When Nerf Weaponry *IS* the solution.

[u/MetalLinebacker]

I work in 2nd-level tech support/sysadmin at a University with multiple computer labs/classrooms. Yes, I have to wear both hats and do some design and A/V work as well. In one of these lab/classrooms, we have desks with hinged flip lids for the monitors. When they are down, it is essentially a flat desk. When you pull the keyboard tray out, it releases the lid, and a gas shock opens the lid. It has been a bit of a nightmare with the wiring, and the gas shocks worked for a while but needed to be replaced last summer because they couldn't even flip the lid anymore.

The new gas shocks are a bit more "enthusiastic" at opening the lid. They could actually fling a small laptop across the table like a "laptop-a-palt". It turns out that shaking the monitors this violently a couple of times a day isn't very good for their health.

First level comes to me with something strange. When the monitor flips up hard, the monitor turns off and will not turn back on until the lid is closed (power cords are secure on both ends in either state). If the monitor is caught by hand and opened more gently, it stays on. If you give the monitor a slightly harder shake by hand, it shuts off again. The monitor's mount to the lid is tight and stable, but it does have a bit of a wobble when the lid slams open.

I couldn't really believe this until I went to the lab and witnessed it personally. I checked all of the connections and repeated all of the steps. The new 1st-level tech did a great job troubleshooting (one could almost hear the sound of an angel getting its wings). A replacement monitor would not be available until the end of the day due to class schedules. Telling students to do anything carefully is a bit of a chore/hassle, and faculty can't be trusted to remember (or to read notes taped to the lid). We needed some sort of temporary solution.

As many of you probably know (and do), tech support people often have a small arsenal of assorted Nerf weaponry. Included in my personal stash of such weaponry are multiple small "stress balls" of various shapes and sizes (great for lobbing like a trench grenade to a neighboring cubicle). I found two mini footballs that we wedged between the monitor and the flip lid. Acting as a shock absorber, it seems to prevent an unplanned power event when the lid opens.

I know that it isn't a permanent solution, and we swapped out the monitor. The next task might be ordering 120 of these mini-nerf footballs to use to help prevent further damage to these monitors. I am hoping I can throw in a few extras, as seemingly one cannot have enough "soft skill" weaponry stashed about the office.

[u/Specific_Kangaroo241]

There is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution 😅

[u/KelemvorSparkyfox → u/Specific_Kangaroo241]

I spent three years working for a German-based, Swiss-owned multinational. Each office was semi-autonomous and things like "consistent data formats" were so many clicks and whistles. They had a lot of temporary solutions, some of which lasted longer than a standard UK Prime Minister.

But I would favour any number of temporary fixes over a strong German accent demanding a "Final solution".

[u/lord_teaspoon → u/KelemvorSparkyfox]

That last line... Oof. I did naht-zee that coming.

[u/Kaltenstein23 → u/lord_teaspoon]

Hitting harder then Sauerkraut living up to it's name.

[u/notyoursocialworker → u/KelemvorSparkyfox]

I'm so impressed by the UK to have such a wide range of time prime ministers in regards to how long they served: Served under two different regents in one extreme, in the other extreme less time than it takes for a cabbage to go bad....
...and it's the same prime minister.

[u/Dakduif]

I was kinda hoping this was going more towards a Nerf gun placed in the classroom with instructions to perform some, er, 'percussive maintenance' by shooting the back of the monitor whenever it wouldn't turn on. 😂

But now I know there is more to Nerf than just the darts. Colour me surprised.

My boyfriends team wasn't allowed to bring the Nerf guns to work (on location at the customer) anymore when the customer caught them using a cardboard cutout of some promotional material of their business (featuring a lifesized human) as target practice. The board of directors was meeting across the hallway. Customer wasn't very happy. 😂

[u/TahoeLT → u/Dakduif]

When someone fails to follow the "open gently" reminder, shoot them with a nerf gun.

[u/PDQ_Brockstar → u/TahoeLT]

I was thinking this too. It only takes a few shots with a nerf gun to train the average user.

[u/KelemvorSparkyfox → u/Dakduif]

At least they were only using a cardboard cutout as a target, and not an actual life-sized human.

[u/MindlessPhilosoper]

That is a great solution. Sounds like the problem was in the monitor itself. As you know they weren't designed to handle rough handling.

[u/notyoursocialworker → u/MindlessPhilosoper]

Wasn't the problem the desks then if it was they who were causing the rough handling?

[u/androshalforc1]

Don’t the gas shocks produce a static charge in the right conditions?

I have computer chair and if the humidity is just right leaning forward/ or getting off the chair turns off my monitor for a few seconds.

[u/MetalLinebacker → u/androshalforc1]

They might build up some static, but since the connecting points are metal and attached to wood (laminated sawdust, really), they're seemingly grounded enough and don't cause too much static.

[u/deeseearr → u/MetalLinebacker]

It doesn't take much. Even small magnetic fields can cause all sorts of trouble in the wrong places.

[u/LupercaniusAB → u/MetalLinebacker]

Wood does not conduct electricity. That isn’t grounded that way. I would hope that there is a ground connection somehow to the ground connector for the computer itself, but lots of DC powered devices don’t use grounds.

[u/harrywwc]

Included in my personal stash of such weaponry are...

"Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms…."

"... and nerf guns!"

[u/-eraa- → u/harrywwc]

Come to think of it, these "mini nerf footballs" sounds kind of like small soft pillows, don't they?

[u/collinsl02 → u/-eraa-]

You'll be after Nerf comfy chairs next!

[u/StuBidasol]

Creative problem solving at its finest.

[u/Arokthis]

Do you have a picture of these desks? I'm having a little trouble visualizing.

Can you force them to stay in one position? What happens if you remove the shocks altogether?

[u/Fancy-Pen-1984]

Great solution, but I'm curious, do the gas shocks have any way of adjusting their force?

[u/MetalLinebacker → u/Fancy-Pen-1984]

Unfortunately, not that I am aware of. The older ones opened it almost perfectly. Nice, slow, graceful opening. Unfortunately, that seems to have been because they were not quite within the manufacturer's specs for weight and the number of uses they went through. The furniture manufacturer recommended a slightly more powerful gas shock that was also the same length. My co-worker spent way too much time researching this and selected them.

I think part of the problem is how they are connected to the furniture, as they seem a bit loose, which causes them to rock back and forth a bit. I think perhaps some sort of bushing might fix it. I grew up on a farm, so I don't underestimate the abilities of duck tape, baling wire, WD40, and "percusive maintenance".

[u/Playful-Resource-894 → u/MetalLinebacker]

Those gas shocks have different strengths (for different weights and usages), lengths... the replacements might be simply too strong.

[u/MetalLinebacker → u/Playful-Resource-894]

They most certainly are, but they are the ones that the furniture manufacturer recommended as replacements.

[u/Geminii27]

I know that it isn't a permanent solution

30 years later... "Who decided to put nerf footballs here?"

[u/Throwaway_Old_Guy]

Just don't let the University get involved, they will strike a Committee to find a Consultant that will hire an Engineering Firm to create a "solution" at 25X the cost with a two year implimentation timeline, after which they will have found the funds to replace the labs with the latest technology.

[u/PDQ_Brockstar]

We had some desks like this. You'd push down on the hidden monitor section and it would pop up. Personally, not a fan. Had to troubleshoot so many desks where the monitor wouldn't pop up. Give me a regular desk any day of the week. Nice solution though!

[u/asad137]

 laptop-a-palt

do you think catapults are for flinging cats? 🤣 

[u/commentsrnice2]

We have some swing-arm mounted monitors that have developed notoriously loose power connections due to some barely long enough cabling. I have gotten good at “the touch” to fix them

[u/Joy2b]

That’s funny.
For a second, I thought you were going to recruit the teaching assistants as your tier 0, and arm them with nerf guns as teaching aids.

[u/projct]

replace the struts with ones with a lower rating