Comment by alasdair_ | Hacker News Reader

Comment by alasdair_ | Hacker News Reader

I have a Jarvis standing desk right now and I'm very happy with it, but I've recently gone on a home automation bender and want to automate all the things. In particular, I'd like to be able to control the desk remotely so that I can add it to a Home Assistant script that fires via an Alexa skill.

This seems a bit silly, but I have a whole configuration that I use for coding that is different to the config that I use for (say) gaming - different monitor settings, change in lighting, open/closed window shades etc. I'd like to adjust desk height similarly (I have two keyboards and mice, one positioned below the other one on a pull-out keyboard tray).

So, any ideas on where to start automating this particular kind of desk? The controller is a sealed unit and my google-fu is lacking when it comes to finding the protocol used to communicate with the desk itself.

EDIT: Found this: https://github.com/sarahkw/deskctrl/blob/master/schematics/r... not sure if my desk is a JRV1 or not yet but will find out.

When you automate slow moving machineries and it picks up your finger, that kind of situations may present quite inconvenient results, so,

These desks are designed to stop if the force increases an unexpected Amount (say, getting caught on something). Also, the moving parts are all hidden - so long as you are far enough away from (say) another desk tou should be okay.

But you can still accidentally yank a phone or laptop off the desk without tripping the sensor if the power cable is too short.

The permanent cable management will obviously be fine, but "I just need to charge my phone from that outlet in the corner for a few hours, I'll definitely remember to unplug it before I raise the desk" is the kind of thinking that inevitably leads to shattered screens.

I've been considering a new desk recently, since I will be WFH for the foreseeable future, and I'm considering the Jarvis.

How's the lateral stability in a Jarvis? I want to be able to mount a gaming wheel with very strong force feedback to my desk, and the Jarvis's lack of a cross bar makes me doubt it's as strong as an UpLift V2 desk which I'm also considering.

I did a lot of research before I bought mine, and this was one of my concerns.

In my opinion, the Jarvis is the best one (for its price range) and I've been thrilled with it.

I happen to have both a Jarvis desk I bought 3 years ago, and just recently bought an UpLift v2 with the commercial crossbar package as an additional desk in my office. Both sit next to each other, making comparison easy.

I was content with my Jarvis until I received the Uplift. Stability comparisons are night and day: Uplift (with crossbar) has vastly superior stability at standing heights. The Jarvis has noticeable sway just using a keyboard and mouse, while the Uplift remains stable even when pounding on music gear. Both are stable at sitting heights. I found accessories (such as cable management) to be better with Uplift as well. It is enough of a difference that I am considering replacing the Jarvis with another Uplift desk in the future.

To Jarvis’ defense, I am comparing their 3 year old product to their competitors’ product I bought 1 month ago, and the overall desk experience with Jarvis is still good enough that I’m in no rush to replace it. I will be only buying standing desks with crossbars from now on, though.

Thank you for the info!

Do you think it's worth the extra money for the 4-legged Uplift? Would it be more stable than a C-frame or T-frame?

Did you also get Uplift's CPU holder? I'm unsure of the ability of it to fit over the crossbar of the commercial frames.

I went with the commercial C-frame with a 60” desk and I think the 4 legged version would be overkill. I have a 27” iMac sitting on a 4U rack monitor stand filled with devices and probably around 30 pounds of music equipment on top of the desk and it feels consistently stable with no strain when changing heights. Unless you are putting seriously heavy stuff on top I don’t think you need 4 legs.

No CPU holder, but I got the retractable keyboard tray. At the lowest height (under 24”), it collides with the crossbar when fully pushed back. This never impacts me because it is well below the lowest height setting I use for sitting and can’t imagine it being an issue for anyone else. If the CPU holder collides with the crossbar, though, it’d probably happen at an unacceptable height. I would check the dimensions of everything before purchase.

For my purposes, I have an an additional desktop machine I simply keep on the floor by the desk.

My Jarvis (purchased a bit over a year ago) has a crossbar and is almost unmovable laterally.

They updated the frame to be less wobbly in early 2020: https://www.fully.com/the-new-improved-jarvis/ (so sibling comment may not apply)

I own that one (extended version) and in the "sitting" position (I assume that's how you would use the wheel) I can make it wobble front to back by a few millimeters if i really lean onto it, but side-to-side i can move it barely a millimeter or two even when yanking it rather hard. It feels really solid in that direction. In the standing position, it does move more.

Good to know! I'll give Jarvis another look.

If you are OK with adding more hardware, you could use a physical device to press the preset buttons. Something like this - https://www.amazon.com/SwitchBot-app-controlled-device-mecha...

That’s actually kind of neat. It would probably get in the way of manual operation but it’s something I hadn’t considered - thanks!

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