Rigg Monitor Mount
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| Rigg Monitor Mount with keyboard, monitor, mouse, battery |
How I got here.
Unfortunately, while there is 15" between the thinner parts of the legs, the feet are wider. There’s 12.25" between them. (Update: See below.) My most narrow keyboard (a Keychron K6) is 12.375" wide. By rotating the feet of the Rigg slightly I can get the K6 to fit underneath, but it doesn’t feel quite right and the keyboard is still limited as to how far back it can be placed.
I might try something like the NuPhy Air 60 (I needs my dedicated arrow keys) or a Keychron K7 or some no-name 64% board or ...
I’m currently using the Rigg with yet another VIVO laptop holder, which works fine with two of the longer included monitor screws (M4 x 20mm) and two of the included spacers:
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| Close up of the VIVO laptop mount attached to the Rigg Monitor Mount backplate |
It holds an 11" MacBook Air at eye level just fine, but I’m not sure I’d try anything much heavier. I had to use the very top most two VESA screw holes on the backplate, which looks a little awkward, but is perfectly serviceable:
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| Rigg Monitor Mount with a VIVO Laptop Mount holding a MacBook Air 11" |
I’m gambling on a no-name portable monitor with a matte screen, the VESA-mountable UPERFECT Portable Monitor Matte, Ultra Slim 15.6", which should get here Monday. I’m hoping a MacBook with a small keyboard, the Rigg monitor stand and that monitor, and (once it ships) the Nomad Desk, will make a good sit-stand solution I can put away when it’s not in use.
Anyway. Back to the Rigg mount. Aside from the narrow space between the feet, I have a couple of other complaints.
The biggest is that the clamp is just a smidge too tight for the crossbar, and it’s impossible to slide it on without scuffing it. Since there’s also a big ol’ knob to tighten the clamp once it’s on the crossbar, it seems like this could and should have been built to be looser when not screwed down. Kind of disappointing to have a relatively expensive stand get permanently marred during assembly:
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| Close-up of the crossbar as scuffed when sliding the clamp on |
My next quibble is a minor one, but, it appears the product was changed slightly but the documentation wasn’t updated to match. For instance, mine had four screws, and two little screws, on the “pieces included in box” list, but I only got two of the larger screws. That list also indicated I should have two knobs, but I had two smaller knobs and one big one.
In actuality, it appears Step 1 is partially done at the factory now (screwing the crossbar mounts into the poles), explaining why I only had two of the larger screws, and step 2 (attaching the handle to the backplate) was already done, hence why I didn't have the two smaller screws. Likewise, in step 4 (sliding the clamp onto the crossbar), the clamp assembly is shown with the larger knob already installed. None of this is all that bad, but when you’re checking the “pieces” list against what you actually got and think you’re missing hardware, it starts the project off on the wrong foot.
Overall impression: I like this thing, once assembled. I wish the feet were just a tad farther apart, and I wish the clamp hadn’t scraped the crossbar, but other than that, it feels like a solid, flexible, otherwise well-engineered piece of kit.
Update: After using it atop a kitchen counter (~42", a good “standing desk” height) for a bit, I still really like how sturdy and steady it feels.
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| MacBook Air 11" VIVO holder on Rigg Mount on a high kitchen counter |
I’m not a fan of how far the back plate protrudes down when using it with a laptop – but that won’t be how I’m using it, ultimately, and the VESA 100 pattern on the monitor will match up with several sets of holes allowing good flexibility.
I do find that, even with a space 33" wide (9.5" deep) (which is approximately comparable to the 29.8"x10.9" workspace of the Nomad Desk), I’m a bit cramped once I have a keyboard, small mousepad, mouse ... There’s really nowhere to put my phone. So I measured the legs, the taller thinner part is 1.499" in diameter according to my how-did-I-live-without-it caliper. According to an answered question, this inexpensive mount should work (why something so basic as what diameter pole the clamp will accomodate was left out of the product description, I couldn’t say). The UPERFECT monitor, being 14" wide, won’t block it (the stand is 16" from the external edge of one leg to the other).
Okay, here's the setup so far (or will be; parts are on order):
- AVLT Thin Client VESA Mount (AVLT-MT56-1). This can be mounted between the monitor and the Rigg Mount backplate (hopefully; there may be a clearance issue with the AVLT set to its narrowest configuration, and I’m not sure I want the monitor sticking out >2" from the plate), or, it can clamp to one of the legs of the Rigg. I intend to use it kind of like a vertical desktop stand for a MacBook Air. Comes with anti-scratch pads; the slightly cheaper versions (they are legion) don’t mention or show such protection. Per the installation manual this mount comes with M4 x 8mm screws which will attach to the Rigg Mount. (Think I’m going to need nuts on the back plate. May end up using the M3 hardware...)
- A review for the UPERFECT suggested it deviated somewhat from regular VESA mounting (“M4 screws did not fit ... now I have to figure out what screw size fits the VESA mounts on this monitor”); I reviewed the manufacturer’s page and determined the VESA specs are 100mm@M3*4mm. So I ordered an assortment kit.
- I found a “used - like new” Keychron K3 v2 hot swap white backlight keyboard for like $30 less than a new RGB board. I’ll miss RGB but not that much. I also ordered a Mint Switch Set which, with an early tactile bump and a 67g activation force, are supposedly akin to a Holy Panda profile. A bit of spelunking in r/Keychron suggests the Azio Forest Slim keycaps are compatible and shine-through.
The AVLT mount weighs 1.35 lbs, the UPERFECT monitor 1.94 lbs, the MacBook Air (retina) 2.8 lbs. (2.96 lbs for my old 2012 Air, though I doubt I’ll use that with this setup, as everything is being built around USB-C.) Aggregate 6.09 lbs, well below the 26 lbs the Rigg Mount states it will support.
Update: All the pieces arrived today. It’s a little awkward (the AVLT mount has a “lip” protruding from under the monitor), but overall I like it a lot. (I can’t say the same for the blue switches on this Keychron K3 though. The low profile optical blue switch is spec’d at a 48 gram (±10gf) operating force, 1.1 ±0.3mm pre-travel, 2.5 ±0.3mm total travel; the mint switches are 67 gf (otherwise same specs) with an “early bump tactile” and a “gentle” sound level. The banana switches are 57 gf with the same descriptors, and the orange switches, if I wanted to stay with clicky, are 55 gf. I may regret the 67 gf, but the switches are cheap enough. We’ll see!
Anyway. The setup. The MacBook Air won’t stay awake with the lid closed on battery power, but with the Zendure X5 hooked up it’s satisfied. I can’t get a reading on the Klein (apparently the video signal doesn’t pass through and the monitor shuts off), but coconutBattery reports a ~8W drop in charging when the monitor is hooked up and live, which is in line with what the manufacturer claimed when that question was posed on Amazon. At any rate, with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse connected and the monitor up, drawing power from the Zendure (either this X5 or the SuperTank Pro I ordered specifically for this application), the system is quite portable and can be used anywhere. (As I’m typing this, the X5 has brought the MacBook Air up from 13% to 41%, while using the wireless devices, WiFi, and powering and running the 15.6" monitor.)
A single USB-C cable (the one bundled with the monitor) provides power, video (1920x1080), and audio (there are two serviceable speakers in the monitor). I haven’t removed the protective film yet – I have some tweaking to do to make sure everything is as level as possible. But just with some basic use I can tell this monitor is not a glossy, reflective nightmare; the display is anti-glare matte, as advertised.
Hardware. I ended up needing the M3 screws, glad I bought them (though, once the thickness of the AVLT mount is taken into consideration, M3 x 8mm was exactly what was needed). I used two of the M4 washers that came with the AVLT mount to mount the sliding piece to the monitor:
Then I used the M4 screws, washers, and nuts that came with the AVLT mount, to fix the larger piece of that mount to the Rigg Mount backplate:
Here’s the monitor, mounted to the AVLT mount, mounted to the Rigg Mount (note the lip; the way the (2) VESA holes on the monitor are setup, this was as tight as I could get things.There’s about an inch of AVLT mount sticking out below the monitor (and when the MacBook Air is inserted, you can see about as much of it), and it sticks out about an inch as well. Not ideal, but certainly something I can live with:
Here's the final setup, easily carried over to the coffee table in the living room. This is nigh perfect (even without the Nomad Desk providing sit-stand capability); the display is right at eye level while the keyboard and mouse are at a comfortable height while sitting on the sofa. Exactly what I was trying to accomplish (together with having the keyboard centered directly below the display):
A close-up of the MacBook Air peeking out from behind the monitor, with both of its USB-C ports occupied (power bank, and, the monitor):
Oh, and, not visible (because I was using the phone to take the pictures), the iPhone works fine in that cheap mount. It’s a little loose and it’s definitely not RAM or Tackform quality, but at $22 for the whole setup, I’m quite satisfied.
So far, so good. And in the time it took me to add this update, I’d be lying if I said the blue switches hadn’t grown on me just a little. Still going to swap ’em for the mint, though, since I have them, and since I’ve kinda gone tactile across the board. More later.
(Yes, I realize my entries tend to be very stream of conscious. Or something like that. Maybe I’ll add “here’s the final result” entries to summarize projects like this.)
Update: Josh from Rigg points out (and yeah, I feel dumb) the legs can be rotated at the crossbar to make more space between them, greatly increasing the range of keyboards that will fit comfortably underneath. D’oh! He provided this helpful diagram:
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| Diagram showing how to space the feet on the Rigg mount |
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