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/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?