In the spirit of coming back to things once I have more experience with them, I’ve continued to be very happy with my stacked laptop monitor. I just got back from a week of touring and then vacation with Julia’s family, and I used it almost every day. Being able to use my laptop comfortably nearly anywhere is pretty great.
One thing I did realize is that just using a regular USB-C cable is risky:
While I haven’t had any accidents this way, it would be pretty easy for someone to get caught on the cord and knock it all down. I got an 18″ dual right angle cable, and it works great:
Another thing I’ve noticed is that the velcro gets harder to peel apart the longer the monitor has been attached to the back of the laptop screen. As long as I take it off after each use it’s fine, but at one point I left it together for maybe a week: when I tried to separate it I was worried I would ruin my screen, until I remembered my screen was already ruined. But I would be nervous about so much strong velcro on a laptop with a still-functioning screen.
I’ve also mostly stopped using the bit of wood that keeps it from collapsing, even when using this on my lap. Instead I just sit very still and try not to knock it over. This is kind of silly, but I’m too lazy to get out the piece of wood when this actually seems to work fine.
I noted last time that it was too tall for meetings, but didn’t say what I do about that: I just put the monitor in front of the regular screen, without stacking it. It stays put well enough, and I don’t mind the angle when glancing down every so often in a meeting. I also used to sometimes pick up the screen like a tablet and hold it some other way, but with the shorter cable this now offers fewer options.
(from your original writeup)
This is probably the moment to revisit locking hinges or a bolted-on, pivot-able chock to keep the hinge assembly from moving. A falling monitor could do a number on fingers, kids, or pets.
The whole thing gets me thinking that it probably wouldn’t be too intractable a design problem to make a laptop whose built-in screen slides upwards by at least half the screen’s height. The necessary hardware would add thickness and weight,but might be worth it for the ergonomic improvements.
I have moved away from my stacked monitor situation to a new take. The keyboard and trackpad that came with my windows laptop (MSI) are not great. I bought a small lap desk (aka a rigid plastic desktop with a pillow glued underneath) and bolted a desk monitor to it. I use that and a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and trackpad as if it were a laptop. I don’t travel with this arrangement. I’ve been considering getting a usb c monitor just for travel.
I only use this setup when I’m away from my desk. If I’m in a convenient location I can just plug into an external monitor at the right height.