Best Arm Options For New 27" iMac

[TheBearman]

Guys is there an issue with mounting the vesa adaptor or are the below guys on teh apple site just deluded?
from:
http://store.apple.com/au/product/MC434ZM/A

The screws do not even align when used with the 27" iMac
Written by KY from London 5/11/2009
I tried putting it on the new 27" iMac. The flange went on without any problem. The hole aligned with the pin, and all 8 screws were fastened easily. However, installation of the mount adapter plate was a different story... When it sits on top of the flange, the holes from the sides of the mount plate do not even align with the threaded holes of the flange. It was at least 2 mm off-centre. I had to remove the protective plastic strips at the edge of the mount adapter plate, only then the bolt can be threaded into the flange. Even so, the bolts were so tight that, on one side, I could only drive the bolt half-away in before I strip the hex pattern on top of the bolt.

I'm not sure if there is an inconsistency in the build of these(doubtful) but I didn't have that much of a problem. When I first attempted to install the side screws they weren't even close. I then re-read the instructions and found that if you don't first install the center/top screw you'll never get the side screws started. I did need to back that screw off a bit at the very end to finish aligning the side screws, but that wasn't that big of a deal.

If I were guessing they didn't install the center screw first.

 

[Racerdog55]

I had the same problem, what I did was run a drill a little bigger through the hole which made it a tad larger and the screws fit . Try that.

 

[bobob]

1. The weight of the 27" iMac with it's built-in stand removed has been determined:

Question Answered!

Thank-you to MesMaker, who was kind enough to break out the scale in another thread and bring closure to this one:

Weight of stand only ... no screws nothing. 2 lbs 10.2 oz

So that puts the weight of the standless 27" iMac at 30 lbs 8 oz - 2 lbs 10.2 oz = 27 lbs 13.8 oz.

Now, all that remains to determine is the weight of Apple's VESA mount and we will know the actual accurate total payload weight an arm will need to support.

The final piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.

I received my VESA adapter plate from Apple (at long last) and have put it on a scale. Including the 3 mounting screws and the flange it weighs 1 lb 0.4 oz.

So adding the standless 27" iMac @ 27 lbs 13.8 oz + 1 lb 0.4 oz for the VESA mount, puts the total payload weight of the iMac ready for mounting on an articulating arm at:

28 lbs 14.2 oz.

 

[OldCorpse]

The final piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.

I received my VESA adapter plate from Apple (at long last) and have put it on a scale. Including the 3 mounting screws and the flange it weighs 1 lb 0.4 oz.

So adding the standless 27" iMac @ 27 lbs 13.8 oz + 1 lb 0.4 oz for the VESA mount, puts the total payload weight of the iMac ready for mounting on an articulating arm at:

28 lbs 14.2 oz.

Thank you for this valuable info.

Does that mean that the Innovative 7601-14-2000 rides again? After all, the concern was that the cylinder would have no tightening room left, if the weight is right at the point of 30lbs max. Now that is no longer a concern. Therefore?

 

[kellen]

Thank you for this valuable info.

Does that mean that the Innovative 7601-14-2000 rides again? After all, the concern was that the cylinder would have no tightening room left, if the weight is right at the point of 30lbs max. Now that is no longer a concern. Therefore?

I think someone is going to have to bite the bullet and find out. It is basically 29lbs and so close to the limit I wouldn't trust specs.

 

[OldCorpse]

The final piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.

I received my VESA adapter plate from Apple (at long last) and have put it on a scale. Including the 3 mounting screws and the flange it weighs 1 lb 0.4 oz.

So adding the standless 27" iMac @ 27 lbs 13.8 oz + 1 lb 0.4 oz for the VESA mount, puts the total payload weight of the iMac ready for mounting on an articulating arm at:

28 lbs 14.2 oz.

Actually, there is one additional consideration. It is true that 28lbs 14.2 oz represents the weight of the iMac + VESA adapter from Apple, but it is not all all clear that this represents the "weight of the iMac ready for mounting on an articulating arm". I beg to differ - or at least I'd like to introduce this factor: for the arm products I'm familiar with - Innovative (and this may also apply to other arms), you must add the actual VESA mount weight. This is sold separately from the arm, and comes in a variety of sizes (presumably of differing weights?), such as 75mm, 100mm, 300mm etc., and is fitted onto the face of the tilting mechanism. You do not affix the VESA mount adapter from Apple directly to the tilting mechanism - you first select the actual VESA mount (depending on size - in the case of the iMac it's the 100mm x 100mm), then you mount that to the tilting mechanism and then attach the Apple adapter to that. So we don't know the final weight until the VESA mount itself, plus the screws, is chosen and weighed, and that weight is added to the figure for the total weight the arm must bear. Now, since the Apple VESA adapter weighs a hair over 1lb, presumably the VESA mount itself (plus the screws for the VESA mount) might not be too far off. Until we have those numbers though, we are still speculating. Or so it seems to me - I welcome being corrected, if wrong.

 

[bobob]

Actually, there is one additional consideration. It is true that 28lbs 14.2 oz represents the weight of the iMac + VESA adapter from Apple, but it is not all all clear that this represents the "weight of the iMac ready for mounting on an articulating arm". I beg to differ - or at least I'd like to introduce this factor: for the arm products I'm familiar with - Innovative (and this may also apply to other arms), you must add the actual VESA mount weight. This is sold separately from the arm, and comes in a variety of sizes (presumably of differing weights?), such as 75mm, 100mm, 300mm etc., and is fitted onto the face of the tilting mechanism. You do not affix the VESA mount adapter from Apple directly to the tilting mechanism - you first select the actual VESA mount (depending on size - in the case of the iMac it's the 100mm x 100mm), then you mount that to the tilting mechanism and then attach the Apple adapter to that. So we don't know the final weight until the VESA mount itself, plus the screws, is chosen and weighed, and that weight is added to the figure for the total weight the arm must bear. Now, since the Apple VESA adapter weighs a hair over 1lb, presumably the VESA mount itself (plus the screws for the VESA mount) might not be too far off. Until we have those numbers though, we are still speculating. Or so it seems to me - I welcome being corrected, if wrong.

True enough, however in the case of the Innovative 7500-1500 arm, the VESA plate comes included with the arm, so I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that that was considered to be part of the arm weight as opposed to the payload weight.

If it does turn out that I was incorrect - - this Innovative VESA plate (plus the 4 screws to attach it to the arm and the 4 screws to attach it to the Apple VESA plate) is quite heavy - - I didn't weigh the 100mm VESA plate separately, but extrapolating from the weight of the 75mm plate (6.9 oz) also included, I would estimate the weight with the 8 screws to be almost exactly 1 lb.

So in the end, if the arms's own VESA plate is counted as a part of the payload, then the final payload weight is pretty much 30 lbs on the nose.

I'm not entirely convinced this is true, but it is certainly possible.

In the end, I personally wasn't willing to push the specs myself, and went with the safety of the middle of the range of the 7500-1500 which max's out at 44 lbs just to be sure, and to allow for any slackening off of the gas cylinder over time.

Of course, I'm limited to the mere 27" range of this standard arm, rather than the luxurious ~42" range of the long arms - - I dream of the flexibility of viewing angles that they would offer.

My hope is to wait for arm technology to catch up, or for Apple to reduce the weight of future generations of the iMac so that miraculously long arms can swoop over my work space. However as it stands the 7500-1500 is a truly solidly built piece of equipment that handles the 27" iMac without breaking a sweat.

However, as kellen suggested above:

I think someone is going to have to bite the bullet and find out

...I would love to hear the experiences of other 27" iMac owners who have the nerve and/or opportunity to try out their machines on one of the currently available longer arms.

 

[OldCorpse]

Thank you bobob for this update.

True enough, however in the case of the Innovative 7500-1500 arm, the VESA plate comes included with the arm, so I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that that was considered to be part of the arm weight as opposed to the payload weight.

I want to make clear, that I was merely speculating. You may very well be right. However, confirming it with Innovative is probably the only way to settle it. Not that this is the last word, since some Innovative distributors think Innovative is overly optimistic about the specs on their arms - caveat emptor.

...I would love to hear the experiences of other 27" iMac owners who have the nerve and/or opportunity to try out their machines on one of the currently available longer arms.

Coming up. I have an order in for the Innovative 9102-2000 arm (through Ergomart - part #SAA4229). Unfortunately, I will not be ordering the iMac until sometime in January (mid January at the latest, probably 01/14), and then I'll be ordering from an out of state reseller. Depending on how much of a backorder there is, shipping delays and the like, I might be looking at sometime mid February before I can try this out. Regardless, whenever that happens, I am determined to do this, so stay tuned... I'll update the thread on my experiences.

 

[nrubenstein]

For what it's worth, I have both the Ergotron MX and the Innovative 7500 arms. The 7500 is good and far better built than the MX, however, the tilt mechanism is downright mediocre. With a lot of care, you can get it so that you can adjust the tilt without pulling out the allen wrench, but it's a very careful balance.

The MX's big weak point is that it really just doesn't have enough extension.

 

[OldCorpse]

For what it's worth, I have both the Ergotron MX and the Innovative 7500 arms. The 7500 is good and far better built than the MX, however, the tilt mechanism is downright mediocre. With a lot of care, you can get it so that you can adjust the tilt without pulling out the allen wrench, but it's a very careful balance.

The MX's big weak point is that it really just doesn't have enough extension.

Interesting you should say that. The tilting mechanism is a big issue. Here is what another poster (negativ1) who has the 7500 wrote (page 1 of this thread):

"The tilter does need cranked down a bit in order not to fall forwards. But after that, you can change the title without loosening/tightening anything."

and:

"Out of the box the last joint that controls the tilt is pretty loose, which allows the iMac to flop forward too easily. I had to tighten that up joint up and after that I can now tilt the imac without further use of tools.

It does take a bit of effort when tilting (2 hands), but I'm ok with that. Seems like it would have to have some friction without it losing its position on its own which would be worse."

The tilting mechanism on the 9201-2000 (the arm I'm ordering) is definitely by all accounts a very poor one for the 27" iMac. In fact, I'm having it replaced with the tilting mechanism of the 7500 (but it's not a perfect replacement in that the angles are restricted compared to having it on the 7500 natively). I'm rather bummed out to hear that the 7500 is actually pretty mediocre as well.

Now that I read both your post and negativ1's original one in context, it seems not exactly a ringing endorsement of the tilting mechanisms of Innovative's arms. Or perhaps there is individual variation between units? Luck of the draw, somewhat like with getting a fault-free 27" iMac - just another lottery?

I guess at this point we should wait for more feedback from long time arm questers, such as bobob (the OP), who is going to mount his i5 on a 7500. I am expecting a full report both on the i5 and the 7500 from bobob, as soon as he's spent enough time to gather substantive data.

 

[nrubenstein]

Interesting you should say that. The tilting mechanism is a big issue. Here is what another poster (negativ1) who has the 7500 wrote (page 1 of this thread):

"The tilter does need cranked down a bit in order not to fall forwards. But after that, you can change the title without loosening/tightening anything."

and:

"Out of the box the last joint that controls the tilt is pretty loose, which allows the iMac to flop forward too easily. I had to tighten that up joint up and after that I can now tilt the imac without further use of tools.

It does take a bit of effort when tilting (2 hands), but I'm ok with that. Seems like it would have to have some friction without it losing its position on its own which would be worse."

The tilting mechanism on the 9201-2000 (the arm I'm ordering) is definitely by all accounts a very poor one for the 27" iMac. In fact, I'm having it replaced with the tilting mechanism of the 7500 (but it's not a perfect replacement in that the angles are restricted compared to having it on the 7500 natively). I'm rather bummed out to hear that the 7500 is actually pretty mediocre as well.

Now that I read both your post and negativ1's original one in context, it seems not exactly a ringing endorsement of the tilting mechanisms of Innovative's arms. Or perhaps there is individual variation between units? Luck of the draw, somewhat like with getting a fault-free 27" iMac - just another lottery?

I guess at this point we should wait for more feedback from long time arm questers, such as bobob (the OP), who is going to mount his i5 on a 7500. I am expecting a full report both on the i5 and the 7500 from bobob, as soon as he's spent enough time to gather substantive data.

So far as I can tell, the tilt mechanism is essentially a a rod through a metal bushing. You adjust the tension on the mechanism by tightening an allen screw which squeezes the busing on the rod. It is lazy design. It functions adequately and I have no concerns that it will fail, it's just mediocre. On the other hand, it was a hundred bucks, and I don't have any doubts about the actual strength.

What I would like to do at some point is pull out the rod or bolt and oil it and see if that helps. It should make the transition from sticking to moving smoother.

 

[bobob]

I'm not sure if there is an inconsistency in the build of these(doubtful) but I didn't have that much of a problem. When I first attempted to install the side screws they weren't even close. I then re-read the instructions and found that if you don't first install the center/top screw you'll never get the side screws started. I did need to back that screw off a bit at the very end to finish aligning the side screws, but that wasn't that big of a deal.

If I were guessing they didn't install the center screw first.

I had the same problem, what I did was run a drill a little bigger through the hole which made it a tad larger and the screws fit . Try that.

No disrespect, but I completely disagree with your suggestion to "try [drilling]".

Yow!

The Apple VESA mount is a beautifully engineered object in it's own right - - the fit of the two support screws is so precisely machined, that the thought of reaming it out with a power drill is akin to adjusting your Omega Seamaster with a pickaxe.

There's no doubt that the task of fitting the Apple VESA plate to your iMac is a task that requires liberal measures of both patience and brute force, but it is simply an assembly procedure that must be adhered to. The center screw allows you to adjust the alignment of the two load bearing screws (up and down) at your will. As Clint Eastwood quotes the poem Invictus in his new movie:

"I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

Remember who's in charge, and if possible, before beginning the task of attaching the plate take a moment to enter a zen state.

I used the tools provided by Apple. They were certainly adequate for the job of removing the stand and installing the plate - - once. However, if I had to repeat the procedure, I would certainly buy a full size quality torx & hex driver that would provide a much easier means of providing more consistently smooth and unslipping leverage.


______________________________________________________

Interesting you should say that. The tilting mechanism is a big issue. Here is what another poster (negativ1) who has the 7500 wrote (page 1 of this thread):

"The tilter does need cranked down a bit in order not to fall forwards. But after that, you can change the title without loosening/tightening anything."

and:

"Out of the box the last joint that controls the tilt is pretty loose, which allows the iMac to flop forward too easily. I had to tighten that up joint up and after that I can now tilt the imac without further use of tools.

It does take a bit of effort when tilting (2 hands), but I'm ok with that. Seems like it would have to have some friction without it losing its position on its own which would be worse."

The tilting mechanism on the 9201-2000 (the arm I'm ordering) is definitely by all accounts a very poor one for the 27" iMac. In fact, I'm having it replaced with the tilting mechanism of the 7500 (but it's not a perfect replacement in that the angles are restricted compared to having it on the 7500 natively). I'm rather bummed out to hear that the 7500 is actually pretty mediocre as well.

Now that I read both your post and negativ1's original one in context, it seems not exactly a ringing endorsement of the tilting mechanisms of Innovative's arms. Or perhaps there is individual variation between units? Luck of the draw, somewhat like with getting a fault-free 27" iMac - just another lottery?

So far as I can tell, the tilt mechanism is essentially a a rod through a metal bushing. You adjust the tension on the mechanism by tightening an allen screw which squeezes the busing on the rod. It is lazy design. It functions adequately and I have no concerns that it will fail, it's just mediocre. On the other hand, it was a hundred bucks, and I don't have any doubts about the actual strength.

What I would like to do at some point is pull out the rod or bolt and oil it and see if that helps. It should make the transition from sticking to moving smoother.

As mentioned above, I purchased an Innovative 7500-1500 arm and overall it appears to be bombproof, however I'm afraid that I can only add to the chorus of underwhelmed acceptance of the mediocrity of the current state of the art of it's wrist mechanism. The shoulder, the incredibly powerful upper arm, and the elbow all move superbly. Even two of the axes of motion of the wrist work flawlessly - it pans and rotates the iMac like a charm. But that damn tilting action is alarmingly stiff. And I mean it's stiff when I have it's tension adjusted to my liking! (Adding insult to injury, the visual instructions that Innovative provides on it's website mistakenly show the opposite directions for tightening and loosening that tension. (Hint: it's clockwise to loosen.))

But keep in mind, I'm still early in my new relationship with my iMac and it's muscular new arm. Perhaps, I imagine optimistically, the wrist just needs time get broken in. Three years from now I hope to be sitting arm in arm with my Mac and looking back on these first weeks together and fondly laughing at our initial fumbling encounters.


______________________________________________________

I guess at this point we should wait for more feedback from long time arm questers, such as bobob (the OP), who is going to mount his i5 on a 7500. I am expecting a full report both on the i5 and the 7500 from bobob, as soon as he's spent enough time to gather substantive data.

The funny thing is that there's really not much to report.

Though I hesitate to say it too loudly for fear of spoiling my good fortune, my new i5 has been entirely faultless thus far. "It just works!" ...as they say. Of course that's the reason I have been a loyal Apple customer for lo these many years. Plus, I'm even in love with the Magic Mouse and glossy screen - - go figure!

The i5 & 7500 seem to make a well-matched team. Instead of being earthbound, my iMac is now ready for liftoff into my workspace. The massive iMac soars into dramatic dogfights with my swing arm lamp as I'm left to sit back in my ergonomic desk chair and admire the miracle of flight.

This is the future.








(Nonetheless, I also still manage to look forward to the next generation of articulating arms. I could easily use the 42" length of the long arms - - hell, I could use a 6 foot arm that proscribed the better part of a sphere all around me. I can imagine the day that engineering will perfect the completely smooth positioning of that last evil axis of the wrist. And call me lazy, but I'm even hoping for a motorized remote control power-assisted arm that can be controlled with a quick flick of my mouse. A guy can dream, can't he?)

 

[OldCorpse]

Thank you bobob for your thoughts - always interesting.

The funny thing is that there's really not much to report.

Though I hesitate to say it too loudly for fear of spoiling my good fortune, my new i5 has been entirely faultless thus far. "It just works!" ...as they say. Of course that's the reason I have been a loyal Apple customer for lo these many years. Plus, I'm even in love with the Magic Mouse and glossy screen - - go figure![/SIZE]

I am greatly relieved to hear that all is well. I was awaiting your report - telling us that the water is fine, and come on in. As you know, I have been following the various threads on various problems and it has made me pretty nervous. I realize it is a question of odds, however I was waiting till January to order my iMac, with the desperate hope that the extra time would give Apple a chance to refine the QC process. Alas it looks like the recent 27"ers are as problem prone as the earlier ones, so I have gained nothing, but lost some time. I'm afraid I'll have to take the plunge come January, with no assurance that my wait has bought me anything at all.

However, just to indulge me, and to provide a psychological lift to the hopeful masses, could you say that if you looked at the following list - you could dismiss all these concerns, with a smile and a wink? I mean this list:

1)Screen - Stuck/Dead pixels
2)Screen - Flickering screen, with brief blackouts
3)Screen - Yellow smudge at the bottom/elsewhere
4)Screen - LED backlight bleeding through in corners when screen is dark/black
5)Screen - High pitch whine from screen at max brightness after 30 minutes; also after turning down brightness by 30%
6)Screen - Dust or fingerprints trapped behind the monitor glass
7)iSight - Dead pixels
8)iMac as external monitor function not working
9)Noisy HDD - clicking or whirring, rumbling and whining
10)Constantly running fans at high volume
11)Intermittent hiss from external speakers hooked up
12)Frequent beachballs, despite not many programs running
13)Slow boot up
14)Airport problems
15)Bad USB ports

Having a confirmation from at least one reliable poster, that none of these problems are present, would go a long way to reassuring prospective purchasers that getting a perfect 27" quad iMac is not an impossible dream.

 

[bobob]

1)Screen - Stuck/Dead pixels None
2)Screen - Flickering screen, with brief blackouts Rock solid
3)Screen - Yellow smudge at the bottom/elsewhere Passes color bar test with ...errr... flying colors
4)Screen - LED backlight bleeding through in corners when screen is dark/black None
5)Screen - High pitch whine from screen at max brightness after 30 minutes; also after turning down brightness by 30% Silent
6)Screen - Dust or fingerprints trapped behind the monitor glass None - though the front of the screen has a few from the arm's "Easy Tilt®" feature
7)iSight - Dead pixels None
8)iMac as external monitor function not working Untested
9)Noisy HDD - clicking or whirring, rumbling and whining Quietest drive I've owned (Seagate)
10)Constantly running fans at high volume No
11)Intermittent hiss from external speakers hooked up Untested
12)Frequent beachballs, despite not many programs running No
13)Slow boot up No
14)Airport problems No
15)Bad USB ports Haven't tested all of them yet

.

 

[OldCorpse]

Thank you bobob, you just made my day (and night and week and month). Reading all those point by point rebuttals to the problem list was an unbelievable bliss - now I have to change my pants. I'm gonna order my iMac come January with a great deal of hope and a great deal less of abject fear.

 

[GrannyMac]

GrannyMac was apparently a very good girl this year, as Santa presented her (a tad early) with a 27" iMac. Santa's ulterior motive was to score my old 17" flatscreen (my beloved "desk lamp" style) for himself, which was not a bad trade for me at all. However, I had become quite spoiled by its tilt & swivel abilities (especially when I was tired and could pull it toward me to see it better...), and went off in search of something similar. After scouring the net, I found this great thread, and purchased the Innovative 7500 from Amazon. I'll make sure "Santa" reads all of your posts, too. Otherwise, he's sure to get stuck on that step with all the cussing and demon conjuring....
Please do stand by with technical support, suggestions, Valium, pom-poms, or liquor. We're gonna need it...
Thanks!

GrannyMac
-------------
Don't anthropomorphize your Mac. They hate that.

 

[nrubenstein]

OK. I'm pleased to report that the tilt joint's function can be dramatically improved through lubrication.

Note that this process basically requires taking the imac off of the arm.

Once you've removed the imac, remove (or completely loosen) the allen set screw that tensions the tilt bushing. After you do this, slide the head to one side or the other until you can see the brass (or similar) metal sleeve in the little gap between the arm and the head on the side. Tilt the head up and down (if there is any tension, take the allen screw out) until you see a gap in the sleeve. You then need to fiddle with it until the gap in the sleeve is at the top. Once you've done that, slide the head to one side, then the other and put a few drops of lubricant in. Tilt the head up and down a few times and then repeat the process once or twice. Reinstall the allen screw, and reinstall the imac.

I used some of my precious (and no longer available) Mobile 1 Synthetic Spray Lubricant for this. Given the odds that no one else is going to have any of this lying around, I'll suggest Amsoil Metal Protector as an alternative. An alternative that your local True Value hardware store is likely to stock is Tri-Flow. Note that WD-40 is NOT a lubricant and should NOT be used - while it has some lubricating properties, "WD" stands for "Water Displacement" and that is what it should be used for. PB Blaster and other similar pure penetrating oils are not optimal because they are not really designed to stick around. If you have a gun oil that you like, it should also work well.

(Can you tell that I've spend some time geeking out about this stuff? Screw you, Mobil, for discontinuing such an amazing product.)

Now, I should note that nothing will make the tilt knuckle perform perfectly other than a complete re-design involving either springs or hydraulics to take some of the load. Lubricating the joint prevents it from seizing and makes it easier to tilt the screen. It does not change the fact that it will always require much more force to tilt up than it will to tilt the screen down.

 

[bobob]

OK. I'm pleased to report that the tilt joint's function can be dramatically improved through lubrication.

...

I appreciate your detailed post about the joys of lubrication, nrubenstein - - and I will certainly refer back to it in the future.

However... I just haven't had the nerve to try it on my own arm yet!

My wrist joint seems to have been somewhat freeing up with continued use. Though it makes a rather loud creaking noise, it will move reasonably easily with a firm grip at the top and bottom of the screen and then will securely remain in that position until moved again. I'm concerned that the lubrication will make it move too freely.

I'm sure I will eventually come around to trying your lubrication procedure, but I just don't think I've reached that stage in my relationship with my arm yet.

 

[mfrenkie]

Mounting

Hey guys,
So I got the Innovative 7500-1500 arm and tried to mount it with drywall anchors. I ripped out a huge chunk of sheetrock. Any suggestions for mounting this thing to a sheetrock wall with metal studs?

Thanks!

 

[bobob]

Hey guys,
So I got the Innovative 7500-1500 arm and tried to mount it with drywall anchors. I ripped out a huge chunk of sheetrock. Any suggestions for mounting this thing to a sheetrock wall with metal studs?

Thanks!

My carpentry skills barely extended to clamping the mount to my desk, but one starting point may be this 18 page thread from over at AVSforum. I haven't had time to read through it all, but there seem to be some knowledgeable posters over there.

One thing's for sure, there is a huge amount of torque on the mount when the 27" iMac is at full extension on the 7500-1500. Even with my own desk mount, I added an additional cross bolt through the mounting hole to firm things up. It requires serious anchoring.

Perhaps it may be even necessary to add some additional framing to your wall that is securely fastened to the floor and ceiling for this particular application. Or perhaps you can attach it to a fortuitously located piece of heavy furniture?

Hopefully, our own MacRumors forum has some structural engineers that can offer a more concrete solution for your situation...


{Edit: Here's two additional links (one & two) to discussions regarding metal studs and the use of a product called "Hilti Togglers".)

 

[mashby]

1700-1500 Works Like A Charm

I ended up purchasing the 1700-1500 at Amazon [ link ] and it works like a champ!

I ended up using the grommet hole in my desk, which requires a small adjustment on the mounting plate, but everything installed quickly and easily.

Now the most beautiful computer I've ever own floats above my desk like a dream. It's spectacular.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. It made my purchasing decision an easy one.

 

[OldCorpse]

Well, I'm back from my X-mas vacation, and I'm ordering the 27" i7 iMac next week, so this is as good a time as any to update folks on a few details regarding the arms on the market.

Since the arm that I bought from Ergomart, the SAA4229 needed to have its tilt mechanism modified, I had further occasion to speak to Mike from Ergomart, who filled me in on a few additional details about the various arms.

First, and most important, the 7500-1500 Innovative being sold on Amazon, has an older design tilt mechanism than the newer 7500-1500 sold. Apparently, sometime in September, Innovative slightly improved the tilting mechanism - it was a "silent" revision, in that no new model number has been associated with it. The 7500-1500 currently being sold through Amazon represents a bunch of older stock (pre-revision) 7500 that are being sold off at a ridiculous "get it out of here" price by the Essex Technology Group. This price will not last, and once the stock is gone, you won't likely find the 7500-1500 for that price again. In fact, apparently Innovative has asked Ergomart to buy up the Amazon stock, as it's messing with Innovative's pricing power until the stock is gone.

The take away: (1) if you want to go for this arm, and (2) don't mind the older tilting mechanism, get on the deal, as it won't last. Keep in mind however, that the tilting mechanism on the Amazon 7500-1500 is the older inferior one. But (3) that said, while the newer mechanism is better, it still is not very good.

Back to the Ergomart SAA4229, the original Innovative tilting mechanism has been altered by Ergomart (substituting from a newer Innovative arm) - the limitation being that I will be able to only get ~20 degrees in downward tilting ability (upward is not limited). I don't care, you may. Mike from Ergomart says that they can come up with an even better inhouse mechanism, but it would involve a somewhat kludgy solution featuring double tilts (if I understood him correctly), which they'd be willing to do for clients who demand full movement with no compromises. However, it would cost an additional $100, and be somewhat aesthetically probably not optimal.

Finally, and depressingly, Mike does not believe that a market exists for very long horizontal reach (40"+) fully articulated arm that can carry (35lbs+), and that's the reason you don't see such arms on the market. This may change if enough people are like me and have such plans for ever larger iMacs, but so far he's not seeing it. That puts to rest my and bobob's dreams of giant articulating arms for the foreseeable future.

I have received the SAA4229 arm from Ergomart shortly before X-mas, but I have not as yet opened the package, as I just got back, and further, I still don't have the iMac. So I cannot give a report as yet - but one is forthcoming in a few weeks when I take ahold of the iMac. I'm ordering on 01/14/10 from a re-seller, so who knows how long that can take - possibly into February before I can give a full account of how the arm works.

 

[MacMojo1]

I ended up purchasing the 1700-1500 at Amazon [ link ] and it works like a champ!

I ended up using the grommet hole in my desk, which requires a small adjustment on the mounting plate, but everything installed quickly and easily.

Now the most beautiful computer I've ever own floats above my desk like a dream. It's spectacular.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. It made my purchasing decision an easy one.

Well got everything today and installed the arm and vesa mount from Apple. So far it's weird having the display so high (eye level at the middle of the screen). My first thought was to revert it back but I will give it a week. I know its better for me not to look down all the time but I am used to it. Anyway, everything bolted up easily, I took my time and read the directions multiple times. About an hour to get everything right. I do get the willies when I think about the arm holding the 27" up but I know its well within the 7500-1500 tolerances.

Here are some pics, still playing as to where I want it. Oh, tilt needs some work, I tightened that nut down and now that I want to adjust it, it's almost impossible to get enough leverage to loosen it up. Will need a second set of hands to help on that one.

 

[MacMojo1]

New pics above and I was able to get tilt to work on my own. Love it now.

 

[bobob]

New pics above and I was able to get tilt to work on my own. Love it now.

Thanks for the pics - - happy to hear another arm love story!

Finally, and depressingly, Mike does not believe that a market exists for very long horizontal reach (40"+) fully articulated arm that can carry (35lbs+), and that's the reason you don't see such arms on the market. This may change if enough people are like me and have such plans for ever larger iMacs, but so far he's not seeing it. That puts to rest my and bobob's dreams of giant articulating arms for the foreseeable future.

I remember that you had joked about factory-size industrial articulated arms on the first page of this thread, however I found something similar but a little closer to a realistic scale for possible home use for the true long arm fanatic. It turns out that Stanley Assembly Technologies (pdf) produces a whole line of articulated arms. While the bright orange color may have to be updated with a custom paint job to suit any degree of aesthetic standard, they can't be faulted on the range of their reach and payload specs. They also give an idea of what kind of mechanical/aesthetic compromises (eg: exposed/leveraged gas shock cylinder) a potential consumer arm manufacturer would have to consider if in future they chose to expand their product line.