimization. Whether you love gadgets or not, please take a look if you'd like!
👇 Read the Mobile Monitor series all at once!
・[Part 1] Creating the ultimate 2-screen nomad environment with just 260g
・[Part 2] The full story of the 'vertical stacked 2-screen' setup born from a library tragedy is here!
・[Final? Part] MagSafe smartphone stand!
・[Final Part!] Covered in MagSafe rings!
(*This article earns revenue through affiliate programs)
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■ About the Author
From the perspective of a former engineer, I share life hacks to maximize the return on investment in life.
💻 [Tool Edition] Ultimate gadget reviews to boost your earning power
👉 [Full Guide: Verified out-of-pocket by a former engineer! Click here for the supreme gadget construction method for "Digital Life Hacks" that achieves maximum efficiency without spending money]
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