Garage computers, (TV) monitor behind the workbench ?

TechGuy · Feb 15, 2020

I always seem to be running back and forth between my office and my garage workshop to look things up on my computer. Or type something out.

I bring my phone and tablet into the garage, but they aren't convenient to do a lot of what I do - search for information, look at plans, etc. And I'm very scared I'm going to wreck my tablet some day... drop a hammer on it, spray it with sparks, etc. And it is always in the way sitting on the bench surface.

So I'm thinking I want to put a computer in my garage and hang the monitor right behind my workbench. Has anyone done this ? Any advice ?

I have a Gigabyte Brix small form factor computer ready to go. Powerful enough for what I need and easily hidden out of the way. Fully self contained.

I think I'm going to use a 40inch 1080p TV for the display. So that text and plans and such is large and easy to read. A 4K TV would be nicer... Hmmm...

I want to mount it on the pegboard wall behind my work bench. I do store a few tools there, but I think having a computer there would be better ???? I could bring up plans or diagrams and just look up and see them.

I weld and do heavy work on this table. I'm worried about damaging the TV. Should I mount it in a case and put a piece of glass over it ? Plastic won't work as hot sparks would damage it. Thoughts ?

Not sure what to think about the keyboard and mouse. Wireless, obviously. But I don't necessarily want them sitting on the work surface. I do have one of those tiny hand held keyboards with a built in pointer that I could use for quick work. But sometimes I'll want a full mouse and keyboard. I could store them away in my tool chest when not in use ?

Thoughts/advice on all this ?

I've searched for garage TVs and workshop computers, but can't seem to find much on them. Does anyone have some links they'd like to share ?

teal95 · Feb 15, 2020

I have a ~40" TV mounted high and then a ~20" TV under it with a ~15" monitor next to it. I have a newer high powered lap top connected to the bigger 2 and then a rather old slow laptop connected to the smaller monitor that's mainly for playing music. Usually I'll have any manuals pulled up on the smaller monitors and use the bigger one has a race on it. It's amazing with current technology how many races get live streamed, even from LeMons and ChumpCar.

jshillin · Feb 15, 2020

I picked up a cheap chromebook for the garage. They boot superfast and does everything I need to look up something or do anything on-line.

Stuart in MN · Feb 15, 2020

A piece of plexiglass or thin acrylic sheet in front of the screen may be a good idea - if it gets messed up with grease or sparks you can just replace it.

jkherd · Feb 15, 2020

I have a old desk top computer that my son setup for me that I use in my shop, I can access my ebay, amazon accounts as well as craigslist. I also use it to do info searches and play music thru media player. I use it every time in my shop. It works for me. :thumbup:

TechGuy · Feb 15, 2020

jkherd said:
I have a old desk top computer that my son setup for me that I use in my shop, I can access my ebay, amazon accounts as well as craigslist. I also use it to do info searches and play music thru media player. I use it every time in my shop. It works for me.

So where do you have the monitor and keyboard ?

TechGuy · Feb 15, 2020

teal95 said:
I have a ~40" TV mounted high and then a ~20" TV under it with a ~15" monitor next to it.

I'm a big fan of multiple monitors. You can build a very powerful Ryzen computer with a used video card for cheap these days.

I have a newer high powered lap top connected to the bigger 2 and then a rather old slow laptop connected to the smaller monitor that's mainly for playing music. Usually I'll have any manuals pulled up on the smaller monitors and use the bigger one has a race on it. It's amazing with current technology how many races get live streamed, even from LeMons and ChumpCar.

So it isn't just me... King of Hammers was streamed live on YouTube!

For work I use an AMD 3600X with a GTX1060 video card driving a 43" 4K monitor beside a 24" 1080P in portrait mode. It never skips a beat. Maybe I should build a little AMD ITX box for my shop computer?

How do you have your monitors set up in your shop ? Do you have a sound system set up ?

TechGuy · Feb 15, 2020

Stuart in MN said:
A piece of plexiglass or thin acrylic sheet in front of the screen may be a good idea - if it gets messed up with grease or sparks you can just replace it.

I think sparks would kill plexiglass really quick. Would glass be better? I guess I could hang a blanket over it when I'm welding and grinding.

jkherd · Feb 15, 2020

TechGuy said:
So where do you have the monitor and keyboard ?

I have it in the corner of the shop on one of my work benches. I also have a flat screen tv with a dvd player above. I haven't had any problems, the keyboard and mouse are wireless and the monitor is an old flat screen my son didn't use. I spend a lot of time in my shop, it is my sanctuary. :thumbup:

SGKent · Feb 15, 2020

I use an old laptop. Can move it when it is in the way. Wall space is at a premium so a flat sceen would never work for me. There is a washer and dryer nearby I can move the laptop too also.

Bolson32 · Feb 15, 2020

jshillin said:
I picked up a cheap chromebook for the garage. They boot superfast and does everything I need to look up something or do anything on-line.

Ditto to this.

Sent from my SM-G965U using The Garage Journal mobile app

barrysuperhawk · Feb 16, 2020

Just remember, if you live above the mason-dixon line and your shop is not constantly heated... the L in LCD stands for Liquid, and it will freeze if it gets cold enough.

TechGuy · Feb 16, 2020

barrysuperhawk said:
Just remember, if you live above the mason-dixon line and your shop is not constantly heated... the L in LCD stands for Liquid, and it will freeze if it gets cold enough.

Seriously ? What happens to the LCD screens in cars ? I guess I need to check the storage and use temp of my TV.

Samsungs are good to -20C.
https://www.samsung.com/ca/support/...d-or-very-warm-temperatures-affect-my-lcd-tv/

OldracerJones · Feb 16, 2020

I have a 50" TV mounted high on the wall for standard television and Sirius/XM sat radio. t has it's own sound system with subwoofer. I have a computer on my workbench, pushed back under the shelf with high def computer monitor. The only thing close to the working area is the keyboard and mouse. Keep in mind, the higher resolution monitor you have, the smaller it can be for visibility.

NUTTSGT · Feb 16, 2020

TechGuy said:
I think sparks would kill plexiglass really quick. Would glass be better? I guess I could hang a blanket over it when I'm welding and grinding.

Even sparks through from a grinder can melt into a glass screen. I had a CRT over my bench at one time, it had small divots in the screen.

If you have pegboard and like the storage space it offers on the wall, possible hang you TV/monitor on the wall. The build a frame over it and add a set of doors made of particle board, think a very shallow cabinet with peg board doors.

There have been several threads talking about garage computers and TVs. They pop up from time to time. They are always informative. Use a Google search with the words "Garage Journal" in part of the query. The search function here doesn't work that well.

MonzaRacer · Feb 16, 2020

For the most part if you can get in with a good computer company I would go to ways,first I would go look for the biggest LED TV that I can find preferably a smart TV that you can afford. I would then get me a reasonably sized computer monitor, and by talking to the computer shop have them assemble you a really nice desktop in a case and have them spec it with a filter, as you can buy cases they are more expensive yes but it'll come with a filter that can either a be cleaned by washing in water or be thrown away and a new air filter installed
spending a reasonable amount of money building a decent desktop with plenty of memory and a good video card can also allow you to put in games if you want to put in games or play high-definition videos if you wish out in your shop or have the guys over throw some chairs down and watch the game on the big TV
Are garages are man caves fore thought helps everybody.
And if you have Wi-Fi nearby there's a little trick in if you have an old satellite dish like from dish Network or DirecTV or something like that there are hacks online that allow you to wire them up to one form or another of a USB Wi-Fi dongle and point it towards your house or simply install a main line from your house so you have Wi-Fi out there or internet access, cuz hey who wants too have to run to the house to look something up.
also the cool thing is if you have unlimited data on your phone and it can work as a hotspot specifically if it's wireless charging you can get you a small wireless charger place it near the door or someplace convenient where you can simply hotspot in have computer access in the garage take the phone with you when you leave you don't ever want to do it where you lay the phone on top and then lock the building up and then have to walk back out and figure out where you laid your phone this is where wireless charging on a phone with a hotspot would be really awesome if you don't just buy an actual hotspot. Just some thoughts from a computer geek and a mechanic and the garage geeked as well.

Chevy-SS · Feb 16, 2020

Laptop in garage; on shelf just above workbench. And a 50" TV mounted to wall above the laptop. I use the laptop screen (17"... big laptop) as primary and the 50" TV as secondary screen (connected via HDMI cable to laptop), all on Windows 7. Very handy, child's play to set up. My laptop is hard wired to house router for trouble-free, super-fast connection.

couch67 · Feb 16, 2020

Laptop. Love the portability. Getting long in the tooth though, I may be looking at an upgrade in the near future. I use my phone for streaming music to a bluetooth speaker when in the shop.

jayoldschool · Feb 16, 2020

barrysuperhawk said:
Just remember, if you live above the mason-dixon line and your shop is not constantly heated... the L in LCD stands for Liquid, and it will freeze if it gets cold enough.

Just throwing this out there... there are more liquids than water. Lots of them have freezing points below 0C/32F.

:thumbup:

u2slow · Feb 16, 2020

I took an old table saw... put wheels on it. Old piece of formica countertop for a surface.

Parked an old Dell 20" CRT on top, and an old desktop PC strapped to the side. Ubuntu Linux. Wifi card. Multimedia speakers. 50' extension cord.

Not only it is a shop computer, but its also some 'desk' space, and fully mobile. Now I'm not hogging a valuable corner or wall space for a real desk.

EDIT: My better PC with the 48" screen is in my living room :bounce:

sandmanracing · Feb 16, 2020

I'll add my 2c given my experiences over a number of years.

Any device in the shop will be subjected to whatever you work with - chemicals, gas, wood, metal, plastic, or general dust from hoarding... having the discipline to keep anything clean will assist its life span.

I don't currently use one in my shop as I am packing to move, but I have installed a fair few over the last 10 years. The best option is to look at a NUC (or Brix as was mentioned earlier) as they are the most cost effective and robust units around. I installed a pair in a display truck that is on the road for around 50 weeks of the year across Australia, seeing roads and conditions that most people would baulk at.

I serviced the units at the 3 year mark, and there was not a single spec of dust in them - even after other parts of the truck were filled with fine, choking red dust from the outback which destroys most devices.

While a fully sealed industrial computer would exceed this, it is overkill.

Screens? Grab a cheap outdoor cover, found quite often on ebay or amazon to suit - keeps the dust and most other items away from the screen.

Another option is to look for small form factor (SFF) PCs, they are able to be had for a reasonably cheap price and can be hidden away in a cupboard or similar.

Just bear in mind you will need some form of air flow in order for the components to function properly.

Barnabas · Feb 16, 2020

barrysuperhawk said:
Just remember, if you live above the mason-dixon line and your shop is not constantly heated... the L in LCD stands for Liquid, and it will freeze if it gets cold enough.

For storage, It's only a problem if it gets below minus 20 degrees F.
For operation, it is best to be at least 40 degrees F above zero.

Plump · Feb 17, 2020

Barnabas said:
For storage, It's only a problem if it gets below minus 20 degrees F.
For operation, it is best to be at least 40 degrees F above zero.

I've had no problems with any of the 5 screens in my garage that only gets intermittently heated. Last year, it got MEGA cold out there with no problems.

barrysuperhawk · Feb 17, 2020

LOL. I never said anything about water or freezing point.

I live in Illinois and actually had a 32 inch TV on the wall at my old shop hooked up to a computer. And then we had a really cold snap and my screen froze and cracked. Now I'm fairly certain that the technology has changed which probably means that that newer stuff and maybe stuff designed for cars is more resistant to cold.

On the other hand I was not inclined to put my newest best TV out of the shed, the shed got the oldest crappiest TV that I had that still worked. When it broke I was not distraught, and there was no safety issue involved it was just annoying, because the replacement that I put in there was about an inch too big for the place that I had it so it didn't fit right. It never broke when it got cold but below zero the backlight didn't like to light up correctly.

So since I've had problems and I know there's a lot of places that get way colder than the middle of Illinois I figured I'd at least mention the possibility...

sreeb · Feb 17, 2020

I recommend the tcl 43" 4k tv which goes for $230.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DK5PZFY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I have two of these I'm using for monitors. Set the port to "game" mode.

MattRMagnum · Feb 17, 2020

I would STRONGLY recommend buying filters for all of the openings on the case, or putting it into a cabinet/container that has filters built into it. Metal dust + computer parts can produce weird results, and wood dust/fluids/etc will fill the inside of a case, and ruin a computer quickly.* I plan to take a small PC I have sitting idle and move it into my garage, and just track it. If it seems like dust/grime/etc is an issue, I'll probably throw together a smaller version of this:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Dust-proof-Enclosure-for-PC/

If you don't want to deal with worrying about filters/etc, get someone to help you set it up so that your important files and such are stored in the cloud, or your house, and just accessed from the garage (that way, if it dies, you don't have to care).

* This is based upon what I've seen back when I did desktop support, for the record. This isn't theoretical/conjecture.

PhysicsDude · Feb 18, 2020

I bought a small "workstation" computer on craigslist for $100. I put the computer inside a base cabinet below my workbench, and mounted a monitor for it on a wall-mount so that it doesn't take up bench space.

It works great, and is extremely handy. I can use it for listening to music (I have it hooked up to my garage stereo), looking up youtube videos on how to do things, I have a few PDFs on the desktop (mostly tap/drill charts and Metric/SAE conversion tables) for quick reference.

Installing the computer itself in a cabinet and using a wall-mount monitor are definitely what I would recommend. I use a basic microsoft keyboard and mouse and they've held up well for 3 years so far. I just blow the dust off the keyboard occasionally.

justjohn · Feb 18, 2020

65" smart TV on my back wall. Can airplay youtube instructions, pdf pages, etc from my phone.

iowa4x4dieselman · Feb 19, 2020

I have an old desktop pc sitting on top of my hutch and have the monitor, kb, and mouse inside. It may be old and only run windows XP, but it plays music and can search the web just fine.

mxdev · Feb 19, 2020

I mounted a TV on a pull down mount off of my mezzanine. I can raise it up when I don't want it in my way, and can pull it down when I want it at workbench height. It's 50" so a bit big at the workbench, but it's perfect when entertaining in the garage.

CoogarXR · Feb 19, 2020

I have a 19" monitor built into my workbench. I have a desktop PC that runs it and a 60" plasma monitor that hangs on the wall. I keep a fitted bed sheet over the plasma when it's not in use (to keep dust/debris out). Honestly, it rarely gets used anymore. Just if I have a party or something. The 19" gets used daily though. There's pics in the workbench thread:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6749866&postcount=3403

turbodave · Feb 19, 2020

I wall mounted a 26" tv above my tool chest and I plug a cheap 11" Laptop into it running Windows 10. I do lighter work on top of the toolbox vs my workbench so it's been fine for the 5 or 6 years I've had it out there.

u2slow · Feb 19, 2020

Pic of my setup described earlier.

Because my shop isn't heated, I tend to put the PC into standby instead of off when I'm not there. USB ports stay active for charging things.

mc4life27 · Feb 19, 2020

jkherd said:
I have it in the corner of the shop on one of my work benches. I also have a flat screen tv with a dvd player above. I haven't had any problems, the keyboard and mouse are wireless and the monitor is an old flat screen my son didn't use. I spend a lot of time in my shop, it is my sanctuary and my refuge.

Is that an old craftsman corded drill with three cord cut on the wall I see there?

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